Progressive Synthpop

Today’s Track: JARV IS… – “House Music All Night Long”

March 9, 2020 — 1 Comment

Just like my Mum once said – to think he used to be cool! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Jarvis Cocker performing at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona (2019) (Photo Credit: Adela Loconte)

JARV IS… kicking off this week’s round of new posts! Good evening to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as it’s my day-to-day pleasure. JARV Is… (is?) the new band led by former Pulp frontman, former Harry Potter cast member and 90’s Brit-Rock music legend Jarvis Cocker, who is also the man famously known for stage jumping Michael Jackson’s performance of “Earth Song” at the BRIT Awards in 1996. I recently saw him on a Celebrity edition of ITV’s Catchphrase televison game show, which was broadcast over Christmas, and I’m also aware of his work on “Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service”, a music radio show which he used to present on BBC Radio 6Music. JARV Is… back, and he’s going on tour, stopping off at the likes of Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester, along with a few others, in May. JARV IS… also set to release his new album, “Beyond The Pale”, which is due for release on May 1st by the Rough Trade Records independent label. JARV has… premiered the new single “House Music All Night Long”! Let’s have a listen to it below!

JARV IS… a middle-class James Bond in the music video for “House Music All Night Long”, a track which makes me imagine that Nick Cave has unintentionally stepped onto a dancefloor and winged it on a microphone. A blues sensibility is created by the slow rhythms, particularly in the track’s opening verse: “Lost in the light of the living room/Adrift in a world of interiors/It’s serious”, as a gentle synth melody takes us to the vocal refrain: “I was listening to House music all night long/And all day too/I was waiting for you”, before a hazy bleeping sound enters the fray after the command of “To come true”, leading Cocker to fasten the pace a little bit with a brighter array of synthesized drum loops: “Saturday night, cabin fever in House Nation”, “This is one nation under a roof/Ain’t that the truth”, before a more orchestral crescendo of keyboard sequences and funk-laden grooves pause the ensuing synth melodies, before Cocker chants: “Everybody in the house”, leading to a choral addition of backing vocals from Emma Smith, as an unashamedly 80’s guitar riff draws the track to a close. The joke is that it isn’t house music – a playfulness depicted by the Household objects in the video and by Cocker’s intently muttered vocals. It’s a slow-building, blues-inflicted pop ballad. If you don’t know your music, you may feel out-of-touch with the ironic qualities of the track and it’s long duration doesn’t help with the casual accessibility factor. However, I really like it! I think it’s excellent, in fact – it’s quite cerebral and deeply ironic, but it’s melodic enough to work. The humor is very witty, as Cocker mocks the stereotypes of the House music genre with lyrical terms: “House Nation” and “Everybody In The Place” and the electronic instrumentation is colourful – driving the lo-fi, percussive melodies of the mature pop style forward. Come to think of it, I’m also quite fond of Jarvis Cocker too because he’s a character. Overall, it’s great, but I don’t have the time to listen to it all night long and all day too!

  • Pictured: Jarvis Cocker in a promotional photoshoot to promote a UK tour (2018) (Photo Credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty)

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 an Irish singer-songwriter who was one of the headline acts of last weekend’s BBC Radio 6Music Festival in Camden, where she dedicated her set to the late-great Andy Weatherhall! 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: Holy Fuck (feat. Nicholas Allbrook) – “Free Gloss”

February 13, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s so R-Rated, they’ve already made me drop an F-bomb! It’s time for your daily post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Deleter” (Released on January 17th, 2020) (Vinyl copy available from myshopify.co.uk)

I don’t think they take themselves very seriously…! A still-quite-tired Jacob Braybrooke here, getting your new post sorted for another day on the blog. “Free Gloss” is the new track from Progressive Electronic Pop pioneers Holy Fuck (I have to say Holy F on the radio…), who have returned after 4 years with the release of a new LP, “Deleter”, which was released last month via the Last Gang Records independent label. This is the follow-up LP to their comeback album, “Congrats”, which was released in 2016 after the band took a six-year hiatus to focus on their solo careers. Although the band have never crossed over into the mainstream before, they have built their career around their sizeable cult following and their unique live performance set-ups, which have seen the band use improvised instruments like toy lasers and 35mm film synchronizers to loop and splice their own sound effects into the format of their tracks, rather than using laptops or pre-produced backing tracks. They’ve recently been working alongside Nicholas Allbrook, who is the front-man of the Australian psychedelic rock band Pond and he used to go on tour with Tame Impala as their live bassist. Let’s have a listen to the radio edit of “Free Gloss” below.

