House

Today’s Track: DJ Houseplants – “Just Don’t Know”

May 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

A rare example of a track released before the world went a bit nuts! It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Just Don’t Know” (Single) (Released on February 14th, 2020) (via Berlin House Music)

Good afternoon to you, my name is Jacob Braybrooke and, just like always, I’m here to write 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! “Just Don’t Know” is a nice little single that I found through KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast a week or two back. It was released back in mid-February by Berlin House Records and it’s credited to DJ Houseplants, a DJ, producer and designer called Justin Av, who’s named his alias after his dream job to be a Botanist. Questionable why he’s making music for a living instead, then. Av is a local artist to Seattle, Washington, so he isn’t very well-known, but he’s got an impressive number of local contacts and music releases in his career. In the past, he was called HansmJustin before he made a splash on his local scene. A man of many names (and talents), it seems. Have a listen to “Just Don’t Know” below!

I “Just Don’t Know” what to say about this one. Just joking! It caught onto my attention and interest due to it’s, seeming unashamedly, house-leaning style of heavily 00’s-influenced pop focus. The sound reminds me of mainstream classics like Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”, Modjo’s “Lady Hear Me Tonight” and Spiller & Sophie Ellis Bextor’s “Groovejet”, but it also feels like it’s been updated with a modern touch of subtle hip-hop influences and it’s lengthy 5-minute duration gives me the impression that, despite it being a pop-driven sound, he isn’t trying to just have a hit. This melodic structure consists of a mid-tempo, Funk-groove led bassline, with loads of synthesized keyboard riffs, with a few guitar lick sounds, thrown in. They get repeated over and over again to increase the “Earworm” affect, before the vocals kick in: “I don’t know what to say/Ooh, that I love you?, I just don’t know”, again being repeated on a melodic circle, with soulful female backing vocals that increase the depth of the House-inflected, Disco-Pop sounds. There’s a good pinch of Chill-Wave in there, with an upbeat and distorted vocal breakdown towards the end. The result of each of these components is a radio-ready and pop-friendly record, but it has something more to it. This added weight is created by the Funk and Soul influences. I feel the vocals could do with a lick of polish, as they may be a little too overly auto-tuned in places, but he’s only a local artist and may have limited tools to work with. Otherwise, the production work is fairly good. Overall, it’s a solid track that goes down as a fun early summer anthem from an artist who may need your support!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Root Bound [CLIPP099)” (EP Release) (Released on 29th August, 2019) (via clipp.art)

Thank you very much for reading this post! At this time, I encourage you to please stay safe inside, don’t do anything silly and that you keep on washing those hands! It’s time for a new weekly edition of Scuzz Sundays tomorrow, which is our weekly look back at an emo-rock or pop-punk classic from the mid-90’s to mid-00’s to see if it holds up! I’ve had a super busy weekend, so I will be choosing the track tonight – it will be as much of a suprise to me as it is for you! 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: 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: FVLCRVM -“Words”

March 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

The name’s like an LOL or YOLO – There’s my attempt to cheer you up! New post time!

  • Pictured: FVLCRVM in a press photoshoot to promote the release of “Loose” (2018) (Photo Credit: New Noise Magazine)

Fear thee not, We haven’t reached the age of meme-ified, internet text-based stage titling- FVLCRVM is actually a name taken from a “mad Russian jet fighter” according to this DJ! Good evening, I’m Jacob Braybrooke, writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s still my day-to-day pleasure to do so! I couldn’t find the real name of FVLCRVM, but he’s a Slovakian electronic music producer who I discovered through listening to NTS Radio last week. He played a live set at this year’s Eurosonic Festival at Groningen in The Netherlands, being described as one of the “stand-out” artists from the festival by radio presenter Kevin Cole. He began his career by playing the funk guitar in his church band before he formed a math-rock band with some friends from church, before he broke into the international dance club scene with “Hi!” in May 2017, a viral hit on YouTube, which gained support from Mixmag and Resident Advisor and has amassed over 42k views at time of writing. “Words” was released in 2018, but a new EP is due to arrive later this year. Let’s have a listen to “Words” below.

