Today’s Track: Jitwam – ‘Brooklyn Ballers’

May 5, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Chalo co-founder Jitwam in a promotional photoshoot for ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ (2022) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for me to give a shout-out to the Broolyn Ballers and each of the readers from elsewhere as we get prepared 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! A self-described “Psychedelic Soul Savant” who was born in North-East India, now based between New York and Sydney, moved to New Zealand and Australia to spend his formative years there, later living in monasteries in Thailand and washed-out apartments in London, Jitwam is the co-founder of Chalo, an ambitious creative project alongside Dhruva Balram that supports up-and-coming Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri artists, with a full-length self-titled album being released via The Jazz Diaries in 2020 that had its proceeds donated to the Human Rights Law Network and the Zindagi Trust. As a solo artist, however, he’s released a string of EP’s and a few albums, with 2019’s ‘Honeycomb’ serving as his latest LP. Jitwam has also collaborated with numerous artists including Dam Swindle, Mike Bloom and renowned Broken Beat maestro Kaidi Tatham. Other career highlights include his placements on Moodyman’s DJ-Kicks compilation series, embarking on a national NTS Radio tour in India, touring across the US and Europe, and opening a show for the acclaimed Funk virtuoso Roy Ayers with his full live backing band. His brand new single – ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ – is a one-off release from what I gather, but it offers an energetic ode to his passion for (just) one of the area’s that he has lived in throughout his eventful lifetime. Give it a spin below.

“Brooklyn Ballers is a homage to the city in all its hustle and bustle“, Jitwam explains about the far-reaching notes of the track which are delivered below the soulful and radiant instrumentation, adding, “The magic in the air, that can make dreams come true and can turn your fears into your worst nightmares“, in his own single’s product description on the Bleep website. The opening reminds me of one of Skule Toyama or Night Tempo’s modern Chillwave records, where the summer atmosphere shines right through thanks to the raucous sampled guitar hook that induce the nostalgia of the 70’s Disco-Rock era, before the track soon evolves into more of a Detroit House style of record with additional elements of Hip-Hop and World Fusion music. The lead vocals have a spoken, but catchy and rhythmic, delivery to them where subtle nods to Guns ‘N’ Roses ‘Paradise City’ and Joe Smooth’s ‘Promised Land’ creep in due to the lyrics and the key song structure. A myriad of styles, including Psychedelic Soul and Vaporwave, make their way into the instrumental-driven sections of the track. Jitwam melds together the Gospel-esque backing vocals, some Madlib-style sampling and some Maribou State-style cues of World-Funk and Dub into the mix too to finalise the package, which plays out as a chilled soundtrack to his simple love for the location and a very deep, percussive groover that acts as an ode to some of New York’s most respected producers. The area’s energy is almost embodied by the Jazz inflections and the Detroit House influences, creating a laid back shuffle that gradually builds and draws upon various elements to expand it beyond the original state. A chef’s kiss.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ (Single) (Released on March 23rd, 2022) (via Roya Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my latest blog post, and I’ll be ready to take you through a new entry of ‘New Album Release Fridays’ tomorrow as we take a quick preview of one of the weekend’s new and notable album releases. The record in question comes from the Prog-Jazz and Electronica sides of the Alternative Music spectrum by a duo made up of two members from The Comet Is Coming. The duo’s drummer has also toured with Sons Of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down, and Yussef Kamal.

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Today’s Track: EARTHGANG – ‘All Eyes On Me’

April 18, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Olu (aka Johnny Venus) & WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dut) (2022) (Photo by Jordan Payne/Rolling Stone)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to wipe the chocolate from those Eggs off of your face for a few moments as we listen to 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! The music video for ‘All Eyes On Me’ has recently surpassed over one billion views on YouTube, a great result for the Atlanta-based Hip Hop duo of Earthgang, which is comprised of southern rappers Olu (aka Johhny Venus) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dut – who was born as Eian Parker) who were co-founders of the Spillage Village collective which also includes JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6LACK, Mebera and Benji. Earthgang mostly feels like a side project for the two creatives, who have released a trilogy of EP’s and one major album on the Dreamville Records label that fellow rapper J. Cole heads. The duo released a few singles like ‘American Horror Story’, ‘Aretha’ and ‘Erykah’ to showcase the diversity of subjects being disected throughout the record, but ‘All Eyes On Me’ seems to be one of the most symbolic examples of their new album’s sound and core values. ‘Ghetto Gods’ – their second studio album – has received positive acclaim from publications like AllMusic, Exclaim, NME and Rolling Stone, along with consistent radio airplay from KEXP, making their top ten list of albums being featured regularly on their DJ’s shows. It was produced by Kawan “KP” Prather and SinceThe80’s, and it features a varied range of guest collaborators too. Among these names are people like CeeLo Green, Baby Tate, Future, JID, Ari Lennox, and more. Check out ‘All Eyes On Me’ below.