With the “Deleter” LP also featuring the talents of Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Liars’ Angus Andrew, it seems to be that the Montreal electronic outfit are carving out a niche themselves in the “Electronic 90’s” style of genre. I feel that “Free Gloss” is sequenced distinctively enough to stand out though, as Pond’s Nicholas Allbrook delivers his faded-out vocals under a pummeling keyboard riff and a flickering guitar rhythm. With an undecipherable line of lyrics, Allbrook delivers the stuttering arrangement of half-crooned, 90’s dance stylized vocals layered above a dramatic template of vibrant, digitally-created melodies which drill against the light-hearted club energy of Allbrook’s vocals to create a push-and-pull effect, balancing an energetic synth bassline with the heavy guitar riffs, which have been mastered below the domineering keyboard effects, to sound futuristic and progressive. At the halfway mark, the complex sequence of electronic riffs drown to a quaint halt for a moment, before the amalgamation of keyboard melodies and drum sequences ascend back to their domineering position on the track, as it fades to a close. It’s ultimately a tricky song to write about due to the complex plethora of effects that it conveys in it’s sound, but I feel it’s ultimately an intriguing and satisfying journey through an experimental sonic soundscape, which reminds me of the Big Beat era of the late 90’s featuring British dance acts like The Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx. It would have been nicer to hear the lyrics more clearly, but the sophistication helps it to work.

  • Pictured: Brian Borcherdt (Lead Vocalist/Sequencing), Graham Walsh (Keyboard/Programming), Matt “Punchy” McQuaid (Bass Guitar/Effects) and Matt Schulz (Drum Kits) (Photo Credit: Fortitude Magazine) (2016)

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure you kick off your weekend with the blog tomorrow, as we’ll be celebrating the release of Tame Impala’s new album “The Slow Rush”, with an in-depth look at “Lost In Yesterday”, whch is the most recent single to be released in support of the record! 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: Christine and The Queens – “People, I’ve Been Sad”

February 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

A French artist who’s de crème de la Crème! Happy weekend, it’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Héloïse Letissier (Christine and The Queens) in a photoshoot for “People, I’ve Been Sad” (2020) (via Press)

Jacob Braybrooke, here as always, helping you discover new music with my daily musing. Fitting with today’s track on the blog, I was a bit sad yesterday since my La Roux delivery didn’t arrive in time for the release of “Supervision”, but I’m feeling a bit happier now after I received my physical copy of the record in the post today. It’s strange how, in life, the smallest things can either lift our mood or bring us down, usually in the space of a single minute. It’s a theme that Christine and The Queens is exploring on her new single, “People, I’ve Been Sad”, as an interesting take on the study of mental health. The track is a one-off for now, although a follow-up to “Chris”, her second album which was named as the “Album Of The Year” in 2018 by The Guardian, might be on the way fairly soon, but no further details have been confirmed yet. Let’s watch Héloïse Letissier, who writes and records her music under the alias of Christine and The Queens, performing her new track on COLORS (via YouTube) below.

