Funk

Today’s Track: Sunset Gun – “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got”

November 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

That is a great motto for us all to live by! Good evening, it’s time for your new musing!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Artwork for “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” (1984)

Sunset Gun were an indie pop/jazz group comprised of two sisters: Louise and Deirdre Rutowski, as well as Ross Campbell, who worked as a producer and a percussionist with the two sisters. It was later expanded to include a backing group, which was comprised of Jim Williams (lead guitar), Graham Brierton (bass guitar) and Gordon Wilson (drums). They released a couple of singles and an album for CBS Records in 1984, before becoming one of the first acts to sign with 4AD, an indie record label which is still strong to this day, with acts such as The National, Beirut and Future Islands signed up. “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a track from 1984.

“Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a consistent staple of the lost 80’s time capsule list on my student radio station. In itself, it’s a poppier cover version of the track of the same name, originally written and composed by William DeVaughn from 1974, which is exactly a decade before the “Sunset Gun” cover version was released. This version of the track has a more electronic style, which is different to the grounded jazz and funk roots of the original. Louise and Deirdre open the track with: “Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac/Gangsta whitewalls/TV antennas in the back” over a bed of 80’s synth-guitar lines and an undeniable loyalty of funk, with the chorus hook of: “Diamond in the back, sunroof top/Diggin’ the scene/with a gangsta lean” adding a more choral arrangement, with the core message being delivered over a layer of soul-like keyboard chords: “But remember brothers and sisters/You can still stand tall/Just be thankful for what you got”, which has a fun and infectious groove to it. The lyrical themes of the track are a social comment on the materialism of greed and how having everything you may want isn’t what you actually need. I think the instrumentation is basic and simple to a point, but the vocals are gorgeous and it’s the unique take on the original’s soul influences that gives this a step in it’s own right!

  • Pictured: Louise Rutowski (Vocals), Ross Campbell (Percussion) and Deirdre Rutowski (Vocals)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a track from a very niche experimental rock group who currently have a YouTube channel with only 72 subscribers! Yes, that’s right! 7-2! 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: Tom Misch (feat. Poppy Ajudha) – “Disco Yes!”

October 21, 2019 — Leave a comment

I shouldn’t think many of you should be going out to Disco on a Monday, but whatever floats your boat! Yes, it’s a brand new week and it’s time for your new post…

  • Pictured: Tom Misch in a photoshoot for a “Hypebeast” interview (2018)

Tom Misch is an English DJ, singer, songwriter and producer from London. I first heard about his work through a few guest collaborations with HONNE, an English R&B duo, also from London, who I’ve been a massive fan of ever since they started producing records 5-6 years ago. Tom Misch has also collaborated with Michael Kiwanuka on “Money”, a track released earlier in the year, and on a few tracks with Loyle Carner, an English hip-hop artist. Misch started self-producing records which he would post to his very own Soundcloud account in 2012, before he was signed by Beyond The Groove, a record label based in London which he also set up by himself, before Misch finally released his official debut LP record, “Geography” in April 2018. “Disco Yes” is a track from the record, which features Poppy Ajudha, an English Jazz singer, on vocals.

“Disco Yes” is a very soulful electronic pop track, with guitar riffs that sound reminiscent of disco and funk sounds from the 1960’s and 70’s, but littered by funky guitar grooves and electro-swing bass licks. The vocals are a little monotone in their delivery, which expands upon the super-smooth and witty, almost a little bit flirtatious, sense of lyricism. The vocals from Ajudha are rugged and distinct, but it adds to the experience of the track not feeling overproduced or soaked in production work that feels too clean or safe. The inclusion of a female voice adds texture and sensuality to the funk sound. The outro is a little bit long and the track would have achieved a similar effect if it was to be cut a minute or so shorter, but I’m fond of the variation of styles in the track and how many different genres are gelled together to create an up-to-date disco jam that feels evocative in it’s moods and experiments with various styles, even if a shorter duration might have sweetened up the final deal.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork For “Geography” (2018)
  • Pictured: Poppy Ajudha in a photoshoot for “Wonderland” magazine (2018)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as promised, with a track from a new indie rock band who are signed to Bella Union Records and released their debut LP record over the summer, with the record being self-produced by the band in their hometown of Brighton! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Butch & C.Vogt – “Desire”

October 17, 2019 — Leave a comment

If the spontaneous discovery of music, old or new, is one of your greatest desires, then you know what to do: like the Facebook page for One Track At A Time and give the blog a follow! It’s time for your daily post!

