Grime

Today’s Track: Junior – ‘Long Way Home’

April 12, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Junior (aka 24-year-old rapper/producer James Watkinson) (2022) (Photo via TheMusicEssentials.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to walk in the light of a potential future star for yet another 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! Making music is central to the coming-of-age story of the 24-year-old rapper, songwriter and producer Junior – whose real name is James Watkinson – who grew up recording a bunch of self-produced work while growing up in a summer cabin, being influenced by his surroundings to pen music about his career aspirations. Although he cites one moment where he got up on stage with Pharrell Williams as an adolescent fan as a definitive one in his career, Junior is becoming one of the best new kids on the block within the UK’s independent Hip-Hop and Grime music scenes for himself. He hails from a self-described “sleepy town” in Bedfordshire, located just outside of London, and his key influences include Jay Z, 90’s R&B and the supporting work of SBTV (An organisation based in London who promote emerging artists through their platform). ‘Lone Way Home’ is a fantastic new single by Junior, which was recently played by Tom Ravenscroft during a recent episode of The New Music Fix on BBC Radio 6 Music.

“I look at music as a way to summarize my life, treating every release like a chapter of a book, starting with my first project, ‘Adolescence’ to my most recent, ‘When A Flower Blooms'”, Junior explains about the statement of intent that he intends to fearlessly communicate on the fresh single, explaining, “On a journey to find my own sound and become who I am meant to be, I have had to walk a long way home”, in a press statement. The wonky soundscape of the track is clearly noticeable from the offset, with a Chill Hop-oriented backing beat comprised of fluctuating Synths and a hazy, psychedelic inverted guitar hook that feels playful and, all the while, Junior uses sharp percussion and a gently cinematic range of Hip-Hop instrumentals to ground himself and think carefully about his songwriting for the material. Vocally, his flow is not too unfamiliar to fans of Eminem or Mac Miller, where he matches a smooth and melodic flow to the offbeat tune of the quirky Hip-Hop backdrop. Lyrics like “From a small town/Breaking walls down, you can guarantee I’m a find way” talk about his ambitions to live an adventurous career despite a less than ideal living situation for his desires and wishes. His songwriting manages to feel intimate, while drawing and expansive. The result is a track that feels equally anthemic as it does personal, with his fresh percussion and his confessional style of lyricism standing out in a Hip-Hop world plagued by Meme-targeting commercialism. There’s no auto-tune here in that sense, but there’s simply an inspiring ballad about taking a leap of faith regarding your next big step in your career and, for Junior personally, revealing your ambitions when the Hip-Hop world takes a hold of you. It gets his personality as an open-minded and well-mannered rapper across nicely, while also establishing some relatable themes for his audience that takes influence from the mildly differing styles of Hip-Hop across the spectrum. This is a great showcase for Junior’s abilities to write, produce and record his own music all at once. This could be a star of the future.

Pictured: Junior in a promotional photoshoot for a ‘Live At Esquires’ gig (2021) (Photo via juniorthe40/Twitter.com)

That brings me to the bottom of the page for another morning! Thank you for reading all about what I had to say about Junior today, and I will be back tomorrow to go ‘retro’ with a new entry of our weekly ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ feature on the blog. We will be revisiting a classic 80’s Arabic Pop/Dance track by a Cairo-based musician who is largely seen as the godfather of Al Jeel Music throughout Egypt and Libya. In 2011, he condemned the actions of Muammar Gadaffi – his native country’s then-leader, against the Libyan population and issued a plea to the fellow Egyptians to help them.

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Today’s Track: Kojey Radical (feat. Knucks) – ‘Payback’

March 12, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Kojey Radical in a glamorous photoshoot for a Q&A feature with The Badger Online (2022) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for us to take a quick look at one of the UK’s most well-received Grime upstarts for yet another track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Rapper, creative director, mixed media visual director and a first class degree graduate in Fashion Illustration from the London College Of Fashion – is there anything that Hoxton-based musician Kojey Radical can’t do? His debut mixtape, 2016’s ’23 Winters’, debuted at #3 on the UK’s Rap & Hip Hop Albums Charts and reached the top 40 of the UK Singles Charts and, since that point, he has received three MOBO music awards nominations. He has also collaborated with a wide variety of artists such as Mahalia, Lex Amor, Ray BLK, Tom Grennan and MJ Cole. He has recently given us another ‘Reason To Smile’ with his titular first full-length studio album that was released last Friday – on March 4th – via the major label Atlantic Records. The new record is about giving people greatness and striving for self-perfection, and it features a guest appearance from his own mother alongside a plethora of other featured credits, which he explores through a progressive range of Grime, Spoken Word, Alternative Hip-Hop and Psychedelic Funk backdrops. The latter is the most prominent option on ‘Payback’, the lead single, which finds Kojey enlisting the aid of Knucks. The Jazz/Soul-oriented production was also handled by frequent collaborator Swindle. Let’s give ‘Payback’ a listen with the opulent music video below.

