Her Dark Materials: Sequins

The end is nigh. But what an end. 

That's what apocalypse preachers never tell you. Yeah, we're all going to go down in a blaze of fire and pain but nobody tells you what the soundtrack to the end of the world is going to be. 

If this is it, it might just be worth it. 

The final installment of the materials set is here. Our last material is sequins. Usually only allowed on New Year's Eve and representing celebration in its highest form. They are flashy, dramatic and ideal to dance in moving around strobe lights. 

What better music for it to represent than groovy disco house? There is no better music. Hands down the best subgenre of electronic music. It never fails to make you feel happy, it never fails to make you want to dance and it never fails to make you dive deep into the world of sampled 70's disco. 

One final time, let's do this. No shuffling, for the life of me, and no skipping tunes, for the life of you. 

Track one. We're due a warm-up first, so Give Me Your Love by Outunder is precisely that. It's slow and sultry and it's meant to get you in the mood. There's something in this song that I love about this genre and it's that it has a stop at the middle and it includes spoken vocals taken out of films, songs, poems or in this case, stand-up comedy. The djs usually manage to blend in this element perfectly with the organic beat that's the spine of the song. In this case, it's also combined with a series of moans that significantly makes it all hotter. The song never really picks up the pace but that's not what we want yet anyway. Open your ears, and gather your bearings, we're going on a sexy apocalyptic ride. 

Whistleblower by Rhode & Brown (the Hodini rework) picks up the pace a little. You can't sit still with this one. It keeps adding layers to the song with an actual whistle being one of them. The clear jazzy piano sequence works very well with the deep reverbed bassline and that's what holds the whole track together. There are no significant vocals in this one which is a fresh change since the rest of the list will rely heavily on them. Pantoufle by Georges follows in the same line as the previous track only it has a fantastic guitar riff holding the rest of the song up. 

For Electric Drama by Lovers, the sampled original music takes center stage and has a lot of weight in the track. There is a piece made up of sampled string instruments and some horn charts that fully open up the world of disco. The tune starts off quite slow so you might feel a slight comedown from Pantoufle but it has a fantastic build-up and reaches a good peak around minute 5. 

The Groovy Thing by Jamie Trench is a rough and funky rise in energy for the list and For You, I'm Sure by Tuesday Brunch has the same effect only with lighter punch to it. These two tracks are the signal that we're on a steady climb to reach our first point of climax.

I caught my hips doing a little dance while I was sat at my desk while listening to All Night by Art of Tones, so that must mean we're close. Similar to climbing Mount Everest and for a second the clouds disappear and you can see its peak. The looped bassline reminds me vaguely of Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust and overall it has a very Daft Punk feel to it. This means nothing other than those two artists had heavy disco influences when making their music. 

Ten points to whoever can tell me what song is sampled in Partylife by Stefano Ritteri. I've heard it before. Trillions of times. And I have the original stashed somewhere in my Spotify but I can't friggin put my finger on the title or artist of it. Anyway. The track keeps the steady groove going as it greets you with "welcome to the 70s". There is an abrupt stop around minute 4 that genuinely had me thinking something had happened to the computer, but it breaks magnificently seconds later. I think at that point I said out loud "youuu dog, you" while I shook my index finger at the screen.  

Our first almighty high comes at Peter Brown's Troubles (the Richard Earnshaw Remix). It has it all, a quick bit, groovy basslines, a looped piano sequence and screaming soulful vocals.  Completely feelgood with its intervals in energy so within the song we find pauses and splurges of vigour. 

Watashi No Sukinahito by Boku Wa takes us to the Japanese disco scene and keeps the tempo going. There is a full dancefloor and neon lights of pink and blue bouncing off every single sequin. 

Call it House by Never Dull is the start of a slight comedown. Nevertheless, it's potentially my favourite song on the list. That guitar riff with the broken backing vocals work too well in my ears. An ode to house music and an ode to funk. Despite the track not being as lively as the previous ones, it will still have you moving around in your chair unconsciously. It will do so in a slightly sexier and cooler way.

The next subsection is still house music obviously but it gradually gives the electronic less of an importance and it starts to sound a lot more like standard disco or funk music. More powerful vocals, more strings working together and those keyboards that are always at the foundation of the tracks. This mood is encapsulated perfectly by Voodoo? by L'Imperatrice (the Lazywax remix).

I flipped this around with Humans by Night Tapes (the Franc Moody remix), electronic sounds come back into the scene big time and the bassline has an artificial feel to it. The original song is so sweet, ethereal and soft that the remix sounds like a completely different track. It has no resemblance at all. They're both equally enjoyable. 

And since it's the end of the end, I decided to go out with a massive bang. I had trouble deciding what to finish off with so like in The Lord of the Rings, I decided to have multiple endings. The end of the end starts at My Body Moves by Robbie Rivera and Elizabeth Gandolfo (the Soul Speech remix). We have the vocals and that looped piano driving everyone nuts in a good way. It has a little more electronic beats than what I'm used to enjoying in this type of house music but it works very well regardless. 

Experience by Sum Bloke is the heart of the subgenre. It has it all, There's a sax solo that's lost somewhere in the middle just before it drops and the first time I heard it, I literally spiraled out of control. I think I said, "Well now you're just showing off". Ex.Quisite. 

Shift by Phil Fuldner doesn't even let you rest. Even for a second. The curious thing about this one is that it has all the similar elements as the rest of the tunes on the list but the vocals are clearly taken out of somewhere within the reggae scene. So it has a little bit of an edge in that sense but still respects the mood of the selection. 

