EDM

Today’s Track: Lynks Afrikka – “How To Be Successful”

August 12, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s fair to say it feels like we are all living in Afrikka under this heat. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Lynks Afrikka in a publicity shot to promote the release of “Smash Hits, Vol. 1” (EP) (2020) (via LynksCorp)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m typing up your daily post on the blog, as per usual, since it is routinely my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Lynks Afrikka is the pseudonym of the Bristol-based English EDM producer, Elliot Brett. Brett is an LGBT artist who has been gaining popularity virally on YouTube and social media, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, by releasing his own music under his self-produced “LynksCorp” label, accompanied by quirky music videos with enjoyably low production values that have been garnering a cult following. “Smash Hits, Vol. 1” marks the release of his first EP, a compilation of his previously released singles including “On Trend” and “I Don’t Know What I Want” alongside new tracks, including his most recent single, “How To Be Successful”. He has sold out headlined live shows across London, Edinburgh and Margate, alongside supporting Goat Girl, Sorry and Shygirl on tour. On his unique alias, Elliot told DIYMag.com: “I’m worried Lynx Africa are going to sue me and I don’t even want to be called Lynks Afrikka because it’s only called that in England, so everywhere else, I just look like this random white drag queen with Africa in their name,” grimacing as he mocks British millennial culture in his Electronic Dance tracks. I first caught wind of Lynks Afrikka by hearing the new track on X-Posure, John Kennedy’s evening show on Radio X. Let’s hear some life advice as he tells us “How To Be Successful” down below.

Using the aesthetic of a deranged Children’s TV show in the self-isolation produced music video to illustrate his self-frustration of young people feeling pressured to lead a successful life by going to university, getting a marriage, kids and a job, Elliot mocks the “ideal millennial life” with sharp wit and intentionally low-quality Electro-Rock beats, paired with a harsh synth line. I can only describe it as “Heavy Pop”. The lyrics (Or should I say.. Lyrix?) are very sarcastic, while keeping an upbeat tone intact. He provocatively hints at the “Conveyor Belt” life pressures with a tongue-in-cheek view of an older person, with the bridge “Oh! 80.96 years on average/Your life, you have to manage” and later challenging the traits with “Your life feels wasted/Your kids have vacated your family home/You should have faced this years ago”, with an earlier verse emphasizing these points with use of repetition: “Now Ruby goes to uni/Then Alex goes to uni/Then Curt does an Art Foundation/and then goes to uni” that feels quirky, but there’s a charming semblance of Pop-Punk with the hint of angst. Melodically, it starts off with a glossy synth line that bubbles underneath the reverb-drenched vocals, and the synthesizer riffs gradually become more danceable and evocative, eventually forming an Acid Techno Instrumental that feels buoyant and energetic. “Cause’ now it’s the end of the show” signals a breakdown which gives across a 90’s “Club Anthem” feel. Scattered dance breaks around the video and lines like “What can you show?, from years and years and years ago?” take the effervescent British humor up a notch. This probably falls into a specific niche and I feel he’s put his hands on the Auto-Tune machine a little bit too much here, but it really makes me laugh and the instrumentation is good fun. At a time like this, I couldn’t really ask for a lot more.

  • Pictured: Physical CD copy of “Smash Hits, Vol. 1” (EP) (Released on July 1, 2020) (via LynksCorp) (via Bandcamp.com)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, for an in-depth look at the popular new single from an Oxfordshire-based singer-songwriter who told NME in a recent interview: “When I was dropped I remember thinking, ‘You idiots – I’m the next Paul McCartney’”. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Joe Goddard & Hayden Thorpe – “Unknown Song”