Referencing the hardships that everyone has been dealing with throughout the pandemic, such as the loss of jobs and the missed opportunities in our lives due to the long-term effects of recent years for their music video, Olu and WowGr8 encourage us to enjoy the most profound things in life while celebrating their survival as black people in America. An effective opening sets the scene with lyrics like “Warriors die, but they live in the sky/I’ve never seen a Gucci watch in my future, sign of the times” that Olu spits out to reference the financial difficulties that many have been struggling through. WowGr8 tells his side of the coin in the next verse, as he raps about taking care of his family despite personal issues in order to tell a larger narrative of the ‘target’ that is placed on the back of his community and the judgment that black people are still constantly subjected to within the environment. The chorus brings together the themes of poverty, addiction, police brutality and prejudice in the legal system with an upbeat spin anyways, as the pair shout us out with sequences like “You survived last year/Get your hands up” and “I know that money tight, that slimmy check light/I should stash some, but we gon’ ball for the night” that illustrates the point of living for today and not showing an overload of concern for tomorrow. The rougher topics of racism, tragedy and horror stories from the hood are still gently crammed into it, but the general vibe is a more relatable and uplifting one overall. These lyrical musings play out to the calming tune of hi-hat’s, chirping backing vocals and an 808 knock that creates a mellow groove throughout, and the duo’s production has a similar energy that drives the emotional, booming Bass beats forwards as the two celebrate their simple achievements of chasing your dreams in a world full of creatives that is plagued by external struggles, and I can see why the track has found so much popularity recently because the points being made are rather universal, but they still feel deep enough to stand out a little bit. I’m not sure that I would revisit it hugely often because it is straightforward, but the verses feel very conscious and the chorus has a catchy energy to it, which makes it feel engaging despite clearly being influenced by mainstream trap. An important act of just patting yourself on the back.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘GHETTO GODS’ (LP/Album) (Released on Febraury 25th, 2022) (via Dreamville Records)

That brings us to the end of another roughly 24 hour period, and the end of another daily post on the blog. Thank you for showing me your support as always, and I’ll be back tomorrow to review a single from an upcoming new album being released by a Canadian singer-songwriter, of Serbian heritage, who is based in London. She has recorded two sessions for Marc Riley’s show on BBC Radio 6 Music, and she recorded a cover version of King Crimson’s ‘I Talk To The Wind’ as a charity single in 2020. Monkeybiz, a website, have described her previous album as “a beautiful work of art”.

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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: Blue Lab Beats (feat. Fela Kuti, Killbeatz, Kaidi Akinnibi & Poppy Daniels) – ‘Motherland Journey’

April 4, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Namali Kwaten (aka NK-OK) and David Mrkapor (aka Mr DM) (2019) (Photo Credit: Blue Note Records)

