Tropicalia

Today’s Track: Rodrigo Amarante – “Tango”

September 21, 2021 — Leave a comment
  • Pictured: Rodrigo Amarante performing ‘Raul Campos’ for LAMC (2016) (Photo by Jack Vartoogian)

Good Afternoon to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for me to get typing up on the blog for 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! Today’s track comes from the Brazillian indie Folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and lyricist Rodrigo Amarante, who has just released his first solo album in seven years – since 2013’s ‘Cavolo’ – on the Polyvinyl Records label. Amarante has worked as a composer and arranger for a selection of Brazillian alternative soul groups like Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial and Little Joy, and enthusiastic Netflix fans may know that he wrote and performed ‘Tuyo’, the theme track for the streaming site’s original TV series ‘Narcos’ and ‘Narcos: Mexico’ that aired in 2015 and 2018, respectively. During his career, Rodrigo has rubbed shoulders with Brazillian Tropicalia movement icons Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa, and he performed at the Latin American Music Conference in 2017. He also appeared as a guest on the ‘World Cafe’ podcast for NPR Music back in August. His latest album, ‘Drama’, was released to positive reviews at the end of July, and it thematically explores the topic of masculinity in the modern world. ‘Tango’ is one of the few tracks on the new LP’s listing to be sung entirely in English, and so it serves as a great introduction to his work for Western audiences. As we already know, it takes two to Tango (That was bad…) and so he’s brought on his frequent collaborator – the Los Angeles-based and London-born musician Cornelia Murr – on board for some airy backing vocals on the soulful track. Check it out below.

“When I wrote this song I was projecting the idea of a love that lasts, one that is mutually supportive and reliable, safe in that sense, and I can’t imagine that being possible without a good dose of sense of humour”, Rodrigo Amarante told Northern Transmissions about ‘Tango’ in a press release, elaborating, “That seems to be the only way to get through it, the hard times. The song describes this love through what appears as dance instructions, pleads, the co-ordination of movements.” in his notes. ‘Tango’ certainly feels like a natural product of this hint of realization told by the two dancers in the music video, with the choreography adding a sense of constancy that the dream-like guitar melodies can only hint at. Fragility shines through Amarante’s voice, as he recites romantic lyrics like “Catch me if you can again/Hold me if I fall, You’ll know when” atop the steady percussive backdrop and the twangy acoustic guitar riffs that feel influenced by Reggae as the sound also makes for a nicely chilled out beach listen. The first-person perspective switches to more of a duet vocal format towards the end of the track, with Amarante and backing vocalist Murr telling the story of lovers meeting on the dancefloor, while the beats remain gentle and fairly swooning in style. The vocals counter one another nicely due to the swaying rhythms, and the relatively quiet Horn sections emerge and retreat from the picture in due course, providing another sultry element for the two vocalists to produce a laidback sound from. Overall, there are lots of elements in ‘Tango’ that work really strongly, from the settled, worry-free and radiant mood that it creates, to the more subtle instrumentation that complements the romanticism of the sound nicely as well, while the track also manages to capture elements of Tropicalia and Rocksteady from the past without sounding terribly outdated, albeit not sounding majorly current either. A quite elegant little piece of Folk that exhibits the precise footwork of the titular dance.

  • Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Drama’ (LP) (Released on July 16th, 2021) (via Polyvinyl Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for joining me on the blog for a few moments and I’ll be back tomorrow for ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ as we take a break from my own recent recommendations to revisit the seminal sounds of the past! This week’s pick comes from an 80’s UK Synth-Pop act that have been in some news circles lately because their masterpiece from 1991 – ‘Laughing Stock’ – has celebrated it’s 30th anniversary!

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Way Back Wednesdays: Gilberto Gil – “Aquele Abraço”

May 12, 2021 — Leave a comment

“Gil is Tropicalia’s rude essence” – Sasha Frere-Jones, 2020. Finally, let’s go Way Back!

  • Pictured: Gilberto Gil in Valencia, Spain (2021) (Photo by Gérard Giaume/Berklee College Of Music)

Good Morning to you! It’s a beautifal day outside, and so I’m here to sweeten it up with your daily track on the blog, as it’s still my day-to-day pleasure. First of all, my apologies for disappearing from the face of the Earth for the last couple of days. I ended up getting a small extension for my Masters work because my project wasn’t quite ready yet, and it’s been a busy road of traffic up in the head lately. I’m perfectly fine now, so don’t you worry. I’ve always set up this blog as a place of pleasure and enjoyment, and so I never wanted for it to feel like an obligation or a chore, so I just needed a minute to focus on the stress personally and the tasks at hand. It’s all good!