I could have left “Words” to speak for itself – but that would be lazy of me! The most recognizable element of the track, for me, after my first listen, was the similarity in voice to Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame, although the tone is more dance-centric and the synth-based instrumentation has a fairly post-apocalyptic texture. However, there’s a melodic bassline that feels ‘pop’ enough to add a decent level of accessibility and a gentle theme of hope. It’s matched by FVLCRVM’s smoothly filtered vocals, where he calls for action environmentally, singing: “The bitter/the pleasant/the status/the class wars” over a layered EDM stab which bubbles under the surface. The chorus is a simply delivered, minimalist vocal line: “It’s all just words to me”, which is layered underneath a gentle breath of treble and a skittering, sci-fi-ish acid strobe. FVLCRVM continues: “The sandstorm/The beaches/The bottom line/The human kind”, a repetitious hook he signs off: “I wish I understood you better”, before the developing composition falls off-kilter and goes into a chaotic state of frenzy, playing off the regular theme of inconsistency, due to the sudden tempo shifts and glitching progressions during the track. A slight gospel influence adds depth behind the track, lyrically, as FVLCRVM continues to recite his vocals and convey an important ecological message. Overall, it’s a track which caught me off-guard with it’s hidden complexities underneath it’s pop-driven dance melody, leaving us with a fairly strong interweaving of artistic expression, with an accessibility. This one’s a good ‘un!

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual – with an in-depth look at an album-only track from a British, London-based Indie Rock band who have returned from a six-year hiatus, after working on solo projects – and have dabbled in experimenting with genres like Folk, World, Electronica and Jazz Fusion in their career, as well as being the Sunday night headliners of this year’s BBC Radio 6Music Festival in Camden two weekends ago. 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: Caribou – “Never Come Back”

February 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

Suddenly… Dan Snaith has a brand new Caribou LP out! It’s time for your Friday post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Never Come Back” (2019)
  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Suddenly” (2020)

It’s Friday, which means it’s the end of the week, but it also signals the release of a dozen new albums and singles, with Caribou’s “Suddenly” taking the spotlight on the blog this week! In case you’re unaware, Caribou is an electronic project set up by Canadian composer Dan Snaith, who also writes and records material as Daphni and Manitoba. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from him, with 2014’s “Our Love” becoming a beloved LP record in the years since. “Suddenly”, released today on City Slang Records and Merge Records, is a photo album of a record where Snaith analyses the events in his life which surround him, such as his daughter being born in a Car on the way to the hospital. The album also deals with loss and memory, in the form of carefully textured soundscapes. I’ve recently been introduced to Snaith’s work with the release of “Home”, the lead single of the album, as Snaith has drummed up enough interest with me for me to own a physical copy for my record collection, which I’ve only just started. Let’s have a listen to the track “Never Come Back” below.

A sophisticated and enthralling track which veers into slightly commercial territory, but it confidently manages not to lose the vocally emotive trademark of Caribou’s sound, “Never Look Back” is a synthetic dance-pop delight that doesn’t miss a step in it’s stabbing EDM strobes and it’s uptempo pacing. With a sultry tone, Snaith repeats: “And you never come back to”, in sequenced timing with a consistent House trance, which is layered over the top of a 90’s-esque keyboard loop. The melodic stricture keeps stuttering, but Snaith adds the sound of a happy-go-lucky Cowbell and an unrelenting drum machine chord, which kicks into full-throttle mode near the end of the track. Before proceedings get too repetitious, Snaith refrains: “I can never forget it/Promise me you don’t regret it/You and I were together/even though we both knew better”, as the pop-filled rhythm begins to settle into a slower pace, before Snaith quickly pushes the makeshift-disco sound to the center of attention again. The track does sound a little poppier by his typical standards, but I feel that Snaith manages to cross over to a casual audience, who might be seeing him at festivals this summer, fairly wisely because he manages to effectively control the chaos by letting it sound familiar to his existing fans, while adding a crowd-pleasing, throwback dance sound to his existing repertoire. The single also translates the cohesive themes of the album, as the sultry vocal hook is kept consistent to contrast the breakneck changes of tempo and rhythm. It’s an ace track from an album which is set to deliver on it’s hype.