“When you’ve been taught to be the victim for so long, it feels great to stand up and say, no one can bully me”, Kojey says in a simple statement about ‘Payback’ as a single. Talking about the ambitions of his new album, he says, “This is the first time I’ve done it to the scale and ambition of what I speak. Previously it’s been ‘I’m warming, I’m warming, I’m warming up’ – but I’m warm now, put me in the game”, in a press release. ‘Payback’ gets off to a heated start with the brassy refrains of “Dark and bullseyes/the dress code black/Count my money up, I need my racks” in the opening chorus, before Knucks takes the lead for an equally strident verse where he raps about the different qualities that are perceived to represent black success, all of the while that a Saxophone-enhanced bassline and a taut sample-based backdrop helps to glide his vocals above the melodies with a floating flow. There’s references to popular culture, such as the Netflix series ‘Top Boy’, while there’s nods to the sample-based production of Madlib and J Dilla in the richly Funk-influenced backing beats. Some of the strongest lyrics, like “Rap my freedom like a gift/and I ain’t seen the trap since” and “From 1993, I’ve been f***ing up the narrative”, are also the most bold ones, as they speak candidly of finding wealth and measuring power with a nonchalantly poetic flair. There are subtle themes about flexing over your enemies and justice being made, where hooks like “Until we multiply black wealth/**** a statue” and “Don’t let the ivory towers come distract you” make reference to recent cultural events, but it never feels too pretentious or as if Kojey or Knucks are flaunting too much, as black financial generational wealth is the goal instead of personal ambitions within the songwriting. A very fast and furious Hip-Hop anthem with a light touch of Kojey’s undeniably Jazz-oriented and soulful Funk influences, ‘Payback’ comes at you with a hard and honest personality that makes it feel like a cut above the rest. I would have liked to hear a tad more expression from Kojey on his own, as ‘Payback’ shows that a host of collaborators have been behind the steering wheel of it, but this is a strong effort from all involved that gets a lot of the fundamentals right.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Reason To Smile’ (LP/Album) (Released on March 4th, 2022) (via Atlantic Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you very much for taking a moment out of your day to check out what I had to say, and I’ll be back tomorrow to review some more rhythms as we head back to our teenage years for a new entry of my weekly ‘Scuzz Sundays’ feature. We’ll be listening to a modern classic from one of the few female-led bands of the era who have collaborated with Tom Morello and last released an album in 2021. The single in question was memorably used in the edgy comic book movie ‘Kick-Ass’ that bought Hollywood actors like Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnston to fame.

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Today’s Track: Swindle (feat. Loyle Carner, Kojey Radical & JNR Williams) – “Lost”

September 23, 2021 — Leave a comment
  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘The New World’ (Mixtape) (Available from October 29th, 2021) (via BMG)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come around for me to get typing up for yet another daily track on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘LOST’ comes to you from the South London-based Grime, Garage and Dubstep producer Swindle – his real name is Cameron Palmer – who first emerged on the UK’s Grime scene with his self-released debut mixtape, ‘The 140 Mixtape’, in 2007. His earliest influences call back to Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis and Bob Marley, and Palmer has a background in Jazz, Soul, Funk and Hip-Hop music. This is because his father was a Blues guitarist who gave Palmer lessons at a young age, and so he has been making his own music – starting from his Bedroom studio – since 2004. Palmer has been known for his fruitful collaborations with other artists in recent years, and he has worked with the likes of Terri Walker, Flowdan and P Money during his career. The trend will continue on his upcoming new album ‘The New World’, which is hitting record store shelves late next month – on October 29th – via BMG. The lead single, ‘LOST’, has been playlisted for BBC Radio 6 Music’s daytime rotation, and it finds Palmer linking with Loyle Carner, Kojey Radical and JNR Williams. Check it out below.

