2018?? I don't know her x

Hello hello lovely people! Welcome to my last post of the year, the last ramblings that rattle through my brain before 2019 hits and we're back and ready to do it all over again (10 points if you know the meme). Ramblings is actually very accurate, as I just want to chat about bits and bobs rather than have a specific theme. Let's look back over the year and enjoy some nostalgic vibes.

I hope you all had lovely Christmases by the way. I haven't stayed at home for over a week in a long time; it was a really needed break and peng to have some proper family time, fights included. I was actually given a vinyl player, amp and speakers by my rents, something I've wanted for a couple years now and I'm majorly hyped for. I've been shopping about to start to build up a collection. Peggy Gou's 'Once' EP I felt was a good start, then I found Burial's 'Untrue' and Basement Jaxx's 'Rooty' for some throwback feels. A nice mix, but it's really made me think about the logistics of album content; there's been an ongoing discussion for a while of whether it's a dying art form, but I really don't think it's going anywhere. There's such a beauty to how you have to consider the general atmosphere an album will create if you pop a vinyl on rather than just picking the best songs to queue. It's a different experience but the outcome can be even more effective, especially when that one song does come on halfway through and everyone gets gassed together. I think albums define the direction an artist is going in when they release their latest music, and even as playlists are becoming ever more popular, I don't reckon they're going anywhere.

On that note, how do you build a playlist? I always used to just base everything off the first song I put in it and then over time it wouldn't make much sense - everything would somehow link to that first song in a way, but as a whole it wouldn't really gel. To break out of that cycle I've done two things; I've started playlists based on a few of my friends, so that way I know what I need to share with them and people with similar taste, and also I get this peng side effect where if I miss them, I can just listen to it and feel closer to them!! Awww, cringe I know, but it does work. Anyway, the other thing I've started doing is giving playlists names that in my head I really relate to a certain feeling music might give me. For example 'oi oi' for when a tune is pure YES no matter where/when it comes on, or I have one called 'boo' for those songs that are cool and interesting but always seem to be a bit spooky or west to put on in most contexts. Honestly, it genuinely seems to be forming more cohesive sets as a whole, so by all means follow my (slightly west) lead.

Spotify's 'Wrapped' playlists have been interesting too. I'm baffled by how much my music taste changes over the year - not just from beginning to end, but even each couple of months, and so the 'most listened to' playlist has been jokes. My top song is 'Let Me Go' by Branko which will come as a surprise to absolutely no one who knows me, I don't think I'm ever going to get over that banger. I've even gotten into the remixes of it again recently, and then re-listened to the original and it's like it's fresh and new again once more. Looking back over it, it's weird to see so many memories that I'd sort of forgotten because I had stopped listening to those songs after a while. In some ways, you can really define who you were at points in your life by what you were listening to, but I didn't realise the accuracy of that could come down to different sections of a year. How certain songs are perfect in just the right moment is something else that struck me scrolling through. Shy FX's 'Gold Dust' edit was the absolute faultless choice at the point it came on during Rudimental's Bestival set and I haven't been able to forget it since. 'Flowers' is always the perfect moment at a house party, no matter what, and nothing bangs better than Jamie XX's 'All Under One Roof Raving' during a long, rainy bus ride, trust me. On a similar train of thought, 'Evening Side' works best in the morning and 'Morning Side' at the end of the night, in my humble opinion.

So, there's just a quick few things I wanted to spill before the clock strikes twelve. Have fun tonight everyone! Be safe and dance well - by your own standards, not other people's. Oh, by the way, I've been listening to my Discover Weekly during this, so check out Misty Cold, Endless, Lit, Soak It Up and Induction when you get the chance. Lots of love xx

BEST 10 SONGS OF 2018 | 24/12/18

It's been a while since I made a blog post, but now I'm back home for the holidays I'm excited to sit down and write up some music thoughts. I've been playing tons of electronic music to my parents to good reception (I think) since I've been back, determined to get them raving. x

Just to catch you up on some things in the last couple of weeks, Disclosure's 'Where Angels Fear To Tread' has been my Christmas mood, and I've just discovered Subjoi's 'Flashing Lights' EP which I have been obsesseddddd with. A couple weeks ago I went down to Brighton and saw Four Tet (3rd time this year!) at Patterns, which has been the best gig I've been to recently. Being at the front and seeing him DJ so close up was a whole different experience. I'm going to save my praise for later in this post, but he never fails to impress.

So, as it's coming to the end of the year, I wanted to do a review of my favourite songs of the year, it's definitely the main trend at the moment. I think it's been a pretty diverse year for music and great stuff has been coming out all over the place. Certain songs define the sound of the year, whether it's pop or tech-house, and these are the top ten I think represent that for me. Opinions are opinions, and I'm not saying I know better than anyone else, but I can vouch that they're all tunes regardless. 

#10 Thank u, next - Ariana Grande

Starting off the list with an extremely niche and obscure artist, most of you probably have never heard of her but I'm great at discovering these hidden gems, it's a gift. In reality, the reason I've included this is the exact opposite. I've never seen a pop song so perfectly marketed for its audience. 'Thank u, next' blew up instantly on release, sends a good message and is catchy af. It's certainly not musically innovative, but it does what it was made for better than any other song this year. Paired with the music video that came with it, I reckon it's one of the key pop culture moments of 2018, and for that it deserves a place on this list. Ariana's vocals are soothingly smooth and gel well with the warm synth chords. Feel good, easy listening. 

