#1 - Love Tension - Alternative Version | Soichi Terada
I was led to this 2015 album, 'Sounds from the Far East' after listening to 'Do It Again' a lot . Many of the tracks go off, but I like this one particularly. Terada is apparently best known as the composer of the 'Ape Escape' video game series - very random, but not the first time that video game and club music have been connected in this blog. So, this track, the kick is satisfyingly blunt from the get go, and clashes quite interestingly with the soothing rhythm of the bongos. I love the little syncopated flute-synth motif, and the track as a whole certainly has a style that you could interpret as Japanese, but it isn't necessarily obvious or stereotypical in any way. It's smooth, relaxing, and reminds me of a car driving down a oceanside motorway as the sun sets, real cool.
#2 - First Casualty | Nathan Micay
Hypnotic. That is exactly how I'd describe this track, with the pedal note in a simple rhythm starting from the first second of the track and carrying on right through all seven minutes. It's accompanied by echoing bass patterns, delicate little staccato melodies over the top, and lots of other sound bites and motifs that really give it an almost ASMR feel. The sounds are so crisp, but still maintain a retro simplicity to them. I've read here that Nathan Micay, Canadian born producer now living in Berlin, has an anime obsession and had written a guide to classic anime soundtracks for the website, and in my opinion you can hear that influence in this song. It's very much electronic ambience, but piano passages enter the texture halfway through and ground it in reality to an extent. Also, love the sudden drop to silence and back to full volume again, like a sonic boomerang.
#3 - Parabola | Hammer
This is the title track from the Feel My Bicep classic's most recent EP, and it of course slaps. Upon re-listening I wasn't sure if it would quite make the cut, but the drop at 3:13 is delicious and now I remember why I'm obsessed. It's subtle enough to not get old quickly, and the tempo is steady enough that I can imagine wavey vibes in the club that glide you through the length of the track. It's very much intergalactic, with muted chords underlaying the sharp attacks on the angular melodies above. Overall, it's just never too much, and while it would definitely keep you on your feet on a dance floor, there's nothing too heavy about any part of it. Great stuff from Hammer.
#4 - Burn | Lava La Rue
As I mentioned, 'TLSL' was one of my favourite songs during my NY trip (still getting played every day), and we've now been rewarded with the whole album, which I love. I found it hard to choose a specific track at first, because it more works well as a whole to me, but this is the first one chronologically and stands strong. The lyrics are pretty heavy, and the soca rhythm underneath really drives home her flow. Coming from a woman of colour, the emphasis on having an educated opinion and standing up for what you deserve is solid, relevant and important. Her vocals are soothing and the production quite reminds me of Branko. Really strong release from the founder of NiNE8 Collective, so make sure you do check out the rest of the album as well.
#5 - Aletheia | O'Flynn
No, I'm not over this album yet. Yes, my favourite song from it keeps changing every week. O'Flynn is a genius, and I'm gutted I missed his album tour at Phonox on Friday, but was a bit outpriced once I got round to getting tickets. The way he uses the vocal sample in this immediately generates a sense of euphoria; the first time it comes in, the instrumental dies down to let you hear the purity in their voices, and as it repeats throughout it combines with the rest of the music seamlessly. It's so uplifting, and since he released 'Desmond's Empire' it has been clear that he is good at this kind of genre blend. The rhythms are brilliant, creative, and there's a beat in there that sounds remarkably like the opening of 'Evening Side'. I'm looking forward to hearing how DJ's mix this one into their sets, and for anything he releases in the future.
That should do it for this week. Lots of new amazing stuff right now! As the sun sets earlier and earlier, I feel like the atmosphere on nights out somehow does too; you're safe in the dark from early on, and there's no danger of it getting light in the morning either. I'm going to see Bonobo's Outlier for the first time at Printworks in a couple of weeks, and the excitement is real for that one, so will probably talk about that when it comes round. Thank you for reading, and check out all the tracks! I'm wondering whether to start doing a small playlist of my recommendations like this and change it every time I post to make listening easier - I'll post a link if I decide to do that.
