Jai Paul

Just a quick one - whilst flicking over radio stations I stumbled across this tune which was being played, perhaps surprisingly, on Radio 1 and I immediately had to go and download it. I hope you feel the same

  Jai Paul - BTSTU (Edit) by Jai Paul 

Also worthy of note - Jai Paul's provisional driving license photo -

Moonbahton & Jack Penate

Just came across this courtesy of Mad Decent's Soundcloud round-up (No. 32)

Diggin' it lots:

Jack Penate - Tonight's Today (Ophex 'Julianna Barwick' Remix) by Ophex

Slow Motion

Greetings bloggites, my dissertation is done and dusted and I have many free times to share with you some tunes that got me through the last few months.

First up, I was introduced to this track by Panda Bear by my girlfriend, and I'm moderately obsessed by it. Its a lovely, spacey sort of track that suits the sunset period of any barbeque perfectly, aptly fitting that half hour in which food is being digested and alcohol and music are becoming the focal point of the evening.

Panda Bear: 'Slow Motion'

Next up, another tune courtesy of my girlfriend. I'm guessing the world is familiar with Friendly Fires, but they're news to me. This tune reminds me of old school, Parliament funk mixed with Chromeo and a dash of Metronomy near the end. If that sentence is not an perfect example of music blog name dropping I don't know what is.

Friendly Fires: 'On Board'

Finally, while I'm certain that most readers of this blog are familiar with To Kill a King, being somewhat affiliated with them in various ways, for those of you who are not, their recent cover of Maps is a rare example of a reworking that, in my opinion, improves and betters the original. I particularly like the harmonies in the backing vocals, and the piano part is reminiscent of Cinematic Orchestra's Ma Fleur. A class record, and a cute video shot by frontman Ralph Pelleymounter, of who Zane Lowe recently exclaimed "We've got ourselves a reader!". Take of that what you will.

To Kill a King: 'Maps'

Rolling in the deep remix...

Yo yo yo-

Has been far too long, but this remix by Jamie XX of Adele's tune, with a tasty little verse by Childish Gambino in the middle is super nice. I do love a good glockenspiel type thing..

Commoners and Kings

Here's a vid from an entertaining series of spoken word pieces I stumbled upon called Commoners and Kings. This guy, Jason O'Neil, is particularly good:

Getting there...

Okey Cokey Pig in a Pokey, I hear what Mr Tea is saying, time for some good old fashioned wordage to justify me tunes.

First up, Mos Def's The Ecstatic has been doing the rounds on my ipod for ages. It's not a groundbreaking album, but its got some interesting production and there are a couple of jumpy tunes that get the blood circulating even on the coldest of March mornings. I particularly like the guest appearance on this track by Slick Rick

Auditorium: Mos Def ft. Slick Rick

Second up, an old school classic that I first found on a bootlegged CD from Camden when I was but a fair bright eyed lad of 18. I'm a big fan of his similes, particularly the line "cold like a blizzard, on the mic I am a wizard, with the funky fresh rhymes coming out of my gizzard". Anyone who rhymes blizzard, wizard and gizzard in a tune has got my attention. If that wasn't enough, the sample is from Shaft. You may assume therefore that the tune also has a certain amount of rhythm that helps at stupid o-clock in the morning. You damn right...

Finally, this is from Youngblood Brass Band. The sousaphone player on this is phenomenal. His solo is just ridiculous, and for the technically minded among you contains some awesome multi-phonics that take more than just a little practice. For the slightly less technical minded, the sousaphone is a big, snake like brass instrument that is playing the bass in this track. Enjoy.

Resurgence

Sooooo my feeling is that the blog has somewhat maneuvered away from its primary purpose of spreading the word on tunes which give you that momentum on the trek to the tube/train/bus, that adrenaline before leaving the house for a night out or that deep sense of contentment when kicking back to enjoy a cold beer. Articles, videos and thoughts that spark the imagination are welcome supplements of course. 

To really make this blog a resource again I think we should endeavor to put a bit of meat on the bones for future links, bring out the reasons why you feel it worthy of mentioning, express to the forum, and to the world, your happiness/love/interest/confusion about a tune/link.

Here is my attempt to take it bring the blog back from the brink...

I picked up Burial's "Untrue" recently, which I first stuck on the ipod a couple weeks ago. I first went through the tunes whilst getting the tube back from work, having started to come down with a full on flu/cold thing which ended up taking me out for the subsequent 4-5 days.

Anyway, I was at that weird turning point - just before really being ill but with that growing sense of what was to come - and whilst standing up in a packed tube carriage, I stuck Untrue on, and the concoction of sensations almost made me feel high. Not necessarily good high, or bad even, just disconnected from reality. The music seemed to strangely reflect and build upon the hazy drifting sense of fatigue which comes with the onset of illness, and the frankly surreal sensation of being on a packed tube train at rush hour.

Or maybe it was just that the chap on the cover art looks like he's in need of the Lemsip sitting in front of him.



He makes all his tunes using just Sony's Sound Forge wav editor, which I think helps to give it that choppy, rough round the edges, almost not quite syncopated, sound.

Next up, a techno tune that manages to keep me entertained throughout the track, I like listening out for the subtleties as the tune evolves - decent pair of headphones permitting. It manages to be both catchy and energetic, whilst at the same time hypnotic



Lastly, a tune that has been sitting on my ipod that has grown on me of late, again, I like the way it unfolds slowly. Up your street it you like Fourtet



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