August 3, 2020 — Leave a comment

What on Earth is this?, you might ask. I really couldn’t tell you. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) and Hayden Thorpe (ex-Wild Beasts) in a press image (2020) (via Pitchfork.com)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily track on the blog, as per usual, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Forgive me if you’ve never heard this one before, it seems to be a pretty “Unknown” song, apparently. Jokes aside, this one-off single is a collaboration between Joe Goddard, of Hot Chip, and Hayden Thorpe, the former frontman of Wild Beasts (an indie rock band who disbanded in 2018). This single was released a few months ago, and the collaboration came together after Goddard and Thorpe linked up following a shared career-long appreciation for each other’s work, and it marks the first time in which both of these UK-based musicians have worked together. “Unknown Song” was heavily inspired by the global closure of clubs and dancefloors, as Goddard & Thorpe reflect on a new-found sense of connectivity between society, and “a synchronicity with our fellow beings”. Goddard & Thorpe elaborated on this, on a press statement, posting: “In the absence of touch, music is that sensual meeting point”, with Goddard concluding: “We are in the midst of a crisis but gaining the new appreciation of dancing together is a small positive that I hope to hold onto after all of this”, positioning the collaborative track as a soundtrack for awaiting an energetic return to the dancefloor after the pandemic, at long last. Let’s stream the track below.

Joe Goddard and Hayden Thorpe are both signed to Domino Recordings, via their own respective acts, but it’s unclear whether this is a one-off deal, or if they plan to join forces again in the near future. It’s a mesh between their two established styles, as Thorpe’s Falsetto vocals get delivered on top of a thumping electronic beat that evokes Erasure and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Thorpe recites: “Unknown Song, where all the lost chords belong” and “Unknown Song, how do the words go on this one?” over a synth groove that shimmers along to a hand-clapped drum machine loop. It rolls along to the bridge, where the beat violently trips as Thorpe adds: “Got no method, but I’ve killer intuition” before a more pop-oriented chorus that evokes a slick 80’s pop feel, and a warm Summer-primed feeling. A cut-up “Damn right” vocal effect accompanies Thorpe’s euphoric vocals in the chorus. The overall sound of the track evokes 80’s Prog-Synthpop and 90’s EDM in equal measure, and the lyrics have a slice of comedic quirk to them. A playful set of verses remind me of New Order, and the heavy-pop chorus feels like a love letter to the Pet Shop Boys. On the flip side, the structure gets a little flimsy towards the end, with a more commercial feeling to the chorus that marks a stark contrast to the House-oriented style of the verses, but it just about holds itself together due to the clear range of influences, that flow quite well together. In the end, I think it’s fair to write that – more people should know this song!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Unknown Song” (Single) (Released on 8th May, 2020) (via Domino Recordings)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at a recent single from an English indie rock group who were known for a similar time period to Hot Chip. The band used Star Trek voice samples to work the time-bending themes of one of their most popular albums, and the band have also been met with critical acclaim that includes earning a total of five nominations for The Ivor Novello awards. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: X-Ecutioners (feat. Mike Shinoda & Mr. Hahn) – “It’s Goin’ Down”

August 2, 2020 — Leave a comment

A good idea, but will it stick the landing upon X-Ecution? It’s another Scuzz Sunday…

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Built From Scratch” (Released on February 26th, 2020) (via Loud Records/Columbia)

Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m glad the hot weather has been cooling off a bit, as it makes it easier for me to type up your weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays. It’s the time of the week where we take a nice stroll down memory lane, and I pick either a classic Emo-Rock or Pop-Punk single from between the late-1990’s to mid-2000’s and re-evaluate whether it stands true to form by modern quality standards! “It’s Goin’ Down” is a track that often gets mistaken for a full-on Linkin Park track by a large chunk of people. But, it actually just features their frontman, Mike Shinoda, as the vocalist and Mr. Hahn, the DJ of Linkin Park. It was released in 2002 by New York-based DJ Turntable group X-Ecutioners as the only single of their second album, “Built From Scratch”, via Loud Records in association with Sony-owned label, Columbia Records. The album was built on collaborations, with the guest list including DJ Premier, Tina Weymouth, Sean Cane and several others – alongside an Executive Production credit for Peter King. The track peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart and at #85 on the US Billboard Chart. Let’s watch the official music video below.

