Afrobeat

Today’s Track: Pa Salieu (feat. Mahalia) – “Energy”

February 8, 2021 — Leave a comment

Coventry Market – Although I’m not complaining, it could be draining. New post time!

  • Pictured: Pa Salieu and Mahalia in a recent PR shoot (in 2020) (Photo Credit: Warner Bros Records UK)

Good Morning to you! I am Jacob Braybrooke, and, as per usual, it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A 23-year-old British-Gambian rapper from Coventry, Pa Salieu was born in to a life where he was surrounded by other musicians and performers, with his Auntie being a Folk singer-songwriter from Gambia. After spending his early life growing up in Slough, Salieu landed the most played track on BBC Radio 1Xtra of 2020 in his debut single, “Frontline”, which he released in January of last year. Since then, he has released his first full-length record (Which he calls a Mixtape, rather than a traditional Album release) titled “Send Them To Coventry”, which earned him tremendous acclaim. It received a Metacritic review aggregate score of 90, as critics cited his experimentation with genres like Dancehall and Afrobeat, within a diverse Grime and Afro-Swing hip-hop template, which critics felt reflected the sonic fluidity of “Black Music” genres in the past and present. After collaborating on tracks with FKA Twigs and SL, Salieu enlisted the help of artists including Ni Santora, Stizee, Kwes Darko and Felix Joseph. The most notable of which is probably “Energy”, in which the Jamaican-British singer and actress Mahalia assists Salieu, on the closing number of the 15-track project. Let’s give this one a shot below.

The music video for “Energy” was directed by Femi Ladi, and in an interview with NME before the release of his mixtape last November, Pa Salieu spoke of his aspirations for the times ahead, explaining: “I’m not coming from a good life. But my music will have very big meaning… I see a better life for me and my family now. I can see that life can change now, I don’t feel so trapped. I can see the view over the horizon”, in reaction to the new-found acclaim signifying a fresh start for his personal and creative life. This sense of peace comes across in “Energy”, where Salieu raps lines like “Crown on my head, I was born shining” and “They put us in the dirt so we keep dying, I’ve died a hundred times and I keep fighting” over the top of a looping instrumental where the 80’s soft-rock synths are mellow, and these lyrical notes of elevation and self-worth are padded out with a rumbling Bass backing and a straightforward Bedroom Pop production. Light elements of Afrobeat flesh out the soundscape with limbering drum beats and sparsely placed guitar licks that evoke a little Funk-Rock. The tones of the instrumentation fit nicely with Salieu’s reminders to “Protect your energy”, in an ode to broadly well-meaning positivity and self-belief. The hook of “They just want your fall ’cause of jealousy” cements these messages of motivation, and the guest spot with Mahalia adds a soulful touch to proceedings. Although brief, it adds a female dynamic to the track that gives it more optimism. It’s usually more difficult for me to connect truly with artists who have been hyped up to the hills by the media like Pa Salieu seems to be, but overall, I think this is a solid performance. Although I think there’s a slight over-reliance on the auto-tune effects here for me, the sound palette has a great range and the lyrics are easy to relate with. It also feels like a good direction for Pa Salieu going forward, as the non-violent and melodic nature of the instrumental beats work nicely to convey the tone. I also like that when you take a look at his guest list, it’s wonderfully inclusive. An exciting artist.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Take Them To Coventry” (Released on November 13, 2020) (via Warner Records)

Well – That’s all I have for you to read today! My daily diary continues tomorrow as you would expect – where you can join me for an in-depth listen to a single from another very exciting emerging talent who I’ve heard about before, but I’ve only recently discovered for myself. She blew me away with her recent performance for KEXP’s Live At Home sessions, and this Colombian electronic music producer loves to describe her own sound as “Bright Music For Dark Times”, the direction of her debut solo LP, which she released last October from the well-known Domino Recordings label. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Common (feat. Black Thought) – “Say Peace”

January 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Here’s a chum who wants to sleep with the Common people, like you. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “A Beautifal Revolution” (Pt. 1) (LP) (Released on Oct 30, 2020) (via Loma Vista)

Good morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to, yet again, get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! Lately, I’ve been continuing to work through my backlog of 2020 releases, and one of the most high-profile names who were left in the pile was the surprise release of “A Beautifal Revolution (Pt. 1)” from the 90’s rap icon Common. You’ll probably know Common from his following through the 1990’s, after he gained mainstream success from his work with The Soulquarians. Since that point, he’s appeared in Hollywood blockbuster films including “Wanted”, “Date Night”, “John Wick: Chapter 2”, “Suicide Squad” and…erm…that crap “New Year’s Eve” film. Nevertheless, he’s done loads of work in the media. Common announced his latest album, which he’s considered to be the first entry of two-part project, just a few days before it was released on October 30th, via Loma Vista Recordings. The lead single was “Say Peace”, a track which saw the Chicago native working with PJ and The Roots’ Black Thought. Check it out below.