Good Afternoon to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, as usual, and I’m writing fresh off this marathon of a WWE WrestleMania 38 weekend with 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! Pitching their sound as “Jazz-Tronica”, Blue Lab Beats are the North London-based experimental electronic music duo of sampler and producer Namali Kwaken (aka NK-OK) and multi-instrumentalist David Mrkaor (aka Mr DM) who have sat in the additional production seats for their work with artists like Ruby Francis and Age Of Luna, and they have remixed A-list pop culture superstars like Dua Lipa and Rag ‘N’ Bone Man. The follow-up to 2021’s ‘We Will Rise’ EP is the Grammy award-winning and MOBO-nominated musicians’ latest full-length studio album ‘Motherland Journey’ which they released in late February on the legendary Blue Note Records label. The new creative project explores a whole suite of Avant-Jazz, Prog-Jazz, Afro-Funk, Trip Hop, Boom Bap, Northern Soul and Contemporary R&B influences, and it has been described as an “extremely special album” to the duo, who say, “This album took us two-and-a-half-years to finish, or longest process to make an album, but it was so worth it. On this album you’ll hear many fusions of genres and inspirations that we gathered throughout that time frame and especially to work on so many of the songs during the first lockdown, it was a test in itself”, about their recent release. The title track samples Afrobeat activist icon Fela Kuti’s 70’s song ‘Everything Scatter’ and they were given permission by the BLB estate themselves to use that sample. It features guest contributions from Kaidi Akinnibi and Poppy Daniels, while they also travelled to Ghana to record it along with Killbeatz as the producer. Let’s give it a spin.

Much like all of the classic Afrobeat music releases of the 70’s and 80’s, ‘Motherland Journey’ is designed to replicate a communal experience where all of the different influences and the guest contributors are welcome as long as the album’s flow is not disrupted, and the duo also comment, “When we got confirmation to have Fela Kuti’s vocals from his publishers in Nigeria we were honestly blown away that he could really feature on our tracks. An absolute dream come true.”, on Kuti’s featured artist credit for the eclectic track. The track gets off to a bright and warm start immediately, with a quickly established groove formed by the percussive African drums and the prominent Amapiano stabs that pulls apart the standard tropes of their favourite genres with the introduction of the electronic music elements and the sparse guitar melodies to give the classic sound a more modern, updated feel. The pair layer up some of the Trumpet samples and the Afrobeat-tinged backing vocals together to blur the contrasted electronic and organic sounds together occasionally, but the rotating instrumentals and the upbeat textures creates the most dominant impression where we’re witnessing something improvisational and organic from a live house band, like the performers who used to visit Kuti’s shrines at the heart of the Afrobeat cultural movement, who are simply taking to center stage and jamming with one another, creating a timeless feeling as opposed to overtly recycling outdated ideas for simply nostalgic effect. It is not necessarily futuristic, but it feels well-built and structured neatly, with new melodies being bought into the mix to keep the grooves from getting a little tiresome. Overall, ‘Motherland Journey’ is a wonderfully encouraging listen that pulls off a fresh re-boot of it’s ideas by blending the organic percussion of the classic Afrobeat days with the progressive electronic production standards that we’re used to hearing more often from the west. The final results feel quite accessible and engaging to a fairly wide audience, without the feeling of commercialism ever truly dominating their sound in a blatant way. It just feels timeless and eminently buoyant.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Motherland Journey’ (LP) (Released on February 25th, 2022) (via Blue Note Records)

That brings us to the end of another uplifting track on the blog, and thank you for continuing to support the site. I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss the new single from an Oxford-born classically trained electronic music producer who has been covered more than once before, since I’m such a huge fan of his work. He’s going to release his first album in a decade this July, and his collaborative single ‘Heartbreak’, which he created with Bonobo, was nominated for this year’s ‘Best Dance/Electronic Recording’ honour at the Grammy awards. The British musician is currently based in Los Angeles.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Roots Manuva – ‘Witness (1 Hope)’