#9 Sometimes The Going Gets A Little Tough - Mella Dee Going Got A Bit Tougher Mix - Finn

Can't say much for the original but Mella Dee's remix is pure gold. Feeling down? This will cheer you up. Feeling happy? This will maintain your mood. Going out? This is will get you gassed. Shoutout to my friend Rosie for bringing this track into our circles and not allowing anything else to be played - you've got it into this list. The melody bounces along so cheerfully it's hard not to dance along, and even though it's repetitive it doesn't get old. There's a shorter version, but the 'tougher' mix manages the build ups more effectively and overall produces a better track. 

#8 February 3rd - Jorja Smith

Jorja Smith brought us her first full-length album this year with 'Lost & Found' and it didn't disappoint. I was going through an intense breakup when it came out and so it's always going to have personal meaning to me (same with Lily Allen's 'No Shame' - ouch). Quite a few of the songs had been released before, but out of all of the new content, 'February 3rd' is the most memorable. The instrumentation is stunning, the perfect backing to Jorja's honeydew voice, making the perfect vibe for chillout sessions. The emotions are raw, emphasised by the high note of the chorus hook. My personal favourite part of the song is repeating countermelody in the synth that comes in about halfway and continues almost to the end of the song, bringing you into a trance of 2018 R&B.

#7 Keflavik - Kasper Marrott

Keflavik, meaning 'Driftwood Bay', is a town in Iceland, and Kasper Marrott is a producer from Denmark. He brings fire from the cold fjords to techno with this track, and it's one of my favourites from the genre ever. It's ecstatic, alive, energised, it doesn't stop for the whole eight minutes. I find it quite impressive that it manages to stay continuously interesting for such a long time and at such high energy. There are multiple breakdowns, different layers of melody intertwine and crossover creating completely different sounds, and the bass thumps through the whole time. The complexity of the texture is allowed to work by a simple bassline which keeps everything grounded. 

#6 Immaterial - SOPHIE

SOPHIE's new album this year 'Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides' was a big moment for electronic music this year. It's been nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the Grammy's, and it featured the artist's own vocals for the first time. This track, 'Immaterial', actually features Cecile Believe as the vocalist, but it completely represents SOPHIE's 'hyperkinetic' style. All of the instrumentation is built on waveforms rather than utilising any samples, and so it's completely built from scratch. She is constantly groundbreaking in electronic music, and is the sound of the future. Not to mention, the track is an absolute BOP, with the hard hitting bass and synths making it great to dance to. The bridge and build up to the final chorus is fantastic, and it is one of the best songs I've heard on a night out for pure hype value. We stan!

#5 Night Surfing - Booka Shade Rework - Booka Shade

I always go on about songs being a journey, but this song is a JOURNEY. A rework of the original from their EP 'Cut The Strings', Booka Shade create an emotive masterpiece from what was already a strong track. The suspense grows stronger, the music gets louder, the meaning gets deeper. Even as the arpeggios hop around rapidly, the overarching melody is steady and effective. The bassline springs along underneath, and the waveforms distort to embody a different sound per breakdown of the structure. 04:38 in particular is brilliant, with a slight melodic alteration to emphasise the emotionally-charged drop. Their EP Rosebud which they released quite recently is also really great so check that out, but if you're up for a journey, listen to this one. 

#4 Siren Calls - George Fitzgerald

I really struggled to choose just one track from Fitzgerald's 'All That Must Be', but I settled on 'Siren Calls'. It's ambient, mysterious, I get this image in my head of riding a boat through a foggy swamp, as you hear movements in the waters that you can't see. The air is green, the trees hang low, ripples flow across the top of the water. The drum beat, with the echoing cymbals, is hypnotising, and quite new to my ears. Together with the acid synth it creates a classic electronic sound. It's the silence three minutes in, however, before the music returns once more, that I really love about the song. It's unexpected, as if you think you're safely through the swamp before the mysterious sounds return again. Can't wait to see him at Printworks next year! Along with...

#3 Pick Up - DJ Koze

The one and only. Koze's album 'Knock Knock' is potentially the best one this year, and in particular this track has been everywhere this year. I heard it in countless sets this summer, and it never gets old. It has that air to it as if you've heard it years ago, like it's already nostalgic, and that's really hard to capture. Maybe it's the way he has sampled Melba Moore together with Gladys Knight, and that little guitar hook is fantastic without a doubt. He brings out the melancholic tone to the lyrics that he sampled in a totally unique way over the joyful instrumentation. Other songs on the album are fantastic too, 'Seeing Aliens', 'Colors of Autumn', but 'Pick Up' is definitely the one that is going to be remembered, that will remind us of 2018 in years to come. 

#2 Opal (Four Tet Remix) - Bicep

Nothing reminds me more of this summer than this song. When they launched the confetti cannons at Lost Village on the final drop of the track, everybody felt so united in the moment and I remember it every time. If I was going purely based on personal attachment, this would have to be number one. Four Tet has taken an already great track and with just a few minor alterations to enhance the 'plot' of the music he has perfected it. From the ambient opening to very last second, it's unadulterated enjoyment. He's played it every time I've seen him which indicates how big it's been this year, and it's such a crowd pleaser. The articulated main melody flows seamlessly between soothing and harsh, and the samples of talking voices and Four Tet's classic sporadic metallic tones really add to the atmosphere. The drums are simple and compliment the music pleasantly. I think what really makes this track work is that it never tries too hard; there's no overly exploding drop or moment everything leads up to. It's the feeling it gives you as a whole, and for that, I think it's one of the best songs of 2018.

