Breakbeat

Today’s Track: Al Wootton – “Over”

July 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

All bear ‘Witness’ to the underground DJ king of England’s East Coast. New post time!

Good Morning to you! It’s Jacob Braybrooke here, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, just like always, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Your pick for today is a little more dated than usual, considering how the ‘Witness’ LP actually came out last summer, but it will still feel recent enough. The release in mind comes from the respected Dubstep and Deep House producer Al Wootton, who I heard spotlighted on a recent episode of 6Music Recommends curated by John Ravenscroft, and it caught my interest. I had not heard of him before, but my research tells me that Wootton first arrived on the UK’s club circuit in 2009 under the ‘Deadboy’ alias, and he sported influential recordings like ‘U Cheated’ and ‘If U Want Me’ on the underground dance scene, releasing his material on labels including Well Rounded and Numbers. He is now the owner of Trule, his own label, with signees including the likes of Pugilist, Jubilee and Bash. ‘Witness’ is his first album to be released under his actual name, which he created in his home studio in his town of Ramsgate. Check out ‘Over’ below.

Writing about his process regarding the album release, Al Wootton notes: “I allowed tracks to develop and mutate as I introduced new sounds and textures with a much greater sense of freedom than when I am focusing on making tracks work solely in a club context, but I don’t feel like that dampened the energy of any of the tracks”, adding, “The creation of ‘Witness’ was, for me, one of those rare times when the practical and technical conditions are just right, and creativity flows from some unknown source beyond yourself and all you have to do is get out of your own way”, to the product description of his ‘Witness’ LP on Unearthed Sounds. The free-flowing mentality of his process is exemplified blatantly on ‘Over’, a euphoric and slightly melancholic glide between Acid House and Dark Ambient. The textures are rich, as a tinge of somber darkness mixes with a ghostly scream. These dingy sections remind me of Manchester-based IDM producer Andy Stott, as the Spectogram-like vocal sample distorts itself around a murky aesthetic, mimicking a cry of pain. This points back to some of the work that Aphex Twin explored on ‘I Care Because You Do’ too, most similarly to ‘Ventolin’, as an abrasive pulse playfully develops over the top of the more Garage-like bass rumbles. The journey to the cooling synths are not that neat of a ride, bearing in mind, with it’s harsh mirage of Plump kicks, and the flourishes of Hip-Hop breakbeats that peek in as occasional flurries. The ethereal Synth pads and the tonal changes of the deep ambience, however, are always there to inject a short shower of energy and emotion into the proceedings, however. It feels like a broad sweep of niche electronic dance genres in a single track, with production that feels positively unpredictable and melodies that feel infinitely tinkered with, as these beats naturally develop past the gloomy Burial-style intro at the start. I came away refueled.

  • Pictured: Al Wootton in a photoshoot to promote a Balamii radio show (2021) (Photo via Twitter.com)

That’s all for now! Please feel free to join me again tomorrow for some more tips of recommended listening. Then, we’ll be delving deep into the latest single from an underground UK rapper who comes from the Peckham district of South London, who fell in love with the art-form of Hip-Hop due to J Dilla and A Tribe Called Quest in the 90’s. He was one half of the ‘Con+Kwake’ duo with drummer Kwake Bass. On tour, he has supported the likes of Public Enemy, Slum Village and Mos Def.

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Today’s Track: Vegyn – “B4 The Computer Crash”

April 26, 2021 — Leave a comment

Can I tell you a Vegan Dad joke? I promise you that it won’t be cheesy. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Like A Good Old Friend” (EP) (Released on Mar 19, 2021) (via PLZ Make It Ruins)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! I have been playing ‘B4 The Computer Crash’ – twice, actually – on my little radio show, and it comes from an artist who I wasn’t familiar with at all before I caught wind of him on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast. Vegyn is the alias of Joe Thornalley, a British, but now Los Angeles-based, electronic IDM music producer known for his production work on two albums from Frank Ocean in the past. In 2019, he released his debut solo album which saw collaborations with Retro X, Jeshi and Freddie Gibbs making the rounds. This year, he’s back with a new EP ‘Like A Good Old Friend’, released last month on his own PLZ Make It Ruins label. As you may have guessed from the title of the new short form record, some of his friends make appearances, the likes of which include London rapper John Glacier, pianist Duval Timothy and the lapsteel guitarist Daniel Aged, all bringing unconventional sensibilities to his core sound. Check out the sampler below.