X-Ecutioners refer to themselves, in a fun tidbit, as “X-Men”, their old name which they had to change, to avoid accusations of copyright infringement, obviously. Back to the matter at hand, X-Ecutioners decided they wanted to craft a more accessible sound from their underground roots on “It’s Goin’ Down”, a largely Rap-Rock track that also explored a Nu-Metal and Post-Grunge mix of sounds courtesy of the guest spots from Shinoda and Hahn of Linkin Park. Shinoda opens: “It’s Goin’ down, the rhythm projects ’round the next sound” and “Detect the mesh of many elements compressed down, The melting point of a super future-esque style” over the top of a drum intro that crackles and snaps to the pace of distorted bass guitar riffs and small inklings of voice samples. The beats are heavier in the chorus, as Shinoda recites: “Put it out for the world to see/LP and X-Men to the 10th degree” as he refers to the collaboration and simply raps about creating a phenomenal new sound, as crossovers of heavy guitar riffs and cut-up sample effects are taking center stage. The final bridge makes the lyrics almost unrecognizable under the splicing effects that mesh flickering voices of the chorus together, but the electric guitar instrumentation and the sequence of drum machine loops remain to be distinguishable. The sound is quite commercial, also due to a major label’s involvement, but I think there is something a bit more to it, with the Run DMC-esque Hip-Hop direction. The rapping from Shinoda is pretty average, but he manages to sell the lyricism reasonably well and his flow is consistently good, perhaps considering his low experience level at the time. The cut-up sampling effects are hugely prominent, but they don’t feel too repetitive, due to the instrumental guitar sections and the noisy drum beats forming a slight groove, but the lyrics feel a little bland and get a tad too tedious by the end. Overall, I don’t think there’s admittedly much substance here and the overall design is a bit outdated, but it serves as a fun throwback 20 years later with a sound that feels designed a little more towards live crowds. Also, the guitar and drum sections provide noisy fun. This absolutely screams 00’s but there’s enough here for a bit of enjoyment.

  • Pictured: Still Image from the official music video for “It’s Goin’ Down” (2002) (via Евгений Богатый/YouTube)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, just like usual, for an in-depth look at a fairly recent-ish track that I sadly didn’t get around to touching on beforehand. It marks a collaboration between Joe Goddard (of Hot Chip fame) and Hayden Thorpe (of ex-Wild Beasts fame). If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Scuzz Sundays: Terrorvision (feat. Mint Royale) – “Tequila (Mint Royale Shot)”

July 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

A caricature of the past? Or, does is it still sound in Mint condition? It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Physical CD copy of “Regular Urban Survivors” (Released on 11th March, 1996) (via EMI/Total Vegas)

You know what day it is! Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Sunday is Scuzz Sunday, where we revisit an emo-rock or pop-punk classic from the late-1990’s until the mid-2000’s to see if it can live up to modern standards, named in honor of the now-defunct Scuzz TV freeview channel. Terrorvision were a successful British Alternative Rock band from Yorkshire who disbanded in 2001, before they re-united in 2011, with mainstream chart hits including “Perseverance”, “Bad Actress” and “Alice, What’s The Matter” over the years. For their fourth album, “Shaving Peaches”, released in 1998, Terrorvision decided to go in a more pop-oriented and chart-friendly direction, or rather, their label did. “Tequila”, a single from the album, was Terrorvision’s rework of the 1958 instrumental “Tequila (The Champs Song)” by Danny Flores and The Champs, a track which is widely recognizable. The instrumental was heavily sampled by Terrorvision, who used the tune of the main melody, to create their “Tequila” track. The album featured co-production from Edwyn Collins, and “Tequila” reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts after it had been remixed by Mint Royale, the alias of EDM producer Neil Claxton, who had a famous hit with “Singin’ In The Rain” that was released in 2005, and it re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2008 at the #1 spot after Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson used it for his semi-final and final performances on the TV show. This one is a little different to our usual Scuzz Sundays fare. Let’s have a listen below.