March 23, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Roots Manuva in promotional artwork for ‘4everrevolution’ (2011) (Photo via MusicRadar.com)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and if you haven’t had your breakfast yet, it’s time to get your fill as we go retro with a 00’s British Dub/Hip-Hop classic as we go retro for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ on the blog, where we revisit some of the seminal sounds of the past, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Widely considered to be a reference to ‘Doctor Who’ with the intentionally similar melody to the sci-fi phenomenon’s main theme track, ‘Witness (1 Hope)’, released in 2001 by the Stockwell-born rapper and producer Roots Manuva, is a quintessential tribute to British cultural roots that was a stark contrast to the influences of Hip-Hop from the US that was prominent in most other UK hip-hop releases at that point. Infusing the track with Dancehall and Psych-Funk elements, Manuva garnered widespread acclaim for his diverse production and amusing lyricism with the UK Top 45 track. Manuva has since been described as “one of the most influential artists in British music history” by Vice as recently as 2016, having produced several well-acclaimed albums like 2008’s ‘Slime & Reason’, 2002’s ‘Dub Come Save Me’ and, in the case of today’s track, 2001’s ‘Run Come Save Me’. He has also collaborated with an extensive list of other artists including Charli 2na, Gorillaz, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Beth Orton, DJ Shadow, Jamie Cullum, Leftfield, Nightmares On Wax and The Cinematic Orchestra throughout the years. Released on Big Dada in 2001, Manuva’s album breakthrough ‘Run Come Save Me’ earned him a MOBO Award for ‘Best Hip Hop Act’ of that same year. Q also listed the record as one of the best 50 albums of 2001, as Manuva was showered with praise from critics for his individual approach to contemporary Hip-Hop at the time and the uniquely British edge to his songwriting. These days, Roots Manuva is still fairly active. His latest album release was 2015’s ‘Bleeds’ and he headlined the Lounge On The Farm festival in Canterbury, Kent in 2019. Let’s remember the video for ‘Witness (One Hope)’ below.

The Mat Kirby-directed music video that you have just seen – which features Roots Manuva taking part in a sports day at his previous primary school that he truly attended in real life – is a bizzare piece, but it also gained similar acclaim from critics for it’s humorous scenes and original plot. Sports Day is also something that may mean nothing to schools from other countries, and so it really fits the vibe of his track’s point, in a weirdly fitting way. The track starts off with the aforementioned bass line that squelches and crackles to the tune of self-aware lyrics like “I sit here contented with this cheese on toast” and “We drown ten pints of bitter” that reference unquestionably British themes. The low-fidelity bassline has a downbeat, low-end pummeling quality and pulsating, throbbing rhythms that has a low-budget, DIY sense of production to it. On the Reggae front, there’s a fusion of organic Funk and heavy Dancehall going on here, with rickety and makeshift Dub sounds that Manuva claims was composed in protest to the poor quality of the sound systems being used in British night-clubs in the early 00’s, and the deliberate mimicry of the ‘Doctor Who’ theme track is another audacious jab at British popular culture while complementing the Spoken Word delivery of his half-rapped vocals. On the lyrical front, he uses sharp refrains like “I feel the pain of a third world famine, We count them blessings and keep jamming” to draw from diverse imagery of his Jamaican roots, and he’s never afraid to anglicize these ideas for wider accessibility while seeming self-conscious about it. Ultimately, ‘Witness (1 Hope)’ still holds up today as a wonderfully bizzare take on British-Jamaican male experiences and seeking identity in a multi-cultural environment, where the Dub influences feel as sharp as they are lovingly unsullied by the idea of perfection. The lyrics are still unique and innovative, while the track and video still pack an effective punch because of how amusing and engaging they both feel. It was wildly different to anything else at the time and it’s a track that, while holds an influence other modern DIY-style Hip-Hop tracks, also feels impossible to truly duplicate in the same way again. The most relatable element is how we all had to just survive Sports Day. Brilliant, and only he could get away with it.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Run Come Save Me’ (LP/Album) (Released on August 13, 2001) (via Big Dada Records)

That brings me to the end of another throwback post and, as always, thank you very much for supporting the site today. I’ll be back tomorrow, as we head across the shores to the US to review a recent single by a Brooklyn-based indie rock trio who will be performing at The Junction in Cambridge on March 30th. They have supported names like Pixies, Wolf Alice and Cherry Glazerr and they have released material on labels like Fat Possum Records and Mom + Pop Music. They gained the attention of critics with their sets at South By Southwest & CMJ Music Marathon in the mid-2010’s.

