You Should Be Listening - Week of April 11th, 2021

We’ve got quite a wide range of genres covered in this week's collection. There are highlights from some of my favourite albums, as well as standout singles. Electronic, Funk, Rock, and Hip-Hop are all here to play.

“Archangel” by Burial

Burial’s “Untrue” is arguably one of the greatest electronic albums of all time. It sits at the crossroads of multiple sub-genres, and had a huge influence on sounds being developed in the UK - most notably dubstep. More than a mere palette swap, Burial takes the upbeat, skippy drum programming of UK Garage and dims the lights. Found sounds and sudo-organic percussion sandwich between layers of vinyl crackles and muffled surface noise. Synths, samples and RnB vocals hover like ghosts across his arrangements. We get a snapshot of the lost, lonely, alienating atmosphere of Britain in the early-to-mid 2000s.

The sample selection on “Archangel” is particularly fascinating to me. We get vocal snippets from “One Wish” by Ray J, as well as “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. Burial is known for pulling and manipulating vocals from RnB artists, but will sometimes opt for an amature cover found on YouTube. Furthermore, the central musical sample is lifted from “Opening Infiltration” by Harry Gregson-Williams and Norihiko Hibino, from the “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” Soundtrack. Additional sound-design elements from this videogame are sprinkled throughout the album, from shell casings hitting the ground, to “item pickup” sound effects.

“The Mexican” by Babe Ruth

I love the fantastic fusion of the bass groove and drum break, paired with dazzling guitar licks and arpeggiation. Janita "Jennie" Haan’s impassioned vocals remind me of singers like Janis Japolin. I first heard this track while watching various documentaries about the origins of Hip-Hop and breakdancing.

The song was written by Alan Shacklock and recorded along with the rest of the First Base album at Abbey Road Studios in the summer of 1972. According to “Classic Rock” magazine, Shacklock wrote the lyrics of the song as a retort to the 1960 John Wayne film The Alamo. He critiqued the historical inaccuracies and lack of human depiction of the Mexican troops who defeated the Texian forces. The song reinterprets part of the theme from Ennio Morricone’s 1965 Spaghetti Western “Per Qualche Dollaro in Più” (”For a Few Dollars More”).

“Sign of the Gypsy Queen” by April Wine

This track announces itself with its heart on its sleeve. The four chords that break down the door are repeated throughout almost the entire song. Multiple lead guitar tones overlap and harmonize, a sentiment that is echoed in the chorus with smooth vocal harmonies. The dominant guitar tone is a blend of compression, chorus, and distortion. A sound that can be heard across other bands from Boston to Def Leppard. The distortion is dropped for the verses, letting the clean but chorused notes glimmer over a sustained bass on the one. Halfway through the track, the sound drops into a slow, opened space for the guitar solo. We go from feverish to Floyd with sonic allusions to tracks like “Comfortably Numb” and “What Do You Want From Me”. Originally created by the artist Lorence Hud in 1972, April Wine’s cover saw a resurgence in popularity when it was featured in the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad in 2013.

"Signatune - Thomas Bangalter Edit” by DJ Mehdi

The original version from the late DJ Mehdi’s “Lucky Boy” is barely over a minute long. This edit by Thomas Bangalter (one of the members of Daft Punk) expands the arrangement, taking the central, repetitious sample chop on a journey. Filters, drums, and “tape-stop” effects allow the passionate chord progression to celebrate its dominance even more. The sample powering this stomping anthem comes from the opening to the track “Strokin’” by the light funk and dance-pop group Dynasty.

For me, this song defies all odds and manages to make CD-skipping levels of stutter, musical. The traditions of French House are on display, revolving around a central, repeated refrain. There are two moments when we even get a short, bitcrushed breakdown. Yet there’s something that just makes this track feel a little more modern to sit in close company with its Electro House brethren.

“3030” by Deltron 3030

To my memory, Deltron 3030’s self-titled, debut album may have been my first exposure to anything resembling a hip-hop concept album. I didn’t have much experience with concept albums up to this point, much less a rap opera set in a future dystopia. I was enraptured by Dan the Automater’s sample selection and manipulation. The opening track, “3030” pulls heavily from William Sheller’s “Introit”. Additional drum elements are sourced from Christine Perfect’s “And That's Saying a Lot” as well as Cerrone’s “Rocket in the Pocket”. The strings and choral elements are haunting and mysterious, painting a colourful image of a dire, exhausting timeline. DJ Kid Koala’s style of turntablism complement’s Automator’s canvas with additional textures and atmospheric elements. Meanwhile, Del the Funky Homosapien’s sci-fi lyricism rolls around in my head like hard candy, blending poignant social commentary with clever humour. This hip-hop supergroup from the future manages to balance their powers to create a timeless album.

This article was originally posted on DJ Dain's blog on April 11th, 2021 https://bit.ly/3rZ5Y6K