With those modules submitted, let me introduce you to our pick for today. For my project, I was researching ‘World Music’ and whether this term holds discriminatory context. One of the genres that I explored was Tropicalia, a movement that saw it’s artists – the likes of Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and Bahian graphic designer Rogerio Duarte, express political protest through eclectic music styles and promote messages of defiance against the ruling military coup which took over Brazil in 1964. It was a moment, rather than a movement, with the protests winding down from around 1968 onwards. It was a very busy time for the likes of Gilberto Gil, however, who was also very much a key creative figure in the revolution. Gil and Veloso were threats to the military. They were imprisoned for two months, then deported, moving to London for a little bit. He returned to Bahia in 1972, and he’s continued to work as a musician, politician and environmental advocate. He also served as Brazil’s Minister Of Culture between 2003 to 2008. “Aquele Abraço” was issued in 1969 by Universal, but Gil would perform the track during marching protests during the time of Tropicalia. The title roughly translates to “The Hug” in English. Let’s reflect on the busy time for Gil below.

‘Aquele Abraço’ was written during a time of house arrest, where Gil developed the melodies and lyrics, before putting together the instrumentation for it’s recording. It became a major hit in the charts of Brazil during 1969, and it was performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games by Marisa Monte and Seu Jorge of the Bossa Nova corporation, MPB. Reaching iconic status in his home turf, Gil’s lyrics invoke themes of neighborhoods, Samba schools, national landmarks, and the popular musicians of Rio De Janeiro. I’m not entirely familiar with how the music was made, since it was well before my time, and I cannot understand the actual lyrics. However, it’s clear enough that it’s Latin-flavored Samba with a gentle guitar rhythm. The rest of the instrumentation is very percussive, with shuffling Maraca beats and a shimmering Cuica rhythm that creates a sultry, sentimental and celebratory tone. Gil whoops and hollers his way through soft, lounge Jazz influences and psychedelically driven drum parts that get some effects going within the backdrop. It mostly feels like a love letter to his nationality and his peers, and expresses a sound that overall feels ‘exotic’ or very ‘distant’ in it’s experimentation – where sentiments of Rock ‘N’ Roll and the use of electric guitars make the rhythms feel progressive for the time. On the whole, it’s an impressive combination of relaxed and joyful, and it was too edgy to be seen as lawful by the government. That’s a pretty big thing. I have probably got a different stance on it as a Western listener with a white British ethnicity compared to the purpose of the track for the society it was aimed at, and it’s worth considering that I’m only reviewing it in hindsight. However, it’s still evident that Gil is music at it’s core – expressing to the public of Brazil that arts and culture had a role in developing Brazil as a nation during his commercial peak and soaring to the heights of Tropicalia.

  • Pictured: Gilberto Gil in a PR image for NN North Sea Jazz Festival on July 12, 2019 (Photo via NSJ)

That’s all for now! Join me again tomorrow as we pick up right where we left off with some brand new music. Tomorrow’s talent is a gender fluid rapper, producer and visual street artist who is also the founder of the NiNE8 Collective in London, and they share an eerily similar stage name to a certain under-rated star who scored a huge UK and US hit with ‘Bulletproof’ in 2007. 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: Baba Stiltz – “Running To Chad”

December 21, 2020 — Leave a comment

This is it – A chance to take! Nightlife scene, all the plans you’ve made. New post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Art for “Running To Chad” (LP) (Released on September 25, 2020) (via Self-Released)

Good Morning to you! My name is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time again for me to get typing up about your daily track on the blog, because it has always been my day-to-day pleasure to get writing to you about a different piece of music every day! Although his name makes him sound like he’s a French mime artist, Baba Siltz is an upcoming, 27-year-old Experimental Electronic Dance musician from Stockholm, Sweden. He started making electronic dance music at the age of 15, releasing quirky and experimental Alternative Pop records under the mantra of the “Bethlehem Beard Corporation”. That was 10 years ago, however. Fast-Forward to 2020, where his artist biography on Spotify reads as simply “No one puts Baba in the corner”. That, and he has also released his latest solo album – titled “Running To Chad”. This follows Baba’s unconventional songwriting through the explorations of Surf-Rock, Soft-Funk and Psychedelic Rock, and it plays out mostly like a Swedish artists’ take on the beach-ready California rock sounds of the 1960’s and the 1970’s. The EP was released back in September, which he self-released. Let’s check out the title single of the record below.

