The dance floor is a place of unity where the outside world fades from consciousness, and we feel connected to strangers in entirely intangible ways. As we increasingly retreat behind screens, this shared release in a crowded club becomes ever more important. On her new album DIGITiSE, Australian artist HAAi embraces this idea, using electronic music to bring people closer together.
Following up last year’s ambitious HUMANiSE so quickly may seem risky. That album was a hugely personal, vulnerable record that grappled with themes of queer identity, community and the fight for human connection in the digital world. Originally conceived as an extension to those carefully crafted tracks, she soon found that the new material she was writing touched on similar themes. However, the songs seemed to guide her more toward one of the last bastions of humanity in the retreat from the onrush of the digital world: the club. What began as a further exploration of the pace of technological change has morphed into a triumphant ode to club life in all its sweaty glory.
Fittingly, DIGITiSE picks up where HUMANiSE left off, with the choir that faded out on that album returning on opener “RE-HUMANISE”. Joined by wondrous synth swells and textured electronics, it acts as the perfect bridge between the two albums. With spoken word from frequent collaborator Kaiden Ford intoning the freedom of club culture, HAAi gently pulls you through the club door as deep, pounding bass heralds the dancefloor. “Printerlude” gives the listener time to skirt the edges as abstract beats crack and frazzle before being subsumed by thumping, subterranean bass.
“Ignition” keeps things on the perimeter as she expertly layers sounds with ticking percussion, quickly joined by deep bass, vocal loops and warm rushes of synth. The slowly unfolding nature mesmerises as it seems to endlessly expand, echoing her boundless sense of invention. Again, the music occupies the space between HUMANiSE and DIGITiSE as it edges from melancholy to a frenetic rave-up. However, her vocals leave a lasting impression. Detailing her experiences as a queer kid in a small town, she paints a relatable picture of someone longing to escape to somewhere where they can just be: “No sleep, with Tokyo drifting / We’re going out in the nick of time.”
The move to the heart of the club begins in earnest with the dub-infused “Death Perception”. Riding a sonorous bass line, whirling electronics look for somewhere to settle before a quickening beat corrals them into place, signalling the end of the time spent on the fringes. At this point, the LP fully and unconditionally surrenders to the rave. In “DIGITiSE”, Insectile synths give way to stomping beats that barely let up as HAAi positions you in the heart of the crowd, wags her finger and warns you not to stop moving. From then on, it’s best to do exactly as she says as she launches into a barrage of absolute bangers.
“Technology” maintains the BPM as she scaffolds palpitating beats and increasingly hectic rhythms that evoke the feeling of digital overload. This theme is central to the album as a whole. “HUMANISE Radio” is a staggeringly brilliant, kinetic club-track that does everything in its power to keep the pulse racing. Melding pounding techno and twinkling keys, it’s the kind of industrial rave track that deserves to be heard in an abandoned warehouse. The similarly urgent “THANK U” doesn’t miss a stride as pulsing beats are driven forward by vocal loops and samples. It’s the perfect bridge before the slightly more fractured “I Wanna Feel like Someone”.
Featuring James Massiah, who also appeared on HUMANiSE, the song builds thick electronic textures that groan with intensity. Massiah’s vocals act as a calming break in the track akin to suddenly being able to gulp a breath of cool air on a crowded, sweaty dancefloor. It’s a song that encapsulates the inclusivity and sheer joy of losing yourself to the music.
Naturally, the tempo can’t remain sky-high forever, but Haai does her best to limit the shock of the comedown. On the album closer, “Talking Walls'” steady beats and vocal samples start the descent before a choir and ambient synth surges guide us to the euphoric close. It’s a life-affirming end to the album, giving you time to grab your coat before emerging into the dazzling early-morning sunlight.
DIGITiSE is a vital reminder of the joys of being in a heaving, sweaty collective. Across these wildly inventive and thrilling tracks, HAAi implores us to step back from the digital world and get deep down and dirty on the dancefloor. It would be rude to let her down.