  • Pictured: Dan Snaith recording in his home studio
  • Pictured: Dan Snaith in a photshoot for a Q&A interview feature (2014) (Photo Credit: Stereogum)

I’ve previously covered a few of Caribou’s other singles taken from the new record on the blog! Click here to read my thoughts on my discovery of “Home” (https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/10/28/todays-track-caribou-home/) and click here to read my thoughts on “You and I” (https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/09/todays-track-caribou-you-i/)

  • Pictured: Dan Snaith pictured in front of a mural to accompany the announcement of “Suddenly” (2020) (via PR)

Thank you for reading this post! It’s almost time for another weekly Scuzz Sundays post, but, before then – make sure that you check back with the blog tomorrow, where I’ll be writing an in-depth review, for you, on the new single from a legendary British electronic dance duo who are known for producing Dub and Chillout anthems which have been described by Alex Paterson as “ambient house for the E generation”! 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: Ross From Friends – “Pale Blue Dot”

February 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

This is like something straight out of a TV sitcom…oh wait! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Ross From Friends (Felix Cary Weatherall) in a press photoshoot for his own Facebook artist page (2018)

Good evening to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke, writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my everyday pleasure to do so. If you’re looking to find a new Saturday rave vibe, you’re in the right place, as I’m sharing my feelings of “Pale Blue Dot” by Essex-born British producer Felix Clary Weatherall, who goes under the alias of Ross From Friends. Alas, this is not David Schwimmer’s character from the beloved TV sitcom Friends, it’s the work of Weatherhall, who chose the name because a recording studio he used had a DVD of Friends stuck inside the TV, meaning it was the only form of entertainment that was available to him. “Pale Blue Dot” is a single taken from his debut LP, “Family Portrait”, which he released in November 2018 via the Brainfeeder music label. The official music video for “Pale Blue Dot” is embeded below and it’s put together from archival You’ve Been Framed-style home videos which tell the story of Weatherhall going to spontaneous raves set up by his mum and dad, using his dad’s homemade sound-system, which they took out on a tour bus with them around Europe in the 90’s. Let’s have a listen to “Pale Blue Dot” by watching the video below.

Weatherhall, labelled by The Guardian as “one to watch”, combines hints of lo-fi jungle, Latin disco-pop and Techno house, to create a vibrant electronic dance anthem which feels reminiscent of the abstract melancholy of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and the synthesized drum lines of DJ Seinfeld. The track is entirely instrumental, with no lyrics or vocals to be heard. This allows Weatherhall the space to experiment with different hints of several genres, with a shuffling acid strobe which stutters around the pop-oriented layers of the track, married by a neo-psychedelic synth line which takes inspiration from the leftfield disco side of Mount Kimbie. There is a subtle narration in play, as the high-pitched squeals of a disc scratch and the wash of the core bassline fizzle to a tropical kilter. The texture is domineered by a glitched arrangement of violin strings and strategically-placed ambience. It expresses a hint of Weatherhall’s personality, with a cohesive structure that feels like a nostalgic backdrop to the overall nu-disco rhythm. It’s clear the keyboard riffs have been lovingly crafted and the music video adds a more intimate layer to the track than you might expect at first glance, although I don’t find the electronic instrumentation to be hugely interesting, with the track pulling influence from the emotive composition of Caribou and the ever-shifting beats heard in The Knife’s music to entertaining effect, even if it doesn’t go beyond these peers in as much detail as I would have liked. On the positive side, it doesn’t sound too commercial or generic and I think the track’s fairly listenable on repeat due to the hidden complexities underneath the surface. I think he could probably do with a better stage name, but he sounds as solid as a rock!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Family Portrait” (Released in July 2018) (via Brainfeeder)

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure you check back tomorrow, as it’s nearly time for another Scuzz Sundays post on the blog – and I’ll be looking at an iconic track from an American heavy metal band whose lead vocalist once appeared on an episode of BBC 2’s TV quiz series, “QI”! 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: The ORB – “Little Fluffy Clouds”

February 18, 2020 — 1 Comment

These guys sharpened up their “Orb-anization” skills for this! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld) (Released in 1991) (via Big Life)