“Desire” is the new single by Butch & C. Vogt, two Latino electronic dance artists who are really blowing up, with this song in particular, on the international club scene. There’s not much information about the two EDM masters readily available on the internet, but they are currently signed to the Running Back indie record label. The track is a reworked rendition of a track by Andy Gibb, “Desire”, which was released in 1980.

“Desire” is a track that unifies several vibes and combines different flip sides of the EDM and IDM genres, as well as disco and synthpop-based influences, to a near-faultless degree of immediate sequencing and solid execution. The track evokes R&B, deep house, acid house, techno and world, all in one place by an effective clean sweep, created by the breakbeat-style engineering of the distorted vocal sections and the funk sensibilities created by the arrangement of the drum, dub and vocal melodies. It’s easy to see why the track has become so popular with a cult following in such a short span of time, as the track oozes charisma in it’s teases of bassline drops and the switch-up’s in the pacing and layout, as Butch & C. Vogt cleverly tease and trick you into expecting the ambient melody to reach a more heavy texture, but the melodies are pulled quickly enough to return you back to the infectiously groovy melodies of the record. The full version of the track comes in at a staggering length of 8 minutes, but if it puts you off a little bit, make sure you check out the radio edit so that you can still get an experience from this mega hit of a record! Overall, it’s a fantastic track that feels new within it’s genre and seems likely to become very influential in the next few years.

  • Pictured: Butch (left) and C. Vogt (right)
  • Pictured: Cover Art For “Desire” (2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a track from an English indie rock/new wave/electro-pop group who, forgettably, won the Mercury Prize in 2007 for their debut LP record! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Miami Horror (feat. Clear Mortifee) – “Luv Is Not Enough”

October 16, 2019 — Leave a comment

Luckily for you, a post a day is more than enough! Here is your Wednesday blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art For “Luv Is Not Enough” – Single (2019)

Australians make the best Synthpop music! That seems to be one of the unwritten rules of the pop music industry of this current generation, as it’s been proven by groups like Cut Copy, MGMT and Empire Of The Sun. Another good example is Miami Horror, an Australian electronic pop group which was founded by Benjamin Plant, originally as a solo project, in 2007. I used to be a massive fan of Miami Horror and I would place them among my list of favourite groups following the hazy summertime blast of their debut LP record, 2011’s “Illumination” and the subtle synth poignancy of “All Possible Futures”, their second LP release in 2015. However, after a little string of releases that I felt were mediocre and weren’t very sure about, the band have somewhat slipped down my radar a bit in recent years. They are back after a short absence with their new single, “Luv Is Not Enough”, which is the lead single for a forthcoming yet-to-be-titled third LP currently set for release in 2020. The track also features the vocal talents of Clear Mortifee, a non-binary songwriter from the indie R&B scene. Is this the banger which catapults Miami Horror back into my all-time list?

Short answer: Probably, but with a little bit more work. The track has a very glittery sound, with clear 70’s disco influences and a super clean surface of electronic production work. The track has a very upbeat emotion, similar to “Restless”, the prior single, but with a quality that makes the layered synths feels more cohesive overall, which is provided by the simplistically retro-cut funk and the subtle references, in sound, to a few of the defining soul records of the 60s, created by the likes of Otis Redding and Sly & The Family Stone. The track channels a real disco energy and its infectiously groovy to nod your head along to as a very satisfying instance of pop-dance music. It lacks a little bit in the lyrics department for me, as I don’t feel as though Clear Mortifee really adds a whole lot to the track, with their vocals feeling a little bit generic in places. This is more down to the material she has to work with, as the lyrics are generally lacking a little bit in the department of playfulness. Overall, I would have liked the writing on the track to feel a little bit more unique, but it’s somewhat paling in comparison to the brave direction of the synthesized melodies and the blissfully calm tone created by the ultra-smooth electronic arrangements, which encompass a variety of genres popularized in the 60s, 70s and 80s, with the record ultimately sounding retro, but unique and original enough, at the same time!