On “People, I’ve Been Sad”, I’ve started to notice that Letissier’s been gearing herself towards a more idiosyncratic alternative pop spirit, carving out a left-out-of-centre niche for herself outside of her more packaged-up, three minute bar radio hits and I feel that she reaches a more different texture than ever before on the new track. Letissier starts off with a staggering autotune line, before she croons: “It’s true that people I’ve been sad/It’s true that people I’ve been gone”, an ambiguous line which for me, refers to her return to the roots of her early sound. The track gradually loses it’s softness and Letissier’s high-pitched vocals lean to a subtle melancholy with a vulnerable sonic tempo as she sings: “If you disappear/then I’m disappearing too” and “If you fall apart/Then I’m falling behind you”, a chorus that she wraps around the isolated line: “You know the feeling”. The layers of moisturized synth beds and rich acoustic instrumentation meet a progressive wave of thrilling drum hits and deep, reverb-glazed cracks of bass. A French-sung bridge is the highlight for me, where Letissier sings about her childhood memories of passing a forest of dead thistles and walking around on glass barefoot, as she adds a heartwarming touch to her anthemic ballad of self-examination and how the self-sufficiency of her past affects the in’s and out’s of her emotions on an everyday basis, addressing an audience with the title of “People, I’ve Been Sad”. Overall, it’s a track that took me by suprise because the subject matter is thought-provoking and I feel the programming of the drum machine and the synthesizers lends it’s stride well to the ghostly, ice-woven presence that Letissier creates through her vocals on the track. I really commend her for stepping outside of her comfort zone with this track and it reminds me just how talented she is and how her artistic creativity, in her songwriting and pacing, have managed to cross her over into the mainstream, but not far enough as to “dumb her down”, essentially.

  • Pictured: Héloïse Letissier (Christine and The Queens) in a press photoshoot (2018) (Photo by Michelle Helena Janssen)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, in time for another Scuzz Sunday on the blog! You won’t want to miss out, as I’ll be looking at a massively popular hit track from a cornerstone of the 00’s punk era who announced their plans to embark on a world reunion tour, which takes place throughout the year, at the end of last October. 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: Pink Lotion – “Activated”

January 31, 2020 — Leave a comment

It’s been a good 7 months since I “activated” my blog, but I’ve somehow managed to keep up with it every day since! It’s a real mystery to me… It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Lusters” (EP release) (December 2019)

Good afternoon to you, Jacob Braybrooke, as always, writing about your daily track on my blog, One Track At A Time! Two powerhouses of the Seattle local independent music scene, Erik Blood and Rachael Ferguson, have recently teamed up for the sensual, pop-laden collaborative project, Pink Lotion. One of Blood’s solo LP’s, “Lost In Slow Motion”, originally released in April 2016, is one of my all-time favourite alternative albums, so I was very delighted to hear about the project when I saw that Seattle music and arts organization KEXP had premiered the official music video for “Activated” on their radio station’s website. “Activated” is the closing track on the Pink Lotion EP, “Lusters”, a six-track release which was dropped on their Bandcamp artist page on December 18, 2019. Let’s take a look at the video for “Activated” below.

The music video features Blood, on the right, in a black wide-brimmed top hat and a pink scarf while Ferguson, on the left, wears a similarly bright-coloured pink dress with an elaborate headdress topped with several small coloured balls. It also features cameos from many other musicians from the Seattle indie music scene – such as Emily Nokes from Tacocat, Lelah Maupin and Ishmael Butler, who works as Blood’s collaborator on the Knife Knight project, among a few others. They aren’t necessarily taking it very seriously and neither are Blood or Ferguson, which is a very good thing. “Activated” starts off with the memorable vocal hook: “I would like to know/how to say your name/I would like to see/how you play the game”, a sensual nod to late-night sex calls and adult chat rooms. A call-and-response format begins to follow, as Ferguson calls the likes of: “I won’t let you win/Nobody can lose/Do I have consent?”, while Blood responds with the likes of: “I won’t let you win but I have to say/Nobody can lose, not the way I play/Do I have consent/and if you’re all set”. The lyrics are very suggestive and the playful vibes of the electronic production work, triggered by a bouncing synth pad and a bassline which feels dipped in the purple glitter of an 80’s bass guitar melody, with added reverb for extra measure. This leads into a gorgeous, atmospheric bridge: “Tell me when my sun is shining/Baby I can see your star is rising”, another instance of the very comedically sexual writing on the track. It mostly reminds me of Blood Orange, as it infuses elements of classic R&B and Soul, along with an overall Prince influence. On the surface, it appears completely different to the gloomy atmosphere and the spiritual tone, created through a darker texture, on Blood’s “Lost In Slow Motion”. It deals with similar themes of disconnection with a lover as well as intense, personal feelings of isolation and intimacy, though. I think the dark synth-pop underlayer also forms part of the Bread and Butter Pudding of this Pop project as well, due to the light sprinklings of guitar riffs and the euphoric sense of romance which provides a synth-based backdrop to the sound, although the tone and mood is much more light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek compared to the sound of “Lost In Slow Motion”. Overall, I’m really glad that I’ve discovered the project, with other tracks including the funny titles of “Sex On Mars” and “Moisturbate”, although there is a professionalism which holds the overall sound together very well. Overall, this is a deeply satisfying and curiously appealing exploration of progressive synthpop within a context which endlessly has a lot more to give, unfolding and rewarding in repeated listens. Make sure you check out the EP!