The “Running To Chad” EP also features remixes of the titular single from DJ Python and Jesse, the first being a minimalist Techno cut that slowly builds to a warmer, more pulsing House track, and the second remix cut – from Jesse – is a deeper and more meditative, ambient take on Baba Stiltz’s track. As for the original itself, the track feels like a love letter to the classic, summer-geared Rock sounds of The Beach Boys and The Surfaris, as Baba whips up a lighthearted, melodic track where he comedically drops in one-liners like “San Diego dreams, California love” with a slightly cerebral and ethereal, low-pitched croon delivery. He plays the sense of quirky humor very cool, and he wears it’s heart on his sleeve while keeping a straight face through the entire length of the track – an almost 6-minute fusion of percussive drum beats, laidback bass guitar grooves and a soft Techno acid section gradually forming in the centre. The lyrics of “What you running from? Indigo dreams and a pocket full of ones” and “Took a trip, It’s an easy out/Bleach-stained hair on a Bus down south” are whimsical and darkly rhythmic, as we build to the killer hook of “It’s your favourite game, Now you’re on a roll/No return, gonna lose control”, with a distinct and flat dance-not-dance form of vocal pitch. Everything builds up to an interlude of fluttering Acid synths and percussive, Tango-esque backing beats. The instrumental has a very light-hearted and warm texture, and it feels excellent for the grim weather that we’re currently receiving here in England, as my friend pointed out to me on the phone today when we had a quick chat about this one. I think this is a track that may take longer for some people, most likely the more casual listenership, to truly connect with – in fact, I didn’t really get it at first, probably because I wasn’t really born in the Surf-Rock era that the track is borrowing from. However, it’s very worth the time and the effort, because this track feels really ‘cool’, in the way that it walks the line between a Dance tempo and a Cerebral vocal, and it is unlike anything else that I’ve been hearing recently. Now I can’t stop playing it – and it doesn’t get old!

  • Pictured: Baba Stiltz in a photoshoot for a Inverted Audio feature (2014) (Photo via inverted-audio.com)

Thank you for checking out my latest blog post! I’ve got more music tomorrow – a last-minute addition to our schedule on the blog for this week, with a track that came out in 2010, and I think that it’s now super relevant again given the recent news about the Christmas season, especially here in the UK. The track, never released as a single, comes from one of my “Jacob Classics” – a poetic Swedish singer-songwriter from Gothenburg who once wrote an anecdotal track about the famous movie actress, Kirsten Dunst. 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: Disclosure – “ENERGY”

August 28, 2020 — Leave a comment

If you thought The Chemical Brothers were the space and time of British electronic dance music – these two are actually brothers. It’s all relative! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Guy Lawrence (Programming/Engineer) and Howard Lawrence (Turntables/Effects) being interviewed backstage at the Roskilde Festival, Denmark (in June 2015) (Photo Credit: Marv Watson/Redbull.com)

Good Morning! I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, since it is always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Fittingly releasing on a Friday, which is today, in time for the underground raves you can’t go to, is “ENERGY”, the third studio album from the Surrey-raised real-life Brother DJ duo of Howard and Guy Lawrence, as Disclosure. It marks the end of a very long and grueling wait for their fans (Including my friend Grace, in particular), since this is their first proper album release in half a decade. They have kept their fans busy in the gap with a recent string of live mixes, new EP’s and the odd collaboration or two, along with mixtapes and regular live-streamed sessions, of which many of the obscure tracks appear on the deluxe version of their new album. It has a promising guest line-up, with the likes of Kelis, Slowthai, Fatoumata Diawara, Mick Jenkins, and several more involved. Disclosure have some mainstream hits under their belt with the likes of Sam Smith and Khalid, along with two Grammy Award nominations for Best Dance/Electronica Album for 2013’s debut “Settle” and for 2015’s follow-up LP “Caracal” too. Let’s stream the titular track below.