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Today’s Track: Bob Vylan – ‘Health Is Wealth’

March 17, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Vinyl copy of ‘BV Presents: The Price Of Life’ (LP) (Available from April 22nd, 2022) (via Ghost Theatre)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and Grime meets Punk today on One Track At A Time as we begin to digest yet another daily track on the blog into our ear holes, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Health Is Wealth’ is the new eco-friendly single from East London-based Rap-Punk act Bob Vylan, a duo comprised of Bobby Vylan and his confusingly named partner in crime… Bobbie Vylan. Not to worry, as it seems clearly obvious that these are not their real names, and it is an evident mick take of the legendary Minnesota-born Blues icon Bob Dylan instead. Throughout their life span together, the two Vylan’s have toured with hardcore rapper Nascar Aloe and they are known for their energetic live shows that have reportedly resulted in them being banned from London’s The Crobar venue for their on-stage antics. They have opened for Nova Twins, MC Lars and Bill $aber, and they have collaborated with Tricky for a track from the Massive Attack alumni’s ‘The Test Of Time’ compilation LP. They also recently collaborated with Kid Kapichi for their track ‘New England’ in January, and they have also performed at festivals including Afropunk Festival in 2018. Having supported high profile acts like The Offspring and Biffy Clyro in recent times, Bob Vylan have just unveiled a string of headline solo tour dates set to take place across the UK in May and June, including a gig near me at The Portland Arms in Cambridge in June. They will be releasing a new album – ‘Bob Vylan Presents: The Price Of Life’ – on April 22nd via Ghost Theatre. Check out their latest single ‘Health Is Wealth’ below.

Bobby Vylan directed the companion video for ‘Health Is Wealth’ with assistance in shooting from Leon Wavey, and, commenting on the integral themes of the track, the ethical duo say, “We want to encourage people to eat and live as healthy as they possibly can and remind people that, when living with a government that is poisoning you with the food that is affordable, lack of investment into the mental health sector and is actively killing the planet with their agricultural and environmental practices, eating healthy and looking after yourself both mentally and physically, is an act of revolution”, in a press release. While not entirely representative of Bob Vylan’s discography as a whole because it feels less heavy and more old-school Hip Hop driven, ‘Health Is Wealth’ re-sets the duo’s sound with more of a Jazz influence and a quirky rhythm section led by upbeat Horn samples. Lyrics like “The killing of kids with £2 chicken and chips/Is a tactic of war, Waged on the poor” and “Just like fizzy wreaks havoc on the gums/And my old man said diabetes ain’t fun” discusses the effects of processed meat and the fast food sector with a light personal touch, while lifestyle-oriented refrains like “Plenty lentils and chick pea curry/20 minute meal for a man in a hurry/That’s real fast food that won’t break the bank/With enough nutrients t fill the tank” offer alternatives to the convenience and affordability of unhealthy ready meal foods. Other lyrics feel more politically driven, with sharp hooks like “Earth getting hotter while the sea levels rise/All because you want burger with those fries” and “Cattle farming still killing off the planet/And it tells us everyday that it can’t stand it” look at sustainable meal planning and hearty lifestyle choices from a wider perspective, and imply how the government’s lack of tackling these problems in favour of other sectors contributes to the issues. There’s enough socio-economically charged lyrics in ‘Health Is Wealth’ to fill a regular blog post twice over with analysis, but Bob Vylan add enough Brass samples to give the track a rhythmic flow and the Hip-Hop delivery feels upfront as to complement the diplomatic tone of the vocals nicely. Your mileage may vary a little on ‘Health Is Wealth’ depending if you think it is too preachy or not, but, for me, I enjoyed how it disassembles the flaws of industrialized food and drink business and looks at the way that the government affects society in terms of lifestyle habits as a whole from a DIY perspective. It feels old school in terms of Hip Hop direction while spreading very informed commentary.

Pictured: Bobby Vylan (Vocals/Production) and Bobbie Vylan (Samples/Production) (2022) (Photo via PR)

That brings us to the end of the day! Thank you for checking out my latest blog post, as your support is always highly appreciated, and I will be back tomorrow for ‘New Album Release Fridays’ as we take an in-depth look at one of the week’s essential new LP releases. This time, we’re spinning a single from the highly-anticipated fifth studio album to come from a Cambridge-born singer-songwriter who strutted her skills to the alternative music community with her lockdown EP ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ that she released in 2020. This household name has also wrote and produced material for a varied list of other acts such as Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Icona Pop and more.