An episode of depression influenced the mental health struggles being explored in the ‘Like A Good Old Friend’ EP, as he told The Face, “A friend let me stay at their house and they happened to have a piano”, “I was like ‘cool’, OK, I’m just gonna try and figure this thing out”, before he broke it down with, “My chords are definitely weird, but to me they’re not weird. I’m really just playing with shapes and trying to lean into the emotive quality of the music”, in the interview. For me, a Jazz sensibility can be read between the lines of ‘B4 The Computer Crash’ with freestyle melodies and playful beats providing a slightly quirky, but emotionally driven, undertone to the table. The rest of the track swoops in for a 90’s Deep House or slightly Acid Techno feel, as trippy pacing and glitching effects are also commonplace. For my own interpretation of the track, it reminds me of the times when we’re pushing forwards after a bad situation, but whatever is troubling is, comes back and makes us sad again, before briefly being pushed to the back of our minds again, before making us grieve again later. It’s not depressive or anything like that, but it’s depicting a struggle with mental health in an accurate way. The push-and-pull pacing of the track is reminiscent of the push-and-pull nature of sadness, but that is not to say that we don’t find the positive within the negative. These warped beats are matched with a somehow slick, polished and smooth bassline that feels ambient and nostalgic, and so it contrasts the darker edges of the experience with some overlapping warmth. Before, of course, a brief meltdown comes into play once again. The lo-fi Hip Hop beat comes through nicely, and the retro internet dial-up effects play on memory. Familiar, but not too comfortable, Vegyn has released one of the most delightfully unique electronic singles of the year with an excellent balance between warmth and warped.

  • Pictured: Vegyn (aka Joe Thornally) in a recent publicity shoot (2021) (Photo Credit: i-d.vice.com)

That’s all for now – let’s hope the computer doesn’t crash again. Tomorrow’s track sees the triumphant return of one of my favourite modern artists, who has confirmed that her new album will be releasing in September. One day after my birthday, weirdly enough. It’s the follow-up to her breakout third studio album, which won awards for Best Album at the NME Awards and Ivor Novello Awards, as well as being nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2019. 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: Hannah Peel – “Ecovocative”

April 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

You better not slip over a Banana ‘Peel’ on your way to work after this. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Fir Wave” (LP) (Released on March 26th, 2021) (via My Own Pleasure)

Good Afternoon to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke and since I’ve got my radio show for this week queued up (That’s 7pm on OMG Radio if you fancy tuning in), it’s time for me to quickly get typing up for 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! ‘Ecovocative’ comes to you from the Northern Irish electronic composer Hannah Peel, who is known for blending Classical instrumentation with the latest high-tech Synth gear. She has also composed scores and soundtracks for numerous film and TV productions as well as some theater and dance stage shows, including work on a documentary about ‘Game Of Thrones’. Her sixth album is called ‘Fir Wave’ and it looks at the different cyles of life through a sound design lens. She was inspired to create the work by Delia Derbyshire, who lived on until 2001 as a bit of an unsung hero. She deserved more credit for carrying out the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960’s and creating the iconic theme tune for ‘Doctor Who’. The likes of Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers and Orbital have all cited her as a major influence during interviews in the past. For her latest record, which was released on March 26th via My Own Pleasure, Peel was allowed the permission to access the database of Derbyshire and the Radiophonic Workshop by the specialist library organisation KPM, allowing Peel to re-interpret the ‘Electrosonic’ work of Derbyshire to create an Experimental Electronic Ambient album that is thematically based around climate change and sustainability. Let’s check out the puntastic track – ‘Ecovocative’ – below.

Hannah said: “I’m finding it harder to express all those huge feelings and lyrics in words like I used to” in an interview for the new album recording, elaborating, “Instrumental Music can conjure so much more with this new track, I wanted to evoke those patterns in nature, celebrate the detail, the changes in light, play with primal shimmering energy, using obscure bells and the bubbling beats of electronic music” when she mentioned her recent single, following up on a stint when she curated BBC Radio 3’s ‘Night Tracks’ programme. While the publicity chatter drums up music influences of 70’s early Ambient and the Hauntology sub-genre, ‘Ecovocative’ brings up imagery of East Asian biomes and outer Tokyo, feudal Japan aesthetics for me. With no lyrics to construct a meaning from, the context radiates from the clicky Bass sounds and the swelling Synth melodies instead for me. While the heavily electronic instrumentation has not been discarded entirely and dubbed over with natural instrumentation, there’s still something that feels almost ritualistic and pure about the sequences of sound. The opening sounds a little unsettling and evokes a theme of paranoia with slowly glimmering depth, but the tone feels like it’s becoming progressively more hopeful, with a rhythmic drum beat which twinkles and forms a chorus of-sorts in the early going. The chord progression continues to change keys slowly, as the low-lit, gurgling undercurrrent lingers in the background beneath the tolling, Bell-like synths. To me, it feels relaxing and it seems visually broad, but the direct meanings feel unexplored and vague. On the whole, it sounds infinitely tinkered with and merticulously layered, but the slow-burning movements pay off with the gradual introduction of new beats. It dances around your ears and radiates with a circling effect, and so it achieves the explorations of life cycles with a nice level of vibrancy. I feel like I might need to be in a certain frame of mind to enjoy the album as a whole, but the three minute duration of the track glides by very smoothly overall.