If I’m completely truthful with you, I’m not quite as familiar with Disclosure as more alternative British EDM acts like The Prodigy or Aphex Twin, because I’ve usually dismissed them a little bit as “Just Pop DJ’s”, seeing as they have worked with my current least-favourite Sam Smith for goodness sake. But, I’m now going to give up the cynicism and openly admit it. I LOVE ENERGY! I think this is a really, really, REALLY good track, and I’ve been streaming it on repeat a few times. Let’s start off with the opening, as a nice element of Deep House gets immediately established through the heavy West African drum melodies which the brothers borrowed from some samples they took from an album of Brazillian library music. These get layered out to the beat of a strong vocal performance that preaches mottos like “Right now, you should feel invincible, powerful, strong” and “If you are alive, I know you ain’t reached your best yet” with Acid synth sections and grooving Conga drum patterns. These vocals were recorded by Eric Thomas, who provided vocals for Disclosure’s early track “When The Fire Starts To Burn”. Thomas signals that “Now, we gon’ take it to another level” as the brothers unleash a cooled sequence of flickering Synth rhythms and light stabs of Acid Techno beats. They feel upbeat and moving, but they also have a calming effect. It leads up nicely to a startling finale of diverse, world-based instrumentation and Preacher-esque lead vocal sections from Eric Thomas, whilst the drum beats keep repeating and the Synth sections keep pushing-and-pulling the pacing up, with a polished sheen that stitches everything together with excellent flow and a faultless cohesion. The results make “ENERGY” feel vibrant and fresh, with a very exciting sound and a diverse sonic pallete that takes influence from a surprising range of Earthly sources. Based on what I have heard from Disclosure before, this is absolutely one of their best, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I’m glad it sounds as though Island Records, the major label of which they’re signed up to, hasn’t seemed to get their hands on the creative direction very much, at all. It just rocks my socks off.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “ENERGY” (Released on 28th August, 2020) (Album/LP) (via Island Records)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a recent rework of a cult classic single recorded by an Australian Experimental Electronic Dance duo who have seen countless lineup changes throughout the years, and have performed many comeback gigs in recent years, including a gig at The State Library Of Victoria as part of Melbourne Music Week in 2016, and a one-off double gig with Snog at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria during 2017. If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Nicolas Michaux – “Parrot”

August 11, 2020 — Leave a comment

You’ve got to listen to what the Parrot says – and try to repeat! It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Amour Colère” (Available from September 25th, 2020) (via Capitane Records)

Good Morning! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily post on the blog, as like always, because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! “Parrot” is a hidden gem of a new track which I heard during John Ravenscroft’s edition of 6Music Recommends last week, and I’ve sadly never heard of Nicolas Michaux before. Michaux is an emerging singer-songwriter who was born and raised in Belgium, but, according to the info on his Bandcamp page, he now divides his time between his home-turf’s capital city of Brussels and the Danish Islands of Samsø, where his family lives. This is where he writes, records and produces his own music, alongside a bit of time growing vegetables with his family. He self-released his debut album, “à la vie, à la mort”, in 2016, and he performs his music in both English and French. “Parrot” marks the signal that his sophomore LP effort, “Amour Colère” is due for it’s release on September 25th, and he’s signed up to Capitane Records for his next creative endeavor. Let’s take a listen to “Parrot” – with it’s Visualizer video below!

Michaux writes that “It’s one of the oldest songs on the record, but the one I recorded last” and “It’s a slightly obscure and ambiguous song, but by its themes and images I have the impression that it speaks of our time.”, upon explaining the themes and writing of the new track. The hard work paid off, because this is an excellent jangly Tropicalia-Pop cut that hints towards 90’s Brit-Pop and 00’s Synth-Funk, with vocals that evoke Thom Yorke and synth melodies which remind me of LCD Soundsystem. Michaux opens with: “Your frustration has a face, but the guard said no picture” in a low-tone delivery, as a hint of Nu-Disco flavor bursts through the Indie Rock frame, with a dry Snake Drum bassline, and a stripped-back rhythm guitar instrumental. He introduces a radiant backing vocal in after the first chorus, as the Kick Drum groove carries on going within the background of a smoky, baritone Punk direction. The lyrics are ambiguous and undefined, although a soft Political message about using vice presidents as Puppets screams out to me, with the main hook of “Listen to the words that the Parrot says, and try to repeat”. It surprisingly builds to an eminently danceable, globally-influenced outro. It retains the core guitar-and-drum groove, but an acidly jittering bass guitar line gets woven into the mix, along with a repeatedly shimmering guitar backing and a soft, Summery electronic synth riff that makes you feel the need to get up and move. The outro is lively and exciting, evoking qualities of Tropicalia and World-Rock with a slightly Vintage sound with solid ease. Overall, I think it’s brilliant because the production behind the track sounds gloriously eclectic and fresh, with cool guitar lines and a melodic drum groove that burns slowly to the tropical finish. We should be supporting artists like Nicolas Michaux on daytime radio.

  • Pictured: Nicolas Michaux in a publicity shot to promote the release of “Parrot” (Single) (2020) (Photo via PR)

Thank you very much for reading my new post! I will be back tomorrow for an in-depth look at another emerging musical artist, but this time, it’s going to be on more homely ground, with an LGBT Dance artist currently residing in Bristol. The artist performs under an alias which is named after a popular brand of Deodorant that all British guys typically get for Christmas. 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

Scuzz Sundays: Terrorvision (feat. Mint Royale) – “Tequila (Mint Royale Shot)”

July 19, 2020 — Leave a comment

A caricature of the past? Or, does is it still sound in Mint condition? It’s Scuzz Sunday!