#1 It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) - Peggy Gou

Somebody had to come first, and I think Peggy Gou deserves that with the year she's had. The Ninja Tune EP 'Once' features this track as one of three, all of which are great, but 'Itgehane' is unquestionably the standout. I also loved her At Night remix so much, but felt like this one is the more iconic choice. Like 'Pick Up', it has the air of an instant classic, but it doesn't sample or make reference to past tracks to create this, you can just tell it's that brilliant. It came on 5 times at a house party I was at earlier in the year, and it really made me realise that you just can't get enough of it. The Korean lyrics are beautiful, and the meaning behind them is awesome. The mixture of acoustic and acid sounds blend wonderfully together, and it's a track for all ages. When music is good, it's just good. In addition, the remixes she's released for 'Itgehane' are all pretty cool in their own way, so check them out here. I recommend the I:Cube one in particular. As she plays more and more around the world and cements her place in the community, 2018 will be the year it all happened for Gou. I can't wait to hear what she has in store for us next year!

So, there's the top 10. Please feel free to share your thoughts or any track I've slept on with me! I've made a Spotify playlist including them all if you want to listen to them all at once, so you can find that here. A few others worth mentioning that are also sick are One More, Silky, Man of the Land and Lightning - Ross from Friends Remix. Merry Christmas everyone! I'm hoping to make another post before New Year, so hopefully see you then. x

MS. LAURYN HILL x O2 ARENA 3/12/18

Last Monday, I saw Lauryn Hill perform at the O2 to celebrate twenty years since the release of the one and only 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'. I don't feel remotely capable or qualified to give a full review of the show, but it was impactful enough for me that I don't feel like I can just leave it out of this blog. 
Her debut album after leaving The Fugees had her nominated for ten Grammys, winning five, and immediately earned her a place as an icon of music. It's one of my favourites of all time, and I couldn't wait to experience it live.

I want to get one thing out of the way straight away; there were definitely major issues with the sound throughout the entire performance, particularly at the beginning. It definitely affected the experience; singalong sections were difficult to recognise and the star was constantly being overpowered by the drums especially. You could tell she was aware of the issues as she consistently mimed up or down to her technical team offstage. Of course, this was disappointing, but I'd rather address it and move on than let it affect my entire opinion of the show. 

Lauryn Hill was decked in an oversized Eighties tartan suit with matching cap, with head-sized square-hoop earrings, all over a sheer top and black bralette. Love. Love. LOVE. It set the tone for the direction she took the set in, liberally rearranging the numbers as she went, scatting back and forth with her three back-up vocalists, breaking out of a strict, rehearsed atmosphere. Perhaps this was where some of the issues with the sound came from, as this is not the typical style you would expect in a venue as big as the O2 Arena, but it's how she wanted to showcase her work. As the show was about to start, the hype woman got everyone in their 20s, 30s etc. to cheer, and it was incredible to hear such an even split over the generations, making you realise the universal impact her music has had on our society. 

Every number was an emotional journey. Opening with 'Lost Ones', moving through the album with highlights in 'Everything is Everything' and 'Final Hour', Hill told her story in retrospective and it was just as powerful. Her voice has somewhat matured in tone when it came to rapping, but the beauty, power and timbre in her singing was still ever-present. Moments when all of her backing would drop out to leave her laid bare highlighted the vocal strength and stage presence she is gifted with. Drawing towards the middle of the set, she gave a beautiful rendition of 'Forgive Them, Father' as a montage of police brutality against African-Americans was played all over the screens. It was incredibly moving, disturbing, raw, everything it needed to be to drive home how serious the issue is. The musical performance intertwined with the visuals to create a moment I was glad I was present to witness, and although Ms. Hill gets a lot of criticism for how she has handled her career since the release of this album, it was reassuring to see her use her platform in this way. As you looked around the audience, everyone was gazing up at the screens in awe, she truly captivated our attention. Other numbers included clips of Nina Simone and other important figures in a similar montage-style, and while the production was somewhat low-budget, it was nevertheless undoubtedly effective.

'Ex-Factor' and 'To Zion' both really hit me in the feels. To hear her speak words of her young love as a grown woman differentiated between the two; in the prior you could sense acknowledgment of her passionate youth from a place of experience and growth. Her feelings had been real, but she had since become more sophisticated in her views and understanding of love. That being said, 'To Zion' brought us an elation and confirmation of her feelings from twenty years ago. Since then, she had watched her baby grow into a man, making all the more poignant her connection to her child, and that the 'joy of my life is in Zion'. Relating the mother-child bond from birth to adulthood all in song, what an experience to share with her audience. 

It wasn't just through song that she conveyed the impact the album had made, however. Taking a pause to tell us a story, Hill described her 1999 performance at Brixton Academy (oi oi South London!!) and the fact that a ten year-old Adele was in that crowd. Adele has spoken before about how 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' is her favourite album of all time, and the message the artist sent of the continuation of legacy acutely expressed the power music has to me. It inspires new music, which does the same in turn, and through generations it allows people to express themselves artistically in a way nothing else can. If Lauryn played a part in bringing Adele to the world, then that's just another reason to love her and her music.