  • Pictured: Hannah Peel before a “First Cut Interview” feature (2017) (Photo via MusicTech.net)

The bell tolls for another day – and you can join me again tomorrow for a new entry in our “New Album Release Friday” series, as we shine the spotlight upon one of this week’s most promising new releases. We’re going to be looking at the much-anticipated new album from one of the leading figures behind the young scene of the UK’s Jazz circuit. Signed to Anti- Records, this male producer taught himself to produce beasts in East Ham, London – inspired by his hip-hop sampler heroes Madlib and J Dilla. 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/

Way Back Wednesdays: Boards Of Canada – “Seeya Later”

March 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

Ripe for repeated listening, or is it easy to get Board of this instead? Let’s go Way Back!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Twoism” (EP) (Released in August, 1995) (via Music70)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and, well – you know the drill by this point – it’s time for me to get typing up for your weekly revisit of the sounds from the past which have influenced those of the present, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! If the name of Boards Of Canada seems familiar to you, you’re either already one of the beloved cult followers of the group who possibly paid $800 to obtain your own copy of their debut ‘Twoism’ EP following it’s release in 1995, since the original distribution was scarcely limited to 100 copies before Warp Records gave it a quiet re-issue in 2002, or you read my previous post about them back in October or November time. Whichever route applies to you – the fact remains that Boards Of Canada are, if not the most well-known in terms of mainstream recognition, still one of the most devotedly followed Electronic music acts of our time. Just for the record, the bandwagon for 1998’s ‘Music Has The Right To Children’ is one that I’ve definitely jumped onto, as I think that it is a truly exceptional record. Made up of the Scottish brother DJ duo of Marcus Eoin and Mike Sandison, BOC represent an interesting flipside for electronic music production practice for me, where the tropes of club music being developed in London or Birmingham are turned on their heads by the brothers originally creating their music with vintage synthesizers and dated samples in a rural community in Scotland, where they have since kept very reclusive from the media, with very little interviews or performances existing. I’ve been delving deep into the back catalog of the brothers over the last two months or so, and so it’s been interesting to see where their formula of nature centric themes and nostalgic qualities started for them. In the typical BOC fanbase fashion, you can check out the fan-made video for ‘Seeya Later’ – taken from their debut EP ‘Twoism’ – created for YouTube by Saint Santiago – below.

Eoin and Sandison took their name from the children’s educational films distributed from The National Film Board Of Canada which they grew up watching at a toddler-level age, and they also pulled off the most, if not one of the most, elaborate ‘Easter Egg’ hunts in the marketing campaign building to the release of their most recent release, 2013’s ‘Tomorrow’s Harvest’. There really is a lot of fascinating information about them out there, which is too lengthy for just a simple blog post, so I would look them up after you’ve read this if that sounds interesting to you, but, for now, it’s back to the matter at hand. ‘Seeya Later’ was originally released by the duo as part of the ‘Twoism’ EP on their own label, Music70, and it later appeared on their ‘Hi-Scores’ EP in 1996 as well, where you can also find earlier versions of a few tracks that later appeared on their aforementioned breakthrough release, MHTRC. Chris Horne, a since lost third BOC member, also contributed to this release. Although not as commonly talked about as ‘Sixtyniner’, I feel that ‘Seeya Later’ still makes for an effective insight into the core formula of BOC’s initial musical practice. The track has a slightly darker vibe to some of MHTRC’s most popular recordings for me. Although not as haunting as the anti-religion nods of ‘Geogaddi’, it sounds like something that you may expect to hear on Aphex Twin’s ‘I Care Because You Do’ all the same. The bassline lightly throbs among the high percussion sounds, with trickling synths that evoke a somewhat unsettling atmosphere. This instrumentation doesn’t fluctuate very much throughout the track, but it remains interesting enough due to the ghostly textures and the intriguing ambience that hold your interest. The melancholic drum beats and the more downtempo influences, like much of BOC’s work, is housed in a driving Hip-Hop breakbeat dressing, which gives it a sense of memorability and pushes the beats forward. I would say that it feels a little bit unfinished, but I think the BOC brothers primarily used the ‘Twoism’ EP as a demo tape to get interest from labels, and so I can forgive the very direct and singular beats being a little exhausting by the end here. Overall, though, it is still a fascinating companion piece to their later work, with less of a child-like feel, more of a dream-like trance. Although it may feel like a sonically incomplete Boards Of Canada, that can make this all the more appealing to seek out.

  • Pictured: Marcus Eoin and Marcus Sandison in a vintage press shot (unknown date) (via Warp Records)

If you think the BOC are brilliant, you can check out how I initially felt about their music through an early listen of ‘An Eagle Of Your Mind’ from 98’s ‘Music Has The Right To Children’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/03/todays-track-boards-of-canada-an-eagle-in-your-mind-1998/

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Music Has The Right To Children” (LP) (Released in 1998) (via Warp Records)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with an in-depth look at a recent track from an emerging Folk/Blues singer-songwriter who, by day, teaches English in Boyle Heights but, after dark, gets busy writing tunes like ‘Swim Test’, which is based on her father who can’t swim, despite living next to the beach for decades. 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: Avalon Emerson – “Rotting Hills”

February 16, 2021 — Leave a comment

Inspired by Richard Curtis & Hugh Grant… Oh wait, that’s Notting Hill. New post time.