  • Pictured: Physical CD copy of “Regular Urban Survivors” (Released on 11th March, 1996) (via EMI/Total Vegas)

You know what day it is! 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 write about a different piece of music every day! Sunday is Scuzz Sunday, where we revisit an emo-rock or pop-punk classic from the late-1990’s until the mid-2000’s to see if it can live up to modern standards, named in honor of the now-defunct Scuzz TV freeview channel. Terrorvision were a successful British Alternative Rock band from Yorkshire who disbanded in 2001, before they re-united in 2011, with mainstream chart hits including “Perseverance”, “Bad Actress” and “Alice, What’s The Matter” over the years. For their fourth album, “Shaving Peaches”, released in 1998, Terrorvision decided to go in a more pop-oriented and chart-friendly direction, or rather, their label did. “Tequila”, a single from the album, was Terrorvision’s rework of the 1958 instrumental “Tequila (The Champs Song)” by Danny Flores and The Champs, a track which is widely recognizable. The instrumental was heavily sampled by Terrorvision, who used the tune of the main melody, to create their “Tequila” track. The album featured co-production from Edwyn Collins, and “Tequila” reached #2 in the UK Singles Charts after it had been remixed by Mint Royale, the alias of EDM producer Neil Claxton, who had a famous hit with “Singin’ In The Rain” that was released in 2005, and it re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2008 at the #1 spot after Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson used it for his semi-final and final performances on the TV show. This one is a little different to our usual Scuzz Sundays fare. Let’s have a listen below.

A crossover hit for the band, “Tequila” was remixed by Mint Royale to a big success rate that Terrorvision were undoubtedly not very used to, but it’s a hit that their label wanted, with mainstream success and all the expectations that come with it being handled to the band on a silver plate, as the band was bound to a contract with EMI and had to release it, at their discretion, after Zoe Ball (the BBC Radio 1 breakfast presenter at the time) gave it significant airplay. “Just looking for a hit” is never something that sits well with me, but the quality of the remix alone is in reasonable shape. Claxton uses the modulated sample of a children’s choir to add a chaotic, witty upbeat effect to Tony Wright’s post-punk influenced vocals. The vocals are highly reminiscent of Gorillaz, with a low-tone Albarn-like croon that creates a cohesive “Chalk and Cheese” effect to the high-pitched gospel voices. The guitar riffs of the original track are still thrown in, but their tone is more cheerful and high-tempo due to the dance-heavy backing loops. Wright’s vocals repeat: “Con Tequila, when the doors are opened, and Con Tequila when they’re calling time”, layered above uptempo Vibraphone chords and Whistle sections, both of which have a spinning, Carousel effect. The arrangement still retains it’s post-punk elements by including the main rock instrumentation and keeping the original vocals intact, but the sound geers towards a Brit-Pop flavour that reminds me of Blur, with a short and sweet drum loop that sounds more akin to “Fly Life” by Basement Jaxx. The result is predominantly still a soft-rock record, but the presence of the Sun-soaked electronic beats and the sultry themes of having a cheeky alcoholic drink in the sun make the 50’s instrumental sound refreshed under a new guise. It’s just a matter of perspective!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Shaving Peaches” (Released on 5th October, 1998) (via EMI/Total Vegas)

Thank you very much for reading this post! Tomorrow, I’ll be kicking off the new week by covering a fairly recent track that I sadly didn’t get around to covering beforehand. It comes from a very talented Black singer, producer and songwriter who was shortlisted for his very first album for the Mercury Prize in 2011. His third album, released in 2015, was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize that year. 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: Manu Dibango – “Soul Makossa”

July 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

Talk about The Lion King, this one is The Founder Of Funk! It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Soul Makossa” (Released in 1972) (via Fiesta Records (France) and Atlantic Records (USA))

Where are you, Sun? Good Morning, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog, as per usual, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Manu Dibango was a Cameroonian musician and songwriter who played both the Saxophone and Vibraphone, and he was born to a father of the Yabassi ethnic tribe, and to a mother of the Duala group. Manu Dibango developed his own unique style of music, covering a vast spectrum of traditional African roots music – and he fused them together with a cohesive range of genres – such as Jazz, Afrobeat, Salsa, Samba, Gospel, Reggae and Blues. His biggest hit was 1972’s “Soul Mokassa”. The name is very self-explanatory, it’s simply a fusion of Soul and “Mokassa” – an Urban Cameroonian style of Jazz that blends prominent use of Brass sections with electric Bass rhythms. The refrain has been sampled by Michael Jackson and Rihanna, and the single was a huge influence on Kool & The Gang. It also led Dibango to frequent collaborations with the legendary Fela Kuti. An interesting fact about this track is that only few copies were ever printed, and after widespread airplay on WBLS (the then-most popular Black radio station in the US), over 20 cover versions were recorded by different groups to capitalize on the high, but limited, demand. Sadly, we lost Manu Dibango on 24th March, 2020 after he caught COVID-19, whilst living in France. Let’s get lost in the sounds of “Soul Makossa” below.