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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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International Women’s Day 2022 Special: Little Simz (feat. Cleo Sol) – ‘Woman’

March 8, 2022 — Leave a comment

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

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and I would like to give a shout-out to all of the heroic heroines of the world as we celebrate International’s Women’s Day on this fine morning, with a themed track on the blog, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! ‘Woman’ is perfect for this occasion, and it comes from the British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz, who continues to become an icon of contemporary popular culture and her music keeps veering into the consciousness of the mainstream. Simz is a real talent who knows how to say it how it is lyrically, she certainly knows how to make an impression without auto-tune, she knows how to work a crowd, plus her flow and production is both effortless and diverse. Also, she raps candidly about a wide diversity of topics, both social and political, with a hyper-personal touch on every subsequent release. She has been around since 2015, and since that time, she’s won both NME Awards and Ivor Novello Awards. She has also performed acting roles in series like Netflix’s ‘Top Boy’ and E4’s ‘Youngers’, as well as appearing in and recording the theme track for the recent comic book blockbuster sci-fi film ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’, and, most recently, she took home the BRIT Award for ‘Best New Artist’ for this year. ‘Woman’ is one of the strong singles from her latest full-length record – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ – that she released last September via Age 101 (her own label). The album appeared on year-end best lists from the likes of Exclaim, Clash, The Telegraph, The Independent and The Line Of Best Fit. The single finds Simz just paying tribute to all of the women who have inspired her during her life. Check out the lavish video below.

Simz enlisted the help of Joy Crookes, Denai Moore, Sienna King, Zeze Millz and more to star in her video, and each of these ladies look as glamorous and fashionable as something straight out of a fashion show. She says, “I love it when I see women doing their thing and looking flawless; I’m here for that”, in a press statement, adding, “It’s empowering; it’s inspiring; I wanted to say thank you and I wanted to celebrate them”, about the track ‘Woman’ at the time of release last year. We start off with a soulful and Jazz-oriented string of instrumentation, where soulful backing vocals that sound golden and retro collide with mellow Keys and slow percussion, but Simz recites lyrics like “Bajan honeys/Know you reppin for your country/Sun kissing your brown skin, looking like money” with a fast flow to give the pacing an uplift, and she summarizes topics like racial identity and personal identity with a gently wisecracking tone that feels like she is almost telling a narrative or story. Throughout the verses, she recites bars like “Miss sierra leone, looking like a gem/Works hard in the week/Party on the weekend” and “Brooklyn ladies/Know you hustle on the daily/Innovative, just like Donna Summer in the 80’s” that shouts out the different role models who have played a role in Simz’ life as a fellow woman and selects a wide variety of name-drops of icons from around the whole world, while highlighting their strengths with a smartly intimate touch. It has a clear Neo-Soul and Psychedelic Jazz vibe throughout, with a mellow style of vocal delivery and Simz makes her lyricism feel wholesome with her unsullied sense of honesty. The backing vocals by Cleo Sol – who worked nicely with Simz on earlier tracks like ‘Selfish’ during previous albums – complements Simz’s warmth neatly because her harmonies feel luscious and smooth, so the two work cohesively again and make a decent pair together because Sol adds even more radiance to the richness of the Soul, Gospel and Jazz fusion of the backing instrumentals. Overall, ‘Woman’ is absolutely the definitive single for us to celebrate International Women’s Day along to, because it is a captivating take on saluting female gender in the media from a songwriting perspective, yet it never feels like it does so in a way that feels ruthlessly marketed or conformed to a particular formula. Instead, it boasts a message of self-confidence and connects with Simz’ own story of finding personal success and creative fulfillment despite gender politics in the mine-field of the industry, before ending on the witty plea of a voicemall call from a family member – who is very lucky, honestly, to be talking to such a fantastic talent in Simbi.

Pictured: Little Simz in an official promotional photoshoot for the ‘Drop 6’ EP (2020) (Photo Credit: TAMIYM)

I’m a huge fan of Little Simz, so she’s no stranger to these parts. If you loved hearing all about ‘Woman’, you can check out some of my other features regarding Simz here:

‘I Love You, I Hate You’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/09/03/new-album-release-fridays-little-simz-i-love-you-i-hate-you/

‘Introvert’ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/04/27/todays-track-little-simz-introvert/

‘Where’s My Lighter?’ (2020) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/15/little-simz-feat-alewya-wheres-my-lighter/

‘God Bless Mary’ (2015) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/09/04/todays-track-little-simz-god-bless-mary/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ (LP) (Released on September 3rd, 2021) (via Age 101)

That brings us to the end of today’s celebrations! Thank you very much for joining me today, and I’ll be back tomorrow as we go retro for another weekly iteration of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’. We’re going truly old school this week, as we celebrate a British Ska revival and 2 Tone band who have been around ever since they were formed in Coventry during 1977. They famously recorded hits like ‘Ghost Town’ and re-created ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ with Dandy Livingstone. This act last released an LP in 2019.