  • Pictured: Avalon Emerson in a DJ Kicks Mix cover shoot (2020) (Photo by David Black/DazedDigital.com)

Hello, and a Good Morning to you! I am Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time again for me to get typing up for your daily track on the blog, because, if you haven’t read the blog before, it’s routinely my day-to-day pleasure to get writing up about a different piece of music every day! A 32-year-old female software designer-turned-electronic music producer, Avalon Emerson has more or less done it all in her explorations of IDM, Techno and Post-Industrial music. She’s now based in Brooklyn, New York – but she’s also spent time in Berlin, where she was a regular at the Berghain nightclub. Emerson has also performed a full set at Coachella festival, and she has put out remixes for the likes of Robyn, Slowdive and Four Tet over the years. She broke out in 2016 with her single, “The Frontier”, which was ranked among Resident Advisor’s Top Ten Tracks Of The Decade that year. Also known for her series of DJ-Kicks mixes, Emerson’s latest formal release was the “043” EP which housed the single, “Rotting Hills”, which dropped on the AD 93 label in December, and it gained a spot on the A-list of BBC Radio 6Music. This projects followed a road trip that she took with her girlfriend from LA to New York last summer, where the two filmed videos that, as Pitchfork describes it, “blurs the line between the ecstatic and the anxious”. Let’s take a listen to it below.

Pre-existing fans of Emerson’s work may find that an earlier mix of “Rotting Hills” appeared on her latest “DJ-Kicks Mix” back in September, and in an interview with Dazed, Emerson explained the inspiration behind the moods and tones of the track as “a study in contrasts, both tonally and emotionally. Mixing feelings of hopelessness, while also trying to enjoy what we have now in the present”, which she further elaborated on in the EP’s press notes. We’re going to move swiftly forwards, however, and we’re going to think about the reflective nature and the child-like qualities of the electronic beds. Starting off with an element of Afrobeat with a joyous Conga beat, the Synths soon come rumbling in and creating a luscious effect with the shimmering synth patterns that end up flickering on and off. A two-step disco beat is briefly noticeable, while the bright 80’s sounds manage to create a very retro and nostalgic emotion when the synths break to reveal an upbeat bassline. The drums veer away from the comforting feel of the synths and contrast the uplifting qualities with some classic Drill ‘N’ Bass production, adding a more aggressive silver lining to the theme. We continue to build to a clean breakdown, where the tempo of the synths increase and the ferocity of the drums remain, and we reach the conclusion of the trickling synth lines introducing the more old-fashioned sound to the fray once again. It’s reminding me of the vintage Warp Records stylings of the 90’s IDM era, with old-school ambient textures and child-like samples heading into the picture, while the slow-building ambient influences of producers like Photay and In Love With A Ghost give it a forward-thinking coat of paint. It is mostly 80’s and retro however, with global influences like Peggy Gou also drawing my mind. I may be biased as this type of music typically really is right down my street, but it’s another lack of disappointment for me. The influences never lose my attention, and the balancing of throwback and experimentation is smooth. It is another solid performance from a talented producer.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “040” (EP) (Released on December 11th. 2020) (via AD 93)

There’s my daily challenge fulfilled for another day. However, it won’t be long until the clock ticks and I’m here again. It’s not just any old post tomorrow, though, because we’ve got our weekly “Way Back Wednesdays” pick to look forward to. We’re going to be taking an in-depth look at what could be, perhaps, one of the lesser-known mixes from one of the most prolific electronic dance music acts to emerge from the 1990’s. I’m suprised that I haven’t actually covered this Kent-ish DJ brother duo on my little website before, with the cover art of three of their albums famously showcasing stylised atomic Orbitals. 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/

New Album Release Friday: Bicep (feat. Clara La Sun) – “Saku”

January 22, 2021 — Leave a comment

I know it’s January – but let’s not give this one the Cold Shoulder. It’s new post time…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Isles” (Album/LP) (Released on 22nd January, 2020) (via Ninja Tune)

Good Morning to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s now time for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day. It’s New Album Release Friday – which means it’s time for me to lead you into an in-depth look at one of the artists behind this weekend’s new album releases. This week’s selection includes the fourth album from the Canadian R&B outfit RHYE, as well as new outings from UK Grime rapper Bugzy Malone and US cult rockers Moon Taxi – along with the new EP release from Venezuelan Art-Pop enigma, Arca. However, the most high-profile new release in a while has arrived today from Bicep. The duo – which is made up of the Northern Irish electronic dance music producers Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar – have been gaining a lot of traction in the UK Club scene, and rock-solid airplay from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6Music, in recent weeks, has exposed more casual ears to their layer-building sound. Bicep was formed in 2009 as a blog called “Feel My Bicep” where the two DJ’s used to post lost tracks of the Chicago House and Detroit Techno variety, along with forgotten Disco Pop and Italo Disco remixes. “Isles” is the title for the new LP, and it’s just been released via Ninja Tune. It represents a “snapshot in time” for the duo, and the guest list includes Julie Kent, Machina and Clara La Sun. The latter features on the new single “Saku” – and you can check out it’s video below.

