Songs of the Decade | 2010s

Below are some of the best the 2010s have had to offer for me. I've tried to incorporate a variety of what music can mean and not stick too heavily to certain areas of sound, but of course my taste is fundamental to this list, with electronic music taking focus. Have a listen along here if it suits, otherwise you can check out the top 10 I selected from the last year here. Enjoy!

#25 - Marka - Dub Phizix ft. Strategy

Starting it off with something dark and murky. 'Marka' is a half-speed classic for fans of 170bpm and over sets, and the drop in tempo makes it all the more noteworthy of a moment. Everything about it is low, gravelly and ominous. Strategy's Mancunian-Jamaican accent gives a very distinctive flow, and is matched with a heavily angular, almost threatening motif after the drop. Even the way the song opens, with only a hi-hat and the vocals processed to sound distant, before we plunge into the full force of it, makes you feel like you've fallen down into the pits of hell. The booky music video to pair with it adds to the unnerving atmosphere this track gives, but there's no denying how hard it slaps on the dance floor. 

#24 - Genesis - Grimes

There's certainly a few tracks from 'Visions' that could have taken this place, particularly 'Oblivion', but for some reason 'Genesis' really has always stuck in my mind and maintained its capability to be left on repeat. The hypnotic effect of the synth pattern, just three notes with heavy delay, places you in a dream world as soon as it starts, and gels with Boucher's silky vocals to flood your system with one gorgeous sound. The sharp clarity of the beat and piano runs underneath counteract this, and provide the rhythmic excitement needed to keep things moving. Grimes is putting out some great stuff right now, but nothing has topped the work from this album yet for me.

#23 - Work - Rihanna

To be honest, this was more of a moment in history than a song. When Rihanna's 'Work' dropped, you would hear it about three times a night in any RnB club, on the radio any time of day and in half the memes on the internet. The world was obsessed, and it managed to push through the winter months and remain totally relevant through the summer. Spearheading what I think to be her most musically complex album, it really did have all the elements a hit needs and more. The simple, understated bassline worked perfectly to drop in as a tease before the song itself, and there's always that inexplicably sick twist that Rihanna's voice brings to everything.

#22 - Cranes in the Sky - Solange

First of all, visuals. The music video that came with 'Cranes in the Sky' was one of the most aesthetically pleasing few minutes of my life. Solange has a poetic ability that delivers incredibly distinct and powerful messages in her music illustrated with matching melodies and arrangement. The drum beat could go on forever, particularly with the double hit to the kick, with the second sharing the space with an open hi-hat. The sound is ever so delicate, as Knowles' vocals rise higher into whistling wisps above the beat. Her recent album, 'When I Get Home', was one of the big ones of this year, but for a single track, 'Cranes in the Sky' takes it home.

#21 - Vyzee - SOPHIE

This choice could be 'Lemonade', 'Bipp' or 'MSMSMSM' and the point would still stand; this is just my personal favourite. The sickly sweet, maniacal and genius material SOPHIE creates entirely through electronically produced sounds are extremely impressive, using industrial beats and pop-on-speed melodies, vocals, and so on, as is standard with the PC music sound. The full album that came later in the decade was brilliantly executed, however these earlier tracks catch the essence of the madness best. They're like the tiny, cute characters in video games that are actually the most powerful that you don't wanna fuck with.


#20 - Daughter - Four Tet

My theory, in no way proven, is that the not-quite-comprehensible singing in this track comes from Kieran's own daughter, hence the title. Through this, one can perceive it as the soul of 'New Energy', its most intimate moment, and its representation of home, family and so on. This reflects well in the music, as the kick and snare rock back and forth like a hobby-horse, mirrored by the two vocal lines doing the same, as soft, warm chords soak into the gaps in between. Just as it reaches a point where your dogs might poke their heads up at the volume, we drop to nothing, followed by a carefully curated selection of final chords, and an extended section of silence. 'Daughter' leaves room for you to contemplate its beauty, like a striking piece of art.