Common said he wanted the LP collection to “uplift, heal and inspire listeners dealing with racial injustices as well as other social injustices”, before deducing, “A Beautifal Revolution, Pt. 1 is affirmation. It’s recognition. It’s elevation. It’s music to go with a movement. Because the truth is, there is still so much work to do”, when the album was given a full-fledged physical release to celebrate Black History Month in the United States. This track captures your attention with it’s funky, snare-like rhythm, which feels as unusual as it is upbeat. Paired with a Dub-esque instrumental backing track, Common and his collaborators in PJ & Black Thought manage to flex the different meanings behind Peace, as well as the altering pathways to it. The repeating, earthly guitar sounds have an almost African world feel to them, while bars like “And some find their peace through praisin and shouting/and some find their peace through pulling the shades like Malcom/I found my peace through making these albums” and “If you concentrate/You could find your faith, where the higher conscious takes you, That’s peace” come thick and fast above the African-supported instrumentation. The vocal delivery is at a breakneck pace, and it’s almost difficult to follow the lyrics because of the speedy wordplay. Meanwhile, PJ’s sample of “Say peace, we don’t really want no trouble” and “All they really wanna do is cuff you/They don’t love you” continues to permeate through the tracks, reminding us about the discussions of police brutality and righteous serenity that caused a media storm over the summer, in particular. The vocals of this track are taking these commentaries up to another notch, with Common rapping about the importance that Hip-Hop, as an art form, holds in maintaining a positive Black identity – a genre that can be perceived as reliant of the old cultural stereotypes of Black culture. The bars are characteristically motivational though, with shuffling drums and fragmented Bhangra basslines making for unconventional production work. The sitar interlude off the end. Overall, I really like the activist themes on the record, and it’s a rare example of music set on the purpose to teach. Certainly not stuff of the lowest “Common” denominator.

  • Pictured: Common at a “Let Love Have The Last Word” book signing (2019) (Photo via Getty Images)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post – High praise for this track. Don’t forget that we’re taking a turn, for better or worse, with a new entry into our long-running Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, where we revisit a childhood classic from the Emo-Rock/Pop-Punk era of the late 90’s until the mid 00’s. Tomorrow’s post comes from another pretty big name – a Sacramento-formed Heavy Metal band who have been referred to, by some journalists, as “The Radiohead Of Metal”, for their experimentation. They’ve since gone on to sell over ten million albums worldwide. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Baba Stiltz – “Running To Chad”

December 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

This is it – A chance to take! Nightlife scene, all the plans you’ve made. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Running To Chad” (LP) (Released on September 25, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time again for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to get writing to you about a different piece of music every day! Although his name makes him sound like he’s a French mime artist, Baba Siltz is an upcoming, 27-year-old Experimental Electronic Dance musician from Stockholm, Sweden. He started making electronic dance music at the age of 15, releasing quirky and experimental Alternative Pop records under the mantra of the “Bethlehem Beard Corporation”. That was 10 years ago, however. Fast-Forward to 2020, where his artist biography on Spotify reads as simply “No one puts Baba in the corner”. That, and he has also released his latest solo album – titled “Running To Chad”. This follows Baba’s unconventional songwriting through the explorations of Surf-Rock, Soft-Funk and Psychedelic Rock, and it plays out mostly like a Swedish artists’ take on the beach-ready California rock sounds of the 1960’s and the 1970’s. The EP was released back in September, which he self-released. Let’s check out the title single of the record below.

https://youtu.be/A8q_JCJ_ndY

The “Running To Chad” EP also features remixes of the titular single from DJ Python and Jesse, the first being a minimalist Techno cut that slowly builds to a warmer, more pulsing House track, and the second remix cut – from Jesse – is a deeper and more meditative, ambient take on Baba Stiltz’s track. As for the original itself, the track feels like a love letter to the classic, summer-geared Rock sounds of The Beach Boys and The Surfaris, as Baba whips up a lighthearted, melodic track where he comedically drops in one-liners like “San Diego dreams, California love” with a slightly cerebral and ethereal, low-pitched croon delivery. He plays the sense of quirky humor very cool, and he wears it’s heart on his sleeve while keeping a straight face through the entire length of the track – an almost 6-minute fusion of percussive drum beats, laidback bass guitar grooves and a soft Techno acid section gradually forming in the centre. The lyrics of “What you running from? Indigo dreams and a pocket full of ones” and “Took a trip, It’s an easy out/Bleach-stained hair on a Bus down south” are whimsical and darkly rhythmic, as we build to the killer hook of “It’s your favourite game, Now you’re on a roll/No return, gonna lose control”, with a distinct and flat dance-not-dance form of vocal pitch. Everything builds up to an interlude of fluttering Acid synths and percussive, Tango-esque backing beats. The instrumental has a very light-hearted and warm texture, and it feels excellent for the grim weather that we’re currently receiving here in England, as my friend pointed out to me on the phone today when we had a quick chat about this one. I think this is a track that may take longer for some people, most likely the more casual listenership, to truly connect with – in fact, I didn’t really get it at first, probably because I wasn’t really born in the Surf-Rock era that the track is borrowing from. However, it’s very worth the time and the effort, because this track feels really ‘cool’, in the way that it walks the line between a Dance tempo and a Cerebral vocal, and it is unlike anything else that I’ve been hearing recently. Now I can’t stop playing it – and it doesn’t get old!