A crossover hit for the band, “Tequila” was remixed by Mint Royale to a big success rate that Terrorvision were undoubtedly not very used to, but it’s a hit that their label wanted, with mainstream success and all the expectations that come with it being handled to the band on a silver plate, as the band was bound to a contract with EMI and had to release it, at their discretion, after Zoe Ball (the BBC Radio 1 breakfast presenter at the time) gave it significant airplay. “Just looking for a hit” is never something that sits well with me, but the quality of the remix alone is in reasonable shape. Claxton uses the modulated sample of a children’s choir to add a chaotic, witty upbeat effect to Tony Wright’s post-punk influenced vocals. The vocals are highly reminiscent of Gorillaz, with a low-tone Albarn-like croon that creates a cohesive “Chalk and Cheese” effect to the high-pitched gospel voices. The guitar riffs of the original track are still thrown in, but their tone is more cheerful and high-tempo due to the dance-heavy backing loops. Wright’s vocals repeat: “Con Tequila, when the doors are opened, and Con Tequila when they’re calling time”, layered above uptempo Vibraphone chords and Whistle sections, both of which have a spinning, Carousel effect. The arrangement still retains it’s post-punk elements by including the main rock instrumentation and keeping the original vocals intact, but the sound geers towards a Brit-Pop flavour that reminds me of Blur, with a short and sweet drum loop that sounds more akin to “Fly Life” by Basement Jaxx. The result is predominantly still a soft-rock record, but the presence of the Sun-soaked electronic beats and the sultry themes of having a cheeky alcoholic drink in the sun make the 50’s instrumental sound refreshed under a new guise. It’s just a matter of perspective!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Shaving Peaches” (Released on 5th October, 1998) (via EMI/Total Vegas)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’ll be kicking off the new week by covering a fairly recent track that I sadly didn’t get around to covering beforehand. It comes from a very talented Black singer, producer and songwriter who was shortlisted for his very first album for the Mercury Prize in 2011. His third album, released in 2015, was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize that year. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Bentley Rhythm Ace – “Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out!”

June 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you got a problem with me – Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Mike Stokes (Turntables/Keyboard/Producer) and Richard March (Bass/Engineering) performing a live set at a reunion show at the 02 Academy in Bournemouth (in December 2016) (Photo Credit: Charlie Raven Photography)

A 90’s dance classic to give you that Friday Feeling! Good Morning to you, my name is Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Bentley Rhythm Ace are an Electronic Dance duo formed in 1996 in Birmingham, consisting of engineer Richard Marsh and producer Mike Stokes. This name is, believed to have been, a reference to the Rhythm Ace line-up of analogue drum machines, which were manufactured by Ace Tone and distributed by Bentley Pianos. The duo built up an underground following, signed to Skint Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1997. The album received widespread critical acclaim and it spawned a few mainstream hits, particularly “Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out”, which reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart. The duo switched to Parlophone for a follow-up album “For Your Ears Only” in 2000, but it was nowhere near as successful. Stokes and March disbanded shortly after, but they reunited the act in 2016, starting off with a few low-key shows, before headlining their own shows and playing at a lot of festivals across the UK circuit. The duo played a big role in the “British Big Beat” movement of the 1990’s, which is an era where club music became very popular, pioneered by famous dance artists like The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Fat Boy Slim and Propellerheads. Let’s have a listen back to “Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out” below!

A track which would bring back fond memories for fans of the 1990’s dance crossover mainstream era of “Big Beat”, “Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out” is a showcase for the duo’s ability to re-purpose samples, to use instrumental splicing effects and digital sequencing pad FX technology to generate a new sound from an old record, although it does feel like a product of it’s time. It is a mostly ambient track, which March and Stokes revealed in an interview that it originally sprung up from a German album of Striptease Music by the Werner Muller Orchestra. The track begins with a glitched, spaced synth pad sequence created by a Roland JD-8000, a digital piece of old analogue synth software. The next section introduces a winding keyboard/synth riff which, quite literally, bloops along to the settled, mid-tempo groove established in the first third of the track. The final section consists of a light, psychedelic bass hook and a mild Strobe effect created by a Novation BassStation. The pacing is quite aired, with a female backing vocal which heavily breathes “I love you”, a sample which breaks up the three different parts of the track. It may come across as a bit too straight-forward for some, but there are some lovely and well-produced sampling effects in play. The duo seemed to be pulling in a lot of influences from the Sample-Delia and Plunderphonics genres. You will love this if you are a fan of The Avalanches.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Bentley Rhythm Ace” (Album) (Released on 12th May, 1997) (via Skint Records)