The follow-up to 2019’s ‘No More Normal’, Swindle wrote and recorded ‘The New World’ over the time of just two weeks at Real World Studios in Wiltshire after the lifting of the UK’s national lockdown period in late 2020, with the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic forming the backbone of the album’s themes. The release also features a diverse line-up of guests, including the likes of Greentea Peng, Maverick Sabre, Joel Culpepper and Poppy Ajudha among the collaborative track listing. ‘LOST’ finds Loyle Carner lending his intimate, socially conscious rap style to the first verse, while Kojey Radical contributes his slightly heavier rhythms to the cause. The two have more of a verbal spar in the third verse, delivering some motivational lyrics about finding purpose like “Pinocchio knows no bounds but he’s trying/That brother say he run the jungle but they lying” and “They was trying to make darkness a weapon/I was trying to make darkness a blessing” that duel at times, with the two narrators controlling a mid-tempo journey through some slabs of warm Bass and some stretches of orchestral Brass sections. JNR Williams, meanwhile, keeps the pace flowing with the memorable hook of “Oh, they lost themselves in lying” during the chorus. Swindle’s work behind the decks on production is diverse throughout, as he serves up some snatches of horns that gives Williams a Gospel quality to his voice, and he plays around with understated Bass to provide a sonorous, laconic style to the proceedings. Although it begs the question of “How many people does it take to make a song?” just a tad (You would be suprised, a lot of mainstream Pop tunes have at least 15 writers credited), the sum of all the parts here is certainly worthwhile and that’s all what really matters. A diverse, colourful take on Grime and Dubstep that feels grounded enough by the ‘Jam session’ style of collab vocals, and it sounds fresh.

  • Pictured: Swindle (Cameron Palmer) at ‘Real World Studios’ (2021) (Photo via TheVinylFactory.com)

That’s all for now! Thank you for joining me on the blog today and for showing your support. It is very hard to believe that it’s been almost an entire week since RP Boo made his return and proved that he’s still got it – but here we are. It is ‘New Album Release Fridays’ tomorrow as we divert our attention to the hyped new album release from the drummer Betamax and keyboardist Danalogue from The Comet Is Coming.

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Today’s Track: The Bug (feat. Flowdan) – “Pressure”

September 14, 2021 — Leave a comment
  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Fire’ (Album/LP) (Released on August 27th, 2021) (via Ninja Tune)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke and it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day, so it’s time to put that into practice by publishing yet another daily track on the blog! Having been active in the UK’s underground Techno scene since the 1990’s, notably as one of Hyperdub’s most significant signings during the early 2000’s, Weymouth-based electronic music producer and journalist Kevin ‘The Bug’ Martin has dabbled in the genres of Dubstep, Post-Hardcore, Industrial Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Power Electronics and more in experimental ways throughout the course of the last two decades, fronting different music projects like ICE, Curse Of The Golden Vampire and Techno Animal. There was also the collaborative moniker of King Midas Sound, which he has fulfilled with graphic designer Kiki Hitomi and poet Roger Robinson. There’s an air of 80’s Avant-Punk on his recently released solo album, ‘Fire’, which quickly became one of the year’s most anticipated hardcore album releases when it was released in the same month that it was announced, arriving in late August on the excellent Ninja Tune label. The album features collaborations with several vocalists including Logan, Flowdan, Nazamba, Manga Saint Hilare and more. This is Martin’s first solo album release since 2014, and he’s pitched it as a spiritual sequel to 2008’s ‘London Zoo’ and 2014’s ‘Angels & Devils’. The record has a scorching hot tone and it explores a range of socio-economic tensions and climate issues. Give the single, ‘Pressure’, a listen below.

“I’m always asking – how can I ramp this up more? How can I get more people out of control? For me, a live show should be unforgettable, should alter your DNA, or scar your life in a good way – that’s always been my goal, to set up shows that are unforgettable”, Martin told us in a press release, adding, “I like friction, fanning the flames with sound, and this album is the most reflective of the live show in terms of intensity and sheer f**k-off attitude of those shows”, he explained. ‘Fire’ is certainly one of Martin’s heaviest releases for a few years, but, as per usual from Martin, this isn’t a record that simply feels like a turn up the dial and shout for the sake of noise, in a Scuzz Sundays guilty pleasure way, but it instead uses Drone sounds and Dark Ambient influences to comment on a diversity of issues that seem to plague the modern world that we’re all a part of today. Working with frequent partner Flowdan on ‘Pressure’, Martin kicks the intensity of the new release into full gear with some anthemic two-step Drum beats and some relentless attacks from a string of reverb-drenched rumblings of Bass. Flowdan’s Hip-Hop vocals show serious flair, with the London-based MC adding a heavy Grime element to the chaotic energy of the tune, spitting thought-provoking lyrics like “Babylon time dun/Yuh sing for the stretcher” and “Wait for the revolution, but the revolution can’t stand” at a breakneck pace, as he conjures up some striking imagery of fleeing refugees and recent events in Alfghanistan that hit at a great speed and with an understandingly strong impact. Martin’s electronic soundscape deserves plenty of credit for the well-developed and uneasy atmosphere too. He kicks off the tune in riotous fashion with a jagged blast of sirens and foghorns, before he complements Flowdan’s hard-hitting vocals that rails against poverty and inequality at the fault of the government with a genuinely post-apocalyptic variety of sounds that shows his considerable experience and doesn’t hide behind the vocals from Flowdan as a literary device. Instead, the two together decide to hit their problems at their core with a passionate energy. On the whole, this is certainly not a mainstream release by any stretch of the imagination, but Kevin Martin and Flowdan do an absolutely brilliant job of unleashing a barrage of pent-up rage with good intelligence and academic creativity. There’s a ton of atmosphere as a result here and it feels undeniably cool. A release which you certainly should not skip.

