1. Herbert | I Hadn’t Known (I Only Heard)
I was introduced to this only a few weeks ago by a friend and it’s been on constant repeat ever since. There’s something about the beautiful Subtlety and Attention To Detail that really strikes a chord with me. Its Low-Fi Shuffling Percussion and Immaculate Sampled Vocal accompanied by a Bell-like Sounding Pad Synth - all cohere together just wonderfully. A real late night roller that can be enjoyed just as much relaxing as on a night out.
2. Burial + Four Tet | Nova
Two of my favourite Producers collaborating together and Producing this wonderful single sided record which was released on Keiran’s (Four Tet) Label, Text Records in 2012. Both Producers have huge individual acclaim and I could list many songs from both of them which are favourites of mine, but I think this track in particular is a Credible Audible Explanation of the pair of them. Nova is a dense, Warm-Sounding Sonic Experiment that floats in on a bed of lush Vocal Samples with rippling atmospherics before a Keyboard Riff emerges after ninety seconds that takes it into its defining House Music Structure. It’s Captivating Music, which really engrosses the listener and Evokes Expression.
3. Captain Murphy | Between Friends (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
Flying Lotus needs no introduction, his Music speaks for itself. His Production Between Friends features OFWGKTA’s Earl Sweatshirt and his own Hip Hop Alter Ego Captain Murphy. FlyLo really is a Master in the Art of Sampling and this track exhibitions that fact very nicely. The Opening starts with a Rhodes Keyboard Riff and then breaks into the Vocal with his signature skipping Hip Hop Drums. The real steal for me in this track comes at around the two-minute-twenty mark where it unexpectedly drops into some really smooth Instrumental which makes the hairs on your neck stand on edge!
4. Submotion Orchestra | All Yours
Leeds (UK) based group Submotion Orchestra remain at the forefront of the Dubstep scene, taking the DJ dominated genre into a Live Acoustic Band environment. Ruby Wood, the Lead lady behind the mic is just as much of a stunning Singer as she is person. Her Vocal, so soothing to the ear, provides a wonderful Melodic line to the Minor Chord Progression that sits beneath it. Producer for Submotion - Ruckspin - adds an array of FX Post Production, that really make the track into an Atmospheric wonder. They are just as great Live as they are recorded.
5. Coki | Spongebob
My one True Love will always be Dubstep and, although I’ve strayed away from that style in my Production, it always has a special place in my heart. Spongebob really is reminiscent of my Teenage Angst and Frustration, I’d never heard anything like it before and I haven’t heard anything like it since. Coki has an unique style which many have tried, but in my opinion, failed to replicate. It’s Real Screw-Up-Your-Mush Music, but in the right environment and mood, there’s nothing better!
6. Champion | Prince Jammy
UK Funky is my go to genre when playing out at the moment and DJ Champion is right at the forefront of the scene. Released earlier in the year 2013 on his own imprint Formula Records, Prince Jammy is a Club Melter. The Shuffling Beat and Mental Enveloped Square Waves accompanied by African Sampled Drums, Thudding Kick and its pitched down off Beat Clap Snare - all amalgamate into a wavey shoulder roller that restarts any tiring crowd. It’s like Audible Red Bull. The flip side Hydra Island is also great.
7. Youngstar | Pulse X
And Formula 2... I’m too young to remember the impact of these tunes on the birth of Grime in the early two-thousands, but as I grew up and started to explore the UK’s Underground Music Scene, Youngstar was one of the First Grime Instrumental Producers I came across. He Produces using ReBirth, a subsidiary product to the ever popular Reason. ReBirth models Roland Analogue equipment in a MIDI format. The Production is so gritty and grimey, it reflects the genre so well. These tracks are inherent to the History of Grime and the development of the UK Sound, it’s not uncommon to still hear them played out in clubs today.
8. Minnie Ripperton | Inside My Love
Without a doubt my Favourite Soul Singer of All Time is Minnie Ripperton. One of her most Popular tracks, Inside My Love, displays her incredible Vocal Range and talent as a Lyricist. The F Two Octaves above Middle C she hits at the end of both Choruses is frankly, fucking ridiculous. Not only is the Vocal incredible, but the slow, lilting Instrumental behind it is the most Seductive and Tantalising Music You Could Ever Hope To Hear. The steady Drum Beat and Bass Groove, delicate Rhodes Keyboard, passionate String Section Full of Vibrato and the Electric Guitar’s plucky Inverted Tonic Pedal provide an unreal backdrop to the rare talent that is Minnie Ripperton. The track got given a new lease of Life in the early two-thousands with a House Bootleg from Jean Jacques Smoothie that achieved Chart success. I’ve played it out a few times when the mood has been right!
9. The Cinematic Orchestra | Burn Out
I first came across Cinematic Orchestra when searching Online for the Soundtrack to the British Teen Cult Film Kidulthood as I was determined to find a certain track from one of the scenes. That track was All Things To All Men and naturally, I wanted to hear more, so listened to all their albums. Things haven’t been the same since! With an extensive back catalogue exclusively released through the seminal Record Label Ninja Tune, there’s an extraordinary amount of Brilliant, Intelligent Music to listen through. But if I had to pick my favourite, it would be Burn Out. The track in itself is Incredible from Start to Finish, but I think it’s the connotations I associate it with that make the difference. Seeing them perform it Live at a Jazz Festival, sozzled on cider as the Sun was setting over a park lake after a hot mid Summer's day with my best friends was just perfect.
10. Brandt Brauer Frick | Mi Corazon
Brandt Brauer Frick, if you are unaware, are a three piece from Berlin, Germany. They make Minimalistic, Experimental Techno with a Jazz twist. On face value, they look like Science boffs, but in Reality, they are very talented Musicians with Rhythm flowing through every ligament of each one of their bodies! With three full length albums under their belt, Mi Corazon comes from their very first. I think what attracts me so much to it is the extensive use of Polyrhythms on a Four By Four Beat from Melodic Keyboard Instruments and this thudding Sub Bassline beneath it that keeps your ear in time, not to mention the array of Textures and Timbres employed. Their recorded Music translates very well to a Live Set Up also, with one member playing Pad Drums, another on Keyboard and the last member controlling the FX and Overall Sound from a Studio Sized Mixer.