Undoubtedly driven by it’s very Saxophone-based grooves, many have claimed “Soul Makossa” to be the very first, true Disco record. There are no traditionally written lyrics to really speak of, but there is a prominent use of Lead Vocals. Manu Dibango’s claim to fame was the “Mamma ko, Mamma ka” rhythm pattern that gets scattered throughout the track, and the “Ma-mako, Ma-ma-Sa, Mako-Make Ssa” choral refrain that played a massive factor in defining the significant sound of a “Disco” record. The vocal refrain gets repeated by a choir in the backing vocals, but the instrumentation clearly has an even more lasting effect. Dibango plays beautifully on the Saxophone, and he is a great arranger. The track gradually adds layer upon layer of bright, warm Saxophone riffs. These are very upbeat and cheerful in tone, but it’s not so much of an uplifting pop sound, as there’s noticeably a tight edge of Jazz in the loose Vibraphone sections and the Congolese rumba sounds, wrapped in ensemble Conga drum patterns and ongoing, mid-tempo Trumpet shifts. He also mixes the catchy vocal patterns together with the key shifts between major and minor, to add new elements of Afrobeat and Ska to the persisting, recurring Brass-centric patterns. This is delightfully repetitive and breezy, with a summery warmth that makes it sound like the musical equivalent of grabbing a can of San Pellegrino (I assure you, this is not sponsored) on a scorching hot day, and just necking it down. Rest In Peace, old friend!

  • Pictured: Manu Dibango playing a live set at an undisclosed music festival (in 2014) (Photo via Wikicommons)

Thank you very much for reading this post! As always, I will be back tomorrow for our first-part (of two) look at the brand new double single by an indie Dream-Pop group from Lund, a city in the South-West province of Sweden. They’ve often been compared to The Postal Service, and the group got their brodcast-related name from a local petrol-station-turned-radio-station-turned-repair shop called “Radioavdelningen”, and giving you the rough translation will ruin the suprise I’ve given to you from these clues! 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 Post: Khruangbin – “Pelota”

June 26, 2020 — Leave a comment

Does it live up to the hype or should it go in the Khruang-Bin? It’s time for a new post!

  • Pictured: Laura Lee (Lead Vocals/Bass Guitar), Mark Speer (Lead Guitar/Occasional Backing Vocals) and Donald “DJ” Johnson (Drums/Percussion) in a press shoot for the “Con Todo El Mundo” debut album era (2018) (via Echoes.org)

At last, it’s big release time! Good Morning to you, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! I’m glad the scorching hot weather has calmed down a bit, aren’t you? But, imagine the feeling of partying on a pleasantly warm beach in Croatia while you hear a DJ busting out the Earthly, Dub-inflicted Funk sounds of Khruangbin! It would be perfection, and it’s a tranquil feeling that the Houston trio of Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald “DJ” Johnson are hoping to capture on the new album, “Mortdechai”, which is the follow-up to 2018’s “Con Todo El Mundo” and it’s 2019 dub remix album “Hasta El Cielo”. They also released “Texas Sun”, a collaborative 4-track EP with Leon Bridges, in January of this year. So, they’ve been all over the shop – both sonically and geographically. I was very impressed with “Time (You and I)” and “So We Won’t Forget”, the previous two singles from the brand new album, although they don’t switch up the familiar formula of Khruangbin from their previous releases very much. “Mortdechai” releases today on the Dead Oceans label. It’s up to “Pelota”, the new single to be released by the band in support of the new album, to carry the hype train along. Let’s have a listen to it below.