Rounding off the set, along came 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' followed by 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Both huge crowd movers, in totally different ways. Everyone around me lost it when the piano chords started coming through for the first one, and it was the most successful singalong of the night, not to say it wasn't without some reinvention onstage. Euphorically uplifting, so much fun, the backup singers and band were just as fantastic as the woman herself. It gave everyone a chance to party properly, before cutting our hearts into pieces with her final song. Her vocals were perfect, and the emotion of the number rained down on us unendingly until she left the stage. It's been twenty years since 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill', and it's still every bit as brilliant today as it was then.  

Discover My Weekly #2 | 3/12/18

December has begun and so has Christmas music. Not gonna lie, I'm not a huge fan. Other than indisputable works of art such as 'All I want For Christmas Is You' or 'Last Christmas', I don't really get the idea of listening to one cheesy genre for a whole month. It wasn't a thing in our house growing up at all, so maybe it just comes down to what you're used to. It's actually something me and my flatmates agree on music-wise for once though, so at least it's bringing us together for the holiday season. <3 

I thought it was about time to do another Discover Weekly post, and as if the music gods knew, my playlist was overflowing with great finds. I noticed great variation in particular, which made me wonder whether somehow this is worked in to the algorithm or it's just coincidence. The balance between hype and chill, electronic and acoustic and happy and sad were all relatively perfect for my taste, so without further ado, let's talk sounds and beats.

#1 Delirious - Kimyan Law Remix - Bcee

Kimyan Law is a 23 year-old producer from Austria, Bcee has been making Drum & Bass since 2002 and is the founder of Spearhead Records. I love DnB but rarely find tracks that I find as fresh as I feel I used to, this definitely breaks that cycle. He's taken a classic DnB formula and remixed it in a way where I feel the original tone of the song is there, but it's dramatically transformed. The beat is erratic and exciting, the sampling creates this chant-like effect and the deep, full sound of the synths used creates antithesis with the sharpness of the drums. It's just nice to listen to, and I can imagine huge aerial shots of oceans, deserts, vast planes of land over the top of it. Bass is heavy, but not overpowering, something I think is cliché and quite boring in this area of music generally. It's certainly not repetitive, so Law has managed to keep it interesting for over five minutes; always a good sign. 

#2 Bo & Wing - Maya Jane Coles

Maya Jane Coles is someone I've heard loads about for being up there with London's greatest at the moment but neglected to check out properly. Definitely my loss, as this track from her 2017 album 'Take Flight' is beautiful, and I can't wait to listen to the rest. She's famous for writing, producing, engineering and performing all aspects of the majority of her music, which is an incredible feat in itself. This song is lonely, there's hints of despair and hope intertwined. The slow conga beats and snare with the bass guitar provide a intoxicating base to the sound, and the shrill 8-bit rising patterns and distorted vocals lift this up slightly into the air. It's somewhat thought-provoking, which is hard to explain why when it's just music, no words, but hopefully someone knows what I mean. As we pass into the second half of the song, there's a constant ostinato melody, beautiful in itself, but as the beat shifts several times underneath, you really get carried away with the music, until ultimately you are brought to the end.

#3 We've Been - Frederic Robinson, kordz

Four minutes forty-four of pure bliss. Frederic Robinson is part of Hospital Records, aka 'Med School', where the emphasis is on experimentation, clearly evident in the track. It's a combination of jazz and electronic vibes that I've never heard before, and it's fantastically refreshing. My favourite thing about the track is the seamless transitions between piano and different synthesisers in continuing the rapid-running melody. It summarises the genre-blending nuance that stands behind the track, and combined with the striking bass, it really creates an impact. The music is fast-paced, jumping between sparse and dense textures repeatedly and really keeping you on your toes. If I had to sum it up in one word, I would have to say unpredictable, in the best possible way. Coolest new thing I've heard in a while. 

#4 Mood - Lex Amor

North London lyricist Lex Amor brings us 'Mood', which, to be honest, is a mood. The production is simple and effective, just a classic trap beat with constant hi-hat with rolled chords over the top, it's chilled out but it's got an attitude, just like the rap over the top. I love the way her voice sounds so much, it's so LDN and new, kind of gives me looms. vibes too. The lyrics are really what makes the song, they're relatable and raw. The way she spits relays what she's trying to say, it's the swirling pressure of life weighing down on you, all these different factors giving you stress, not giving you a minute to relax. 

#5 1st World Tragedy - Connie Constance

Another London WoC artist! There can't be enough to be honest. This is quite different to the above though, more jazz-influenced chill vibes, with a slow break-beat and piano, synth and guitar melodies. Her voice is stunning, slightly husky and so warm, and sounds like it was made to mix in with the other sounds of the instrumentation. The lyrics are a comment on our commercial, superficial and capitalist society. This time it is the words that are thought-provoking, and it's pure poetry. It catches the irony of first-world struggles without trivialising it too much or making people feel bad for complaining, the focus is instead on how we've been influenced to think like this. I'm going to link entirety of the lyrics here, but 'your addiction will cut off your dick soon' is my favourite line - genius! The line the song ends on is impactful, and as the instrumentation has completely dropped out, it leaves it on your mind.

That's all for this week, please check out all the artists and if you know anything important that I have missed out or neglected please let me know and I will include it! Enjoy the tunes x

BICEP x PRINTWORKS 21/11/18

I've been complaining to all my friends about how sad I was that I didn't get tickets to Bicep at Printworks 'cause I thought they were too expensive at first and then when I realised I had to go it was too late. It's funny how if you complain about something enough, you annoy the universe so much that it just gives in. So, on the day of their first show, I found half price tickets, and of course, copped them. Shoutout to Will on Instagram.