Thank you for reading this post! In regards to #BlackLivesMatter, we endorse the peaceful protests on One Track At A Time. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow for an in-depth review of the new track from a Brighton 4-piece “Indie” pop/rock band who are signed to Warner Group Records, have cited Weezer as their major influence and worked with U2 and Daughter’s producer, Joylon Thomas, for their self-titled debut LP released in 2017. 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: Wajatta – “Don’t Let Get You Down”

May 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but they won’t let get me down. It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Wajatta (Reggie Watts & John Tejada) in a press shot to promote “Don’t Let Get You Down” (2020) (via PR)

Good afternoon, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and – you guessed it! – I’m typing up about your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Even bank holidays! “Don’t Let Get You Down” is another one of the recent tracks that I never quite got around to writing about before, but it’s worth a listen. It’s the titular single of the sophomore LP from American Electronic Dance duo Wajatta, which is comprised of Reggie Watts and John Trejada. They’re signed to Brainfeeder, an imprint of the Ninja Tune label. Wajatta (wa-Ha-ta) are influenced by the Chicago House sounds of the 1970’s, with their roots in Detroit Techno, 70’s funk and New York Hip-Hop. Watts describes “Don’t Let Get You Down” as “The poppiest song we’ve ever done”. Believe it or not – and I didn’t actually know this until just a couple of days ago – Watts is an on-air personality and drummer for The Late Late Show with James Corden, an American late-night TV talk show. He did a bit of cross-promoting by performing this track live on the show. Let’s watch it below!

I LOVE the support of the crowd on this one – who cheer for almost everything that Watts does. It’s clear that he’s got quite the following and it could lead to some major commercial success for the duo. “Don’t Let Get You Down” – poor grammar aside – seems to play off his character-driven personality in the sense that his vocal delivery is fairly quirky and strange. The track is very hook-based, with a light whistling melody running during the track, and brightly pulsating synth sounds. Watts sings: “Don’t let get you down, I know how love can feel” over the top of metallic drum beats and a minimally looping bassline. There’s a light techno sensibility within the instrumental sections, with a synth-heavy focus on acidic strobe effects, but the overall mixing remains mellow and calming. Watts’ voice is unique and silky, with nonsensical mutters and a Falsetto production style which can get a tad annoying, but it also comes off as groove-led and comedic with decent range. The overall sound has a real 00’s throwback to it, which makes me think of Eric Prydz and Bob Sinclair on repeated listens. This is because the melodic structure is slowly paced, but the deep house qualities feel very prominent. All in all, it’s not a bad track at all – and the sense of character comes across strongly. However, I don’t feel that it’s quite there. The synths bubble under the surface to build a sense of tension, but there’s little payoff. The track does have a bit of an overly commercial undertone to it in the lack of innovation. However, it’s a pleasant and smooth-sailing house track that has a good vocal range. So, the flaws “Don’t Let Get It Down” to a point that detracts it too highly.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Don’t Let Get You Down” (Released on 28th February 2020) (via Brainfeeder)

Thank you for reading this post! Please make sure that you stay safe, don’t do anything silly and keep on washing those hands. As always, please join me tomorrow – Where i’ll be giving an in-depth look (or listen, rather) at the new track from an American hip-hop producer from Nanuet, New York who directs and edits his own music videos. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan on their 20th Anniversary Tour in Europe as a “dream gig”! 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: Skule Toyama – “United In The Night”

May 13, 2020 — Leave a comment

This one’s hellbent on destroying some EDM “Stereo”-Types – It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Promotional Cover Artwork for “Stereo” (Single Release) (Released in 2020) (via Business Casual)

Good morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing your daily track on the blog, as always, since it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music, whether it’s old or new, every day. It’s quite a dull backstory of how I found Skule Toyama, as I was just scrolling through my recommendations on Bandcamp and I came across “Stereo”, his new album. With names like “Disco Roller”, “Fantasy Synth” and “Take A Break”, I gave it a chance. The anime-style drawings put me off a bit at first, but after a few listens, I’ve come to really like it. Barely anything is known about Toyama at all and I couldn’t even find any photos of the real man himself. However, it’s implied that Toyama is a male solo producer on their Bandcamp biography. According to this, Toyama is a Mexican artist, of the Chill-Wave genre, who started producing Ambient House music inspired by disco/funk music and the “melancholic aesthetics” of the 1980’s in Mexico. His sound also extends to “Soft-Funk” and “Future-Funk”. Let’s have a listen to the track “United In The Night” below.