  • Pictured: Benjamin Plant (Synths, Bass, Production), Joshua Moriarty (Vocals, Guitar), Daniel Whitechurch (Keyboard, Synths) and Kosta Theodosis (Drums)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a fresh Latino dance jam that’s really blowing up on the international club scene! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Sly & The Family Stone – “Running Away”

October 12, 2019 — 1 Comment

It’s the weekend! So, here is a timeless tune from 1971 that you can’t run away from!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Cover Artwork for “There’s A Riot Goin’ On” (Released on 20th November, 1971) (via Epic Records)

Sly & The Family Stone were a psychedelic soul and funk band in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. They were formed in San Francisco in 1966 by Sly Stone, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer, who formed the band with family members and close friends, a band who went down in history, not only as an early pioneer in the development of the funk, soul and psychedelic jazz genres, but also as the first racially integrated group from the US. “Running Away” is a track which was released in early 1972 as a single from the group’s fifth studio LP, “There’s A Riot Goin’ On”, which was recorded at Record Plant Studios, California in 1970 and 1971, later being released on November 20, 1971 by Epic Records. The record’s sound is dominated by soulful drum melodies, hard funk rhythms and overdubbing mixes, which makes it ripe for sampling by many artists who did so in later decades. “Running Away” has been covered by the likes of Paul Haig, The Raincoats and The Colourfield. The track was also a commercial success upon it’s original release, as it reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart and #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

“Running Away” is about how “at a certain time, everybody runs away from something”, which Sly Stone told an interviewer for Mojo magazine back in March 2010. This meaning, to me, is perfectly communicated by the vocals and the horn-based instrumentation, which kicks in at a very early point in the track. The track is complemented by an upbeat funk and soul sound that is created by a very broad arrangement of production methods, which Stone famously doesn’t like to talk about during interviews. The track is full of trippy guitar licks, intertwined female vocals that are very intelligently layered and wickedly funny, especially created by the mocked laughing in each verse of the track, and the luminous tone created by the vibrant bass guitar chords. The track isn’t nauseous, but it’s very light and psychedelic, which is mainly down to the care-free lyrics which are easy to hum along with: “running away/to get away/you’re wearing out your shoes”. The brass-filled sections are also happy in emotion. The track is a combination of elements that fit together like a glove, which makes it hard to believe the age of the record. The result of the overall sound is a musical experience which feels surreal, if uplifting! Timeless!

  • Pictured: Sly Stone (Vocals, Percussion), Freddie Stone (Guitar), Cynthia Robinson (Backing Vocals/Trumpet), Jerry Martini (Saxophone), “Little Sister” (Backing Vocals), Larry Graham (Bass Guitar) and Gerry Gibson (Drums)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a new weekly edition of my themed punk Scuzz Sundays blog posts! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Jurassic 5 – “What’s Golden”

October 10, 2019 — Leave a comment

Jurassic 5 may be What’s Golden! You know what else is: A blanket and a warm mug of cocoa! I hope you’re having a lovely week, it’s time for your Thursday blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art For “Power In Numbers” (2002)

I thought it would spice things up a little bit to have a look at an old gem from the wide discography of Jurassic 5, an alternative hip hop group from Los Angeles, California that were very well-acclaimed in the 1990’s and early 00’s, although they have actually been producing records until 2006, which isn’t terribly far ago, where the band split up, citing creative difficulties in the group, until they re-formed on-stage in 2014, later releasing a new single, “Customèr Service”, in 2016. An interesting fact about the group is how their material was reportedly burnt, along with a load of other records from the Universal Music group of labels, in 2008! “What’s Golden” is a track from their third LP record, “Power In Numbers”, which was released in 2003. It’s a more electronically composed endeavour than their second LP, 2000’s “Quality Control”, but it literally picks up from where that record left off, as the first track on the third album, “This Is”, opening with the exact same guitar riff and a sample from “Swing Set”, the final track on the previous album, “Quality Control”. “What’s Golden” was built from samples of a track by Public Enemy, “Prophets Of Rage” and, Clive Hick’s track, “Look Hear”. Needless to say, the LP record is highly sample-oriented and it has become one of the group’s most influential and iconic works to date!