I've seen Bicep DJ sets before and they've been very much enjoyable but nothing I've wanted to go crazy about - the thought of a live show was much more exciting to me. The album has a consistent sound and yet variation in mood enough to create highs and lows in the set. As I'll explain later, this definitely turned out to be the case. We arrived just in time to catch the beginning of the performance, and there was a general murmur of excitement running through the crowd. Which, by the way, was massive, and the way Printworks is laid out boxes you in under such a high ceiling that the crowd seems even more intense. 

They opened with 'Orca' - first song on the album, pretty straightforward choice. It was built up really effectively to bring us in and get us hyped for the show before dropping the bass heavy. Their 3-bicep logo was pulsating on the screens behind them and the ground was shaking. Truly captivating opening. I think 'Metro' came next - my memory is a little fuzzy here so can't say much - but 'Rain' was the next huge tune. I've mentioned it before in this blog and it is without a doubt one of my favourite tracks from the duo. The crowd mentality was superb, it was almost like the rails up the walls around us were shaking with the rhythm. The light show onstage during this was particularly impressive - as well as the general geometric patterns, flashes of light would fade in and across the screen; visually mesmerising, acoustically brilliant.

Suddenly, we move into the Bicep remix of Isaac Tichauer's 'Higher Level', and the cold blue-green tones onstage flash into a passion of red and orange. It's like heat has been turned up on the gig, and at the same time it's refreshing to move into a remix from pure album content. It's raw and blunt in its sound and approach, I feel like the intensity levels at this point in the show were at their highest. With this being the case, it was then an effective transition to move into 'Just', returning the lighting to crisp dark blues as the robotic synth melodies echo around the dark, old printing house. I really enjoyed this one as I think the acoustics of the venue worked so well with the music and the ease off on intensity was peng after the last track. 

Next came 'Opal', which was likely one of the most anticipated numbers. It delivered for sure, there's no way this banger couldn't slap. The rotating biceps came back on to the screen and everyone was singing along, how lovely. I thought that I would be wanting Four Tet's remix, being such a fanboy, but I actually really liked that they kept mainly to the original; it reminded me how great it is stand-alone anyway. They also took it down a heavy techno route towards the end which was GREAT, as gritty as you could ask for. 'Dahlia' featured with some pretty cool light shows on the back wall of the hall - again Printworks as a venue making the gig even greater. 'Aura' was another crowd pleaser that they smashed it with - what a tuuuuune. I've actually got to include footage of the drop here because it was so perfect - enjoy with my very own complimentary 'oi oiiii' lol:

So sick, no? I just find the melody of this track so hypnotising and with the lasers and deafening live bass it was insane. The next few tracks similarly carried the atmosphere high and maintained the overall effect the show had seamlessly. Musically, 'Vale' was probably the most enjoyable here, it has that sound that makes you drift up and away with the vibrations. It was fresh to have some lyrical emphasis as well. The music ultimately seemed to come to a finish and the stage went dark. You heard mumblings around you as people wondered if it had finished when the vocal sample of 'Glue' began to leak out from the speakers. Obviously, everyone loved it; this was the clear closing choice and a fantastic encore. The lighting was just beautiful, with an array of rainbow colour choices on the screens and with the lasers, there was a strong sense of goodbye in the track. It left me feeling satisfied with the show and got the biggest cheer out of the crowd at the end!

So, overall Bicep's live show was without a doubt enjoyable and some of the highlights really hit home for me. At the same time, I have to say that it didn't really surprise me. There weren't any track choices that caught me off guard and I think it was essentially a showcase of the album with a few other big tunes scattered in. I'm sure this was what most people were wanting, so it definitely kept us happy, and I definitely have a sense now that I've seen Bicep live, but I would have loved a moment where a mix of two songs left me mouth open. Maybe an obscure track choice or a big track from another artist. I just feel like that would have made it feel more performance-heavy, if that makes sense. With that said, I do think that the lighting and adaption to the venue were effortlessly well executed, 10/10 for that. Thank you for such a great show, Bicep, and can't wait until the next time! 

Discover My Weekly #1 | 12/11/18

It's a bright and early midday and I'm excited to start something I want to make into a series! Every week, my best source of new music is often my Discover Weekly on Spotify. Sorry to plug, but it's honestly so eclectic, consistent, and the right amount that's not too much I feel I can't listen to in a week with ease but not too little that I'm left disappointed. Anyway, as I usually share all the songs straight away with people, I thought it would be a good idea to start listing my favourites here. Maybe not every week, but if the Discover bangs, you know. The algorithms behind it are complicated and clearly effective, but it's designed in a way where it looks at what you listen to and tries to find songs that people listen to together with ones you've already heard, and so on. Ironically, I'm a week late to writing this, so let's just get on to the music...

#1 - Maajo - Maajo 

This was without a doubt my favourite this week. I quite love the way the group have described themselves in their Spotify bio, as 'inspired by wanderlust, exotic mysticism and David Attenborough.' The members are Jon Thureson, Juhani Lammi, Tuomas Lammi, Jussi Laitinen, Janne Melanen and Mitja Virikko, and they come from Tempere, Finland! Despite the wintry climate of their hometown, their music combines tropical sounds, western and African instrumentation, and modern club beats. This whole album, Tropic of Tulli, is fantastic, but the self-titled track is what came up on my Discover and is definitely my favourite. My friend actually sent me this months ago, and of course I didn't pay it the respect it needed until I could claim it my own find (sorry Rose). The song was originally released as a 12'' under a one-off label 'Seagull' and essentially brought about the new material that makes up the rest of the album. The running conga rhythms throughout, warm synth chords and the small guitar sequence stand out in the instrumentation to me as representing the relaxing tone that makes this song cause you to feel so happy. This, combined with the African vocals (which I have tried and failed to find a translation for :(), creates a nine minute masterpiece. I really like the sampling of the vocals actually, it's subtle, just repeating the last word of the main hook on the second iteration, and ending the whole song with an extension of the second sample, bringing about a sense of completion. Every time you listen to it, it takes you to that same, comforting place, in the sun, safe and sound.

