lockah
Love this big track from Lockah - taken from his forthcoming five-track EP And Blue Brindle Too, Barcelona Drums demonstrates a more cinematic evolution of his sound. Following on from debut album Yahoo Or The Highway, Lockah's new EP represents a move towards using live instruments, with guitars provided by Mount Bank's Samuel Organ and drums by Lockah himself.
And Blue Brindle Too is released through Donky Pitch on 27 April.
It's that time of year and as always I'm a little late out of the gate (blame the fact that advertising, my day job, doesn't make compiling this sort of list in December particularly easy!)
I didn't do a songs list last year but as I've focused more on posting one off tracks in 2014 it felt much more relevant. I'm going with a top 60 format and will be posting ten every day or so, then I will look to cover the top ten albums of the year.
I won't comment on these early ones (I just don't have the time sadly!) but where possible I've included a free streaming link or video, otherwise I expect a Spotify player.
Finally before we dive in, I wanted to call out four songs that very nearly made it but just missed out. Stills by Panes, Restless by Oyinda (big hopes for 2015!), Levitation by Marz Léon and Everything We Touch by Say Lou Lou. And with that, on to the list...
Click the Prev post button at the bottom of this post to get to Part Two.
60. Mess On A Mission - Liars
59. Hold Me - JJ
58. Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck) - Run The Jewels feat. Zack De La Rocha
57. Summer Jorts (Some Cats Still Do) - Lockah
56. Origins - Max Cooper
55. Let Me Down Gently - La Roux
54. Heroine - The Night VI
53. Johnny and Mary - Todd Terje
52. Getaway - EBY feat. IIRIS
51. Oasis - Alpines
More to follow...
Lockah
The second full-length album release from the Donky Pitch stable feels like an altogether different beast to the experimental beguiling and at times beautiful Nonfiction from The Range. The debut album from Lockah, Yahoo Or The Highway, is thoroughly irreverent in comparison to Nonfiction, and whilst both feel thoroughly contemporary Lockah clearly filters his sound through the lenses of someone reared on 80s pop and 90s R&B
Much of the album appears to be delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, as demonstrated by several of the track titles (Some Velvet Evening and If loving U Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Wrong). In other words, you can't accuse Yahoo Or The Highway of taking itself too seriously. It knows how to have a good time though - 44-minutes whip past in a frenzy of melodic synth stabs, chaotic rattling percussion and scattergun samples.
The melodic heart of this record beats to the sound of 80s movie and TV soundtracks yet Lockah splices his pieces together to create something that is generally fresh and unique. His music is unashamedly populist - tracks like the insistent Summer Jorts (Some Cats Still Do) scream for attention and Lockah's album cares not for restraint. It is the layered approach to production that keeps things interesting though - tracks like Ayyo Tricknology, whilst not new to this release, still feels cacophonous and rapturous in equal measure. This seemingly intricately planned messiness rapidly seems to be Donky Pitch's calling card and Lockah is at his best when he manages to control his own vision, as on the fantastic Contact High Wit Big Lockah.
Yahoo Or The Highway feels a little like a sugar high. It is an undeniable pleasure, but a slightly guilty one. With all the bells and whistles Lockah occasionally pushes against the boundaries of taste and decency, but much of this record is a joy - so who cares?
Yahoo Or The Highway is out now on Donky Pitch, available to order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Listen on Spotify below:
Lockah, credit: Dean Gray
Fresh off of the back of releasing one of last year's best albums (Nonfiction by The Range), Donky Pitch kick start their 2014 with this storming EP from Lockah. The ironically titled If Loving U Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Wrong presents two original tracks as a prelude to Lockah's forthcoming album Yahoo or the Highway, and it follows up on last year's Only Built 4 Neon Nites EP.
Both the original tracks are presented in Lockah's usual style - a smear of pop across a grimey background of Miami bass. There are plenty of his usual rave-antics packed into this EP and it is suitably starry-eyed and uplifting.
Lockah, credit: Dean Gray
The EP's title track is a flurry of pitched vocals, rave piano and old school drum patterns that come together to create something totally in love with the optimism of early 90s dance but still noticeably contemporary. Ayyo Tricknology is similarly positive but focuses on a little bit of a more up-to-date, bass orientated sound, with plenty of echo and bounce creating a chunky rhythmic track.
If Loving U Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Wrong - Lockah
Both tracks come with a dub version. If Dubbing U Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Wrong loses the pitched vocal and instead focuses on tight drum patterns and scratching to create a track for the beat heads. Ayyo Bonus Beats is similarly rhythm obsessed, stripping out the synths to create a tightly wound drum track.
It is all further evidence that Nonfiction was no fluke - thankfully we only need to wait until April to hear their next full length offering.
If Loving U Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Wrong is out on 17 February through Donky Pitch. It will be available through Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Listen to the title track on Soundcloud below:
Lockah's Only Built 4 Neon Nites represents Donky Pitch's eighth release to date and their first so far in 2013 and it just might be their biggest yet. It's certainly the release most squarely aimed at the mainstream.
Lockah has already released material through Mad Decent sub-label Jeffrees and Mishka, and he's provided remixes for releases of both Fool's Gold and Skrillex's OWSLA.
Only Built 4 Neon Nites is a tribute late night ambling through urban illuminated skylines. It is made for listening through in sequence, representing that journey, but each track stands on its own. The EP takes in a variety of sounds but the disco-kitchen-sink approach of Rustie forms the template - elements of EDM-influenced dubstep, crunchy techno, electro and hip-hop all feature, combined with heavy 80s pop references.
Following a brief car-engine-start, 80s radio electro pop intro ...Neon Nites gets into things proper with Young Neon Countach, the name telling you all you need to know. Expect plenty of electro synths, big hip-hop drum kicks and amped up, distorted melodies. It sets the tone for the rest of the EP, with each track delivering different styles but using the same basic approach.
Guards Red Carrera (spot a theme?) starts with a Buggles-esque campy melodies that melt into liquid DnB rhythms and EDM synths. Let The Cool Air Breeze is more laid back in its entrance - the lull before the evening's climax perhaps. Big melodies backed with slower drum patterns that make way for a break constructed from a series of liquid related sample, building towards a celebratory finale.
The EP closes with Platinum Blondes, another more contemplative track. Distorted bass lines provide the bed for a soft-focus eighties melody and hip-hop samples. It feels like the EP's closing credits, cinematically culminating in another engine being fired up in the rain, before pulling off.
Only Built 4 Neon Nites is a sugar rush of an EP: instant and gratifying, and a fleetingly brief introduction to Lockah's sound.
Only Built 4 Neon Nites is out now on Donky Pitch, available to buy on Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].