#19 - Therapy - Moderat

The collaboration of Modeselektor and Apparat has continued to bring the world great things after the eponymous album of 2009 featuring 'A New Error'. 'Therapy' employs much of the same technique, with a stoic beat and deep, sustained and emotive chords. This time, there's a strong sense of hope, and rays of light shoot down into the shadowy, electronic depths. A late attack on the chords creates a beautiful bulging sound, and just before the three minute mark a lapse in the texture makes room for low-pitched melody before the industrial drums return again. Tiny vocal samples flit about at the top of the wall of sound as the song strides steadily on, never looking back.

#18 - 212 - Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay

Perhaps controversial to include Azealia Banks at all considering the rampant online rages she's been on and generally negative influence she's had on society in recent years, but '212' has to be included on my list as it stands as a fundamental turning point in the merging of dance and rap music. At the time of release, the uncompromising characters of both the house beat and her style of flow weren't heard together in the mainstream, and taking influence from 80's NYC queer and Vogue sounds, the track led to two genres blending culturally in the future. The sample of Lazy Jay's 'Float My Boat' made it an enormous success and a fundamental turning point in this decade.

#17 - Glue - Bicep

There's loads of great memes about this track, and to be honest it really is the baitest seshy white boy tune of our time, but for good reason. It's something about how all the elements are just right to make it come together so successfully, and it creates this air of mystery, ironically with it being their most well known track. Seeing it live, they've done wonders to implant it permanently in everyone's minds as the iridescent lights shoot out from the stage, beaming out as the first 'when I'm in love' is released from the speakers. The harmonisation of the hook towards the end of the track is a subtle development of the idea in a way that sends it off without too much repetition. If anyone hasn't heard this yet, you need to.

#16 - Bad Girls - M.I.A. 

The kind of track you want playing when you're in 1st place in Mario Kart on some desert terrain popping green shells out real casual. It's got the air that you're just killing it in life; the Middle Eastern and Indian melodic and harmonic composition sits well to have repetitive chanting over the top - classic of M.I.A's style and 'Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well' is a strong, effective main line. It's the catchiest track she'd dropped since 'Paper Planes', garnering mainstream attention which she then shifts towards political messages addressed in other tracks such as 'Borders'. M.I.A. is one of the most important artists of this decade, and 'Bad Girls' is an absolute banger.

#15 - Maajo - Maajo

From Tempere, Finland comes a relaxing synthesis of sounds from around the world. The song was originally released as a 12'' under a one-off label 'Seagull' and uses a variety of percussion, simple guitar and bass motifs and of course, those unforgettable African vocals. I've spoken about this song before, and how effective the simple slicing of the sample is to repeat the end of the phrase and bring out the rhythm of the chant. It embodies the sun, the sky, the natural world around us basking in its own glory; it's that moment in the universe where, just for now, everything is well. 'Maajo' is important to me for being a reflection of the peace I've felt within the last ten years, and despite all the unrest there's been, calm still exists.

#14 - Nights - Frank Ocean

Both 'Channel Orange' and 'Blonde' landed in the same decade; looking back, what a blessing. Frank Ocean's discography is so consistently fantastic, from 'Pyramids' to 'Pink + White', 'Lost' to 'Chanel', and 'Nights' is him at his best. His falsetto is so smooth you could spread it on toast, and he explores word and language in a way no one else does. Reinventing RnB again and again, the use of distorted vocals at the end of this track as if it's a totally different voice is representative of the progression in the second album. The guitar riff that just precedes it, the single bar before he starts singing, the variation in drums, so many factors contribute towards this being brilliant.

#13 - Gosh - Jamie XX

As soon as that crescendoing vibration hits your ears, you're in for the ride. 'Gosh' utilises many of Jamie's classic tactics; the beat isn't too invasive and references are made to UK rave, but there's something that makes it special to this day. From about halfway through, it features one of the longest single melody lines I know of in electronic music that maintains interest throughout. It is pure euphoria, as it rises higher and higher, taking you into the vaults of heaven. Any track that can sustain one idea for so long is worthy of praise, and the rest of the production compliments it to take part in one of the sounds of the decade.