  • Pictured: Baba Stiltz in a photoshoot for a Inverted Audio feature (2014) (Photo via inverted-audio.com)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! I’ve got more music tomorrow – a last-minute addition to our schedule on the blog for this week, with a track that came out in 2010, and I think that it’s now super relevant again given the recent news about the Christmas season, especially here in the UK. The track, never released as a single, comes from one of my “Jacob Classics” – a poetic Swedish singer-songwriter from Gothenburg who once wrote an anecdotal track about the famous movie actress, Kirsten Dunst. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Potatohead People & De La Soul (feat. Posdnuos & Kapok) – “Baby Got Work”

November 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

An anthem for the MA students out there. Boy – do I have work to do! New Post Time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Mellow Fantasy” (LP) (Released on 30th October, 2020) (via Bastard Jazz)

Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and we have reached the part of the day where it’s time for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! One name that really makes me laugh is Potatohead People, who seem to know that if a band has a good name and some decent artwork to them, I will probably check it out because it shows they have made an effort. A duo from Vancouver, Canada – Potatohead People are currently signed up to the Bastard Jazz record label, and are made up of hip-hop/electronic producers Nick Wisdom and Astrological, who met at a community baseball league at high school and began working together in 2008, with their sounds gaining support from the likes of Kaytranada, Nightmares On Wax and Phife Dawg. “Mellow Fantasy” is their new album record – which sees the duo explore instrumental beats and 70’s funk influences in an effort to “widen the frame of their progressive musical vision and deliver a far-reaching yet approachable set of moods and grooves”, according to their press notes. The second single was “Baby Got Work”, a track that sees them connect with De La Soul’s Posdnous, and the fellow Vancouver-based MC/songwriter Kapok. Let’s get motivated by the track “Baby Got Work” below.

Wisdom and AstroLogical bonded over their shared love for Madlib and J Dilla, before releasing a string of EP’s to kickstart their career as a duo after working within the Elekwent Folk hip-hop collective, eventually releasing their debut LP, “Nick & Astro’s Guide To The Galaxy”, in 2018. Going back to a very old-school sound of 90’s Conscious Hip-Hop and 70’s R&B/Soul fusion, “Baby Got Work” is a simple Jazz-based tune that is really about getting your head down and your thinking caps on. It’s accessible on the surface, but it’s also hiding more immediate themes and cultural connotations underneath, as you may also read it as a mellow call for political or activist change. The production from Wisdom and Astrological is wistful and mid-tempo, with a sequenced set of mellow keyboard lines and brief brass interludes, paving a way for Posdnous to deliver bars like: “We need to try to get past games, You do it for those with your face and your last name” and “No time to stay in bed/Stay in bed with the hustle instead” over the top of a vintage-sounding bassline and an acutely measured drum beat, with a few guitar licks to add a slick 70’s polish on top. The chorus is more anthemic, but still laid back in it’s melodic pattern, with Kapok singing: “We don’t have too much time/In this life/Can’t rewind” above a groovy soundscape of 70’s Funk and brushes of Saxophone beats, before delivering the killer line of “Yeah, baby got work to do” on top of the over-arching Jazz melodies. The sound of the track leans very closely into the tropes of 60’s Motown and conventional 70’s Funk/Soul song structures, but I think that it does this really well because this makes the track sound very old-school and not hugely contemporary, capturing the Horn-driven timelessness of the era quite nicely. It’s relaxed and laid back, but still genuinely catchy and fun. It’s time to roll up your sleeves – and get down to business!

  • Pictured: Potatohead People (Nick Wisdom & Astrological) (2020) (Photo by 88Nine Radio Milwaukee)

Thank you for reading my latest blog post! As always, I’ll be back for more again tomorrow! Join me then – when we’ll be looking at another new track. This time around – I think it must be one of the most random christmas singles to be released in recent memory. It comes from a Jamaican Hip-Hop producer who won the BRIT Award for Best International Male Solo Artist in 2002, and, in 2007, he was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Genesis Owusu – “Don’t Need You”

November 6, 2020 — 1 Comment

I wonder what this Canberra-born rapper has in his bandage of tricks! New post time!

