The Listening Club - 20th May 2018

Hey there folks,

Hope all is going good for you all. A mighty fine day here in Amsterdam, which is much appreciated, as there's a free world music fest happening this afternoon in the Vondelpark, and a slice of live Italian soundtrack grooves courtesy of Calibro 35 to follow after, so it's all hands to the pumps right now...

Last week, @samsmitter was in the chair, smoothing us out in unexpected ways with his pick of "Classic Mellow Mastercuts Vol.2" by those legendary multi-billion sellers, Various Artists. Thanks to Sam for the mellow vibes, and for sailing the frisb across London to @ohmyliver, who's right here with tonight's intro...

"So I caught the fabled Listening Club frisbee  What to pick? 

Been listening to a bit of Drill, the newish sound of disaffected youth, which has emerged from Brixton in the last couple of years.  If you don’t know it, it’s the more trap influenced child of Grime, with the angry electronic innovation of youth making music with whatever they can get hold off like the PlayStation’s Music 2000 replaced by a less interesting heavy influence of US trap beats, and bars glorifying the behavior that manifests in things like the wave of stabbings and shootings by London youth.  Fear not I didn’t pick an example of this genre. Not out of Daily Mailesque moral panic, but because I don’t find the genre that interesting, probably because I’m too old.

A couple of weeks ago I badgered, in a fanboy way, Lawrence from Felt/Denim/Go Kart Mozart on the 55 bus as it slinked westwards from Old Street roundabout.  It was slightly depressing, especially as I love his work, to see a man seemingly shrunken by the disconnection between his talent and how much fame and success he actually got. He repeatedly asked if I had brought any of his records, and told me to buy his new record (he was on his way back from recording in Stokie) a number of times. As a consequence I’ve been adding to his Spotify play count whilst at work.  But I presume everyone’s familiar with his work, so didn’t pick any of that.

I did think about picking an album by Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Juke Box, but whilst I love their cover of Bizarre Love Triangle, the rest of their stuff in all of its late-night talkshow knowing cleverness grates after a few songs.  

So I went for this, released last year.  It’s sort of post-dubstep Techno, done by the ex flatmate of Bristol’s Pinch (who’s track Qawwali is one of my favourite tracks from the ‘00s) who has veered away from Dubstep to something more Techno, because in parts, it has the feel of music that should be experienced to the backdrop of a still stimulated, but yawning, dawn of a sunny summer day.  Which, err, might or might not work at 8pm on a Sunday evening, but in parts it’s very good."

Okaydoke. Direct download is here, and the HearBeSpoilers stream is below:


See you at 8pm BST (GMT+1)