  • Pictured: Erik Blood (Producer) and Rachael Ferguson (Lyrics/Vocals) in a photoshoot for “Lusters” (December 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at the brand new track from Enfield’s finest, an indie rock songwriter who gained his big breakthrough from winning the Emerging Talent competition at Glastonbury Festival in 2015! 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: Pet Shop Boys – “Monkey Business”

January 27, 2020 — Leave a comment

We’ve officially entered the “Hotspot” era! Here’s a new post to kick off the new week!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Hotspot” (2020)

It’s the start of a new week, as well as another new era for Pet Shop Boys at the dawn of a new decade! Good day to you – I’m Jacob Braybrooke, wishing you a happy Monday with a new daily post, as always! “Hotspot” is the new LP record from Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe, also known as British national treasures Pet Shop Boys, which was released last Friday. This is their twelfth overall album and it’s the final part of their Stuart Price-produced trilogy of albums which also included “Electric” in 2013 and “Super” in 2016! They’re still going, but given that January is usually a “dump” spot of bad releases, is it a bad sign of things to come for the 60-year-old duo in their ageing career? It turns out not so, as it’s actually a very decent little album for what it is. The lead single’s called “Monkey Business”, a track which the two performed on last Friday’s episode of BBC 1’s “The One Show”, following an interview to promote the new record. An interesting tidbit was also revealed on an interview with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6Music, where Tennant told the story of a pimped-up gambler in Las Vegas who spoke the main hook of the track. Tennant thought: “Thank you” and he based the lyrics on the odd conversation. Let’s have a look at the video below.

Tennant, in his instantly recognizable speech-based vocal twang, starts: “I’m here on monkey business/just playing around”, over the top of 70’s disco, propulsive violin strings. There’s lyrical nods to an ageing raver or gambler: “Everybody get on board/I’m back in town/and I’m not leaving till’ the last joint has shut down” and “People tell me I’m a legend round these parts/I start the party and I end up breaking hearts”, in the first verse, seems to have a self-aware and pompous attitude about it. The video shows a bunch of mature party-goers and shiny-topped hustlers in a half-filled nightclub. Tennant chants: “Bring me margaritas/champagne and red wine/we’re gonna have a party where we all cross the line”, before a repeat of the infectiously poetic chorus, with an added layer of orchestrated synthpop beats and groove-stepped helpings of catchy refrains and old-school pop sensibilities. Overall, it’s fairly cheesy, but not overly, and it definitely has a very old-fashioned pop sound to it, so I’m not sure if students like me would really “get” it. However, I think that it works well and I really like it. It sounds more like something that you’d dance to at a wedding than at a club, with a certain family-friendly vibe. It’s a good thing though, as the result is a track which plays to it’s maturity as it’s biggest strength. There’s also a subtle, but distinct, British humor in the overall package. It’s a fun track and I was listening to it on repeat numerous times on Saturday. It likely won’t go down as one of their classics, but it’s a good piece of evidence to prove that Pet Shop Boys can still take their sound in interesting directions this late in their career. Also, watch out for Chris throwing shapes with the crowd of dancers in the video. It’s gold! Not bad at all!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for the “Monkey Business” single (January 2020)

If you’d like to have a read of my thoughts of one of their previous tracks, “The Pop Kids”, follow the link here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/11/04/todays-track-the-pet-shop-boys-the-pop-kids/