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Way Back Wednesdays: Jurassic 5 – ‘Concrete Schoolyard’

February 16, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Charli 2na, Cut Chemist, DJ Nu-Mark, Akil, Zaakir & Marc 7 (Date n/a) (Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has arrived for me to take you on a ride in my musical DeLorean as we pay a small tribute to one of the seminal sounds of the past for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ on the blog, which fits my theme of writing up about a different piece of music every day! Comprised of MC’s Charli 2na (Charles Stewart), Akii (Dante Givens), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc 7 (Marc Stuart) and DJ’s/Producer’s Cut Chemist (Lucas McFadden) and DJ Nu-Mark (Mark Potsic) – Jurassic 5 were actually a six-piece crew who came out the Los Angeles venue of Good Life and they were trailblazers on the global hip-hop scene, both critically and commercially, throughout the late-1990’s and the 2000’s. They were very much known for being old school and proud of it, with their lyrics mixing braggadocio rhymes with simple tributes to the art form of Hip-Hop and street poetry itself. There were no over-produced auto-tune melodies, no blatant money-waving, obvious misogyny, no outrageous grand-standing and just a sprinkling of swearing – but they simply packed out live sets throughout the UK and the US by encouraging a live crowd to get on their feet and interact with them, with most of their success coming directly from good word-of-mouth and a mixture of sought-after EP releases, to start off with, that were initially only available through Import in the UK. They had hits including ‘What’s Golden?, ‘The Influence’ and ‘Quality Control’ that made the likes of Charli 2na and Cut Chemist household names. Their highest-charting single in the UK is ‘Concrete Schoolyard’, which reached #35 and it was taken from their debut self-titled album released in 1998, but it also appeared on the self-titled EP release from a year prior. The Jurassic 5 logo’s that you can find on the front cover of the EP and the album were designed by Charli 2na himself, and NME named the album as their 9th best from 1998. Let’s play on the ‘Concrete Schoolyard’ below.

Although they offered something fresh to many listeners of all backgrounds, Jurassic 5 decided to call it ‘Quits’ in 2007 shortly after releasing their fourth studio album – ‘Feedback’ – citing creative differences as the reason, yet they returned to the stage and recorded some new material for a reunion during 2013 and 2014, and each member of the band has continued to release new music individually. As for ‘Concrete Schoolyard’, the core ethos of their message was “Let’s take it back to the concrete streets/Original beats from real live MC’s” as they aimed to provide their freshest Hip-Hop sound yet. At the time, Hip-Hop was decidedly either Dance Pop-oriented or Grunge-influenced in terms of visceral production, and so Jurassic 5 naturally decided to keep it simply by incorporating thick and floating Piano chords into their backing beats on ‘Concrete Schoolyard’ with a kick drum beat that makes the soundscape feel warm, but making for a slower tempo than a typical Hip-Hop release where elements of Soul and Baroque can peek in. It is melodic enough, however, with a final breakdown that increases the danceability of the recording. Refrains like “Playground tactics/No rabbit-in-the-hand tricks/Just that classic rap S**t from Jurassic” also provide a clear sense of clarity as the Alternative Hip-Hop collective make it their mission statement to disregard sleight of hand tricks or conform to pre-conceptual trends and place a larger emphasis on their influences instead. In conclusion, on ‘Concrete Schoolyard’ – which was reportedly recorded with Dave Matthews of all artists – Jurassic 5 were admittedly good and they were a much-needed breath of fresh air. There was no tropes and no tricks, just good old-fashioned MC’s with a solid sense of slight satire which was a clean cut above the rest.

