Everyone’s favourite Berlin-based German-Iraqi house producer, Boys Noize, has announced details of his fifth album, +/- (also called Polarity), which is set to land on 24 September on Boysnoize Records (pre-order here).
Boys Noize, aka Alex Ridha, has teamed up with a variety of collaborators on the new long player, including Chilly Gonzales (on Ride Or Die), Jake Shears (on AllI Want) and Abra (on Affection), among others. As with everything else in his catalogue, it’s a blend of genres and musical experimentation, all with the dancefloor in mind.
Commenting on the project, Ridha said that the album “dives into the polar tension between the musical styles and worlds I find myself in. When you combine opposites, something transcendent can take place, something greater than the two parts. And with music, it becomes a magic that can create new worlds.”
It’s his first album since 2016’s Mayday, although he has kept busy on both the release and remix front in the years since, working with the likes of A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean, Omar Souleyman, Justice and others, as well as earning a Grammy nomination for his tie-up with Skrillex and Ty Dolla Sign, 2019’s Midnight Hour.
“I’ve always been inspired by trying to integrate opposing, polar forces,” says Ridha. “There’s something really thrilling in it, and it’s always a secret motivation for me; building and exploring the combination of contrasts.
“Techno’s earliest inspiration was the idea of combining man and machine. And you can continue from there—aggression and beauty, past and future.”
He’s also announced a tour to coincide with the release of the album, which takes in dates on both sides of the Atlantic – it takes in dates in France and Germany in September, before a pan-US excursion and a return to Europe in November, with dates in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Netherlands and Switzerland… with more dates to be announced.
Boys Noize +/- is released on 24 September.
Tracklisting
01 – Close
02 – Love & Validation feat. Kelsey Lu
03 – Girl Crush feat. Rico Nasty
04 – Greenpoint
05 – Polarity feat. Ghost Culture
06 – XYXY
07 – Affection feat. Abra
08 – All I Want feat. Jake Shears
09 – Detune
10 – IU feat. Corbin
11 – Xpress Yourself
12 – Sperm
13 – Ride Or Die feat. Chilly Gonzales and Kelsey Lu
14 – Nude feat. Tommy Cash
15 – Act9 feat. Vinson
[Main photo by Shane McCauley]