  • Pictured: Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe) in a photoshoot for “Hotspot” (January 2020)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a slightly heavier electronic dance track from a Danish disc jockey who specializes in mixing techno, ambient and jungle to a tee! He’s currently signed to the Lobster Fury record label and he also shares his surname with the famous US comedian Jerry Seinfeld! 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: Jon Hopkins (feat. Kelly Lee Owens) – “Luminous Spaces”

January 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

Lighting up the sky with this space-ious electronic maverick! Time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Jon Hopkins in a photoshoot for a Q&A with Red Bull Music (2013) (Photo Credit: Sarah Ginn)

A sci-fi themed EDM anthem that will transport you to an alternate galaxy, “Luminous Spaces” is the new single from Surrey-born DJ Jon Hopkins, also featuring guest vocals from Welsh artist Kelly Lee Owens. Good evening to you, Jacob Braybrooke here! I’ve just arrived back from a university trip to the WB Studio Tour in London, where I saw a lot of the props, costumes and sets designed and used for the Harry Potter films. I’m not a huge fan, to be honest, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! I’m a little exhausted, so I’m going to keep it short and sweet today, but it’s easy for me to write to you about Jon Hopkins since he’s one of my heroes. He’s mostly known for just making noises on his laptop, but his improvisational style is impressive and it results in the creation of a cinematic, theatrical sound, which really makes him stand out from the other fellow DJ’s working in the IDM genre. He received his major breakthrough from scoring the 2010 Gareth Edwards film, “Monsters”, before going on to release studio records like “Immunity” in 2013, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize Award that year. He’s recently announced a new “Polarity” tour, stopping off at tour dates in Bath, Dublin, Edinburgh and London, in March. No further details of a new LP have been confirmed. However, I think it’s safe to assume that we’ll be hearing a follow-up to his Grammy-nominated album “Singularity”, released in 2018, fairly soon. Hear the edit of “Luminous Spaces” below.

Once again proving that, in music, there are two sides to every coin – this is a wonderful electronic, Leftfield-inspired, IDM track which begins as a light, trance number and later evolves into a more danceable house anthem, but the track doesn’t lose the soft-spoken charm and the echo-drenched delights created by the first half. Owens opens: “Did you notice? Fill up the spaces…”, above a gently resonating line of synths and a low-tempo bassline, creating a sparkling effect of soundscapes. This gradually builds in it’s pacing and it’s structure, but it never feels slow, as the pop-laden backdrop creates a sense of 90’s nostalgia which pushes the programming of the ambience forwards at a brisk pace. Before long, layers upon layers of different synth melodies are being added to the vocal hook, as Owens renders: “To feel again”, before the track drives a sharp turn, as Hopkins takes over the music machine. He replaces Owens’ soft-spoken vocals with a deafening helping of kick drums and a vibrant, sweeping sequence of methodically formatted snares, as the slow-trance melody is replaced by the embracing of a more thunderous set of sounds. Overall, it’s a wonderful little single which showcases Hopkins’ at the best of his theatrical abilities, but it also adds new elements to his sound courtesy of Owens’ gentle vocals!

  • Pictured: Jon Hopkins in an interview with FACT magazine (Photo Credit: Dan Medhurst) (2015)
  • Pictured: Kelly Lee Owens in an interview with Pitchfork.com (Credit: Jazz Monroe) (2017)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a dubplate reggae track from an underground Birmingham act, of which I’ve covered a track on the blog before, who publish dubplate remixes for all of their featured artists on their Bandcamp.com page! 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: North Downs – “Nightlife Blues”

January 17, 2020 — Leave a comment

Meanwhile, I’m from Down the East Anglia! Good evening, it’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Dad’s Old Tapes” (EP Release) (December 5th, 2019) (Dana Dama Records)

Jacob Braybrooke here! I’m wishing you a lovely Friday and a great… erm… January! Yeah it’s very cold and windy outside, isn’t it? In any case, here’s a brand new track for you to sink your teeth into! “Nightlife Blues” comes from the very mysterious British electronic dance trio North Downs, who I first came across through their collaboration on Maribou State’s “Kingdom” for the latter’s most recent album, “Kingdoms In Colour”. However, the trio of North Downs, who haven’t published much information at all about their members or backstories, have just produced their own release, a four-track EP titled “Dad’s Old Tapes”. An experimental little record which spotlights a knack for creative sounds, the single “Nightlife Blues” has been championed by BBC Radio 6Music presenter Mary Anne Hobbs, of whom I really look up to. This track can currently be found on the A-list of the John Peel-inspired station.

