THE BEST MUSIC: NEW & OLD
Escapism is the name of the game today dear readers. And Poolside.fm does it just about better than anyone. Just the sexiest, most tanned collection of tracks and videos from a more colourful time.
So grab a towel, slap on the suncream and come poolside to enjoy what sounds like a collection of records collated by an 80s Floridian porn star. The sunniest spot on the internet.
As you might have been able to guess it is 5 years since Bristol-based label Shall not Fade entered the scene. To celebrate, their 5th compilation. There is a lot to like packed into the 16 track double-LP (with 5 bonus tracks on the digital version).
My picks are Everything You Need by Module One & Soela, Welcome Aboard by DJ Psychiatre and T Garden by the ever-impressive Lxury.
Unmistakably Jacques Greene, in the best way possible. Haunting. Cool. Emotional. Deep. Beautiful.
Thaw is his first solo release since Dawn Chorus. Check it out.
All the way back to the 1998 Mercury Music Prize winner for this Sunday’s listen. Gomez are a 5-piece band hailing from Southport (the North West’s eleventh most populous settlement in the North West for those of you who were wondering). Their music sits somewhere between blues, indie and rock. Anyway, it’s a classic, and if you don’t know, then at least check out tracks #1 and #2. Classics.
I know everyone goes on about the Spotify annual round-up (I love it too, don’t get me wrong). But sometimes Soundcloud bangs. Check out a playlist of HarrysMusicalEmporium’s top played tracks this year, right here.
Unlike Spotify, it features a bunch of artists I don’t know so well. Just really nice vibes for the weekend. Enjoy.
“Heyy I’m Jess, I make tunes about my life. i grew up in Spain but i’m Irish and living in London. dunno if you care about any of that but was told I should make a bio so hope that was alright lol x”
So says Jess Smyth, aka Biig Piig, and I think we’d better listen up.
Photo credit: Matilda Hill-Jenkins
This track falls right into my sweet spot.
Things I know about it from researching online:
Anyway, what’s important is what it sounds like. And it sounds like a space disco that has just got fucking out of hand. Turn it up. End of lockdown 2 bitches.
Bonus track: Odyssee is Airotic’s laid back astro-Caribbean cousin
This is a really interesting album to listen to. Tracks are scattered from 81 to 147 bpm. I get that that might not sound like an appealing prospect to some people. But I think this is one worth a little effort. Each track feels like an event – they weave together in way that shouldn’t work but does.
You’ll know what I mean from the first two tracks The Relic and Star – they have more than a touch of Jacques Greene about them – building R&B vocal samples into a broody electronic aural landscape – but they go into a darker place than Jacques tends to. The album then swerves into over the top brass and hip-hop with Freddie Gibbs on the vocals, before reaching my top pick, Wait 4 U. It is neat and uncomplicated, like an early Ramadanman track. My other top pick is Believe in U is Wait 4 U‘s upbeat twin. A final mention goes to 1000 Miles, featuring Sub Focus.
Bonus track: this is what got Machinedrum onto my radar back in 2014. It’s his emotional remix of Kelis, and it’s a banger.
Do you remember nightclubs? This video will take you right back, trust me. Exactly how it happens. 100% just the same as always. Just a normal night in a normal club. You know how it is.
Heavy Beach House vibes coming at you this Sunday from Swedish band I Break Horses. Some intense shoe gaze combined with synth pop and mysterious female vocals. Even a touch of atmospheric organ. It’s a strong formula. And in The Prophet, I Break Horses are bringing it to the max. Feel it.
HARRY'S MUSICAL EMPORIUM 