So far, the reviews for “Isles” have been rather kind. Bicep said of the hotly anticipated new album, “We aim to pull influences from a broad range of inspiration when we write music, our tracks often go through many iterations and directions before we settle on the final ingredients”. The duo added that “Saku feels like a good example of a hybrid for us” to their press notes. “Saku” feels like an encapsulation of Bicep’s global influences, with 90’s IDM and 00’s Garage sounds creating a textured, dreamy vision. The drum programming evokes a light Hip-Hop breakbeat, while Clara La Sun’s vocals feel melancholic. She sings: “Can’t say the feeling was strong, Know you’re thinking of me” and “I just need to feel what I felt before, Can you help me feel what I’m waiting for?” with a minimalist delivery, as a whispered vocal unfolds below an animated percussion. Subtle layers of timbres and polished production glides above La Sun’s vocals, as she sings: “I just need to feel everything before, Can you help me feel what I’m searching for?” with a vagueness that feels provocative and ethereal. It isn’t immediately danceable, with abstract drum beats and hypnotic sonic loops building layers on layers of synth sounds. The slow-building soundscape builds to a crescendo, where the vocals are cut out, and we’re left with a vigorous backing vocal loop that faints softly in the background. Meanwhile, the sound gets more intimate and synth-driven, with a bright stream of hazy synth effects invoking an emotive atmosphere. The repetitive percussion sounds and the honeyed synth production retains a cinematic element. The vocals evoke a 00’s R&B aesthetic, before the flourishing synths take hold of the pacing. Although I’m a little bit less familiar with Bicep’s work – in comparison to Aphex Twin or The Chemical Brothers – I think that I can see the appeal to them. The layers build up to convey a dream-like aural environment – with polished synth instrumentals and tranquil vocals that hint at a science-fiction soundtrack feel. The idea of a home-listening trance record from the duo is a rather bold move – and I feel the album would have benefited more from the sweeping euphoria of a live summer stage – but I realise that is not viable right now given our current situation with COVID-19. All in all, I think there’s much to enjoy here.

  • Pictured: Andrew Ferguson (DJ/Producer) and Matthew McBriar (DJ/Synths) (2019) (via Facebook.com)

Ages ago – I posted an in-depth review of one of Bicep’s earlier offerings – “Atlas” – which was released last year. If you want to catch the euphoria of that track, be my guest here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/19/todays-track-bicep-atlas/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Atlas” (Single/EP) (Released on April 3rd, 2020) (via Ninja Tune)

That’s all for today – Don’t forget that we’ve got a new addition to our Scuzz Sundays catalogue dropping in two days time! Before then, why not join me again tomorrow? Unusually for me, I’ll be going a little bit more mainstream tomorrow. We’re going to be taking an in-depth look at the sizzling new single from a US Rock band, which is comprised up of three brothers and their cousin, who have 12 Grammy Award nominations to their name – including 4 wins. You could say, then, that they are “Royalty” of the stadium Rock scene. 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: Tycho – “Outer Sunset”

January 9, 2021 — 1 Comment

Better keep my grammar in check on this one. Nobody wants a ‘Typo’. New Post time!

  • Pictured: Tycho (aka Scott Hansen) at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Jon Bauer)
    Pictured: Tycho (aka Scott Hansen) at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles (in 2019) (Photo Credit: Jon Bauer)

Good Morning to you – my name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to – once again – fulfill my daily duties of typing up your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different piece of music every day! A little bit like Boards Of Canada, Tycho is an ambient electronic music producer (currently based in San Francisco) who loves to blend multiple aspects of media tools within his disposal to fully realize vital themes of Nature and Environment within his compositions. From taking samples of weather broadcasts and pre-recorded dialogue, Scott Hansen usually creates a luscious set of rural soundscapes to allow his elements of downtempo guitar and analogue production to breathe. In fact, you may also know his work already – as the graphic designer ISO50. “Outer Sunset” was the lead single from his most recent album, “Simulcast”, which was released back in last February as a co-distribution between Ninja Tune and Mom + Pop Records. This work is connected to “Weather”, Hansen’s previous LP record, of which Hansen has removed the vocal sections, and Hansen had decided to expand upon the ambient instrumentation instead. It’s a very timely record to hear during Lockdown – a time where one of the few positives has been the re-positioning of nature and birdsong as one of the world’s beauties outside of our windows – and it sadly fell under my radar a bit beforehand. That’s about to change. Let’s have a listen to “Outer Sunset” below.