#12 - Marilyn - Mount Kimbie ft. Micachu

The opening instrumentation to this track is like ripples on the surface of a lake. The sun gazes down as you lie back on an old picnic blanket. Your friend chucks you another beer, and as you crisply snap open the can, the ash crackles in its tray and the fish dart around at the scraps of food you've scattered above them. This is the picture painted to me through the music, oddly specific, but it comes to me every time. 'Marilyn' represents a shift in sound seen in 'Love What Survives' and continued greatness from Mount Kimbie, but will always be everything that's great about relaxing in summer with friends to me. Their lazy, drifting vocals float over leisurely guitar melodies, letting you slip in and out of a happy haze.

#11 - Nuits Sonores - Floating Points

While 'Crush' has certainly been a landmark of this year, many of Floating Points' releases of the past rival its magic. In particular, 'Nuits Sonores' is a twelve-minute masterpiece that still sounds fresh today. I can't quite believe that Sam Shepherd claims to have produced it during a single plane journey to the Lyon festival itself, and dropped it in his set that same night. The antithesis of this seemingly slapdash approach against the length of the song and the level of refinement makes it all the more remarkable. Several different synth melodies interplay as tension builds up gradually to climactic points such as around 3:40, with note lengths varying from staccatos punctuating the texture to heavily delayed, sustained notes creating sonic clouds. One worth its length in gold.

#10 - Let Me Go - Branko (feat. Nonku Phiri & Mr. Carmack)

Featuring potentially my favourite vocals of the decade from Nonku Phiri, this track combines the Portuguese vibes of Branko with Mr. Carmack's to make something particularly unique. Its slow beat is like a deep flame, and the little, high-pitched synth motifs are like raindrops landing one by one on a smooth, stone surface. It's wonderfully seductive, and while very much human, some of the sounds used give it an outer space edge. At 0:43, the guitar is surrounded by silence for a moment, breaking up the pace and sliding smoothly into the next section. Passing back and forth between English and other languages can often seem tacky or cheesy, and often results in a decrease of quality in the lyrics of both languages, however here it's been done seamlessly, making the two tongues seem as one, as it should.

#9 - Can't Do Without You (Extended Mix) - Caribou

A recent return from Caribou reminds me of the importance of this anthem from the middle of the decade. This is how to make a song about love with just one line, expressing everything in how your loved ones make life worth living; your friends, your family, your partners. This extended version refines the build up to perfection, four continuous chords leading to a mini-drop at 2:45, progressing steadily through the alternation of two vocal lines. The icing on the cake is the three note melody centered around the tonic note, carrying so much emotion in its simplicity. The track doesn't have one huge drop, but builds momentum with each one, like waves, growing larger each time, collapsing onto the shores.

#8 - BTSTU (Edit) - Jai Paul

First appearing on MySpace before being officially released by XL, this is everything that is great about Jai Paul. Countless genres are in the cauldron here, and the track constantly tricks your expectations. With celestial solo vocals opening, a well-paced kick enters, followed by a sharp snare, before we are wrenched elsewhere by the gravelly vibrations of a bassy synth. Paul uses a counterpoint of his falsetto and a lower, slightly distorted voice for further contrast. The track has been massively influential on both the underground and the mainstream, on electronic producers to RnB vocalists, and is a prime example of what can be achieved in musical exploration.

#7 - SeeSaw (Club Version) - Jamie XX + Four Tet ft. Romy

'In Colour' was a colossal moment in music, which I've held off mentioning on 'Gosh' as I couldn't help adding in another track.  It was particularly seminal for me, being probably the first work that piqued my curiosity specifically for being electronic, and changed the course of everything I listen to now. Each song has an argument to be featured here one way or another, but for me, 'SeeSaw' is timelessly perfect. Particularly in this version, with Four Tet finalising the details to make it ready for the floor, both production and vocals are mesmerising. Romy's voice echoes around like a whisper in the dark, and on the word 'SeeSaw', the note length is extended, reflecting the movement of the object, and it's these intricacies that make it so magical for me. The breakdown in the middle of the track makes space to hear each part, before building back up the composition impeccably. Every time the drums come back in, I get goosebumps. God-tier music.