I hope you’re not getting soaked in the rain too much! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, writing about your daily track on the blog, as with any other day! Although I’m not very familiar with The Orb – a landmark 1990’s ambient electronica project set up by English producer Alex Paterson – with his partner-in-crime being changed over the years, with Thomas Fehlmann currently in the seat, taking over from original co-founder Jimmy Cauty, a former member of the KLF – I can still appreciate everything that the act has done in progressing their ambient electronica genre to new heights since the duo released their debut album, “The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld”, in 1991. A total of 15 LP records have been released ever since, with a sixteenth set to drop in March this year. The Orb are a pioneering spirit of the 90’s psychedelic EDM music and drug-infused clubbing scenes they’ve become very beloved for channeling a hefty part across the last two decades, where they used to perform live with digital audio tape machines which they’ve programmed live sampling and beat mixing with, a technique they still perform with the use of laptops, since everything’s moved on from analogue production to digital effects. The Orb have been embarking on a recent 30th Anniversary Tour and they’ve been confirmed for this year’s All Points East Festival lineup. “Little Fluffy Clouds” was a landmark in their discography, a chilled ambient folktronica-style track which reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart following a reissue in 1993. Let’s listen to the edit of the track below.

A melodic sci-fi anthem which stands up to the heavyweight influences of The Prodigy and Aphex Twin in the early 90’s time of it’s ilk – “Little Fluffy Clouds” sounds instantly familiar, with the track receiving heavy licensing use for many films and television series. The lead vocals have a whimsical quality which feels reminiscent of a lullaby you might tell a child before bedtime, as a female vocal narrator recites a story of adventure and maturation with “Little Fluffy Clouds” as the centerpiece, she reads: “What were the skies like when you were young?/They went on forever and they, when I lived in Arizona/And the skies always had little fluffy clouds”, with the chronological structure of the narrative being obscured by virtuosic sampling effects and complex synth patterns. It’s the kind of track you’d be best off listening to on a good pair of headphones to experience every little nuance of sound, as the layers are meticulously programmed on top of of an irregular keyboard riff and erroneous tones of chilled house. This quality is lyrically referenced in the track: “Layering different sounds on top of each other”, leading to a pulsating bass vibration to the tune of: “The sunsets were purple and red and yellow and on fire”, with the refrain broken up by a sample of an airplane taking off. There’s also a light sample of a weather documentary and a rooster clucking in the beginning, blatantly creating a dream-like opening which transpires as a recurrent theme in the euphoric arrangement of strings and mid-tempo synth pads. Due to it’s eclectic range of assorted samples, with their highly manipulation composition – the track is a complex work of true art and a dream-scoped soundscape rewarding of multiple listens to shape your own interpretation and experience of. It’s very easy to get obsessed about – and The Orb’s fandom really are! It’s fitting since the track was listed at #40 in Pitchfork’s Top 200 Tracks Of The 1990’s and also #275 in NME’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All-Time.

Whew, there’s a lot to talk about! Don’t forget to join me tomorrow, where I will be introducing you to a fantastic independent singer-songwriter who has previously been collaborating with Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner and she also performed her own track for the second season of the “True Detective” crime-drama TV series under a different name! 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/https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Gary Clail (On-U Sound System) (feat. Bim Sherman) – “Beef (Future Mix)”

February 10, 2020 — 1 Comment

I’ve got no issue with this beef! A new week, a new set of posts, starting with this one!

  • Pictured: A still image featuring Gary Clail in the official music video for “Another Hard Man” (1995)

I would usually be cooking a meatless meal in aid of the Meat Free Mondays campaign tonight, but since I’m covering a track with the title of “Beef”, it’s hard to know whether that’s necessarily gone out of the window this week! I’m Jacob Braybrooke, covering your daily track on the blog, as always. I’ve noticed that I’ve been covering a lot of new tracks on the blog lately and so I thought it would make a nice change to share a little 90’s house track which I’ve recently found out about, which comes courtesy of Gary Clail, An English DJ and recording producer who made a name for himself from the Bristol music scene in the 1990’s, a little before the late 1990’s IDM movement featuring the likes of Aphex Twin, Plaid and Boards Of Canada. The founder of On-U Sound Records and the producer of early 90’s club hits like “Human Nature” and “These Things Are Worth Fighting For”, Clail established himself as an important fixture of the underground electronic music side of the 90’s dance craze. “Beef” is an interesting old record which is taken from his second LP, “End Of The Century Party”, which he released as Gary Clail On-U Sound System in 1989. There was no music video, but the future mix audio of “Beef” is available on YouTube below.