  • Pictured: Kevin ‘The Bug’ Martin in a studio PR shoot for ‘Fire’ (2021) (Photo via TheVinylFactory.com)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day, and thank you very much for your continued support with my daily project. I will be back tomorrow for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, as we take a break from my recent recommendations to revisit one of the most influential sounds of the past for the present. This week’s pick comes from a female-led band who were one of the greatest Bristol-based pioneers of Trip-Hop in the mid-90’s, and they were named after a nearby town of the same name. The trio sometimes bought a fourth member, Dave McDonald, on board as their own engineer.

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New Album Release Fridays: Little Simz – “I Love You, I Hate You”

September 3, 2021 — Leave a comment
  • Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ (Released on September 3rd, 2021) (via Age 101)

Good Morning to you! You are reading the rather excited words of Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for me to get typing up for yet another daily track on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘New Album Release Fridays’ returns today, and this week’s array of competitive new offerings includes fresh releases from Drake, Iron Maiden (Just saying), Manic Street Preachers, The Wildhearts, Lauren Alaina, Priya Ragu, LANY and more. However, the biggest release of the week for me certainly comes from Little Simz, who is a female British rapper (of Nigerian ancestry) from Islington, London. I’ve raved on about her multiple times as the future of Hip-Hop music on the blog, and the ‘Drop 6’ EP and the singles lifted so far from her new album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, out now on her own label Age 101, have certainly whetted my appetite for some more. The new album is centered around the theme of introversion and how Simz handles a shy, reserved personality in a business driven by the talkative social media influencers and complicated job recruitment processes of the modern times, and so it sounds like an interesting exploration of ideas when you consider that Simz is quite a fast-rising producer whose job is to project her voice to the public at large. This is her fourth full-length LP release, and it is the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Grey Area’ in album terms, an LP that won Album Of The Year awards at both the NME Awards and the Ivor Novello Awards following its release. Check out her new single, ‘I Love You, I Hate You’, below.

“Inflo {her co-producer] asked me, “What do you love and what do you hate”, I knew the answer immediately”, Simz says to us of her latest deep-cutting single, adding, “I wanted to just let people know like, yo, I’m actually this way inclined, being this introverted person that has all these crazy thoughts and ideas and theories in my head, and not always feeling like I’m able to express it if it’s not through my art”, to her general press release. If you’re fan of Little Simz, like me, then you may have noticed how the new single is just a little bit more alike to her early stuff because it focuses more on the introspection elements, trading in anthemic experimentation for a more personal quality. Lyrics like “Hard not to carry these feelings even on my best days/Never thought my parent would give me my first heartbreak” expresses her troubled relationship with her mother or father, and these quick bars are recited over the top of a driving Snare drum which forms a well-rounded bassline, and these sequences are interspersed with a darkly soulful male backing vocal that repeats the hook of “I love you, I hate you” at a consistent tempo formed by a sample. The subject matter of the heated vocals flow from hot to cold throughout, and Simz expertly communicates a tense feeling of not being able to live with or without a part of her heritage. The rest of the instrumentation honestly reminded me of The Avalanches because these wistful Horn sections and sprawling String arrangements feel very virtuosic and carefully curated in texture. The harp riffs build some tension for the murkier segments, and the crescendo of Classical instrumentation samples cuts right to the bone, allowing for the uneasy emotions to flourish in the soundscape. I like how Simz is never afraid to shift geers when she needs to, and the track certainly heads in a more unpredictable formula than we may be used to hearing from her. On the whole, this is another solid-as-a-rock showing from Simz, where she delivers her very raw and smartly written lyrics on top of an engaging sample-based backbeat that heads in some creative storytelling. She is an excellent role model for young girls, and she cements that claim with the natural talent that she shows on singles like this.

  • Pictured: Little Simz in a ‘Drop 6’ Promo Shoot (2020) (Photo Credit: TAMIYM)

Are you a fan of Little Simz? If you haven’t been converted yet and fancy checking out some more like this, why not start with some of the singles that we have previously discussed on the blog here? Check out the excellent ‘Where’s My Lighter?’ featuring Alewya here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/15/little-simz-feat-alewya-wheres-my-lighter/, an go back to where the build for the new album started with ‘Introvert’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/04/27/todays-track-little-simz-introvert/

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Drop 6” (EP) (Released on May 6th, 2020) (via Age 101 Records)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you for joining me again today, as always, and I’ll be back tomorrow for some brand new music from an Indie Rock group currently signed to Simon Raymonde’s Bella Union record label. They previously impressed me on the blog with their debut album two years ago and made a pair of appearances on the site, and they’re back with a new album set to release in November. This group is centered around two Brighton-based siblings who originated from the Isle Of Man, and they have embarked upon three US tours. They have hit the road with notable groups such as The Flaming Lips, The Magic Numbers and Wallows.

