There aren’t many artists who can put out a debut album which feels like a greatest hits package. But that’s exactly what DJ and producer Joel Corry pulls off on his Another Friday Night. “It’s an absolute dream to put out a debut album,” Corry tells Apple Music. “So I wanted it to include all of the tracks people have loved from me so far, alongside a load of newer material which shows the direction I’m [heading] in.” Featuring dance crossover hits “Head & Heart” and “OUT OUT,” alongside others featuring MK, Mabel, and JHart, the LP is 18 tracks of pure high-tempo euphoria. “When I made the track ‘Another Friday Night,’ I knew that had to be the name of my album,” Corry says. “My music is all about going out, listening to bangers and giving people the best night of their lives. This album’s like the perfect pre-drinks playlist. It’s a feel-good album that lets people escape and let their hair down.” Here, Corry guides us through 10 key tracks from the album. “Another Friday Night” “The vocal on this is actually MNEK pitched up and it’s the first track we’ve worked on together since ‘Head & Heart.’ It’s a party record. As soon as I made it, I knew it needed to be the name of the album and the first track on there.” “Drinkin’” (with MK and Rita Ora) “This track began with a sample of ‘All Night’ by Chance the Rapper. I ripped the a cappella off YouTube and put it over a dance beat and thought, ‘This sounds like an absolute banger!’ MK and I had talked about working on a track together but I knew I had to wait to find the track that was just right for him. I sent him this demo and he sprinkled his MK magic on it. I’d met Rita Ora at an awards ceremony years ago and we really connected. I absolutely love Rita and she absolutely nailed the vocals. Then we waited months to finally clear the sample…” “Hey DJ” “I teased this in my DJ sets for ages and I had people constantly hitting my DMs asking, ‘When is this coming out?’ This feels like a very current record. It’s 140 BPM, it’s got a trance vibe to it and a donk bassline. I made this track in Ibiza and then went out and played it straightaway, and it had an amazing reaction.” “0800 HEAVEN” (with Nathan Dawe and Ella Henderson) “Myself and Nathan Dawe were both DJs in Zante back in the day and had rival parties next door to each other. But we always had a mutual respect and when I broke through with ‘Sorry,’ he had a hit with ‘Flowers’ a few months later. Both Nathan and I had been in the studio with Ella Henderson loads over the years so when we put this out and it became a big track, it really felt like a family thing. It’s been amazing performing it in Ibiza.” “Head & Heart” (feat. MNEK) “This track came about during lockdown in 2020. I’d had two hits, was about to go and tour the world but it all got taken away so I was a bit down about it. A songwriter I work with called Rob Harvey then sent a demo he’d written of ‘Head & Heart.’ It was almost unrecognizable from the final version, but I knew there was some magic in the hook. I worked loads on the production and then we got MNEK in to do the vocal and he just fitted perfectly. As soon as I finished it, I thought, ‘This feels like a number one.’ I didn’t want to release it until the pandemic was over because I felt it needed to be heard in the clubs, but eventually I put it out and it seemed to uplift a lot of people during that period. People tell me it was their lockdown anthem and I get quite emotional about it.” “BED” (with RAYE and David Guetta) “‘BED’ came about after ‘Head & Heart’ and I really felt like I was on a roll. I was in the studio with a songwriter called Jin Jin and she was playing me some demos she’d recorded with RAYE. She played one and it just stood out and we played it on loop in the studio. I got obsessed with it and messaged RAYE saying, ‘I need to work on this track with you.’ She came back and said, ‘Sure,’ but I recorded that demo with David Guetta at a writing camp in Ibiza. It was a bit of a curveball! I got in touch with David and he was happy to work on the track together. When I got in the studio to work on this properly I got absolutely obsessed with it and was having sleepless nights, going over every intricacy of the record. We made about 17 different versions but I absolutely love what we ended up with.” “OUT OUT” (feat. Charli XCX & Saweetie) “This began with a sample of ‘Alors on danse’ by Stromae, a real classic track that all danceheads know. I always wanted to sample it because I love the beat and saxophone riff. I was working on a little bootleg of it during a writing camp and then I hit on the idea to call a track ‘OUT OUT.’ ‘Out out’ is such a British concept. which means you’re having a really big night, but no one had really addressed it in a song before. It was the tail end of the pandemic and the timing was just perfect. Myself and Jax Jones worked on the track together, sending ideas back and forth and then we managed to get Charli to do the vocals. [She] was just the perfect fit.” “Do You Mind” (feat. JHart) “This is about breaking up with someone but then hooking up that one last time. I worked on the song in LA with JHart, who’s an amazing songwriter and brings an R&B vibe to the track. Then it’s got an offbeat bassline and is quite a fast record, so it really fits with a lot of big dance records at the moment.” “Sorry” “This record changed my life. ‘Sorry’ samples ‘Sorry (I Didn’t Know)’ by Monsta Boy and Denzie, which is a UK garage classic. When I was 14 and first got my turntables, I’d play garage constantly and be in the record shop buying 12-inches every weekend, so that’s my roots. Fast-forward 20 years and I decided to rework this track with Hayley May on the vocals. I released it on an independent label and it just built this huge buzz. I love it so much and wouldn’t be here now without it.” “Lonely” “After having your first big hit, the record you follow it with is probably the most important track you’re ever going to release. I was worried about being a one-hit wonder! I wrote it with Rob Harvey and we got Harlee on the vocal who did an amazing job. Around then, I got signed to Atlantic and walked into the office and straightaway said, ‘This is the next single.’ It was a big buildup to the release and I’d been playing it in my DJ sets for nine months, but by the time it came out, everyone knew the words already. It’s such a special track to me.”