WILT_2022-29

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 17 Jul 2022 to 23 Jul 2022.

1. Hip Hop Lollipop – Bootsy Collins, FANTAAZMA, Victor Wooten
2. Happiness – DARGZ, Charlie Stacey, Moses Boyd
3. Discern/Define – The Poets Of Rhythm
4. Soul Sequencer – Trees Speak
5. Rydeen – Yellow Magic Orchestra
6. Technopolis – Yellow Magic Orchestra
7. Behind The Mask – Yellow Magic Orchestra
8. Think Of Home – Sons Of Kemet
9. In The Castle Of My Skin – Sons Of Kemet
10. In Memory Of Samir Awad – Sons Of Kemet
11. My Queen Is Ada Eastman – Sons Of Kemet
12. Aboa Kyirbin – Ebo Taylor
13. Chill & Sip – Stimulator Jones
14. Leaving – D.K.
15. You’re Alive–There’s Still Time – K15
16. Axons and Dendrites – Shipping News
17. Canteen Culture – Athletic Progression

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-29

Notes

I came across Bootsy Collins’ Hip Hop Lollipop music video on a Sunday night. The video did not really do much for me, but damn, that groove, courtesy of Victor Wooten, was all killer no filler. As a song, it did not drag on for too long as well, which might have been a problem because the rhythm arrangements were quite simplistic. FANTAAZMA’s vocal arrangement and performance did add the cheeky, “lollipop” vibe that I suppose the song was going for.

Happiness stood out for me while I was exploring Spotify because I saw that Moses Boyd was one of the performers. I was not disappointed, DARGZ is a producer who actually recorded Moses Boyd, and a lot of his sensibilities come out in his solo offering of beatmaking, sampling, and vibe.

Discern/Define by The Poets Of Rhythm has a fantastic rare groove, funk and soul vibe that is so chill, but yet allows the background to shuffle on. Listen to this if you need something to take your mind off things.

Soul Sequencer came on whilst I was walking to the bus stop. Some great post-rock guitar work, that leads into a driving proto-beat. The dynamics do not really climb higher than that, which is a unique exercise of restraint. This song might sit better with the rest of its album, Ohms (2020). Also, I love the cover art of Ohms.

I went searching for the song Rydeen because I have been watching Sound! Euphonium an anime from 2015 about a Japanese high school band. The scene that drew me to the song, was the first victorious moment of the main characters, when the downtrodden concert band revealed the results of their hard work at the Sunrise Festival in a marching band performance. Some searches on the internet revealed that the song they performed was Rydeen, written and performed by Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), one of the pioneers of electronic music and the use of synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines.

From there, I continued to enjoy some other songs like Technopolis and Behind The Mask.

Also, watching live performances (Hyperlink to a live performance of Rydeen by YMO in 1980 at the Budokan, hosted on YouTube) today in 2022, as opposed to back in 1979, the music and innovations still continue to hold true. If anything, the music does not sound dated, but still sounds futuristic and visionary. I think it is a testament to how much before their time that Yellow Magic Orchestra was, and perhaps still is.

The music of Sons Of Kemet entered my orbit shortly after. What intrigued me was their use of only brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments for their jazz arrangements. Their music is primal, percussive, and most importantly expressive. I could not stop myself but explore the rest of their discography.

Aboa Kyirbin by Ebo Taylor and the rest of the songs of this playlist were served to me as music like Sons Of Kemet. I do not fully agree with that comparison, but I am also not complaining.

Aboa Kyirbin is some much needed afro-jazz music with tight guitar and horn section.

Chill & Slip, Leaving, and You’re Alive (There’s Still Time) all enter a chilled out sequence.

Chill & Slip by Stimulator Jones features a lo-fi, Dilla-esque beatmaking zone.

Leaving by D.K. creates a more vapourwave soundscape, but with dreamlike marimbas to guide you through its river.

You’re Alive (There’s Still Time) by K15 is a sanguine walk through an otherwise desolate wasteland, heading to who knows where.

When Axons and Dendrites by Shipping News comes on, the mood shifts to a more purposeful gallop of bass and percussion. The jangly guitars come in sparingly, building up towards an eager vocal drop. This is what rock does well, story tell. RIP Jason Noble.

After a particular long week, but still somehow having a good run of musical recommendations, Canteen Culture as the first song I heard when I woke up Saturday morning. Probably a leftover from whatever playlist was playing in the background as I stumbled home from work. Still, what greets is an urgent bassline sitting underneath angelic keyboards. And that phase-shifting re-arrangement at 1:46. That was the moment my face melted, and I knew I had to add this song.