“What’s Golden” has a very immediate start, as it quickly establishes a fast rhythm with the sound of a crowd chanting and a huge bass drop. The underlayer is a subtle jazz melody aided by the Clive Hicks sample and the lyrics of the chorus have an old-school vibe: “”We’re not ballin’ or shot callin’/ We take it back to the day of yes y’allin'”, which makes it feel a bit too much like a product of it’s time, but the uptempo production on the track does a good job of not over-exploiting the themes of nostalgia. The use of the brass instrumentation, such as the saxophone cords and the electronic bleeps borrowed from the Public Enemy sample create a vibrating beat that really swells around your ears and creates an atmosphere that is weirdly calming. The chorus is crowd-pleasing and soothing, but a few funky guitar lines would have beefed up the experience a little bit more. Overall, it’s a strong track that really showcases the clever sampling tactics and the variation of styles that have made the group very loved and respected by their fans over the years. It feels like the most obvious choice for a lead single and it’s difficult for me to say that I have much of an emotional attachment to it, as it does not transcend it’s time very much, but it’s still a fun, funky blast and it’s a classic from its genre!

  • Pictured: Jurassic 5 – Charli 2na, Akil, Marc 7, Zaakir, DJ Nu-Mark, Cut Chemist (Vocalists)

As a side note, Charli 2na recently started a new superhero-themed project with DJ Krafty Kuts, which I have also quite recently covered on the blog! You can read my thoughts on “Guard The Fort” here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/20/todays-track-charli-2na-krafty-kuts-guard-the-fort/

  • Pictured: Still from the “What’s Golden” video

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at another track from Metronomy’s new electro pop LP, “Metronomy Forever”, which was released on September 13th by the Because Music label! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: The Moon Duo – “The World And The Sun”

October 9, 2019 — Leave a comment

I really should leave some Space between these cosmic-themed records on the blog!

  • Pictured: Cover Art For “Stars Are The Light” (2019)

What a lush and colourful piece of cover artwork! As the title and the name of the band suggests, The Moon Duo are a psychedelic rock duo who aim to write, produce and record music that is absolutely out of the world, filled by slide guitar rhythms and old-school funk sensibilities that are interesting and different to other bands in the crowded indie rock scene. Their latest release, “Stars Are The Light” is their seventh LP record and it was released on September 27th, with the duo currently signed to Sacred Bones Records! The album was mixed by Sonic Boom, co-produced by Heba Kadry and mastered for vinyl by Amy Dragon, with the tracking being completed by Larry Crane. The fabulous, vibrant cover artwork was designed by Ardneks. Seriously, this is one of my favourite album cover artworks in a long time, just look at the articulation and the genuis behind the offbeat hand-drawn style! The Moon Duo are made up of Sanae Yamada and Ripley Johnson, who is the sole guitarist of Wooden Ships. The two members decided to begin this project in San Francisco, back in 2009!

“The World And The Sun” is the third track on the new LP record, a track which has a very earthly and overwhelmingly warm feel to it. The track has a very groovy slide guitar rhythmn which adds a vibrant layer of psychedelia and a smooth line of synth melodies that sound like hazy waves washing down on a breezy shore, which makes the track ßound increasingly comforting to listen to. There is a level of repetition to it, but the beauty of the music that The Moon Duo are making is that it’s never tiresome, it just puts you in a settled mood. The vocals are somewhat blurred, which adds a unique sense of presentation to the track as an overall cohesive package. It sounds like it’s been influenced by the soft-rock style of Fleetwood Mac and the psychedelic guitar chords of Lemon Melon, but it still manages to set itself apart as it features a lot of different elements getting pushed in and out of the foreground and it also taps into a certain shimmering disco market that isn’t catered much for, at least in the mainstream. Overall, I feel this is a very well composed brilliantly engineered record.

  • Pictured: Ripley Johnson (Guitar, Engineer) and Sanae Yamada (Vocals, Synths)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a track from a legendary hip-hop group who broke up in 2007 due to creative differences, but they returned to the stage together in 2013 and began a studio comeback in 2014. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Caravan Palace (feat. Charles X) – “About You”

September 13, 2019 — Leave a comment

Get your dancing shoes on and get those (new) Jazz hands ready! It’s time for your Friday post!

