Electronic Picks #1
I find
electronic music so intriguing. It's all about patterns, puzzles - sometimes
complex, sometimes simple. Producing a great piece of electronic music requires
a unique set of skills which are comparable in many ways to those required by a
traditional musician. Yet in other respects, the two are distinctively
separate.
A love
for electronic music also opens up a world of discovery. There is an untold
number of brilliant tracks scattered in the far corners of the internet,
waiting to be found, played and shared. You might search for hours, days, weeks.
Trawling through swathes of utter nonsense and subjecting your ears to endless
synthesized drum beats, trying to remain hopeful that somewhere tucked away you
might eventually find something worth listening to - making it all the sweeter
when you do unearth that hidden gem!
Anyway,
enough rambling. Here’s what you came for (hopefully) – some of my favourite
electronic picks of the last wee while!
“Release
the Pressure” – Leftfield
"Release
the Pressure” is the first track on
Leftfield’s influential debut album “Leftism” and what an introduction! I had
always been aware of Leftfield as a significant artist in the electronic world,
but it wasn’t until I overheard my neighbour playing this track in his garden
that I took a real interest in their music. This album features several guest
vocalists, notably Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols but on this particular song,
the British electronic duo comprised of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley, are joined
by Reggae singer Earl Sixteen. It’s almost impossible to categorise into a
particular genre, yet what I am sure about, is its funky bassline. Oh, and its
inexplicable ability to conjure images of midnight parties on Caribbean
beaches.
“Idioteque” – Radiohead
Over
the last few months, I’ve been enjoying Radiohead’s vast catalogue of songs,
discovering several tracks that quickly became some of my all-time favourites!
Having enjoyed massive success with their previous 3 albums, Radiohead embarked
on producing an album that took them in a new, experimental direction – the end
result being “Kid A”, released in the year 2000. “Idioteque” carries
with it an interesting back story. Production centred around experimental
improvisation and sampling from guitarist Johnny Greenwood which he used to
create the song’s unique sound. This was complemented by eccentric songwriting
from Thom Yorke, with the singer cutting up random phrases, before drawing them
from a hat and constructing the lyrics based off the results. It’s a totally inimitable
sound which I won’t even attempt to explain – best if you just give it a listen
for yourself!
“Swastika
Eyes (Chemical Brothers Remix)” –
Primal Scream
I can’t
actually remember how I discovered this particular track, but I’m yet to hear
it played by anyone other than myself so it must be relatively unknown (or
maybe I’ve been living under a rock). Primal Scream yet again receive an
electronic makeover, this time courtesy of legendary producers, The Chemical
Brothers. The result is a powerful, pounding, dance tune - destined to spend
its days being played outrageously loud in a grubby nightclub in the 90s. Yes,
it possesses what can only be described as a “slightly questionable” name, but
don’t let that distract you from musical excellence! Disclaimer: this song is
not for the faint hearted.
“Balztanz” – Wolf Müller
We
journey into uncharted waters with my final two picks and I can say with
relative confidence that you have never heard this particular track before.
Plucked from an obscure Ivan Smagghe and Andrew Weatherall B2B set in which the
two DJs spend the evening attempting to “out-weird” each other with erratic and
eccentric track selections. It might be one of the most whacky songs to grace
your ears, yet it possesses a certain unexplainable charm. Very little
information is available on either the artist or the song, but give it a listen
and you might be pleasantly surprised. It will certainly spice up your
lockdown, I can guarantee that!
“Democratic
People's Republic of Xylovia” –
Cameron MacLennan
Cammy
is one of my best friends, but putting that bias aside, he’s been producing
some excellent music recently. With our current situation affording him extra
time to work on new material, he has been able to take his music in a new
direction with the track taking heavy inspiration from Radiohead’s experimental
albums “Kid A” and “Amnesiac”. The clever, vocoder-driven lyrics focus on
describing totalitarian control over society, which are further complimented
through the sampling of an iconic speech from Animal Farm. The song combines
the sounds of traditional guitar and piano, with synthesisers and a drum
machine. The result? A brilliant, well-thought-out and ingenious song!
Links
to Featured Tracks
·
Release the
Pressure:
·
Idioteque:
·
Swastika Eyes
(Chemical Brothers Remix):
·
Balztanz:
·
Democratic People's
Republic of Xylovia:
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