A music video that is loosely based upon an animated Japanese film which has not been named by the band, Khruangbin’s “Pelota” sees director Hugo Rodríguez pair images of a Japanese Anime-style character morph through spherical shapes as the guitar-driven motifs of “Pelota” warp around a Latin American Pop style, full of Polyrhythmic drum beats and hand-clapped Jazz intervals. Khruangbin’s new album is their first to feature prominent vocals on every track, deviating from their predominantly instrumental style prior, but I was even more surprised to hear vocalist/bassist Laura Lee sing in Spanish on the new track, “Pelota”. The core lyric hook, “Ahorita Yo Puedo Ser Uno Pelota”, is a rough translation to the irreverent chorus “Right now, I can be the ball” in Spanish – an undercurrent to the track’s hidden meaning of the band exploring and observing the world by envisioning themselves as rubber balls. Silly as it may sound, it works well. This is because the band retain their dub-based, Funk and World aura with bass guitar riffs that feel familiar to their existing work, pleasing their built-in fanbase. “Pelota” has a more grounded feel to the previous two singles, “Time (You and I)” and “So We Won’t Forget”, due to the tempo being slightly raised by the lead vocals, and a lesser focus on their psychedelic trip. The instrumentation feels quite percussive, with an energetic lead guitar melody and jolting Steel Drum melodies rippling throughout. Although it’s a mostly abstract outing, it manages to negate my light concerns of the new album not sounding different enough to their prior releases to stand out amongst them. The proof will be in the pudding, however, and judging by the quality of all three singles from the new album, it’s shaping up to be one of, and potentially even, their best. I absolutely can’t wait to stream it later today once my jobs are done.

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Mortdechai” (Released on June 26th, 2020) (via Dead Oceans)
  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Pelota” (Single) (Released on June 16th, 2020) (via Dead Oceans)

As I mentioned, I am a huge fan of Khruangbin so I have covered multiple tracks from them in the past. Have a listen to “Time (You and I)” and “So We Won’t Forget”, the other two singles from their new album, “Mortdechai”, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/02/todays-track-khruangbin-time-you-and-i/ and here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/20/todays-track-khruangbin-so-we-wont-forget/, respectively. Check out my thoughts on “Texas Sun”, the titular track of their collaborative EP with Leon Bridges, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/01/06/todays-track-khruangbin-feat-leon-bridges-texas-sun/. Finally, you can check out the festive hit “Christmas Time Is Here” below: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/13/todays-track-khruangbin-christmas-time-is-here/

  • Pictured: Khruangbin outside of the BBC Radio 6Music studios (2018) (via BBC Music)
  • Pictured: Khruangbin performing a live set at Coachella (2019) (via Timothy Norris/Getty Images)

Thank you for reading this post! In regards to #BlackLivesMatter, we endorse the peaceful protests on One Track At A Time. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at a track from a South-London based drums player who was one half of the sax-and-drums duo Binker & Moses, and he also fronted his own indie rock band, Exodus. 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: Orion Sun – “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)”

June 22, 2020 — Leave a comment

Tiffany Majette wanted to be an astronaut but she turned to music. It’s new post time!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Hold Space For Me” (Released on March 27th, 2020) (via Mom +Pop Records)

Good Morning, I am Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing about your daily track on the blog because it is my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! We’re going to kick off the new week with a track by talented up-and-comer Tiffany Majette – who performs under the alias of Orion Sun – a Philadelphia-born contemporary R&B/Neo-Soul artist who had a viral hit with 2017’s “Antidote”, off her self-produced compilation LP “A Collection Of Fleeting Moments and Daydreams” released that same year, which has amassed over 6.6 million streams on Spotify. Her latest album is “Hold Space For Me”, and it was released to positive reviews by Mom + Pop Records at the end of March, earlier in this year. Majette has a very confessional, heart-on-your sleeve vocal style, with Funk-led Drum grooves warping around radiant Synth-based instrumentation to create a fruitful blend of Neo-Soul, modern R&B and pop-based Electronica. Her single, “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)” is based on Nina Simone’s cover of Jacques Brel’s track of the same title. However, Majette strips the sadness away and focuses on the joyous elements instead, stating that it’s about: “falling in love unexpectedly & feeling like its too good to be true but actually it’s good and true. This feeling was proof to me that good things can happen to people that feel ugly inside.”. Let’s watch the video for “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)” below.

A music video with a hand-crafted look that matches the D.I.Y. mentality of the track’s production process, “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me” starts off with a flipped sample of Simone’s rendition, before washing waves of small guitar loops and Reggae-like drum beats create a sun-dripped vibe. Majette croons: “Swear you came down like a comet/You’ll be all in my dreams like I’m f***ing haunted” over the sparse keyboard riffs and ambient synths to produce the first verse. The chorus feels similarly nuanced and vulnerable, as Majette sings: “It feels so good to know you” and “it feels so damn good”, placed above gentle guitar string plucks and Soul/R&B-instrumental breaks that also create a wider Folk influence in the slow-paced narration. The end continues the poignant blend of the three genres, but it’s noticeably relaxed by an instrumental section that carries the synth-led crescendo of spaced guitar licks and mid-tempo drum grooves along well, before she uses “Love me, forever” to bring the ambient piece to a close. It feels ripe for Summer listening despite the March release, with attentive production that provides meshes R&B-led and Electronica-driven synths with slow instrumentals that bring elements of Jazz Fusion and Folktronica to the table. I think the best is yet to come from Majette since I guess that it gets a tad repetitive, but it’s otherwise a welcoming offering that feels melodic enough for the mainstream to get, but the vibrancy makes it more appealing.