  • Pictured: Genesis Owusu in a press shot for the Red Bull House Party (in 2020) (Photo via RedBull.com)
    Pictured: Genesis Owusu in a press shot for the Red Bull House Party (in 2020) (Photo via RedBull.com)

Wow, I can’t believe it’s Friday again already. I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and It’s time for me to write to you about today’s anthem on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This weekend seems very light on new album releases, so we’re going to take an in-depth look at a track from earlier in the year that I probably wish I’d got around to actually typing words about here sooner. I give you “Don’t Need You” by Genesis Owusu. I’m the Head Of Music at OMG Radio at Staffordshire University, and this is a track that I discovered back in September through The Current’s Song Of The Day podcast. I rather liked it on first impressions, so I gave it a spot on the C-List. It’s been climbing the rankings of our daytime rotation list, and I’d finally moved it up to the A-List yesterday for the next week or so. This is a real grower for Genesis Owusu – who is an Ghanian-Australian producer, rapper and lyricist from Canberra who once performed as the opening act for 5 Seconds Of Summer for their sold-out charity benefit concert in Sydney last year. He is also the brother of fellow Canberran songwriter Citizen Kay. This was just a one-off single release. Warm your ears up for “Don’t Need You” below.

Owusu’s earlier track, “WUTD”, was once used for a Bose Noice Cancelling Headphones advertising campaign last year, and Owusu’s track “Sideways” received national airplay on the Triple J radio station over in the States last year, so it’s fair to say that Owusu is no stranger to a little bit of mainstream attention here and there, despite sticking to his guns as an Alternative R&B and Trip-Hop artist. “Don’t Need You” really struck me with it’s hybridity of Funk-Rock, Trip-Hop, R&B and Neo-Soul influences, which taps into melodies and harmonies that seem very eclectic and dynamic. The tone shifts around all over the place, but in a good way. Owusu opens with a somber mood, as he sings: “Once I left your crazy a**, I took a therapy session” over the top of a washing ambience created by the gentle keyboard keys. A burst of energy leads into an off-kilter Funk instrumental as Owusu raps: “Said, I can’t leave my bed today/You tied me on my chest again” in the first verse. The bridge raises the intensity of the groove-driven melodies with a fragmented strobe effect that weaves through Owusu’s lyrics as he recites: “Wait, could this be true? I don’t like you, I don’t like you” with a slightly Falsetto-led delivery. It reminds me a little bit of David Byrne from Talking Heads and Jim Morison of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, but not too closely to either of them individually. That’s a really good thing, because this also allows to Owusu to add some humor to the lyrics about self-empowerment and independence, with laugh-out-loud hooks like: “I said your a** is stinky, and you built like a mole/And I’ll boot your a** to London if you can’t take a stroll” that land on the surface of the wonky production details. There’s also a subtle touch of melancholy in places, as Owusu raps: “Same tricks/How’d you do me like that?” in a rhythmic interlude that evokes a more 00’s-leaning fusion of R&B and Chicago Soul. I think that what Owusu manages to do is rather exciting, and it feels original. The wonky delivery of the synths and the instrumental sections appeal to me as a lover of Alternative music, whilst the chorus feels hook-oriented and melodic enough for some decent crossover appeal for the more mainstream types of listeners. All around, it’s very solid indeed. This is interesting, eclectic and, above all, a lot of fun. Can’t you see he’s rich?

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for "Don't Need You" (Single) (Released on May 15, 2020) (via Ourness Pty Ltd.)
    Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Don’t Need You” (Single) (Released on May 15, 2020) (via Ourness Pty Ltd.)

Thank you for reading my latest blog post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow, for an in-depth look at some brand new music from a fresh Alternative Rock/Lo-Fi Punk band who come from Galway on the West Coast of Ireland, who performed a live session for Steve Lamacq’s Drivetime show on BBC Radio 6Music yesterday. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Dylan Cartlidge – “Yellow Brick Road”

October 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

Are you off to see The Wizard Of Oz, or the Wozard Of Iz? It is time for your new post…

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Yellow Brick Road” (EP) (Released on August 14th, 2020) (via Glassnote Records)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’ve arrived to type up your daily track of the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! A 23-year-old Rapper and Songwriter who grew up in a small town in North-East Yorkshire, Dylan Cartlidge has become a local celebrity after starring in the BBC documentary, “The Mighty Redcar”, and touring the local bars with his band, Bi: Lingual, before garnering radio support from BBC Radio DJ’s Annie Mac, Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders, Phil Taggart and Matt Wilkinson. Since then, Cartlidge has been garnering some attention from the United States, which includes a recent appearance on KEXP’s virtual live session series of “KEXP From Home” and a live session at The Current’s Day Party in Austin, Texas last year. Dylan Cartlidge has also performed at music festivals including SXSW, Reading and Leeds Festival, and most notably, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Middlesborough last year. In slightly more recent times, Dylan Cartlidge has been collaborating with the critically-acclaimed producer James Dring (Gorillaz, Jamie T) on his latest EP release, “Yellow Brick Road”, which was released on August 14th, on Glassnote Records in the UK/US and AWAL Recordings in international territories. Let’s listen to the titular track below.