Many critics have attributed that “Simulcast” finds Hansen strip down his futuristic technology for a dip back into the dreamy, lo-fi electronica that originally bought him to the dance. Hansen said of the LP: “A Simulcast is the transmission of a program across two different mediums and two different languages”, expanding with, “With these two albums, I wanted to present the same ideas in two languages, one more literal, and the other more open to interpretation”, before explaining, “Simulcast expands on the concepts laid out in ‘Weather’, but shifts into the abstract, with instrumental soundscapes in place of lyrics, opening up a visual space and translating the message into a new language”, in his press notes. “Outer Sunset” fuses hazy guitar lines with a chilled-out electronic synth loop, although I feel the melodies are beat-driven enough to sustain an indie, ‘pop’ flair. The beats aren’t entirely off-kilter, but they feel serene and simple. There is a palpable sense of stillness about it, with some sun-licked guitar tones to add a fair rumble of bass, and a merticulously layered sequence of shuffle beats that are carefully plucked beneath them, to an almost DJ Shadow-ish degree of subtle Hip-Hop breakbeat influences. The melodies present a feeling of coming-of-age and nostalgia to me, and this leaves me cutting off from the outside world for a few minutes and delving into my own thoughts for a little while, this showing a visual effect of the mellow Indietronica stylings. These elements of Synthwave, modern Chillout and 10’s Vaporwave are upbeat enough to carry the airy Pop beats all of the way through, although the tone is still fairly laidback, and the chord progression remains simple. It shapes up to be perfect “In The Bathtub” music.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for "Simulcast" (Released on February 28th, 2020) (via Mom + Pop Records)
    Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Simulcast” (Released on February 28th, 2020) (via Mom + Pop Records)

Thank you for checking out today’s post – It was better late than never, eh? It’s already going to be time for a new entry in our Scuzz Sundays series tomorrow, and we’re going to be making up for the lack of notable new releases with a “big name” post from the past instead. It’s a less obvious pick from the band in question though, even if it is that legendary Grunge trio who used to feature now-Foo Fighter Dave Grohl in the drumming seat amongst the famous line-up. 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: Daniel Avery – “Lone Swordsman”

November 12, 2020 — 1 Comment

I wish that it was but a flesh wound for the 90’s Black Knight! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Daniel Avery in an interview photoshoot for Crack Magazine (in 2020) (Photo by Tom Andrews)
    Pictured: Daniel Avery in an interview photoshoot for Crack Magazine (in 2020) (Photo by Tom Andrews)

Hands up if you got my little reference to Monty Python up there! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it is time for me to write your daily post, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! “Lone Swordsman” is a different type of charity single – a tribute to the legendary 90’s DJ Andy Weatherhall, who we owe a lot of our music to. He sadly passed away at the age of 56 in February due to a Pulmonary Embolism. This comes from Daniel Avery, a London-based Electronic Ambient Dance musician. The track’s title is taken from one of Weatherhall’s numerous side projects – ‘Two Lone Swordsmen’ – a name which Weatherhall and Keith Tenniswood co-produced a series of albums and EP’s under. The track is the digital B-side to Avery’s “Dusting For Smoke” single, which has been taken from his latest album, “Love + Light”, that Avery put out earlier in the year via Mute Records. Proceeds from “Lone Swordsman” via Bandcamp will be donated to Amnesty International in memory of Andy Weatherhall, so please make sure that you seek it out there. Let’s sample the track with the Greg Hodgson-directed video below.

An improvisational piece, Avery posted on his social media: “I was in my studio the morning I heard about Andrew Weatherhall’s passing. The track ‘Lone Swordsman” is what formed that day”, adding, “Andrew was a hero, a friend and someone who regularly reminded us all how it should be done”, and he was close to Weatherhall personally, having performed some back-to-back live DJ sets together in the past. With no lyrics at all to speak of, the solemn and peaceful beats of “Lone Swordsman” are enough to create a fitting little tribute to Andy Weatherhall with a euphoric sense of innocence and purity that has no need for vocals to add an extra punch to the digital melodicism. It starts off with a percussive, stabbing drum pattern that almost replicates the sound of a Ping-Pong ball to me, creating a theme of childhood and soft nostalgia with the ambient soundscape. A musing sequence of gentle synths creep in, a Celestial sound that adds an element of Space-Pop and old-school 90’s rave tracks with it’s deeply electronic sound. The tempo slightly raises throughout the track as we gently build up to an ambient washing of vivid, colourful Synths and more deeply textured, percussive drum loops. There is a slick bassline that runs throughout, one which doesn’t feel too modern or contemporary, but instead feels analogue-driven and with a contemplative tone that fits the subject matter of the track nicely, and continues to evoke a nostalgic and light-hearted emotion with it’s light sonic steps. The recurring set of synths keep lurking in and out – as if to just slowly massage your ears to the beat of the more percussive layers in the repeating drum beat of the track. Rather than evoking a Dancehall-oriented club sound, it reminds me of the work that legendary DJ and personal favourite Aphex Twin explored on “Xtal” specifically and the general sound of “Selected Ambient Works 85-92” by using the simplicity of the drum sounds to Avery’s advantage. This is not really a heavy dance beat and feels more of an emotive ambient ilk, so you’re not going to find the next big dancefloor-filling club record if you’re looking to find that from this, but it feels perfectly suited for it’s purpose instead and it’s laid out very impressively, with merticulously planned synths which properly reward you with repeated listens to it. Rest in peace, old friend.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for "Dusting For Smoke" (EP) (Released on September 1, 2020) (via Phantasy Sound)
    Pictured: Cover Art for “Dusting For Smoke” (EP) (Released on September 1, 2020) (via Phantasy Sound)