  • Pictured: Tiffany Majette in a photoshoot for a Q&A feature with Flaunt.com (2020) (Photographed by Sandy Ismail)

Thank you for reading this post! In regards to #BlackLivesMatter, we endorse the peaceful protests on One Track At A Time. Please go and check your local area for good charity causes that help those directly affected by racism and injustice. As per usual, I’ll be back tomorrow with a new post. I will be looking at another recent track, this time coming from an Italian experimental electronic music producer who is currently signed to Warp Records and he is also the co-founder of Presto!? Records. 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: Khruangbin – “So We Won’t Forget”

May 20, 2020 — 1 Comment

I say that to myself every day in pretty much any situation. It’s time for your new post!

  • Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Mortdechai” (Available to buy from June 26th, 2020) (via Night Time Stories)

Good evening, I’m Jacob Braybrooke and I’m writing up your daily track on the blog because it’s my day-to-day pleasure to write about a different piece of music every day! (Yeah… that even means Christmas!). I’ve written a couple of posts about Khruangbin before because I am a huge fan of the Houston, Texas Trio – who create an upbeat and gorgeous World sound through their unique mixing of Neo-Soul, Jamaican Dub and Tropicalia influences, who are releasing new singles in the build to their upcoming follow-up album to 2018’s debut “Con Todo El Mundo” and 2020’s “Texas Sun” collaboration EP with Leon Bridges. The album, currently set for release on June 26th via the Night Time Stories label, is called “Mortdechai” and sees an enhanced focus on prominent vocal spots by vocalist Laura Lee and guitarist Mark Speer, a first for the band. Last month’s “Time (You and I)” saw Khruangbin retain their usual formula but go for a more disco-inspired release, a single which really blew my socks off. On Tuesday, they dropped “So We Won’t Forget”, a more laidback and mellow cut from the upcoming record. Will my socks stay on by the end of the track this time? It’s time to find out! Let’s have a listen to “So We Won’t Forget” below.

The bunny on the bike has the power to turn that frown upside down… and so does the track. “So We Won’t Forget” is a smooth glide through sun-glazed funk grooves and globally influenced syncopated guitar riffs which reflect their strong, acoustic rock guitar sound. Laura Lee chimes, under a Falsetto: “One to remember/I’m writing it down now/So we won’t forget”, layered on top of a bright, soothing guitar melody and light-stepping drum percussion. Less instruments are used on “So We Won’t Forget” than “Time (You and I)”, but it doesn’t change the mellow production style or detract from the warm, honeyed Jazz sensibilities that made their previous single such an effective source of relaxing transportation. The chorus refrain goes: “Never enough paper/Never enough letters/So we won”t forget”, delivered over the top of an Earthly bass guitar riff and a Mediterranean-esque keyboard riff, both of which keep getting repeated in a Dubbed style for good effect. Later on, the band chant: “Call me what you want/Call me what you need/Words don’t have to say/Keep it to myself” following the interlude of an acoustic breakdown. The vocals are prominent, but they feel minimal underneath the instrumental-led, guitar-driven rock sound. It sounds very familiar for existing fans of Khruangbin, but that’s not a bad thing, because the instrumentation is beautiful and it simply doesn’t need to evolve very much at this point. The end result is a track that sounds majestic… and I’m not wearing any socks!

  • Pictured: Laura Lee (Bass Guitar/Vocals), Mark Speer (Lead Guitar) and Donald Johnson (Drums) (2018) (via PR)

As mentioned, I have previously covered a few Khruangbin tracks on the blog before! If you missed out on “Time (You and I)”, you can peruse the link here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/05/02/todays-track-khruangbin-time-you-and-i/, you can read my thoughts on “Texas Sun” with Leon Bridges here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/01/06/todays-track-khruangbin-feat-leon-bridges-texas-sun/, or get in the festive spirit with their cover of “Christmas Time Is Here”… Well, here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2019/12/13/todays-track-khruangbin-christmas-time-is-here/

  • Pictured: Khruangbin in a press shoot in the “Codo Todo El Mundo” (debut album) era (2018) (via Echoes.org)

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’l be back tomorrow, where I’ll be giving my in-depth review on a fairly recent track from a US electronic pop duo signed to Ninja Tune, one half of which is an on-air personality for The Late Late Show with James Corden, a US late-night television talk show. In the meantime, please stay alert, don’t do anything silly and keep washing those hands! 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/