“Yellow Brick Road” has managed to reach the #40 position of the Billboard Alternative Chart in the US, and Cartlidge explained via a press release that “It’s about how fear and self-sabotage can dump the weight of the world on your shoulders in your most hard-earned moments, but it’s also about how overcoming all of this can be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other and stepping into the unknown”, and a few other critics have noted in his abilities to deconstruct the genres that he grew up with up to an eclectic, pastiche style, to which Cartlidge has responded: “I don’t want to sound preachy or like I’m trying to fix all the world’s problems. If people want to listen to my music and just groove, they can, but if people relate to it that’s great.”, and I feel that “Yellow Brick Road” demonstrates a decent talent for Cartlidge in writing new music that undoubtedly has an accessibility intact, but it also feels alternative enough to work in more non-commercial situations. Now that I’m aware that he’s worked with one of the producers for Gorillaz and Jamie T on the track, I can sense the similarities between these sounds, but it’s still a lot of fun, and I think that he deserves a few extra points just for that Afro alone. On the new EP’s title track, he mixes a motivational Hip-Hop sensibility with a 70’s Neo-Psychedelic Funk sound. He also performs his lyrics with an off-kilter sensibility, over the top of an interweaving synth pattern, as he delivers sharp rhymes like “Grabbing for it like you would pitch em’ at the store/No real vision for where you were heading for” and “Stop-Motion, Everybody’s ghostin”, over the top of bizzare backing vocals and drum beats that skitter unevenly. The chorus, however, is a little more guitar-driven and the off-kilter production settles to a calmer sequence of patterns, and a rush of bass bursts through as Cartlidge recites: “Petals in your necklace got me so in the zone” and the uptempo moods of self-reward lurk in with “Better stop your no-shows and carry on with hello, ‘Cause you got me running ’round this yellow brick road”, a chorus that he recites with a brisk confidence whenever it gets repeated. Mostly, it sounds like Beck to me, with some delightfully obscure rap hooks which embrace a little absurdity and humour, and we’ve also got a bunch of lines that don’t make a great deal of sense, but they fit the theme of the track and just gel together well. I feel the chorus has a bit too much of a “record-label” feel to it, for my two cents, and I think the overall messages of the track, although relevant, are a bit generic and they could have probably been developed a little bit further to help flesh out the influences that he’s been stringing together more evenly. However, for the most part, it’s all very positive. There is clearly something in the way of talent to Cartlidge here, and his small-town background has a fresh intrigue in going around this. As I mentioned before, extra points for THE Afro!

  • Pictured: Dylan Cartlidge at The Current’s Day Party in Austin, Texas (2019) (Photo via Colleen Cowie)

Thank you for reading this post! Don’t forget that tomorrow marks the spot for a new weekly installment in our year-spanning “Scuzz Sundays” feature, where we re-evaluate the presentation of a late 90’s-mid 00’s Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk classic single, and we see whether it can hold up to quality in the modern times! We’ve got a real heavy-hitter on the way tomorrow from an iconic British Goth-Punk band, a female-led affair, who are very popular in the wider mainstream of Europe! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Pan Amsterdam (feat. GUTS) – “Carrot Cake”

October 9, 2020 — Leave a comment

Let’s pray the whole dessert doesn’t have a soggy bottom. It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Carrot Cake” (Single) (Released on August 5th, 2020) (via Def Pressé)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, just like always, I’m here to write up about your daily track on the blog, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to get typing about a different piece of music every day! Pan Amsterdam is a very tricky one to give many introductions about, and that’s because he is a producer and composer who thrives on being an enigma. He writes for his online biographies, “We really don’t know exactly where Pan Amsterdam comes from. He was found on the coast of Miami, Florida in a state of apparent amnesia”, later adding, “Pan Amsterdam must have been unconscious on the coast for 22hrs before he was discovered by none other than rock icon and ‘The Godfather of Punk’, Iggy Pop”, who has always been a very frequent collaborator for this musical mystery. His accent has a very Eastern American sound though, and he has nodded to his accent as a cross between Brooklyn, Jersey or Manhattan in a track on his debut album, “The Pocket Watch”, which was released in 2018. Since then, it’s been reported that Pan Amsterdam is supposedly the alias of a New York-based trumpeter and songwriter, Leron Thomas. Nevetheless, the usual two-year turnaround period has just come and gone, and “Pan Am” is back with the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed (If critically-dumbfounded, more like) debut record. “HA Chu” was released last Friday, on October 2nd, via the Def Pressé label. With high-profile new album releases from Róisín Murphy, Groove Armada and The National’s lead member Matt Berninger, and impressive lower-key releases from Working Men’s Club and Loraine James, it really has been one of the most busy weekends of new music releases, for me, in quite some time, and “Pan Am” looks to be no exception to the former rule, given his ascending popularity. Guest work on the album comes from Iggy Pop, Jimi Goodwin (Doves) and Jason Williams (Sleaford Mobs). Let’s have a tasty slice of “Carrot Cake”, featuring GUTS, down below.