#2 - Acid Rain (Edit) - Lxury

I really can't find much about this artist or the song, other than that he is from the UK. Gassed about that though. The heavy kick throughout most of the song gives that classic dance music feel, but I just really love the ascending and then descending synth melodies, such as at 0:46. They're almost extra-terrestrial, and I can imagine that in a club it would sound pretty cool acoustically. The four chords are peng and the sounds blend well together to create an electronic, neon atmosphere where people are travelling in tubes like in Futurama or something, or at least that's how my brain sees it (lol). I also really like the bass line; it focuses mainly on one note a lot, but does jump around at quite angular intervals as well to break up your expectations.

#3  Alaska - Sofi Tukker Remix - Maggie Rogers, Sofie Tukker

So, the original is by an American singer-songwriter from Easton, Maryland. She was discovered through this song by Pharrell Williams at a NYU masterclass, apparently. It's cute, but let's talk about the remix. The New York duo, Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, hence 'Sofi Tukker', took the best parts of the song and made a right chilled house banger. That is, the airy and reverbed vocals reflecting the meaning of the lyrics. 'You and I, there's air between' is such a peng way to describe feeling distant from someone and with the tone of the song it creates a mood persuasively. It's very simple with three chords, but they that melancholic sound which I love, and the staccato plus reverb punctuates the music well. The guitar solos are just beautiful, especially the descending lines at the end of the first phrase. Love love love.

#4 - Winona - DJ Boring

This one is a lo-fi house track from 2016. It samples an interview of Winona Ryder where she talks about the difficulties of being an actor from a young age. I think the punchiest line is 'it is difficult to be judged, to be reviewed as a teenager' and DJ Boring (great name) communicates this as his influence in the music. You look back on past pain, admit it and accept it. It's sad, but ultimately you move on. That's what this song says to me. The varied electronic instrumentation and sound waves capture this in their combination, they create this hazy, thoughtful mood. What stuck out to me on my first listen is that the sample from the interview and the music are certainly one work, but they stand apart and distinct, as if they're two components within the story being told. I haven't really heard anything like it before, that's why I wanted to include it. Also, the artwork is great.


So, there are my favourites from this week. If you haven't, you should check out your own Discover Weekly on Spotify. I think it's played a big part in what my music taste is today versus last year, or the year before that. If you listen to anything, honestly listen to Maajo. I'm using it to pretend the rain in London isn't happening and I'm just chilling under the rays. Honestly just allow the rain, I can't complain enough, this weekend I stepped in a fat, dirty puddle getting off the bus. Feel sorry for me. 

In a bit x 

Winter Vibesin' - Hungama - Pional & Joe Goddard - November '18

It's really started to get cold outside which means going out attire has shifted a bit. All about that layering, so you can tie your jacket round your waist on the dance-floor and it's still a look. I also find it's great for dramatic effect so that when a banger is coming through you can take the jumper off to show how serious you are, lol. Anyway, I went to two very different nights this weekend but both of them stood out to me as worth talking about. The key theme here is great and unexpected combinations of sounds, which I guess is the key to good music at the end of the day. 

On Friday I went to Dalston Superstore for 'Hungama', a queer South-Asian focused party where they combine Bollywood and Indian pop with hip-hop and electro. It sounded cool, but I really didn't know what to expect. It was a Diwali special leading up to next week, and the DJs - Ms Lanji, Max Allen, Dj Anch, Lil India and Shimmy Hendrix) - were all sick. I'll get into my favourite music moments in a bit but I just want to talk a bit about the vibe first. As I've just come to accept at most nights at popular venues, you always get a few people pulling weird faces at the music as if confused that they disapprove even though they've specifically paid for this night (they're usually white). While there were a few there, they were definitely in the minority and easy to ignore. On the whole, the atmosphere was jubilant and welcoming, diverse and inclusive, and there was a constant, reassuring sense of fun through the whole night. You just wanted to be there, you wanted to be part of it.

Musically, it was enchanting. The electro remixing of Bollywood music was so well executed I was losing my voice by the end of the night from saying 'oi oiiiii' every few minutes. Build-ups were sufficent, drops were satisfying. I can't pretend I'm in any way knowledgeable about Indian music, but seeing everyone around me and my friends recognise each song was exciting in itself. One track was combined with Major Lazer's 'Lean On' which I have found here, and another with 'Sorry' by Justin Bieber, and the inclusion of the entirety of 'Dola Re Dola' had everyone downstairs losing it. On that note, there was enough contrast between the rooms that it stopped you getting bored of the same mood for too long. While this fusion of sounds dominated the basement, there was more alternation on the ground floor as well as Western music with Indian influence. Bicep's 'Rain', one of my favourite songs by the duo, samples the 1976 Bollywood movie - "Laila Majnu" and was a great example of this. Purely for sick track choice I want to mention Jamie XX's 'On Hold' Remix; I wouldn't have expected it at this event, but it worked great in the mix of music upstairs!

