If you’d asked me back in 2012 who my favourite artist was, there’s a good chance I would have said Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Trouble was released that year – to date it remains TEED’s only full length album, and it would be tempting to say that Orlando’s production output hasn’t lived up to its promise. There have been some sparks, not least collaborations with Bonobo, Tinashé and Amtrac, but I’ve been thirsting for some new solo work that hits the heights of that album.
And, here we have it.
It’s a high quality EP. My pick is Into the Light.
Bonus album: Trouble. Where it all began. I’ve don’t know why I’ve never written a gushing post about it before. Here it is in all it’s glory.
Given that reputation, I was surprised to find that I was not just enjoying, but really getting into their latest release, Signals.
The style is closer to modern jazz than ambient. Driven by rhythm (and not the subs that you would normally expect) it almost feels like the kind of release you would expect on Gondwana. Despite its moody energy, the album is also great for relaxation.
Bonus album: here is Weightless, the album I described up top. I challenge you to put this on and not fall asleep.
Today is a throwback to a 2014 classic by US-born, Welsh-raised electronic music producer Dauwd.
Lydia is beautifully weird composition. For me, it conjures up some kind of mythical battle – maybe the opening credit sequence of Golden Axe 2. It pounds and shimmers in a hugely original, deeply moving kind of way. Check it out.
Bonus track: basically, there’s a lot more where that came from. This EP scores 3 bangers out of 3 for me. Oh, and the guy is a genius live as well.
Sub Focus & Wilkinson. Wilkinson & Sub Focus. Two of the bigger names going in UK drum & bass over past decade.
Just Hold On represents a bit of a departure from their template with some original melodies, and some live strings for extra depth (it was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios in Bath). But really this isn’t one to think about too hard. Just turn it loud and rock out.
If you are fan, they released an album together, Portals, in 2020. For me, none of the tracks are quite as interesting as Just Hold On. But if it is 50 minutes of energy you are after, then check it out.
It is so hard to do spoken word over music without it sounding forced. For me, producers who dabble in the genre tend to turn out tunes that disappoint (recent examples include Wayward and Tom Demac). So it is always a bit of surprise when I come across one that I love.
Maybe it is because I am a sucker for an accent, but I can’t get enough of this all-Scottish partnership: producer Lord of the Isles, and poet Ellen Renton.
The highlight is Inheritance, but the EP delivers a beautiful ambient soundscape throughout.
A short story. I was at a 90s themed birthday party the other day. A private room in a South London pub. Big outfits, big tunes, retro snacks, you know the score. David Beckham was having a boogie with Lara Croft and Baby Spice*. Everyone was getting a nice buzz on. I was having a very nice time, enjoying myself.
Then, Olive. Wow.
It’s hard to put the reaction I had into words, but the nostalgia and beauty got to me. It’s a stunner, plain and simple.
*For the record, I came as Raoul from the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Ross From Friends is back with his second album. As you would expect it is slickly produced, and in his trademark dusty lo-fi style; a style that gives the impression that you are over-hearing the music, as opposed to listening to it. Or that is is from a a different era somehow.
Anyway, as an album it bubbles away nicely without ever really taking off. Each track has an interesting idea at its core, but never enough to grab you by the collar and give you a good shake. The closest are Love Divide and Life In A Mind that both threaten to go big, with some strong 90s club influences – but even they turn out to be a bit of a tease.
I don’t want to sound too neggy, because overall it is a decent listen (almost reminiscent of Aphex Twin at points), but I am finding it hard to get too excited about it. What do you think?
KVRVBO is the project of Karabo Moloi, a South African producer from a township in Johannesburg. He released his debut album Euphoria in July. In it he brings in no fewer than 8 collaborators, most of whom are also South African.
If you are being critical, you might say that for a deep house album, it is slightly lacking in outright bangers. However, what it lacks there, it more than makes up for with real depth and variety. Each of the featuring artists bring their own flavour, putting together a really nice 80 minute listen.
My top tracks to listen out for: Billow Made Me Do It, In the Jungle (featuring Bongani Mehlomakhulu) and Celestial Dreams.
After a little Summer break I’m coming back at you with a few new stellar releases over the next few days.
First up it is the wonderfully-named DJ Seinfeld with his debut full length album, Mirrors.
Mirrors is a set of tuneful electronic jams, and it comes with a sweet story attached. When DJ Seinfeld shot into the limelight out of nowhere in 2017 with his now-trademark dusty lo-fi house sounds, you might have noticed that the track names and general vibe were a tad depressing. At the time our man Armand Jakobsson was going through a break-up. Fast forward 4 years and he has found love. Out with the I Hope I Sleep Tonight and the I saw Her Kiss Him in Front of Me and I Was Like Wtf? and in with the She Loves Me, the Walking with Ur Smile and The Right Place. Ain’t that nice. Live your best life Armand.
DJ Seinfeld’s other project is also worth getting to know, under alias Rimbaudian.
Finally, he is playing live at EartH in Hackney in October – see you there.
They just don’t make albums like this anymore. Throwing it back to 2001 with Groove Armada’s seminal third album, Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). Andy Cato and Tom Findlay shot to stardom with their previous album Vertigo; that release was certified Platinum in the UK and is a huge lounge record – think Inside my Mind (Blue Skies). Then, just one year later, as the title of the album suggests, they left the lounge behind to craft some bigger beats. This move was not a simple one, since ‘Chill Out’ was at the crest of a wave in 2001 (a movement that they had a hand in creating). The move also alienated some of their fans, but you have to say that history has proven them right on this one.
There is so much to love about this album. First up, Suntoucher. Six and a half minutes of the highly talented Jeru the Damaja channeled into a new world of groovy electronica. “Focus like a samurai, stronger than a Mai Tai”. Massive rhymes. You can read more of my thoughts on Jeru and this track here.
Suntoucher is followed by Superstylin’ which still hits different. The BBC wrote at the time that its bass line was “big enough to bowl over a bungalow.” You’ll understand when you listen to it.
And then we have My Friend. Try and listen to the opening two seconds and not get carried away.
Finally, a new find for me is Fogma. Groove Armada pick up a sample from the (now heavily overplayed) Bam Bam by Sister Nancy and take it into pretty brutal Chemical Brothers electro club territory.
All in all, the album is a classic. Not much more needs to be said.
HARRY'S MUSICAL EMPORIUM 