Critics have noted that “Pan Am” goes for a more darkly textured sound on the bulk of “HA Chu” in comparison to his more Jazz-infused predecessor, as he gets together with the collaborators that I have listed above, and a couple of surprising notables to record one of the strangest and most enigmatically endearing releases of the autumn season. “I’ll funk like rotten milk and pass the expiration date/I’ll make your granny’s cow lactate” are just a few little snippets of the quirky songwriting that “Pan Am” uses to his odd advantage throughout the course (the Dessert one) of “Carrot Cake”, as he mixes up an exceptionally abstract two-step Parisian drum groove with a hazy, laidback synth rhythm that, for me, goes back to the late 60’s era of “Pre’ Hip-Hop” in conceptual spades. GUTS adds the female backing vocal of “Come In Closer” to create a weirdly soothing backing vocal that adds textured layers of good sensual feelings to proceedings. The male vocals are seemingly unrelated to this, and the lyrics being drawn upon are mostly a mix of creative wordplay and dry humour, which combine with the whirling keyboard riffs and the funk rhymes to create the subtle early Hip-Hop sensibility which carries the comic relief along to a robustly paced effect. He throws obscure pop culture references on the cards, almost muttering: “Because I don’t fight/I eat chips, and I watch a lotta’ Kung-Flu flicks/Way Of The Dragon be my profile pic” at a steady pace to an intelligent wit. The production is rooted in G-Funk and Soft-Pop, and that’s before we get to the Trumpet instrumental outro, which feels smoky and old-school in it’s delivery. Lyrically, the substance is almost non-existent because they do not really make any actual sense, but they manage to subvert your expectations of a contemporary record, and “Pan Am” strings the words together to a quirky, rhythmic pattern which makes up for a cohesive flow, and they sound good together as a result. This really takes a bit of skill, but “Pan Am” makes it seem easy. Overall, it’s tricky for anybody to properly identify what’s going on here, but I like it – and I think that’s the main point. One of the most essential tunes for the present time.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “HA Chu” (Album/LP) (Released on October 2nd, 2020) (via Def Pressé)

Thanks for checking out your daily blog post! I’ll be back tomorrow to kick off the weekend with an in-depth look at a track which was released earlier in the Spring by an artist who recently appeared on KEXP’s “Live At Home” series of virtual gigs. He has also performed at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival, and he has earned praise from radio broadcasters including Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Jack Saunders. None of his two songs are the same! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Maajo (feat. Ismalia Sané) – “Esukey”

September 12, 2020 — Leave a comment

The band representing “a rare tropical breeze from the cold north”. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Maajo (Jon Thureson, Juhani Lammi, Thomas Lammi, Jussi Laitinen, Janne Melanen and Mitja Virikko) in a publicity shoot to promote “Tropic Of Tulli” (in 2016) (via TheRansomNote.com)

Good Morning! My name is Jacob Braybrooke and, as always, I’m typing up about your daily track on the blog, since it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! This week’s theme has seemingly become a case of catching up with releases which I had missed during the chaos of the kick-started COVID-19 pandemic in the early Spring, such as Nicolas Jaar’s “Cenizas” and Porridge Radio’s “Every Bad” earlier in the week. Last, but by no means least, we have “Kuru Kuru”, the second album from Finnish World-Funk collective, Maajo. This is a lesser-known band, and I first caught wind of “Esukey” by a recent episode of KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast. Although Maajo had formed in Finland, they have taken a large amount of influence for their chord progression and lyrical devices from traditional African music, while combining these passions with electronic sources. “Kuru Kuru” is the group’s second album to be released by the Queen Nanny record label and it was released in April. The band have previously released music on the Permanent Vacation label, and another branch of their portfolio includes a remixed soundtrack for the 1920’s silent film, “Lost World”, along with receiving remix treatments from Luke Vibert and Call Super themselves. “Esukey” features the Senegalsese lyricist Ismaila Sané, who started his career in the 1970’s as a percussionist, and as a solo dancer/choreographer of African ballet, before he relocated to Finland in the late-1990’s. Most notably, Sané won the “Citizen Of The Year” prize in 2003, which marked the first time an emigrant received the award knowingly. Let’s take a listen to their work on “Esukey” below. Make sure you stay tuned after the track ends to hear a translation from Sané on the lyrics which he sung.