Pictured: Charli 2na & Krafy Kuts in a PR shot for ‘Adventures Of A Reluctant Superhero’ (2019) (Photo via Last.FM)

That’s all for now! Thank you lots for checking out the blog that I’ve been working on today, and I’ll see you again later as we break down some more brand new music. Tomorrow, we’ll be listening to the album announcement track from a brand new artist who is based in London but originally hails from Calabar, Nigeria. He does a lot of interesting things with Afrobeat and his 2020 EP ‘Which Way Is Forward?’ landed a spot on my Top 5 EP’s list of that year, and he’s recently collaborated with Little Simz.

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Today’s Track: Eddington Again – ‘Petrify’

February 10, 2022 — Leave a comment

Pictured: Eddington Again in a recent promotional photoshoot for MusicAlternatives.com (2021) (Photo via PR)

Good Morning to you! You’re tuned into One Track At A Time and you are reading the words of Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to present yet another daily track to your eardrums on the blog, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! One voice that you need to hear right now is the husky vocals of Eddington Again, a multi-instrumentalist and producer who fans of Yves Tumor or Alfa Mist are likely going to get a little kick out of. Currently based in Berlin, but native to Los Angeles, Eddington Again’s music typically dabbles in sound collage elements with Post-Rock and Noise-Rock influences to form a crescendo of Experimental Rock soundscapes which tackle a diversity of personal and intimate themes courageously. Eddington began their musical career as a crucial figure in LA’s queer underground, and they have cited. Bloc Party, SZA, Santigold and Sampha as a handful of their biggest influences. In addition to this, they have performed alongside Flume, Charli XCX and Dam Funk on the live touring circuit. Support has also poured in from i-D Magazine, Mixmag and Boiler Room 4:3 over the years since Eddington first surfaced in 2015 as an emerging artist. One of their strongest singles is ‘Petrify’, which was recently featured on an episode of BBC Radio 6 Music’s ‘The New Music Fix’ curated by Tom Ravenscroft – the son of the late-great BBC Radio 1 host John Peel. It arrives via Friends Of The New – a division of Majestic Casual. Let’s check it out below.

‘Petrify’ was accompanied by a cinematic music video that was directed by fellow LA-native artist 011668, a close friend of Eddington’s back home, and Eddington brings context to the single by stating, “Petrify is a story based on experiences dealing with fragility in lovers and the people closest to me”, in a press note, explaining, “Not having a place to fully be transparent about my past, gifts and heightened awareness leading me to dwell and cultivate my power alone in the dark”, in their own words. Starting off with a dark tone, Eddington pulls us into their haunting flood of emotions with “I don’t wanna petrify you, I just want to tell you my secret” with a half-spoken and half-rapped delivery that is paired to a driving, but ethereal, guitar sample and a percussive drum work-out that is played on a loop continuously, conveying the disorientation that Eddington feels when they expose others to their own fragility. Shuffling hi-hats and a snappy, stuttering Snare pick up the nervous energy of Eddington’s voice that leaps and bounds around a hazy Baritone vocal that floats between reverb-drenched guitar strums to the motion of soulful R&B beats that complement his vocals with a mix of tender emotion and a sense of danger. The abstract visuals of the attached music video are compelling too, but there’s a great mix of straight to-the-point lyrics and a brisk pace to the instrumentation that make the emotive layers feel convincing, with Eddington’s vocals eventually breaking into a lovesick croon as the sonic production becomes more energized and the rhythm becomes a floating mix of underground dance influences and light Hip-Hop intricacies. Overall, ‘Petrify’ represents Experimental Pop at it’s most effective, with the track showcasing the knack for emotive lyrics that Eddington has and a very unique fusion of influences that bound together to create an intimate, gripping single.

Pictured: Eddington Again in a professional photoshoot for his artist page on Simbi.com (2018) (Photo via PR)

Thank you for checking out my latest post on the blog, and please feel free to join me again tomorrow as we take an in-depth look at one of the weekend’s hottest new album releases by sampling a single from it and, this time, we’re listening to a single that was recently promoted by KEXP’s Song Of The Day podcast. The album itself comes from a bold Danish film composer who once headlined the Orange Stage at Roskilde Festival in front of 60,000 people with a set design created by Henrik Vibskov.

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