Clail repeats: “Beef, how low would you go?” over a fluctuating snare line as he reminds me of the Limbo games that I used to play at the end-of-term party at Primary School. It’s an upbeat, groove-driven synth hook which is used to anchor the diverse arrangement of the track. The instrumental disco sound is heavily infused with light elements of nu-disco and dark-wave synthpop, with an overall Dub-plate format. The pacing is noticeably inflected with Reggae and Clail adds a sense of ambient techno vibes to proceedings with his gradually building layout of BPM rises and synthetic funk-tinged vibrations. The vocals float above a layer of politicized themes and minor-key drum-and-bass sensibilities which provide a catalyst for the propelling drum waves and the building tempo of the vibraphone riffs. I’ve heard a story that Clail nicked the lyrical refrain from an old Public Enemy classic, “Bring The Noize”, released in 1988. He reworks the phrase: “Bass, how low can you go” and he replaces the line of “Death row, what a brother knows” with the intercepting vocals of “Hear the cry/Cattle row”, led by a chant-based question of “Would you kill it yourself?”, a not-so subtle comment which supports the ideas of Vegetarianism. Overall, I believe it’s a cohesive house anthem which brings the best out of the different elements which it musically pulls it’s influences from, as the track sounds uniformly structured and it effectively pulls a wide array of talent together. Constructively, I find the vocal hooks to sound a little under-cooked, if you pardon the pun, as the slow build doesn’t necessarily lead to a fast payoff, but it sounds like Clail has some fascinating political views to express – which I’m inclined to explore further.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “End Of The Century Party” (1989/On-U Sound Records) (Photo from eBay.com)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the new track from the leading man of REM – I was in a curry shop when I heard the band had split up and I fell in the Korma! 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: Planningtorock – “Beulah Loves Dancing”

February 5, 2020 — 1 Comment

I’ve been Planningtowrite this one for an entire day! It’s time for your new blog post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Beulah Loves Dancing” (October 2018) (Available on Bandcamp.com)

Good afternoon to you, Jacob Braybrooke here with your daily track for the blog! Jam Roston, formerly named Janine Roston, is an English electronic dance producer who currently lives in Berlin, Germany. She rose to fame after launching her own label, Rostron Records, where she released “Have It All”, her debut LP in 2006. Later, she went on the “Sound Of Silver” world tour with LCD Soundsystem in 2007 and released a remix of The Knife’s “Marble House” a year prior. “Beulah Loves Dancing” is a little bit old, but it’s still a recent track in her discography. It’s the lead single from her fourth LP, “Powerhouse”, a self-released album from 2018. I caught the track floated around on the BBC Radio stations for a little while in it’s original release and I’ve remembered it for long enough to feature it on the blog. Give the track a listen below.

I think it’s easy to see why it’s a very memorable little dance anthem, as it has a very original sound and the narrative framework is creative. The lyrics of the track pays tribute to the musically energised youth of Jam’s sister. With a down-tempo mood, she croons: “Back in the 80’s me and my sister were given a personal Walkman”, before referring to her sister, who loved her house music and would make her own mixtapes and cassettes. It became an obsession for her, which is beat-matched by a trippy acid synth line which remains steady, but teases a subtle line of breakbeat melodies. The bridge is led by an eccentric dreamscape vocal: “Beulah loves dancing/Has always loved music, yeah”, the story continues, with Roston taking a trip down memory lane, saying: “And I kid you not, the whole house would be shaking” as Beulah would prance about to her club music upstairs. It seems almost akin to a pop song, with a catchy vocal rhyme that hypnotically paces around the percussive techno melodies. The delivery of the vocals is particularly down-tempo, which keeps the fizzing synth notes to a controlled pace. I think the fade-out at the end is particularly nice and I love the unique composition of the track, with the childhood story being an anecdote which the melodic rhythms are built around. However, to a certain extent, I find the arrangement of the track to get a bit tedious and it doesn’t push it’s sound forward it’s techno-oriented soundscape as much as it’s experimentation suggests. Overall, I think it’s a three-star-out-of-five track as it’s use of storytelling is very intriguing and the fluctuating acid snare line is enjoyable, but the instrumentation feels limited to a point where I feel the track tries to do a bit much for it’s own good. I feel opinions may vary on this one, so I’d love to hear yours!

  • Pictured: Jam Roston (Planningtorock) in a photoshoot for her official website (2018)

Thank you for reading this post! Beulah Loves Dancing and so do I, so I’ll be dancing my way back on to the blog tomorrow with an in-depth look at a track from The Specials which is a cover version of an old Jamaican track released back in 1967! The cover version by The Specials reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart! 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/