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Today’s Track: Confucius MC (feat. Strange U & Lee Scott) – “Cicada 3301”

July 13, 2021 — Leave a comment

Mixing poetry like a famous Chinese philosopher with a Grime flavour. New post time!

  • Pictured: Confucius MC in the music video for ‘War & Peace’ (2021) (via YouTube.com/YNR Productions)

Good Morning to you! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time for you to read all about your daily track on the blog, yet again, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music each day! ‘Circada 3301’ is a fresh new UK Hip-Hop tune which finds the trio of Confucius MC, Strange U and Lee Scott joining forces. The leader of the crew is Confucius MC, a rising star on the UK’s underground who is a unique voice from Peckham, a Southern district of London. Confucius has been active in the London hip-hop scene for several years now, including a stint as one-half of the ‘Con+Kwake’ duo with drummer Kwake Bass. His two highest-profile releases, 2014’s ‘The Highest Order’ LP and 2017’s ‘The Artform’ EP, released on YNR Productions and WeStayTrue, have given him critical acclaim as one of UK rap’s most elite lyricists. Inspired to make music by the high school money that he used to spend on J Dilla, MF Doom and A Tribe Called Quest records, Confucius is now living a dream of his own, supporting the likes of Mos Def, Public Enemy, Slum Village and Jehst on tour. The new single, ‘Cicada 3301’, is taken from his upcoming second solo album, ‘Somewhere’, which is set to be released at a TBD time in the year. Check it out below.

Confucius MC has also become close friends with Kae Tempest after supporting her on tour, who cites him as “a huge influence on my life, my character and my rhyme-style”, and, similarly, Confucius is well-liked among his community in the urban environment of Peckham because he runs creative workshops for the young people in his ethnic minority’s community, giving them a solid role model to grow up with. A collaboration with the French Jazz-heavy producer Keor Meteor, ‘Circada 3301’ finds Confucius MC channeling his retro childhood influences, along with the assistance of Strange U and Lee Scott, to serve up a social commentary on the modern man of Britain. It’s a vengeful piece, dished out with a side order of salt. Named after the mysterious organisation who lays puzzles to recruit code breakers from the public, we get a boom-bap produced hip-hop track with charismatic rhythms all about linking the abstract with the everyday. Confucious MC opens with fast jabs like “The moment that I put an ear to the beat was an omen/The door way to reputation was opened” that mimic a stream of consciousness with a colourful flair, as steady guitar rhythms and shimmering drums embody a 60’s Sci-Fi soundtrack. Strange U’s verse bring lyrics like “Catch my words like the preacher” to the table by drawing on the sample-delia heroes like Madlib to bring the concept to life under fast sample work. Finally, Lee Scott’s verse leaves things on a more hopeful note, with prayers like “Motivate/Kill the world we pro-create” and “All we’re left with is an empty bag of tricks” to touch upon the poverty of London life. Together, the three target themes of neglect and ‘cancel culture’ with a venomous poise, but the melodies remain old-school. It never goes too heavy, with Meteor’s production bringing on a smoky Jazz aesthetic to the table. Overall, it is a brave effort from every creative involved, which is bolstered by the clearly spoken sample which sounds like an extract of The Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2, as the trio mix current political affairs with retro-futurist Rap influences.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Cicada 3301’ (Single) (Released on June 11, 2011) (via YNR Productions)

That’s all I have to share with you today! Thank you for the support, and please feel free to reconvene with me for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ tomorrow as we look back at an 80’s Pop gem that my mother says she used to own on cassette tape. It comes from a Nothern Irish OBE who used to be the lead singer of The Undertones, and, in recent times, he has been an enviornmental advocate for the rivers in my area of Cambridge.

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Today’s Track: Little Simz – “Introvert”

April 27, 2021 — Leave a comment

I used to play a video game on my computer… Where I had little Sims. New Post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” (LP) (Available from September 3rd, 2021) (via Age 101)

Good Morning to you – I’m 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! Little Simz is an artist who I truly feel is paving the way for a lot of female, black and hip-hop artists in the UK. I absolutely lapped up everything on 2019’s ‘Grey Area’ and the ‘Drop 6’ EP that she put out last year, and Simbi absolutely knocked it out of the park with her Glastonbury performance two years ago. Her fourth album, ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, has seen a quicker turn-around from her that I was perhaps expecting, and she recorded the new body of work largely during lockdown in London and Berlin. It releases on September 3rd via Age 101 Records, and she’s said that it explores her personal life in an industry where everyone is expected to be “extrovert”. Her last album picked up Best Album awards at the NME Awards and the Ivor Novello Awards, along with scooping up a nomination for the Mercury Prize that year, and so I can see her picking up a bit more mainstream attention for this record than her last effort seemed to get, and BBC Radio 1 have started playing this one. Check out the comeback single below.

