Reading and Leeds festival review – post-GCSE blowout shows how dominant dance music now is

Charli xcx and Fontaines DC are spellbinding and there’s an awesome array of genres, but the biggest turnouts are for tech house names like Kettama and Josh Baker

Tell us: what’s the song that is guaranteed to get you on the dancefloor?

What track gets your feet moving the moment you hear it – and on to the dancefloor? I Feel Love by Donna Summer? Or We Found Love by Rihanna? We’d love to hear what yours is

‘So many people say things about my appearance – it’s not normal’: Jorja Smith on burnout, body-shaming and finding freedom

Being recognised by the Brits, Grammys and Drake made the singer one of British music’s most famous names – and also left her exhausted. Now, after decompressing in her home town she returns with a record made for raving

Skintown review – Northern Irish scamps rave their Troubles away

Catholics and Protestants find E-fuelled common ground at a hallowed Portrush club in Ciarán McMenamin’s adaptation of his own 2018 novel

Overmono review – irresistible dance duo swap club intimacy for well-earned spectacle

Playing their biggest headlining gig to date, the Russell brothers are in a bouncy mood, though their grandstanding rave melodies lose some punch in an outdoor environment

Prince to Madonna, Blur to Beth Orton: William Orbit’s 12 greatest recordings

The late producer’s gift for bringing in elements from dance music’s cutting edge drew all manner of music royalty – and he often made them sound better than ever before

‘I was so self-assured in my early 20s. Then my frontal lobe hit’: Rachel Chinouriri, every pop star’s favourite UK pop star

​She faced racist bullying as a child – then pigeonholing as an artist. Now following up a hit debut album championed by the A-list, the Croydon singer-songwriter says she finally understands who she really is

‘People say they’ve conceived to my music’: Tricky’s honest playlist

The trip-hop star doesn’t believe in getting jiggy to songs and would choose Cyndi Lauper at karaoke. But which classic reminds him of his mum?

Nia Archives: Emotional Junglist review – breakbeats and heartbreak combined by a brilliant British one-off

On the Bradford-born producer’s self-assured second album, drum’n’bass rhythms power up angsty odes with shades of Arctic Monkeys, Kate Nash and myriad genres

‘A sublime, breezy confection’: writers on their 2026 songs of the summer

The annual rundown of Guardian writers picking their most played tracks of the season goes from club-ready pop to sunny tech house

‘Fun, propulsive, full of queer joy’: readers’ favourite albums of 2026 so far, from Muna to Raye and J Cole

After the Guardian’s music critics chose their best of the half-year, we asked you for your picks – from Brian Jackson and Arlo Parks to Maya Hawke, Flea and more

Eat, sleep, rave … make peace! DJ Yousuke Yukimatsu’s mission to change the world with topless raves

He beat brain cancer. Now your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ is on a UK tour, armed with experimental techno, Beastie Boys and Taylor Swift

‘We’ve had moments of devastating pain’: jazz icons Ezra Collective on their new album – and why we can’t rely on the government

Speaking at a Guardian Live event at Love Supreme festival, the band tell us about lessons with Tony Allen, mayhem in Lagos and why musicians should be ‘pillars of the community’

Breaking hearts and blowing minds:​ Robyn’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!

As she tours the UK, we pick the best of an artist who defined the ‘sad banger’ – but also radiates joy and strength from her perfect pop songs

Madonna: Confessions II review – nostalgic dancefloor trip sparks her most vital album in two decades

After years spent chasing trends like trap and Latin pop, Madonna settles back​ nicely into​ old-school dance music to tell vivid vignettes of life in 80s New York