All in all a 10/10 night - I believe Hungama is on every month or so if you get the opportunity, go! It's definitely an event I want to add to my regular schedule.

Moving on to Saturday night now, XOYO was the host of 'Pleasurehood', featuring DJs Pional and Joe Goddard. Here we come again to interesting combinations, because I didn't expect the two to compliment each other so well. Pional was on first and the set as a whole utilised heavy house and techno beats and ambient electronic treble to shift the mood of the crowd. I found some of it quite emotionally evocative, and 'Time of The G's' was a prime example of this. There's something about the pedal note alternating between two chords and the eerie vocals that's melancholic, almost vulnerable. 'Tempest' was also great and the constant build up was buff to dance to. 

Bicep's 'Orca' and Four Tet's 'Afraid' remix (throwback to lost village!) both featured, both complimenting the set well and building the hype. Pional moved away from this pure techy sound plenty too, and a couple of songs really stood out to me. 'Pembe (Jimmy Rouge Edit)' by Orange Tree Edits was pure bliss, I loved every second of the African vocals and the brilliant instrumentation. '1960 What?' by Gregory Porter - what a tune! Don't even know how to describe it to be quite honest, but Pional's mixing and this track were stunning together. There were a few songs here and there I didn't love, but I never got bored and overall I rated it highly.

Joe came on at about 2am and although the crossover was slick, you knew he had arrived. There's a certain nuance to his style, and the diversity of music he covered was consistently entertaining. 'Deputy of Love' brought the disco IN; after the intensity of the techno throughout Pional, this was so refreshing, and it didn't stop there! The anthem that is 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' had the entire club belting, dancing together, having a MOMENT. We saw RnB with Ciara's 'Oh' which is an absolute timeless bop and no one can tell me otherwise.  There was, of course, plenty of wavey vibes, which I was expecting from Goddard. 'Magic Fly' by Space provided the bouncy synths to create that spacey feeling, like gravity was slowly disappearing. 'Killer' by Jupiter Heroes really reminds me of a chase level in a retro video game, if that makes any sense, like there's some sort of impending danger. It was out there, but really slapped in the club. 

Anyway, this was all great, but unsurprisingly the highlight of the night without a doubt was 'Gabriel'. It is of course Joe's most famous song, but I think with good reason. It's almost operatic to me, as you shift from one section of the song to the next. I loved it, everyone in the club loved it, and seeing it live changed my perception of it substantially. It was just unbeatable, and as soon as it ended I just wanted to hear it again. I think we played it twice on the way home to be honest. Other than this, however, I didn't hear much of his own music which was a bit of a shame. I did have to leave a bit early so I'm sure there was more, but one major song in over an hour is too little in my opinion either way. I was really hoping to hear 'Lose Your Love' and in my ideal world the set ended with the chill vibes of 'Electric Lines', so I'm just gonna assume that's what happened...

I've got to take a second to commend the lighting - sometimes the lights can just feel like filler to the music to keep your visual senses distracted. But Pleasurehood used it as part of the performance magnificently. There were dancers all around the room using strobes, sometimes of their own accord, sometimes in unison. The colour changes and use of darkness weren't overdone and timed well, and generally I just think the visual-audio relationship really complimented my experience of the night altogether.

So, I had a great weekend overall, and am now really enjoying the comfort of my bed on a Sunday. If you haven't already, do check out both Pional and Joe Goddard, they're quite different but I love their music and would definitely want to see both of them again! Hope you enjoyed reading, safe x

FOUR TET x LOST VILLAGE 2018

The sun has set on the Saturday of Lost Village 2018 and yet the air is bright with excitement. This is the big set everyone has been waiting for. You can hear it in whispers all around, the dashing paces through the mud, the occasional ‘WE’RE COMING KIERAN’ in the distance. We’re part of the crowd making our way as fast as we can to the Burial Ground stage to catch Four Tet’s opening and we’re making it just in time.

Kieran Hebden has made his stage name Four Tet synonymous with brilliant indie electronic music since the 90s with his first full-length album ‘Dialogue’ in 1999. His music is eclectic, unique and has the fantastic quality that you never know what’s coming next. This quality was reflected in the mood as we made our way to the stage. It was unclear whether the set would be a live or DJ one, and even then no one knew what path he was going to take us down. The unknown was electric, the buzz uncontrollable.

As we settle into the crowd, intermittent and sporadic clear tones are superseded by the reverbed vocals of Rihanna’s ‘Kiss It Better’. It immediately creates the atmosphere for the next two hours with a song everyone will recognise, brought so easily into Four Tet’s unmistakeable style. This is going be a theme for the set overall, and it lets the crowd sing along together, bringing everyone a sense of union as we experience this musical genius together. The song fades into the unfamiliar; an unknown track, but it is screaming Burial collaboration. The echoing drum beat and ethereal chords are mesmerising; there is a poignant darkness to the track, and I can’t help but be entranced by it. It’s taken him under ten minutes, and with two polar opposite track choices Four Tet has already let me know how great this set is going to be.

Moving on from here he chooses DJ Romain’s ‘Opposite’ for a more upbeat rhythm. The bass is pumping, everyone is dancing, the vibes are top qual. I really feel like this one reflected the feel of Lost Village overall; old-school brass samples and techno beats mixed up with polyrhythmic sections bouncing off the trees around you- it works perfectly. In fact, the rhythms blend seamlessly into the next Pearl Jam track in way that makes you think ‘of course this is next, what else would be?’