Despite her difficulties with opening up, Simbi finds her music to be her most pure form of expression, with tabloid The Observer revealing that her new album is 19 tracks long in length, some of which are Spoken Word interludes created to form a narrative. It says the record is “an epic, Wizard Of Oz-style quest as Simz confronts her fears and counts her blessings” that addresses a distanced connection with her father and the results of a relationship. One thing that we all loved about ‘Grey Area’ is that Simbi was very cool and collected, yet outspoken and wouldn’t compromise her work for any nonsense. It’s a trend that Simbi leans into once again on ‘Introvert’, where there’s certainly a lot to unpack in this 6-minute epic. It is somewhat similar to her work on the prior record, but she’s leaning a bit more into the soulful and Gospel undertones of her sound, and it feels like a natural progression for her, as an artist, into the new record. She mostly expresses the her experience of being a Black women today, with a visceral opening and a swelling String crescendo that gives the track a dramatic, sometimes cinematic, mood. Yet, she also balances her cutting edge vocals about race and identity with a personal contrast where she raps about her private feelings and her public persona. I’ve always felt that Hip-Hop has always allowed for the most fascinating contrasts for it’s artists to examine their role as a person and a performer, and Simbi provides a fresh take on it with ‘Introvert’ as she discusses her own desire to be left alone. Being reserved isn’t exactly a common asset when you’re projecting your music, potentially to the masses, and so I find it intriguing that she brings us into her own mindset and the idea that she seems to have different variations of her personality for different situations. So, overall, what do I think of the grand return? Well, I think it’s just absolutely solid. To be honest, it’s only been released to the world for a couple of days, and so I don’t think that I have spent enough time with it yet for it to personally connect with me on the same level that ‘Grey Area’ did, but that’s certainly not to say that it won’t. Everything that I love about Simbi and more is here though, and one thought I had is that it feels more like a trailer or preview for the new album than a standalone single, and so I can’t wait to hear the full results when the album becomes available… One day after my birthday, eerily. I mean, did you hear her flow on this track? Holy Mother of sacred cows, she’s good. It’s blindingly clear to me that she’s not just your average artist. A modern icon.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Drop 6” (EP) (Released on May 6, 2020) (via AWAL)

If you’re not on board with the hype train for the new Little Simz record like I am – here’s a few things to tempt you over. Get up to speed with my thoughts on ‘God Bless Mary’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/04/todays-track-little-simz-god-bless-mary/, and my thoughts on last year’s ‘Where’s My Lighter’, with Alewya as the featured artist, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/15/little-simz-feat-alewya-wheres-my-lighter/

  • Pictured: Little Simz with ‘Best British Album’ at the NME Awards (2019) (Photo by Dean Chalkley)

That’s all for today – I can’t believe it’s nearly time again for another ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ post tomorrow, yet, here we are. Join me then for a throwback to a 90’s classic from a staple West Midlands indie rock band who have just announced a huge 30th anniversary tour. Their frontman has also been a hero during the pandemic for many with his listening parties on Twitter. 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: FLOHIO (feat. Kasien) – “With Ease”

November 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

Contrary to FLO’s belief – I don’t think that anything is ever easy! Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Flohio (Funmi Ohiosumah) in a press image for The Guardian (2019) (Photo by Stefon Grant)

Good Afternoon! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time again for me to take an hour or two out of my day to get writing up about your daily track on the blog, as it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! FLOHIO is an emerging artist, a rapper and producer called Funmi Ohio who is from Bermondsey, South London, who seems to have been circling around my radar for a decent while now, but has never seemed to fully come into her own for me as a solo artist yet. Firstly, there was her excellent performance as the vocalist on God Colony’s single “The Real” which deployed back in the Summer months, and her solo track “WAY 2” raising my interest a touch when it was featured on KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast back in the first half of the year. In recent weeks, Ohio has climbed to the A-list of BBC Radio 6Music’s daytime playlist with a new single, “Unveiled”, which is also the title track of her new mixtape that releases tomorrow, via streaming platforms. “With Ease” is another single from her which I’ve been exposed to, thanks to the track being featured on a recent episode of BBC Radio 6Music Recommends curated by John Ravenscroft. She has also gained support from DIYMag, The Guardian, and Crack Magazine, so it seems that her name might keep popping up at me for quite some time yet. She certainly sounds like an exciting new creative, with hard-hitting bars that gel with her interests in Techno music production. “With Ease” features Kasien, but she’s also worked with The Streets and Mahalia. Let’s see the video below.