I think that “Stereo” is a very appropriate name for a track which sounds so unashamedly EDM Disco-Pop in it’s visuals of lying down with a big speaker on full blast, on a very hot Beach somewhere in Thailand or Jamaica. I’ve never travelled so I don’t know what I’m really going on about there, but I DO know that it’s a very bold move to release a dance record when there’s no market for it since you know… we can’t actually go to a club, but I feel it’s justified by the seamless blending of Toyama’s influences in creating a very calm and relaxed, but still upbeat and danceable, atmosphere which is easy to access and soothing to escape with, but there’s still a hidden complexity and a non-commercialism to the overall textures that demand your further attention in repeated listens. “United In The Night” has a very beat-driven, looping bassline which moulds over a luminous, washing synth line and very groove-ridden drum machine sequences. There’s an unashamedly pop sound on the surface, but I picked “United In The Night” to analyse because it has a slightly rougher texture and it evokes a slightly more somber feeling than a lot of the other tracks found on “Stereo”. This is due to the whimsical, fantastical element of the vocal sample which is unintelligible, but mutters phrases with “Live in your Dreams” and Japanese words, in a way that feels akin to the old game of Chinese Whispers us Brits used to play in primary school, in it’s cheeky vocal layering. There’s a syncopated guitar riff in here, with even a slight use of Jazz instrumentation in the later stages of the track. The clear EDM pop style, the funkish grooves, the vivid, if typically Anime, visual aesthetics and the eclectic sonic palette create a sound that is very enjoyable. It was a great find. Please don’t go mainstream Toyama – you are just right as you are!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Stereo” (Released via Bandcamp on April 10, 2020) (via Business Casual Records)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a slightly older track, released in 2017, by another artist of the Chill-Wave genre that I also recently found on Bandcamp. He’s from Paris, France and he’s signed to the Z-Tapes indie label. He seems to have a much larger online following than Skule Toyama and he has a single called “Flowers” feat. Nori which has over 9.6m views on YouTube. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today's Track: KAYTRANADA (feat. Charlotte Day Wilson) – "What You Need"

April 24, 2020 — Leave a comment

This Haitian DJ is hellbent on building “Celestial” grooves! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Press shot of KAYTRANADA (Louis Kelvin Celestin) backstage at the Sonar Barcelona Festival 2019 (July 2019)

Good morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing to you about your daily track on the blog, as it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to do so, virus or not! Since it’s a pretty barren week for new releases and, given our unfortunate time, they will all probably be for a while, I’m instead going to focus on writing about slightly older music that I discovered earlier on, but I never got around to writing to you about. KAYTRANADA (He spells out all of his name in block capital letters, so I’m going to as well!) is the pseudonym of Louis Kelvin Celestin, an Electronic Dance music producer from Haiti who started out as one half of a duo with Lou Phelps, The Celestians. In 2016, he rose to fame as a solo artist with “99.9%”, a record which explored a psychedelic and experimental rock sound. He followed it up with “Bubba” in December of last year, a more mellow-sounding electronic dance record, which featured collaborations with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Estelle, Tinashe and Kali Uchis, to name a few. Sadly, Forrest Gump’s “Bubba” wasn’t among them. “What You Need” is a single he recorded with Charlotte Day Wilson. Let’s have a listen to it below.