The next track I want to talk about was the highlight for me. As soon as Four Tet drops the famous opening drum beat to Destiny’s Child’s ‘Lose My Breath’ the crowd roars, and I mean really roars. It’s a fantastic choice, and his remix combines the fierce R&B attitude of the original with this scrambling electronic countermelody that makes you feel like you’re dancing in the outer space 90’s. Absolutely peng. This vibe is carried through the next few songs, making it really hard to stop dancing, with remixes from Roska and Nina Kraviz and Avus’ Tear.

It’s about time for a contrast, and reeling the turntable back for extra effect, Kieran makes a sudden flip to the Champion Remix of his song ‘Kool FM’. The dubby waves over heavy claps and crashes is dirty, gritty, hitting hard with that UK flavour. It marks a turning point in the set, as we think back to the dreamlike opening tones. His fast-paced edit of Nelly Furtado’s ‘Afraid’ kicks in soon, and the vocals fill the air like busy chattering bouncing around the arena. The drum beat here echoes the Burial collab from earlier on to me, and the constant kick holds the rhythm tight while every angle of the auditory senses are touched upon. (There's a link to this track separated here.)

We descend into a heavier electronic sound with SP-X’s ‘SP-14’, and for the next few tracks I really felt the set become a whole body experience. The laser lights shooting out from the stage fly through the crowd in red, blue, green, flooding your sight and then plunging you into darkness just as quickly. The ground shaking from the bass lets you feel the music under your skin, it’s everything that is great about electronic music. This is particularly poignant with the dramatic and emphatic burst into Jungle with Skool of Hard Knocks – ‘Everybody’. Everybody (lol), myself included, let out a ‘whoaaaa’ of surprise that just turned into a cheer before it even stopped. This entire section is absolutely mad, and flashing white white strobes on the stage reflect the epileptic intensity of the beat. The ‘Incredible’ throwback with General Levy’s rap is pure hype, during which I feel like I lost control of my body, and no one around me seemed to care. Everyone was smashing into each other, it wasn’t aggressive, it just felt like what we were supposed to do.

The next moment probably wasn’t everyone’s favourite, but I can’t lie, I lived for it. Four Tet brings in his remix of Ariana Grande’s ‘No Tears Left to Dry’, and somehow we move from the Junglist Massive to pure pop fantasy. (If anyone has a link please let me know!) Her vocals resound through the air so angelically that it symbolises purity to me, but its kept grounded with angular electro melody underneath that holds its place in the set securely. It’s a rogue choice, and very mainstream, but I think its juxtaposition with what’s just come is what makes it effective. In fact, it’s rounded off with Taraval’s Aardvark, which blasts dissonance through the crowd, encapsulating it as a moment of innocence.

Moving on, Kid Crème’s ‘Hypnotising’ is simply euphoric. It again brought back that Lost Village disco atmosphere, as the vocal sample reminds us that we are ‘together’ in this moment. We’re lifted up into the sky, and then brought right back to earth to get low to the dirty bass of DJ Bigga’s ‘Mind, Body & Soul’. It’s one of those tunes that makes you pull ‘that face’, and I really thought the combination of these two tracks was fantastic. They both made you want to dance, which makes sense at a music festival of course, but go about it very different ways. ‘Hypnotising’ focuses on the piano chords more to me, and then the bassline is without a doubt the focus for ‘Mind, Body & Soul’, a focus which is blended in as we move on to the garage vibes of Allstars’ ‘Walk on By VIP’ and then ‘Heartbroken’ – T2 ft. Jodie. As we approach the end of the set, we see the only inclusion from the producer’s most recent album, ‘New Energy’. ‘Lush’ brings its warm, flowing tones across the arena for five minutes of pure atmospheric ambience. It’s transcendent, elegant, soothing. After the rollercoaster we’ve been through with this set, it gave us a moment to relax before the finale. 

We have a moment of complete silence for the first time, and the crowd cheers, only for the opening pedal note of his remix of Bicep’s ‘Opal’ to come in. Honestly, all of my hair stood on end; I love this remix, it’s such a journey and seeing it live in that crowd took it to the next level. As the instrumentation builds up, so does the excitement around me, and as the beat drops, lights flood through the field from the stage again, and everyone dances together. There really was something special about this one, it felt calming and exhilarating at the same time, and as confetti burst into the crowd, everyone lost it. I felt quite overwhelmed by emotion, cringe I know, but it was a moment that really stood out to me. The set is rounded out  with Neneh Cherry’s ‘Kong’; I personally felt the penultimate track would have worked great as a finale, but this choice with its steady hi-hat and stunning vocals was still a beautiful moment to end on, leaving you feeling elated by the last two hours of music.

As is obvious from the above, I find it difficult to say anything remotely negative about Four Tet’s Lost Village set. It was without a doubt the highlight of my weekend and what is going to stand out in my memories of this summer. It wasn’t necessarily representative of my favourite things about Four Tet’s music, but that didn’t matter; it perfectly evoked the atmosphere you want for a music festival headliner, it covered all the bases, and when it comes down to it, it was f***ing sick. End of story. To be able to range in track choice from R&B, Jazz, Jungle, Pop, Garage, consistently shifting sound and constantly making it work, that truly requires a genius, so hats off, Kieran, you did good.

You can find the whole set on Four Tet's Soundcloud. Enjoy!