  • Pictured: Cover Art For “Chronologic” (2019)

Electro Swing is actually a genre which you might not have come across. It was recently popularised in culture by a French group called Caravan Palace, who have been circulating in most of the European club scenes for a while. They have released four studio LP’s so far in their career, with “<|°_°|>” (a.k.a “Robot Face”) being their most popular, having released in 2015 to a great critical reception and the lead single, “Lone Digger”, becoming a viral hit on YouTube, amassing over 2.6 million views at time of writing. It’s not a record that I can say I have much of an emotional connection to, but it’s still a decent record that sounds interesting and it works well in exploring a new genre that felt very fresh upon it’s original release.

Naturally, the follow-up has arrived and it makes sense for the French party animals to collaborate with a few other artists on the new album, “Chronologic”. “About You” is one of the singles and features vocals from Charles X (I’ve never heard of him either). The track is a coin that certainly has two sides to it. On one side, you have a brassy, youthful new jazz melody with an old-school swing sensibility that feels a little bit typical of Caravan Palace’s usual formula, but it’s still fun. On the other hand, you have a very typical pop chorus that fits the mainstream world of Justin Bieber and Jason Derulo to a tee when the overly auto-tuned vocals from Charles X kick in: “Still, will you let me, will you let me over/Cause your high heels take me higher” as Charles X duets with Zoé Colotis, the lead singer of the band. She kicks off the track and Charles X later chips in again with: “And if the car comes equipped with a moon roof/Then the stars will surely help with the mood”. The issue is that the vocals and the breakdown sound constantly at odds with each other. It feels a bit like two different songs have simply just been squashed together and they don’t ever manage to blend cohesively as a single unit. The lyrics are very uninteresting and easily forgotten. It really sounds like the band are going down a much more commercial, mainstream route. It makes a lot of sense for their label to want that, seeing as the previous LP did very well, but it loses some of the charm and the clean breath of fresh air that was previously there. The end product is a track that’s “fine”, but it’s just such a 6/10 record and I can’t shake the feeling of being a little bit disappointed by this.

  • Pictured: Zoé Colotis (vocals), Arnaud Vial (guitar), Hugues Payen (violin), Camille Chapelière (saxophone), Victor Raimondeau (clarinet), Charles Delaport (double bass), Antoine Toustou (trombone) and Paul-Marie Barbier (vibraphone)

Thank you for reading this post! It’a going to have to be a quick one tomorrow, but I’ll be looking at another track from Friendly Fires’ first release in 8 years, “Inflorescent”! If you really liked what you just read, please follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Ian Dury & The Blockheads – “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”

September 11, 2019 — Leave a comment

Hit me with your rhythm stick, then hit me up with a like and a follow on the blog! It’s time to look at a timeless classic in your Wednesday post!

A #1 hit in the UK Singles Chart for Ian Dury & The Blockheads in January 1979, “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” is a tune that has endured in many music lovers hearts for many decades since it’s original release in November 1978. Dury rose to a big height of fame and prominence in the roots of the Punk and New Wave genres in the 1970’s, which influences his vocals and experimentation on this track. There are loads of stories behind the composition of this track, as Dury reportedly jammed most of the sound in recording studios with Chaz Jankel, a frequent collaborator and his co-writer, in the town of Rolvenden, Kent. It’s also been reported that Dury wrote all of the lyrics for the song three years earlier, but he waited for the track to maximise it’s quality before he recorded and released it. A lot of work was put into the composition of this track, which is very reflective of the sublime quality of the final track.

The funky Jazz influences, the delicously comical pop basslines and the use of French words that poetically blend with the mix of quirky English lyrics ensure this is a stone-cold classic of the pop genre. The track is also very notable for the cultural significance which it held back in the day, as it injected a colourful burst of energy and aural sunshine into a time where the public were troubled by the collapse of UK trade unions, the aftermath of political events and severe weather impacts. It’s a very unique track which has a very surreal, cerebral style. The groovy nature of the saxophones and the uplifting mood created by the eclectic hooks and the fun melodies. It’s unorthodox, yet it struck a huge chord with the general public because it was so refreshing and it has a proper good sense of fun. This must have been an inescapable tune at the time, but I would not have had it any other way if I was around at the time. I’m proud that I can appreciate this classic banger without feeling any bad irony at all because it doesn’t hit ever me slowly, it always hits me quick!

  • Pictured: Vinyl Cover Art For “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” (1978, Stiff Records)

Thanks for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a new track from a French Electro Swing group who became a viral hit with a music video for a single that has gained over 218 million views on YouTube. If you really liked what you just read, please follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/