Flume was right at the forefront of the golden days of Future Classic – the Aussie label burst onto the scene with a new sound that bridged dance, electronic and pop and had a lot of success with it. Since then, their popularity has only increased, but I haven’t heard anything for a while that has felt as original as the early days.
The Difference isn’t the track that is going to change my mind about that, but sometimes a generic, feel-good electronic song hits just right – and this is one of those. Good times are ahead people. ❤️
It is fair to say that Leon is becoming increasingly experimental. To give you a feel for it, here is the copy accompanying his latest release Snakeskin ∞ Has-Been:
over and over in a snake’s life it will molt and shed it’s old, outgrown skin. it does not grow with the size of the snake itself, and soon hinders its advancement, leaving the skin behind like a memory. an artefact of where it once was. I believe good artists do this too. it’s what I try to do with every record. SNAKESKIN ∞ HAS-BEEN is my recognition of that.
I SHOULD. I COULD. I WOULD.
🐍
The music itself does pick up where Nothing is Still left off, with introspective, moody soundscapes. They swing and build and fizzle in a pattern that is mesmerising, if not exactly approachable. His style fills you with a huge sense of anticipation, while never quite unscrambling into something that’s easy to ingest. If you like your music challenging, then you’ll find Snakeskin ∞ Has-Been pretty rewarding – if you prefer your Leon more banger-centric scale (and there’s no shame in that) head back into his dicography.
I almost forgot, he is playing at Heaven on 24th November. You can get presale tickets here
On paper, GoGo Penguin and Machinedrum feels like a good combination. And it doesn’t disappoint. GoGo Penguin’s melancholy, emotional jazz is energised and twisted by Machinedrum in a way that respects the soul of the original version. Enjoy.
Bonus track: the original is pretty beautiful and a much more relaxed listen. Listen to more similar stuff on Gondwana here.
Okay, a little preface before I get to describing RAW. I’m a big fan of KiNK. He is super creative; capable of making original, inventive house music that is also super listenable. You can find some of my favourite tracks of his, here and here.
Anyway, this isn’t one of those tracks. This just has a short and simple vocal sample (“RAW”) and a piano chord progression that is about as straightforward as they come. Each drop is telegraphed. All things told, there’s nothing creative about this at all. B-side fodder.
A time has come to make a decision. Are we in this thing alone, or are we in it together?
And the rest of the track leaves the answer in no doubt.
This is the kind of track that stares straight into your eyes, grins and tells you it loves you. It grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you about until you giggle. It’ll dance down the street by your side. Yes, I needed this.
Bonus podcast: Together was Erol Alkan’s peak time pick, at his fictional last ever gig. That is the premise of Tiga’s podcast Tiga Presents: First/Last Party On Earth – he interviews big-name DJs about their craft, and what they would play during their last ever set. Think Desert Island Discs for DJs. Worth a listen.
Okay, this is about as obscure as it gets – credit to Ben Gomori for the find.
Midnight Runners are, in their own words, ‘Indonesia based Bandung bred DJs, producers, record label owner, graphic designer & music enthusiasts’. Meri Sun is on the compilation Bhangra Selection CutsNo. 2, the follow up to the wildly popular (maybe) Bhrangra Selection Cuts.
Anyway, what you need to know is that it fuses strong 80s disco camp with East Asian vibes and ends up with something tasty af.
When this first came on I wasn’t so excited. The intro feels a bit disjointed – over-tricksy, over-sampled. Too Future Classic-y.
But after a while the threads begin to come together and what this track really hangs on is the strength of the main sample*. The bass underlines it, and the synths bring out the flavour. Sing it with me, “Me and My Heart, we’ll make it, we’ll make it through”.
This track is about as fucking beautiful and powerful as it gets. It was written by the artist (David Balfe) as a tribute to his recently departed best friend and bandmate Paul. Super raw.
Oh and if you needed the emotion of this track reinforcing, here is a live performance with Jools Holland. Christ. Expect big things from David in 2021.
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.
HARRY'S MUSICAL EMPORIUM 