Listening to Bicep offers a thrilling education on the history (and future) of dance music. Before establishing their intricate, genre-splicing electronic compositions, the Northern Ireland duo spent years soaking in other people’s sounds. As teens, Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar immersed themselves in Belfast’s club scene and began honing their crate-digging skills. In 2008, they created the Feel My Bicep blog, an outlet for house, techno, funk and disco rarities that naturally led to a bustling DJ career in their new home of London. Behind the scenes, they were slowly building their own studio, stockpiling it with their favourite instruments, and recording and producing tracks with artists like Simian Mobile Disco and Hammer. By 2017, Bicep unveiled their self-titled debut album, a fine-tuned collection of slippery jungle breaks, hip-hop beats and disco thrills that flows between uptempo euphoria and downtempo bliss. The acclaimed release led to Bicep’s first major tour, followed by 2021’s Isles, a border-blurring mix of rare samples, vintage sounds and wily studio tricks. While the duo continues to embrace their experimental urges—on record and at the club—they also remain first-rate curators, as can be heard on their FeelMyBicep Radio show on Apple Music.