Thank you for reading my new post! As always, please feel free to join me again tomorrow – where will be skewing towards Post-Punk instead. We will be taking an in-depth listen back to cult classic track from 1989, an example of work taken from the early discography of a cult favourite 90’s Post-Punk band who were formed in 1986 by Ian MacKaye in Washington, DC. The band earned critical acclaim and crossover success across the world before starting their indefinite hiatus in 2003. 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: Jordana – “I Guess This Is Life”

November 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

I presume that you’re reading this…well, erm… just because. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for "For You" (EP) (Available from December 4th, 2020) (via Grand Jury Music)
    Pictured: Cover Art for “For You” (EP) (Available from December 4th, 2020) (via Grand Jury Music)

Good Morning, I guess… My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to write up your daily track on the blog, because it is always my day-to-day pleasure to get typing up about a different piece of music every day! Today’s entry is Jordana’s “I Guess This Is Life” – a brand new track that I only heard on Saturday, and it really made me think: “Wow”. It comes from the Kansas-based Lo-Fi dream pop/bedroom pop singer-songwriter Jordana Nye, who is going by the name of Jordana professionally. Jordana describes herself as “A girl who makes music in her living room” and her biography on Spotify just reads as “:)”, which I actually feel is the perfect way to explain the sound of her lyricism and music influences, and this plays a part of her act perfectly. She’s signed to Grand Jury Records, and her forthcoming new release is the “Something To Say To You” LP, which is a compliation album of her last two EP’s – “Something To Say” from back in July, and “For You”, which drops on December 4th. The compilation LP “Something To Say To You” also releases, digitally only, on December 4th. However, a physical release will follow on January 22nd. She’s been further fleshing out her sound with the DJ MELVV, who also co-produced these new projects with her. “I Guess This Is Life” was shared on October 27th, and it comes with a video which was filmed in Kansas with director Mel Mercer. Check it out below!

Jordana, herself, described her new single as ” a song about the motions of everyday life and how experiences, no matter how big or small, make up the person that you are, and how you both perceive and are perceived by the world” in a press release. The soft piano interlude that flutters along to a shifting, sentimental breakbeat in the opening had me from the word “go”. Jordana sets up the scene with: “Walked past that house party two times already”, an example of a witty and subtle line that conveys an introverted, nostalgic feel. I’ve noticed that “I Guess This Is Life” sounds more anecdotal and introspective than some of her other work, as she matches a Shoegaze element which reminds me of The Radio Dept with introverted, witty lyrical motifs that harken back to Jens Lekman, both of which I love. Jordana later sings: “I couldn’t tell you in words how I’m feeling” and “I tried all that God stuff, but I stopped believing” above a slightly increased tempo, after she’s smoked cigarrattes and rode freely in the car with her mate, Sophie, before she name drops a few more little stories with a subtle Hip-Hop quality. This collection of mini-stories and witty remarks gently relaxes onto a textured, electronic soundscape of whimsical Horn melodies and warm Synth breaks. It slowly builds to a killer line, as Jordana holds her voice to “I Guess This Is Life” after reciting lyrics that call back to seeking self-identity and living the life of a soft-spoken introvert. This is going to sound just like something that your grandma would say – but I really do think that she has a lovely voice. It plays up to the strong harmonies that are scattered throughout the track. It also manages to sound witty and expressive in diverse ways, despite a fairly limited subject matter of the lyrics. This sounds just as subtle, yet diverse, as it does musically too – the gentle piano notes and smoky Horn sections tell a story of coming-of-age that leans into a cinematic vibe, matched by a subtle drum pattern that is built through a breakbeat structure to evoke qualities of conscious Hip-Hop. The vocal harmonies have a Soulful delivery, and the softly enigmatic character that Jordana brings to the table adds a Desert or Americana vibe, kind of like Alexandra Savior. I guess this is a rave review, and I’m glad that we’ve only got a little bit of time to wait until we hear more and I would absolutely love to get an interview with her – This is absolutely fantastic!