“What You Need” is one of the more mid-tempo, house-ready selections from his second album, “Bubba”, but, at the same time, I think that it avoids a strict categorization. It’s a lot more radio-friendly than some of his other output, but Wilson’s guest spot on vocals and the glittering production work adds an element of soul to deem it alternative enough to not sound generic. Wilson recites: “I never wanted you to see this part of me/I wish you would have told the truth/Oh, than make us settle”, as she reminisces about a past relationship that went awry. The chorus hook goes: “Be in my arms/Slowing my beating heart/’Cause even when it’s wrong you’ll see/That it’s what you need” as a spacious synth twirls around the main chorus lyric. The elements of 00’s disco continue to develop with a slight variation of the first verse: “I never wanted you to see this part of me/Now all I can hope to do/Is tell you still” as a light keyboard riff enters the fray and the slight Funk groove adds a laidback and chilled-out emotion with a breathed quality. The end result is a groovy little number which would make a good warm-up for a longer club night of more hardcore dance tunes. It is a good spot of sun-soaked, roof-down-in-the-car, sultry house vibes.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “BUBBA” (Released on 13th December, 2019) (via R.C.A. Records)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with an in-depth look at a charity single which was produced during quarantine by the frontman of a well-known American alternative rock band who named themselves after a song performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band in The Beatles’ 1967 musical film – “Magical Mystery Tour”! 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: Anna Lunoe (feat. Nina Las Vegas) – “One Thirty”

April 15, 2020 — Leave a comment

Two DJ’s who are spacing up a Lunoe Eclipse of their own! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Anna Lunoe at the first-ever female solo DJ set at EDC in Las Vegas (2016) (Photo Credit: Festival Sherpa)

Good morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure to do so! Having collaborated with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, one of my personal favourites as one of the most underrated British electronic dance artists, and becoming the first woman to headline a solo DJ set for Ministry Of Sound in Australia and on the main stage of the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas in 2016, Australian EDM Producer Anna Lunoe certainly sounds like a very cool artist to collaborate with or interview, and a great role model for aspiring female EDM musicians. The host of a weekly show on Apple’s Beats 1 Radio, Lunoe has come a long way from hosting at a small independent youth broadcaster to curating three compilations that hit gold certifications in Australia. The latest release in her ongoing success story is “One Thirty”, the follow-up to her “Right Party” EP which she released last year. “One Thirty”, a single featuring Nina Las Vegas, another prolific Australian dance music producer, was released as a joint production between Mad Decent records and NLV Records. The track was released in September 2019 as Lunoe and Vegas’ first collaboration together, despite being close friends for years. This pairs Lunoe’s house style with Vegas’ synth work. Let’s have a listen below.

That’s a gorgeous piece of illustrated artwork (above)! Although I don’t feel the music itself is quite as experimental and interesting, it’s still a nicely diversified and structured electronic dance record which does a reasonably good job of getting you ready to hit the dancefloor. Lunoe crafts a distorted, bass-heavy vocal sample to tie a catchy and energetic pop beat together. She wraps it around an ever-shifting acid bassline mixed by Vegas, who asserts a fast-paced and constantly evolving rhythm. Lunoe also pulls elements of Garage with her breakbeat interludes and syncopated hi-hat snares, topped off with irregular drum patterns. Vegas further diversifies the record with a West African aesthetic which fills the track with tribal chants and a playful synthesized drum melody which serves the quick-witted tempo of the track well. At certain points, I feel the vocal processing – although imaginative – can be a little overused and these devices, for me, take away from the artist a little in music, so I feel a certain commercial restriction may have held it back just a touch. Let’s not forget these are two very commercially successful artists after all. However, it’s still a lively and energetic dance collaboration which is effective, if not innovative. Overall, I feel that Lunoe and Vegas have great chemistry and they’ve used it to create a nice platform to showcase their different abilities together, although the vocals are a little too highly processed for me. However, different types of music are for different times and places, and I know that a live club environment is the intended way to experience the personality and culture behind this track! Solid and groovy, if standard, EDM fare!