I hope that you stayed until the end! Maajo describe themselves as “a rare tropical breeze from the cold north” in each of their press releases, and it’s a marketing tagline that seems rather unquestionable, to make for a refreshing change of pace. “Esukey” has a very far-reaching sound globally, with a wide range of African and Bollywood appeal, and further influences that come across as more Balearic and Funk-oriented. Elements of Birdsong and lyrics (translated, obviously) refer to enjoying the nature around us on the planet and connecting with wildlife across our borders. It’s difficult to recognise the electronic sequences within the track, as it instead places a much larger emphasis on a percussive, groove-driven sound. Unfortunately, I am unable to understand many of the lyrics and I’m mostly in exactly the same boat as you when it comes down to the vocal aspects, but the language of percussive instrumentals and nostalgic Afrobeat undertones thankfully skew far more universally. There is a gentle R&B-tinge established from the outset, with a mellow keyboard section giving off the introductions. Shortly after, we’re greeted to straightforwadly upbeat Senglanese lyrics from Sané, who connects these dots together with an involving voice and an optimistic mood. Kalimbas rattle along and Balafons riffs tick along to create a joyous, percussive groove that creates a lively bassline to communicate an organic and natural quality that can resonate with an English-speaking audience. It skips along with a quick pace, with reggae sensibilities due to the drum beats and a slightly-skewing electronic fusion created by the keyboard melodies, to add some more harmonization to the mix. The track is all over and done with rather quickly, and I think it would take a few listens for you to fully grasp the sonic concepts being explored. Yet, it never feels frantic and too chaotic for it’s own good, instead evoking a decent sense of warmth and joy, with calming vocal textures and punchy guitar melodies. Overall, it makes for something that feels easy and rewarding to listen to, despite the foreign lyrics themselves – with a fruity flavour.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Kuru Kuru” (Album/LP) (Released on April 10th, 2020) (via Queen Nanny)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Don’t forget that, as usual, it will be time for a brand new weekly installment in our Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, which, if you are new to the blog, is the time of the week where we take a look back at an Emo-Rock or a Pop-Punk relic which was released between the late-1990’s and the early-2000’s, to see if it can hold up to it’s qualities in the present day! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Marlowe – “Future Power Sources”

September 9, 2020 — 1 Comment

From my experience, I’ve learned that BBQ is a very reliable sauce. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham) in a press shot to promote “Marlowe 2” (2020) (via PR)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and, just like always, I’m typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! If you have not heard of Marlowe before, this is a collaborative alternative rap project comprised from the duo of L’Orange, a Seattle-based producer, and Solemn Brigham, a rapper and lyricist based in North Carolina. L’Orange’s quickfire vinyl samples and experimental electronic beats conjoin with Brigham’s vocals, concerning social commentary and global poverty, to mark a neo-psychedelic take on the more old-fashioned, melodic Hip-Hop sounds that were being explored by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy in the late-1980’s. This is still a rather green act, with the duo making their debut just two years ago with “Marlowe”, a self-titled album, which was released in July 2018. A full two years later, L’Orange and Solemn Brigham are now back with “Marlowe 2”, the direct sequel and follow-up to their self-titled album, which was released on August 7th, via Mello Music Group. Let’s take a gander to the sampler, “Future Power Sources”, below.

Looking to underground icon DJ Trackstar (the DJ and engineer for Run The Jewels) to help them co-produce the new track, “Future Power Sources” sees Solemn Brigham spin a surrealist spoken word rap about self-development, personal growth and reflective maturation over the top of an ever-flowing, scratched Industrial electronic beat that provides a zany and kinetic flow to the methodical, classic hip-hop sound being produced overall by the duo. It creates an authoritative and left-field backdrop to the evolving soundscape, and L’Orange fills the track with quick clips and fast samples to add a witty undertone to Brigham’s more serious vocals, while the latter recites: “Brand new day, put your face on” and “Better find another model/I’ve been holding on the bottle, like a new dad” at a breakneck speed. In fact, the vocals never really slow, except for the brief interval near the end, as Brigham concludes “I been putting up my hands, I just want to be Sovereign, but I’m still trying to get up, in the heart of it” and “Everything that I’m looking for, a part of me” with a gliding quality over L’Orange’s rapid and accurate sample work. There is a lot going on here within the space of three minutes, but I feel as though the melodic structure of the track seems repetitious enough and the lyricism is clear cut-enough for audiences to understand relatively lightly. It sounds as though a lot of effort has obviously gone into each of the sample clearances, the licensing needed to obtain the numerous quick clips used for this track, to help them re-purpose the futuristic and whimsical qualities they wanted to obtain for the track. Overall, I think it’s one of the strongest hip-hop releases of the last few months, and it pays off nicely, with an exciting sound.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Marlowe 2” (LP) (Released on August 7th, 2020) (via Mello Music Group)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! As promised, I’ll be back tomorrow, and we’ll be switching gears with an in-depth look at a new track from earlier in the year, that I’ve been meaning to cover on the blog since then, but never quite had the time to. It comes from a Chilean-American ambient/classical electronic music composer who has Palestinian ancestry from Bethlehem. He is perhaps most notable for releasing a large volume of experimental recordings for his independent label, Other People. It includes a five-hour improvisational live performance concert at MoMA PS1 in 2012, and the release of two full albums this year. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

22nd Birthday Special Edition: Beck – “Hollywood Freaks”

September 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s hard to think someone ever actually designed that…thing. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Midnite Vultures” (Released on November 23rd, 1999) (via DGC Records/Bang Bang)

But, that’s why… I LOVE it! Good Morning to you, I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to get typing up about a different piece of music every day! I’m 22 today, not that it really changes anybody’s lives or anything, so I thought it’d be cool to spotlight one of my all-time favourites, since this is similar to what I did last year, where I introduced you to the first track that I ever played on the radio. A consistent repeat of my streaming library is Beck’s “Midnite Vultures”, the seventh LP record that was released by the multi-BRIT and multi-Grammy winning producer, back in 1999. This is probably the biggest outlier in Beck’s shape-shifting discography, as it was the last album he produced before going into his more acoustic-driven, Folk sound that has since become popular with his fans. I present to you… An Experimental Funk album! The critical response was divisive, as it parodied and satirized the pastiche of late-70’s US R&B/Soul and 80’s Neo-Psychedelic Vegas aesthetics with Beck’s typically obscure hook-driven songwriting, the abrupt changes in instrumentation, and the sleek G-Funk influences it pays homage to. I can understand the common criticism that the novelty factor puffs out of steam and energy a little bit towards the end, but it’s still one of the most fun and engaging albums that you could ever possibly listen to and it was wholly different to 96’s “Odelay” and more tonally original than 98’s “Mutations”. Simply put, it stands out as a breath of fresh air in his discography, and the unique sound has never fully been revisited by Beck since. I prefer “Hollywood Freaks” to any of the other tracks you would find here – so give it a fair chance to grow on you below.

Had a few listens? Good. For me, “Hollywood Freaks” works perfectly as the White teen aged male’s pastiche to postmodern R&B, with a satirical jab to any R&B-based “booty call” track ever written, as Beck valiantly hangs out with: “The Hollywood freaks on the hollywood scene”, with distractedly low rate workings of sexual activity (“Hot milk, mmm tweak my nipple”) and a care-free mimicry of political correction, and elitism. Beck isn’t making fun of rap or even of people who shop at Old Navy, inherently doing so. Beck’s vocals sound upbeat and dynamic, twisting-and-turning between different textures and breaking stylistic conventions at each turn, before layering out a wailing rap background vocal of: “Jockin’ my mercedes/Probably have my baby/Shop at Old Navy/You wish you was an old lady”, following interludes of funk-laden breaks, as a Brass melody wraps itself around the hook: “Touch it real good if you want a peace/How do people know I’m that type of freak?”, before we go back to those fragmented, deep Synth rhythms and infectiously melodic rap verses. Explicit lyricism (“I wanna know what makes you scream/Be your twenty million dollar fantasy)” and mocking the upper-class (“My sales go triple/We drop lobotomy beats) makes for the icing on the cake, with nonsensical songwriting that shines with an affectionate grin. The entire vibe of the record is Prince goes doo-lally, and “Hollywood Freaks” asserts this, with it’s clever spoken-word delivery and a rebellious tinge of Punk melodicism that drives the humor forward. It ends with a child’s backing vocal, and a gentle stream of Synths that marks a key change, as we lean more heavily into dance-led territory. The erotic nature of the lyrics makes for a knowing nod to white postmodernists, with vocals and instrumentation that toys around with the R&B genre’s conventions of money, fame and power. Overall, I feel these themes still work brilliantly 20 years on, and it’s still difficult to find anything else that sounds entirely like this. Well – they do say that truly good music never ages!

  • Pictured: Beck Hansen in a promotional photoshoot for “Mellow Gold” (1994) (Photo via DGC/Bang Bang)

I have previously covered a brief selection of Beck’s other work on the blog. Last year, he released a new album, “Hyperspace”, and you can read up on my thoughts on the lead single “Uneventful Days” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/29/todays-track-beck-uneventful-days/ and the album track “See Through” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/28/todays-track-beck-see-through/. I have also previously looked at another classic track from his older discography, “Tropicalia”, which you can explore here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/08/20/todays-track-beck-tropicalia/

  • Pictured: Art Collage showing the many faces of Beck over the decades (2018) (Photo Credit: Sarita Schaffer)

Thank you for reading my new post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at an Irish Alternative Punk poet who is an emerging artist on the Chess Club Records indie label. She has often been likened to Mark E. Smith, Nick Cave and The Slits, and she has performed with John Cooper-Clarke and The Brian Jonestown Massacre at sold-out theater shows across the UK, as well as gaining traction from outlets like The Guardian, The Quietus and Stereogum. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/