  • Pictured: Jordana in a photoshoot for the "Something To Say To You" EP (2020) (Photo by Jacob Clark)
    Pictured: Jordana in a photoshoot for the “Something To Say To You” EP (2020) (Photo by Jacob Clark)

Thank you for reading my new post! As like always, I’ll be back tomorrow, where we take a turn towards the more soulful as we take a look at the new track and video from one of our “Jacob Classics” on the blog – an Alternative Soul duo from London made up of Andy and James, who have always been signed up to their own Atlantic Records imprint, Tatemae Recordings. 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: Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – “Heartbreak”

October 6, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’d better not break my heart – My achey, breaky heart! It is time for your new post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Heartbreak” (Single) (Released on September 23rd, 2020) (via OUTLIER)

Good Morning! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’ve just arrived to write up about your daily track on the blog since, in case you hadn’t figured it out by now, it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to get typing up about a different piece of music every day! “Heartbreak” is a new collaborative single created by two exceptional talents within the International EDM club scene. In one corner, we have Bonobo – aka Brighton-born but Los Angeles-based dance music composer Simon Green – who has attained a cult following, with his material being performed by a full-scale touring band during his live DJ sets. In the second corner, we have Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – a London-born dance music producer best known for his UK Top 40-charting album “Trouble” from 2012, and we covered his work on the blog just recently due to the release of his incredible “I Can Hear The Birds” EP during Lockdown. Although the single is available to download or stream digitally right now, it is also set to come out on a physical 12″ vinyl format, come November 13th. The release of “Heartbreak” is also very notable because it marks Bonobo’s first material to be released on Bonobo’s new independent label, OUTLIER. These two producers have been friends since 2015, collaborating both behind-the-scenes and by regularly supporting each other on-tour. Bonobo elaborated on their work together, via press release, saying: “Orlando (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) was playing me a fairly stripped back idea he had for something last year,” later adding, “We spent a few afternoons in his studio trying ideas out and eventually, ‘Heartbreak’ was the end result.”. Their new single comes accompanied by an official visualizer music video – and it includes a heavy STROBE warning. You have been warned! Let’s take a listen to their collaborative single below.

“Heartbreak” mainly plays out as a tribute to the heavy disco scene in New York City during the 1970’s and the 1980’s, with the main sample being used from “Weekend”, a track by Class Action. The liner notes that will come with the 12″ physical single will feature an essay by author Tim Lawrence on the lasting impact of the original track. You’re getting some more bang for your buck, then. “Heartbreak” was reportedly also the catalyst for Bonobo’s indie label, as he explained: “[It] seemed like a good starting point and was the track that became the catalyst to start the label. One for the dance floors in a time when they’re dearly missed”, via a press statement. A light New-Rave element proves to be the modern twist to bring the old sample up to a bit of a contemporary speed. It also sounds quite breakbeat-driven, with a heavy acid strobe line that wraps around Christine Wiltshire’s original vocal hook of “I can’t take the heartbreak” from the sampled 1983 dance anthem. The introspective, but rumbling, synth melodies feel noticeably Higginbottom, a comforting element that sounds a lot like his previous work, but they never feel simplistic, as Higginbottom takes inspiration from the 90’s street rave scene in the UK to create some rolling percussion beats and some fluttering synthesizers that feel vibrant and emotionally-driven, if a little bit safe. The other side of the sonic palette sees Bonobo experimenting with a decadent, spiraling bass melody that permeates through the duration of the track with a solid cohesion and weaving the drum parts throughout the interchanging textures of Higginbottom’s Nu-Disco synth work. Together, they make up for a very fluid listening experience overall. I think that just a little bit more variety in the vocal sample could have taken things up to a slightly higher level, but those are just my two cents. You’ve got to remember that, at the time of the NYC dance scene of the 70’s and 80’s that the sound is harkening back to, no-one had mobile phones and people were truly on the dancefloor, in a club, to connect, socially and without much technology, with inclusivity and fun. So, I feel that Green and Higginbottom have done a fantastic job in pulling this track together with the resources that they had. A great throwback.

Pictured: Bonobo (a.k.a. Simon Green) in a live set (2017) (Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

As I’ve mentioned just now, I have also covered a track (“Los Angeles”) taken from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ recent EP, “I Can Hear The Birds”, which he pulled together using collaged field recordings of birdsong sounds that was gathered, and sent, to him by some of his friends across the world. Make sure that you take a listen to the track here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/08/05/todays-track-totally-enormous-extinct-dinosaurs-los-angeles/

Pictured: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs in an official photoshoot (in 2020) (Photo by Pia Riverola)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! Tomorrow, I’ll be listening to a new track from a North London-born experimental electronic producer who was recently featured on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast, and played on a recent episode of 6Music Recommends by John Ravenscroft. The artist has just released a new EP on the innovative Hyperdub music label, and she has previously released her music on the New York Haunted record 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/