  • Pictured: Anna Lunoe chilling while dropping her “Blaze Of Glory” video (2018) (Photo Credit: dancingastronaut.com)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with an in-depth look at the brand new track from a fresh alternative hip-hop, neo-soul artist from South-East London who cites Ms. Lauryn Hill, Ms. Dynamite and Erykah Badu as her musical influences and she appeared in an Adidas advert campaign featuring poster advertisements and remixed music from up-and-coming artists getting spotlighted by the sportswear brand last year! Her latest single has made it to the C-List of BBC Radio 6Music’s daytime playlist! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime

Today’s Track: Matroda – “Beef Stick”

April 10, 2020 — Leave a comment

He could be mixing songs about beef until the cows come home! Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Matroda (Matija Rodic) in a press photoshoot for his Spotify profile page (2019) (via PR)

I don’t know how else to start a post for a track like this – so I’ll just start off by wishing you a good afternoon and reminding you that I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write to you about a different track on the blog every day! “Beef Stick”, of all titles, is a bulky club track released in 2018 by Croatian DJ and producer Matija Rodic – who is known for releasing music under the alias of Matroda. Rodic was influenced by the likes of Frank Sinatra and The Beatles in his youth and he’s been trained to play the violin, keyboard and drums – but instead of taking a classical music approach, Rodic exploded onto the UK Garage scene in 2015 with his biggest hit, a remix of 2015’s “California” by SNBRN, which he composed with Chris Lake – a single which reached #2 on the Beatport dance charts and polled in as #5 on SiriusFM’s 2015 songs of the year. He’s since gained support from Calvin Harris and Diplo. He’s also worked with world-renowned producer Porter Robinson. Needless to say, “Beef Stick” isn’t meant to be taken seriously – Let’s get into the meat of it below!

Released back in 2018 on the DIM MAK label – “Beef Stick” wastes no time in chopping to the grind (I’m very sorry) of the heavy, pulsating drum-and-bass riffs which are wrapped around a late-night club primed, unforgiving EDM structure. The concurrent drum patterns interweave with the cheeky vocal sample, which goes: “I went down to the store cuz’ I had to get a beef stick/She giggle thought of you’, said you had a pencil d***”, layered above a dark-house, sub-heavy frequency of short drum loops and boisterous tempo shifts. The production work is power-driven and compact, with a sturdy bass line and a reverb-doused vocal hook that’s robust and aggressive in nature. It feels like the electrical technicalities are wrapped around the virtue of the daft vocal sample, making it sound juvenile and crass in it’s delivery. But – if I was a bit tipsy and I was in a club late one night with this playing through the loud speakers of the floor – I’d think there are much worse things that you could be listening to. It’s obvious that Matroda has developed his following in a light-hearted way by offering up heavy, absurd mixes – and that’s a quality of electronic dance music that goes back to the Aphex Twin days of the 90’s, where he would stick his face around each of his album covers to poke fun at the industry, so there’s an element of personality to it. Some music is for a certain place and a certain time, and I do think a loud and obnoxious club setting is the more appropriate setting for this track to be enjoyed. The humour of the track is funny and the vocal sample – as immature as it may sound – is a catchy little refrain that has been stuck in my head for a good few hours now. It’s clearly not a fine art – but it’s a novelty that lasts, if only for a little while. Am I insane?

  • Pictured: Matroda (Matija Rodic) readying his keyboard in his studio (2019) (Photo Credit: dancingastronaut.com)

Don’t forget to catch up with my WWE WrestleMania 36 Weekend Special if you missed out – Friday’s post, “El Santo: The Silver Masked Avenger” by The Nick Atoms, is here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/03/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-nick-atoms-el-santo-the-silver-masked-avenger/. Saturday’s post on Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler”, is here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/04/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-bruce-springsteen-the-wrestler/. The weekend’s final post on “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero” by The Mountain Goats can be perused here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/04/05/wwe-wrestlemania-36-weekend-special-the-mountain-goats-the-legend-of-chavo-guerrero/!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Beef Stick” (Single) (Released 5th October 2018) (via Dim Mak)

Thank you for reading this post – I hope you enjoyed it! It’s almost time for our first Scuzz Sundays post in two long weeks, but first, make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow for my in-depth review of a recent track by an established Swedish Electronic-Pop group who received a nomination for their fourth album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, held in 2015! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when each new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime