THE BEST MUSIC: NEW & OLD
Throwing it back to 2013 for Touch Sensitive’s Pizza Guy. It’s an optimistic electronic track with heavy 80s synth vibes. It’ll lift your mood, and brings enough Future Classic freshness to feel exciting even though it is a homage to another era. Enjoy.
Sometimes a bit of club trash can do us all good. Utah Saints’ ’08 cut of Something Good is just that. The video even comes replete with a busty slow motion dancer. It’s no Destination Calabria, Call On Me or Infinity 2008 but it’s not far off.
If mid-noughties club hits are your thing then I have just the playlist for you
And finally, Utah Saints were known for taking samples out of tracks that had no business being on the dancefloor. Something Good is no different. Skip to 1:03 to for the original.
If you are looking for a track that is Just. Pure. Vibes. then look no further. Fun and joy and happiness and laughter.
P.S. Why are Sony sleeping on SSX? Sort it out.
News has come out over the past couple of days that German DJ / producer / label owner Michel Baumann (aka Soulphiction, aka Jackmate) has died. He was associated with big labels like Playhouse and Pampa, and founded his own, Philpot. RIP
Photo credit: Martijn Barzilaij
Why won’t you make up your mind?
Give me a sign.
Am I wasting my time?
Living in my head?
You’ll be sorry when I
Make up mine instead
The emotion of this Tame Impala track is taken up a notch by Erol Alkan. While the original lasts 3:19, this goes for a full 8:14, extending the band’s painful limbo and magnifying it to fever pitch proportions. And the lead electric guitars, already gripping, are elevated into full Ratatat-level raucousness. It’s a monster.
I guarantee this one will take you back. As hooks go, it is pretty iconic. Etta James and William Bell samples taken to their 21st century electronica potential – impossible not to love.
Bonus tracks: here are those aforementioned samples in their full glory. First up the wonderful Etta James
Next: American soul artist William Bell
Sometimes in music, as in life, you need a bit of dirt. Pick Your Shots Clean delivers that in spades. 90s outdoor rave meets Berlin club. Turn it up and grind it out. Oosh.
The flip-side Airs & Graces is new to me, and has a completely different kind of appeal, but its very nice too – impossible not to notice the Maribou State connection. Enjoy.
Not a lot to say about this except that it’s hitting just right. Busy and bouncey electronic house music from 2014 with a Lxury kind of feel. It might feel a bit jarring at first, but give it a moment and it will get you going.
Jagwar Ma aren’t afraid of a long track. In fact, I might even describe them as The Kings of the long track. The three-piece Aussie outfit come in a couple of guises. A lot of their solo work is quite down-the-line in a Tame Impala kind of mould. But I think they are at their best when they focus on vibe-building, especially when that vibe is chuggy, atmospheric and vaguely psychedelic. Check out 3 of my favourites below.
Just dropping in to celebrate the good weather and present to you the aptly named Grass is a Fairweather Friend. Indeed.
HARRY'S MUSICAL EMPORIUM 