125. Lamb – Gabriel
Posted: May 5, 2013 Filed under: chillout, downtempo, electronica | Tags: a song a day, Andy Barlow, downtempo, electronica, gabriel, Koch, lamb, Lou Rhodes, trip hop, what sound Leave a comment
Chill out electronica masters Lamb hit the sweet spot with the trip hop space out wonderment of “Gabriel”, from their 2001 album “What Sound” on Koch.
They never quite broke thru as they threatened to, and having wrapped up the act in 2004, we may never know what heady heights they may have yet scaled. Without a doubt this is goes down as one of the finest chill out tracks of the late 90s/early 00s.
113. Phoenix – Entertainment
Posted: April 23, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, alt-rock, electronica, rock | Tags: #hotfor2013, a song a day, alt-rock, bankrupt!, daft punk, drakkar noir, electronica, entertainment, france, glitch, if i ever feel better, phoenix, synth, wolfgang amadeus phoenix Leave a comment
Rambunctious and full of life, Phoenix are back with their new album. “Entertainment” opens up proceedings with shades of Two Door Cinema Club in a Chinese takeaway but it’s sheer uplifting vibe makes it irresistably addictive.
The whole album breathes with a far more upbeat and electronically glitchy vibe than those that have come previously but it seems the success of “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” has given them a taste of success they don’t want to turn in.
Peachy
109. Breach – Jack
Posted: April 19, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, bass, electronica, house | Tags: 808, a song a day, bass, ben westbeech, breach, dark house, electronica, get closer, grime, house, jack Leave a comment
Breach, a.k.a Ben Westbeech (he of singing and the excellent “Get Closer”) has been bringing the dark house vibes for a little while now and “Jack” rings through. Almost grimeish house, with it’s bouncing 808 bass and stuttered vocals, the vocal is one of those classic loops that you’ll have on repeat in your head long after you’ve stopped listening. Also check out “Let’s Get Hot” below for more similar flavour.
“I just don’t know man…what if they didn’t have to take this photo in black & white?”
108. Daft Punk feat Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers (full)
Posted: April 18, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, disco | Tags: #hotfor2013, chic, collaborators, creators project, daft punk, disco, electronica, get lucky, get lucky full, hi-tak, house, neptunes, nerd, nile rodgers, pharrell williams, random access memories, say say say, todd edwards, vice Leave a comment
It’s fair to say that they’ve played this album campaign for the release of “Random Access Memories” superbly – alongside the Creators series with Vice where they’ve discussed the project with collaborators on the album (including personal favourite Todd Edwards), all they’ve released is this one track which, frankly, is brilliant. It may not be the most innovative track, it may not be ground breaking, but it is just fucking excellent. The album’s scheduled for a late May release, with it’s debut play happening at the tiny Wee Waa Festival in rural New South Wales, Australia. Only Daft Punk.
Thought I must admit, it does have shades of Hi-Tak “Say Say Say”, but let’s not dwell on that.
Ramming it home
106. Charli XCX – You (Ha Ha Ha) [Goldroom Remix]
Posted: April 16, 2013 Filed under: electronica, nu-disco | Tags: 90s, a song a day, charli xcx, comeback, daft punk, disco, electronica, get lucky, goldroom, nile rodgers, nu-disco, pharrell, revival, rokysopp, you (ha ha ha) Leave a comment
Today’s one of those days that I tap the words “nu-disco” into Soundcloud and see what comes up. And this did. It’s rather nice. It’s kind of bouncy, lacing Charli’s vocals over what almost sounds like an up to date Royksopp track dragged out of the 90s. I have no info other than that but sometimes, you just have to enjoy what’s put in front of you.
By the way, disco will probably come back this Summer, thanks to the new Daft Punk album so get your phuturistic flares and paint on, we’re having a party. As soon as there’s a full version of “Get Lucky” you’ll see it here.
Tinged with gold
98. James Blake feat RZA – Take A Fall For Me #newmusicmonday
Posted: April 8, 2013 Filed under: downtempo, electronica, hip hop | Tags: a song a day, CMYK, downtempo, dubstep, electronica, falsetto, hip hop, james blake, overgrown, polydor, pop, R&S Records, rap, retrograde, rza, take a fall for me, wilhelm scream Leave a comment
The ever delightfully weird James Blake drops his new album today, entitled “Overgrown”. It’s slightly more upbeat than the last album (that’s saying something) with a couple of stand out tracks – the previously referenced “Retrograde” and this one, featuring Wu-Tang’s RZA.
Fuzzy static and chopped up vocal samples intersperse Blake’s falsetto and RZA’s relentless, impassioned lyricising, creating something equally emotional and eerie. Blake’s best tracks move away from his tendency to the macabre to remembering his upbeat, dubstep roots but this album definitely feels like a positive progression for the Enfield man.
Get a haircut then
96. White Town – Your Woman
Posted: April 6, 2013 Filed under: electronica | Tags: 1997, a song a day, electronica, emi, jyoti prakash mishra, one hit wonder, parasol records, pop, white town, your woman Leave a comment
EPIC ONE HIT WONDER ALERT!
Covering a 1932 Bing Crosby hit, White Town (aka Jyoti Prakash Mishra) was notoriously elusive, rarely appearing for press shots or in his video. One of the biggest tracks of 1997, he failed to follow up with anything of note and slipped into obscurity but at least had the credit of creating one of the most instantly recognisable and catchy tracks of the 90’s, even to this day.
Rare shot
92. Madonna – Frozen
Posted: April 2, 2013 Filed under: electronica, trip hop | Tags: 1998, a song a day, electronica, frozen, madonna, ray of light, strings, trip hop, warner bros, william orbit Leave a comment
Madonna, as one of the world’s most enduring pop stars, hasn’t half made some shit in recent years. However the Ray of Light album represented Madonna at her edgy best – ground breaking ideas, utilising the 1998 sound du jour of trip hop to create a breathy, ambient and mournful anthem. Stretching over 6 minutes long (most pop songs range around the 3:30 mark), plunging strings characterise William Orbit (as producer) at his finest.
Frozen in places
85. Lion Babe – Treat Me Like Fire
Posted: March 26, 2013 Filed under: #hotfor2013, downtempo | Tags: #hotfor2013, a song a day, boddika, clash magazine, downtempo, electronica, jill scott, jillian hervey, lion babe, lucas goodman, rinse fm, treat me like fire Leave a comment
New York RnB via the finest British tastemakers, Lion Babe (Jillian Hervey & Lucas Goodman) make this trippy, crackly number – think Jill Scott via a slowed down Boddika. Support from Rinse FM & BBC 6 Radio has seen their name rise and still being independent, I’m sure they’ll have plenty knocking on their door.
Lion pups
83. 2 Bears – Bear Hug
Posted: March 24, 2013 Filed under: electronica, garage, house | Tags: 2 bears, a song a day, annie mac, bear hug, electronica, fearne cotton, house, huw stephens, joe goddard, ministry of sound, radio 1, raf rundell, santigold, UK Garage, zane lowe Leave a comment
Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell’s side project fuses the best of electronica, house and lots of garage influences. I picked this track mainly due to the line “I’ve seen you in the bits and I want to feel your tits, give me a bear hug”.
Nuff said really.
Catching Bear Joke
A Song A Day 2013 