The 28-year-old lyricist and songwriter has turned to Sekou Abineri for the directed visuals of the music video, and Ohio has also been in the studio with Cadenza, the producer who she got to know through collaborative work on 2018’s “Pounce” and by featuring on a guest spot on Cadenza’s single “Roll Up”, in order to make her plans for the “UNVEILED” mixtape to fully come into fruition. On “With Ease”, she re-configures the stereotype of an Old English pub being a hostile environment for Black Women, instead deciding to represent the setting as one that’s equivocally more open – and the bars come thick and fast. In the first verse, she raps: “Reload, we had more maneuvers than this when we were ruthless” at a confident flow, with a hazy set of synth lines overlapping her vocals with a hint of nostalgia and sentimentality. The instrumental is quite energetic and mildly textured, as a sudden rumble of bass controls the tone when Ohio delivers the lyrics that vary in fiery and emotive qualities. The hook represents a more upbeat and melodic benchmark for the track, as South London rapper Kasien raps to us: “Drop to your knees, I need the golden keys/I got the expertise/I’m filling the world with ease” with a typically heavy delivery, but it actually manages to feel quite playful – and dare I say catchy – because of the techno-inspired electronic beat that wavers in tone, and it teases an excitable drop at a few stages, but it never quite materialises into a full-on sequence of chaotically layered strobe effects, as it instead derives from Trap-Hop and Grime. To be honest, this isn’t really the type of Hip-Hop music that I would typically get exposed to hearing out of my own choice, my preference tends to be more non-violent and old-school, and I still think there’s a little too much auto-tune for me in places and some language that’s part of the world of Grime that I’ve not been a part of – but it’s the instrumental textures and the artistry which Ohio is expressing that allows me to appreciate it quite a bit. It’s worth talking about, and I think that’s probably it’s key strength. Outside of my familiar ground, but it’s pretty damn catchy. It’s possible that Flohio might grow on me in the way that Little Simz has – with a good human touch and a great ear for her rhythm and melody. Let’s just see how she runs with the Baton.

  • Pictured: Flohio (Funmi Ohiosumah) in a press image to promote “Unveiled” (in 2020) (Photo via PR)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! Tomorrow is new release Friday once again – and we’re going to be taking an in-depth look together at a new album from an established US indie punk act which I only became aware of last week, due to the title track being reviewed in The Guardian’s review magazine. The frontman of the band, you may not know, was also a wrestling company promoter who actually left the role of President for TNA (Or Impact!) Wrestling back in 2016, and he now runs NWA, as of 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: Moses Boyd (feat. Poppy Ajudha) – “Shades Of You”

June 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

A South London Jazz/Grime blender with 50 shades of influences! It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Moses Boyd in a press shoot for an interview feature with TRENCH (2018) (Photo Credit: Hyperfrank)

Good Morning to you, I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, because, as you know, it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! Moses Boyd is an artist who is difficult to box into one category, since he does a bit of Jazz Fusion and a touch of Electronic Rock, along with a wider Grime influence. Boyd started playing the drums at the age of 13, taking as much inspiration from Jazz legend Miles Davis as 00’s British Grime pioneer Dizzee Rascal. Boyd was born in South London, and he graduated from Trinity College with a BMus (Hons) Jazz Drums in 2016. Since being one half of sax-and-drums duo Binker & Moses and fronting his own band, Exodus, Boyd has worked with the likes of Experimental Electronic Ambient artists Four Tet and Floating Points, and Jazz-and-Soul songwriters Lonnie Liston-Smith and Zara McFarlene to expand his role as a collaborator in 2017. Boyd released his debut solo album, “Dark Matter”, on February 14th, 2020. It’s a diverse record, which explores a variety of Jazz Fusion sounds, which also shows his abilities in Electronica, Neo-Soul and Industrial Hip-Hop. It features the likes of Poppy Ajudha, Obongjayar and Joe Armon-Jones. Let’s have a listen to the breakout single “Shades Of You”, which features the R&B singer Poppy Ajudha, below.

