“Sometimes all you need is a few words to tell a story.” - Venessa Michaels
LA-based electronic producer Venessa Michaels is evolving in real time. The artist initially made a name for herself through a retro-futuristic sound blending various forms of club music with Y2K-inspired hip-hop and pop - a style that has led to collaborations with J.Worra, Lil Texas, and Kaleena Zanders; touring slots with NIKI, Raury, 6lack, Party Favor, and Krewella; performances at festivals such as Coachella, Splash House, and Camp Flog Gnaw; and the creation of the theme song for the DreamWorks Netflix show KIPO and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
Now, the producer is revving up towards her debut album Sent From Saturn, a full-length project that will display a holistic picture of Venessa Michaels’ artistry. With a lavish mix of various dance and pop genres, the new album promises to showcase Michaels’ versatile skill set and eclectic aesthetic sensibilities.
Listeners got their first taste of Sent From Saturn with the album’s lead single “Spirit On Mine,” a collaboration with singer-songwriter Luck and a vivid glimpse into the world of 2000s R&B. Instead of merely retreading past eras, “Spirit On Mine” recontextualizes its Y2K stylings with a distinctly modern flare, fusing its instrumental with elements of future garage and a four-on-the-floor house beat.
Today, Venessa Michaels releases the single “Needed U,” a track that moves even further from her nostalgia-leaning roots and into pure dancefloor bliss. Incorporating house, breakbeat, and tech-house into a genre-bending club banger, “Needed U” solidifies Michaels as an expert in infectious, party-starting grooves.
“Needed U” begins with a moody, tone-setting bassline before incorporating rhythmic, futuristic sound design textures, spacey synth stabs, and backing vocals. The song then builds with reverberating drum patterns revolving around its pitched-down, central vocal sample before dropping into propulsive breakbeats that are sure to ignite dance floors everywhere.
“Needed U” flexes multiple facets of Venessa Michaels’ production and arrangement skills. The track intricately balances its individual elements into an immersive, heart-pumping dance experience. It also disembodies those elements - the vocals, the drums, the synths - and re-incorporates them in new, creative ways throughout the song.
This exciting creativity foreshadows an LP full of similarly unpredictable masterworks - an acute representation of everything Venessa Michaels has to offer.