Although it remains a rock record, “Nightlife Blues” dabbles through a lot of different electronic production work and vibrant synthesized pop melodies, which adds discordant effects to the vocal harmonies and a slight ambience, adding a Walkman tape recorder dynamic to the overall sound of the track. “Nighlife Blues” has a very euphonious guitar riff, which creates the feeling of an avant-garde punk record being edited to a contemporary pop format, which reminds me of world-inspired artists like Khruangbin, The Comet Is Coming and Maritoba. The vocals chime in: “Born in the day/born to survive/faking away/chasing the night”, over a collage of synthetic bass riffs and thunderous jazz-fusion influences. This establishes a singular groove of indie rock elements, combined with small elements of funk and nu-disco. A psychedelic pop vibe is also created through the somber chord progression and the lightly tapping drum beat. This also reminds me a little bit of The Avalanches, due to the light funk beat and the repetitive vocal chorus. However, the Plunderphonics influences aren’t as virtuosic and meticulous. It’s a well-curated package of different genres which sounds primed for the daytime or early evening slots at festivals in the summer – with an overall quality of an old-school indie dance-rock outfit like LCD Soundsystem mixed with the makeshift ambience of Bonobo or Caribou. Overall, I think it’s a decent and original mix of different genres, with a soulful quality that seems ripe for evolution and development on full-length LP releases. Warm and solid!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Nightlife Blues” (Single Release) (December 5th, 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as per usual, with a look at yet another new track – this time, it’s a collaboration between a DJ who is the first artist to be nominated as both a musician and producer for his album, alongside a Northampton-based hip-hop artist whose debut LP was nominated for last year’s Mercury Prize award! 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: Floating Points – “Anasickmodular”

January 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

Is it science, magic or great music? a combination of all three? Time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Sam Shepherd in a photoshoot for an interview on the RedBull.com website (January 2018)

Jacob Braybrooke here! It’s not Rocket Science! Well, for this guy, it’s Neuroscience! Seriously, he has a degree in it! I’ve been listening quite a bit to Floating Points recently, a DJ of all things acid techno whose real name is Sam Shepherd, the co-founder of the Eglo Records label. His recent album, “Crush”, was released last November on the Ninja Tune label. It’s an experimental piece of music which dynamically mixes a range of improvisational sounds and electronic ambient works recorded around the world. It’s January, so there isn’t going to be much out until the early Spring heats up. That gives you the perfect excuse for you to go and check it out!

“Anasickmodular” is one of the singles from the album, which has made the A-list of BBC Radio 6Music for several weeks. It was named after the team who did the visual projections, the fact that he was feeling poorly on the day and how he bought a modular out of the box to record it! For me, “Anasickmodular” draws a heavy comparison to the likes of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Since the genre of this single is of a similar tone and style, it reminds me of several Warp Records releases from around the mid-90’s, which partially contributes as to why I like it so much. The mixing and production of the track was created during Shepherd’s live improvised set at Dekmantel Festival in 2017, with other engineering stages completed during a tour date in Sydney. For me, this gives the track it’s freeform and carefree style, which echoes throughout the strange break-beat melodies and the ethereal, percussive garage beats. The texture, as a result, sounds very warm and euphoric, due to a hypnotic trance transition which feels like the music equivalent to a child’s drawing. A twitching, off-kilter drum pattern harkens back to Warp’s late-90’s IDM exports. The midway point is a real standout, as the assortment of ambient sounds swell up to form a synth tendril which forms the effect of an orchestral crescendo. It feels like Shepherd has definitely put his club sensibilities to the test and really pushed himself, as an artist, to deliver this track. He adds a layer of scientific IDM to make it essential!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Crush” (October 2019)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with a look at a new track from an Irish singer-songwriter and music producer who is known for being part of the Irish Trip Hop duo Moloko, who were responsible for the chart hits “The Time Is Now”, “Sing It Back” and “Familiar Feeling”! 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/