#6 - Just - Bicep

Okay, I've definitely broken the artist repeat rule by this point, but I don't really care. 'Just' is the title track of what I consider to be their greatest release, despite the brilliance of the full-length album. As the punchy synth melody pans from ear to ear and passes through a variety of automation, the listener rides along it like a wave. Underneath, the chords grow louder, denser, and the melody is slowly filtered until the drop comes. Everything bursts out into pure clarity, which gives an enormous sense of satisfaction. Using just one short sample of speech, the rest of the track is completely electronic, and in its cyclical nature you feel as if you are orbiting a planet. Oh, and that strict little snare roll never gets old.

#5 - On My Mind - Jorja Smith X Preditah

Oi oiiiiiiiiii let's av itttttt. This was my most listened to track of last year, and fourth this year lol. Preditah brought garage back into the mainstream at just the right moment to bring somethign nostalgic and fresh feeling all in one. The broken up sample that opens it up is so catchy despite making no sense whatever, and the belter of the chorus bangs for singalongs. In fact, when I saw Preditah at XOYO and Jorja Smith at Bestival, I was overwhelmed by the crowd response both times. The latter was particularly special, as she starts with the slower, acoustic version before dropping the beat after the first chorus. Everyone goes mental, and honestly I don't think I've ever been part of a crowd singing louder. It was such a fantastic collaboration and a nice, real UK sound.

#4 - Get Free - Major Lazer ft. Amber Koffman

Gonna take this moment to say I miss real Major Lazer. It's easy to forget how authentic and exciting of a sound they once brought to the table given the continued churning out of pure commerciality at this point. The first two albums, even the third, are filled with a diverse range of brilliant tracks that really tell stories, set moods, get the party going. 'Get Free' was the most unexpected - no drops or cliches, just emotion. The lyrics are powerful, speaking to your soul as the kick vibrates through your body. Countermelodies rise in between the breaks of Amber Coffman's singing in a delicate call and response. Andy C even released a DnB remix to prep this for raves, but nothing beats the original. Iconic, and one of my favourite pieces of music of all time.

#3 - Morning Side - Four Tet

Twenty minutes, twenty four seconds. Lata Mangeshkar's voice. Kieran Hebden's genius. 'Morning Side' takes its time to set the mood wherever it might be played, gradually building up the beat underneath the sample's cycle. The further in we get, the more electronic patterns are added to the mix, infusing the classical Indian tone with fresh hybridity. At 8:20, the vocals fade and we enter a section of sonic experimentation; sounds become more industrial, tensions rise, and chaos begins to unfold. Within a minute or so, the panic subsides and the serenity returns, like the morning sun dawning across the world. An extended outro winds us down and prepares for 'Evening Side' to enter, an equally enchanting twenty minutes. On top of this, Oneohtrix Point Never made a great remix in just three minutes, which you can hear here. 

#2 - Orissa - Wayward

Similar in sampling to the above, this time it's been taken from a traditional wedding song that the bride and groom sing to one another, very romantic and that. This track has taken that love and wrapped it in tender melancholy, with heavy reverb letting it call out into the night. The line cries out again and again, until eventually it is extended just a few bars longer. As this happens, we build up to my favourite drop of all time. It's so banging, yet feels totally sincere within the sombre tone, and as the heavy bass kicks in, the vocals echo away into the fog, as if all hope has vanished. I'd do anything to have it on vinyl, and highly recommend you take the time to really listen to it.

#1 - Pick Up - DJ Koze

And we're at number one. Choosing a definitive top of this list felt impossible, so I went with what I think I will look back on this period of my life as the perfect representation, and this is it. Through the hundreds of nights out and parties I've had with different friends, 'Pick Up' has the ability to remind me of every single one of them. It's my youth, and it felt nostalgic straight away. A fine example of DJ Koze's disco edit abilities, he's taken the often sampled 'Neither One of Us' by Gladys Knight & The Pips, blended in 'Pick Me Up, I'll Dance' by Melba Moore and constructed something brand new as a thumbnail on the front page of the last ten years. Some of my greatest memories are set to this tune, to the iconic guitar ostinato, to Gladys Knight's wistful notes, to DJ Koze. 

That just about does it, then. If you want to see the top ten songs I chose from this year, click here. If you want to listen to all of the above, the appropriate playlist can be found here. Otherwise, have a wonderful Christmas and a mad, mad new year. Here's to 2020! Love you all xxx

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

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