The South London-based award-winning drummer, composer and producer enlists the help of talented R&B/Neo-Soul voice Poppy Ajudha to draw from a melting pot of influences on “Shades Of You”. Their collaborative track has a gloomy, but stylistic, aesthetic, as Ajudha sings about self-acceptance in the beginning verse: “Don’t hide from yourself/There is beauty in your darkness/So much colour in your soul”, which gets layered above a bright bass-synth groove. The pre-chorus is affecting when Ajudha asks: “Are you afraid of the dark?/Could you bathe in my darkest?” and reaffirms: “You’re not alone” over the top of bright, percussive splicing effects and a central Techno melody which drops small drum beats at a regular pattern. Ajudha’s chorus goes: “I gave away all my colours/I’m left with shades of blue/I Can’t handle your darkness/But they all want the shades of you”, paired with the input of a Tuba that’s played by Theon Cross, whilst the ethereal drum-led groove carries the key melodies along. The second verse is much the same, while the repeated choruses end it on a high note, with the consistent drum notes and melodic Vibraphone sections creating a Kaleidoscopic effect, which feels dancefloor-primed. The complex Soul influences have the usual South London Soul sound, with an effective blending of Neo-Soul, Electro-Pop, Jazz and Grime elements fusing and pulling-in-and-out of each other together. To me, It manages to stand out on a typical daytime playlist of BBC Radio 6Music, and it feels both catchy and pop-friendly enough for you to hear it in a large-chain clothing shop. Meanwhile, it doesn’t lose it’s lush experimentation, and the overall sound points towards club culture with it’s soulful artistry and dance flair. It’s very engaging. The Neo-Soul, Dance and subtle Hip-Hop production is at the heart of the music, and this is a dazzling Jazz banger that was built for the dancefloor.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Dark Matter” (Released on February 14th, 2020) (via Exodus 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 with your new weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, the time of the week where we revisit an emo-rock or a pop-punk classic from between the late-1990’s to the mid-00’s to see whether it still holds up! This week, it’s a track from the US-Christian rock band who famously composed the theme song for legendary Mexican pro wrestler Rey Mysterio! 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: Bishop Nehru (feat. DJ Premier) – “Too Lost”

May 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you love your Hip-Hop, this one won’t get “Lost” on you! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Bishop Nehru performing a live set (2020) (Photo Credit: Taylor Hill/Filmmagic/Getty Images/Hypebeast)

Good afternoon, I’m Jacob Braybrooke. I’m not going to tell you to get “Lost” because I’m delighted that you’re reading your daily post on the blog, which I write for you because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! One of the biggest releases over the last few weeks was “Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts” by confessional US hip-hop artist Bishop Nehru. Nehru has been steadily climbing the ranks of the alternative hip-hop scene in America, and he’s just reached the European shores with an A-list exposure on BBC Radio 6Music. “Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts” is, technically speaking, his twelfth mixtape, which was released on May 8th via his own Nehruvia LLC production label. Nehru also directs and edits his own music videos. Inspired to create hip-hop music through his rap heroes including Nas, MF Doom, Tyler The Creator and Wu-Tang Clan, (of which he opened the WTC’s 20th Anniversary European tour), Nehru has been going strong with many aliases since he got his break in 2011. He’s joined forces with DJ Premier on his single “Too Lost” from the new mixtape. Let’s have a listen to “Too Lost” below.

The mixtape – “Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts” – is split into two parts. ‘The Abyss’ chronicles the darker lifestyle and mental health aspects of his life and ‘The Escape’ narrates his recovery with more upbeat, pop-oriented beats. Either way, he’s certainly trying to assert his talents as a mature, true artist. “Too Lost” feels torn between the two emotions, as Nehru serves up a self-reflective cut of street poetry that feels heavily influenced by Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper. He raps “I feel numb, how dead am I?” and “Is it still just me, myself and I?” over a super-sleek, story-filled backdrop of trip-hop rhythms and pitch-shifting synth lines which dynamically revolve around tempo changes and beat mixings, which add a dramatic effect. His voice is also highly interchangeable in it’s production effects and strong, authoritative delivery. The overall sound of the repeating backing beat feels familiar to Eminem, as Nehru documents a struggle with his conscience on top of the raw, vulnerable atmosphere that DJ Premier crafts around him. It feels slick, with an early retro revivalism sensibility that creates a very raw, underground feel to it. If I could suggest improvements, I think “Too Lost” feels all too familiar in comparison to the other hip-hop musicians who are also gaining a little bit of wide attention and Nehru also runs the danger of attempting to impress both hardcore music fans and becoming a more pop-friendly rapper, with a risk of catering to neither. But, on the other hand, it is raw and expressive, by capturing a glimpse of the contemplative time and place of where Nehru is at, as an artist right now. Overall, my feelings are a little bit of a mixed bag on this one, although this is ranging slightly more to the positive side. This is because I find the lyricism to be forgettable and it seems to be lacking a certain oomph or energy, for me, but I like how there’s a sense of bitterness to his voice, and he isn’t afraid to say what he means without pulling back the punches. I don’t think it’s “Too Lost” on me, but I sadly can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts” (Released on May 8th, 2020) (via Nehruvia LLC)

Thank you for reading this post! Please stay safe, don’t do anything silly and keep on washing those hands – I’m wishing good health on you! It’s nearly time for another weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays, but first, why not join me tomorrow for an in-depth look at the new one-off single from one of my favourite bands – an American rock band who are led by a very talented vocalist who started out by writing jingles for commercial radio! 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/