End your lists properly because it will be the last thing everyone will listen and it's how it makes them feel is that they'll remember. I said I wanted to go out with a bang. And I did. But There Must Be Something by Freiboitar doesn't start off that way. It has a little jazz workings that it builds up on. A sweet high-key piano that coexists with an almost bothersome noise. All of this with the sampled soulful vocals of Friday Saturday & Sunday-There Must Be Something. It's not the bang I thought I wanted but it's definitely the one I needed.

All good things come to an end and that is a good thing in itself.

I will not be posting soon. (that way if I do it's just a pleasant surprise for myself)

Her Dark Materials: Cotton

My job is to be as confusing as possible. Either one post in three months or two in a space of two days. It's the brilliant curse of intermittent inspiration.

Nah, that's not entirely true, it's simply that writing on here feels easier, like an unfiltered stream of my internal monologue is trickling out of my fingertips and also, it serves as a break from heavier stuff. I've been lucky to be inspired throughout the autumn, only in a very different way. 

The materials set is almost finished and I've saved my favourite subgenres for last. We still have two to go so chop chop. Let's intro the shit out of this list so you can press play. 

Cotton. Who doesn't like cotton? It's soft and breathable, it's comfy, warm and feels like you're being hugged by a cloud. 

Therefore, I think it doesn't need to be up for discussion when I relate cotton to deep house. In my mind, it's directly related to falling asleep and going into a profound dream. The sounds almost always sound distant and stuffy, like listening to reality through the wall of the unconscious. 

I won't hold you back any longer. Get into bed, cover yourself up with a blanket, make sure the shuffle button is the f- off and close your eyes. 

You're in bed, the lights are out yet you're still awake. Passing cars in the street project a show of shadows on your bedroom wall. That's I Like You A Lot by SI-FI. The beat and the keyboard melody are still quite crisp and sound very close to our ears. Also the distinct and quickly delivered lyrics  (which are taken straight out of Dumb and Dumber by the way) are proof that sleep isn't close yet. When we get to Cody Is A Tank by DATSKO and Itani we have a similar feeling to it but the voice already sounds a little distant and the keyboard is more distorted, almost sounding as if it's being played inside your eardrum. 

Eyelids start to droop in Whatever Happens, Happens by Loverground and Henrik Villard. A soft and mellow veil of sound covers your body and completely envelops it. You are surrendered to the power of the dj of drowsyness. 

With montage l.a. by sunflwr we have fully fallen headfirst into the dream. And it's a pleasant dream, it's a peaceful sleep. For the following section, the voices are now female and have a sweeter note to them. The enveloping veil is still there and will be throughout the rest of the list. It's kind of like being a caterpillar in a pod just waiting to complete transformation. That particular subsection finishes at U Gotta Show Me Luv by Júlio Cruz and Cage.

Have you ever had a nostalgic dream? Not a dream that made you nostalgic when you woke up from it, but a dream where you felt nostalgic as you were living it. That's the mood of what's up next, and because I'm a sad little girl, it's my favourite part. The next tr-

oh no. 

oh god no. 

I accidentally added two songs by DATSKO. Okay, nevermind. Never mind. Never sodding mind. We'll just pretend it's a deja vu. *spends the rest of the day in a huff*

ALL BY YOURSELF is not as cheery as the ones before and it serves as a transition into a different vibe. That feeling is complete when we get to Healing Process by Tom Vernon. You're floating in a little cotton cloud of sadness and melancholy but still at peace. It's where you want to be, and if you have doubts, they're blown away as the sample of Hotline Bling by Drake enters. 

The same thing happens with Hear Me by Ludua, it uses the sample of Modjo's Lady (Hear Me Tonight) to remind us of happier times. Now we're remembering them from the world of dreams and although it's not a sad song there's a pang of distance that makes it nostalgic.

Peak sadness and peak depth reach us with NYE 2005 by Model Man it gives so much importance to the keyboard that the beats are slowly introduced almost at minute one. Nevertheless, it's a low that the list needed. Different from other materials where there is a peak of noise, sexyness, or pump, in this case, the peak we wanted to reach has the opposite effect. It's almost a pause in the sequence of songs. 

We slowly make a comeback from that part of the dream but we're not out of the nostalgic woods just yet. Miroki by DJibouti and DJacuzzi is definitely a harsher sound with those acid loops in the middle but the keyboard grounds us to the essence of the playlist. 

ONCE AGAIN by Catlow brings back the female vocals and the light feel to the songs. We're still very deep in the dream but it is pleasant once again (no pun intended).

And for the end, we need something that wakes us up. Again the sounds are crisper and clearer once we reach AMLV by cuanzi. We pick up the pace of the bpms and our heart begins to understand we're on the verge of ending our slumber. Nevertheless, the lyrics are still a little distant, so we're not in the waking world just yet. 

SETTIMA NOTTE is our alarm clock. We're still confused and dazed from waking up, but we're here. It's to remind us of how deep we went and where we are now. Ironically the least cotton song on the list yet it might be my favourite. 

Despite that little mishap in the middle where I went against the most important rule of the art of making playlists, overall, cotton is fantastic and easy to get through during any moment of the day.

Cocking it up since 1995, Kk out. 

Ps: Please wait for the next and final installment of the materials set. Not to hype it up, but it will 100% be the best one. 

Her Dark Materials: Linen

Today has been the first time in a long time that I've managed to find sufficient inspiration, strength and time to continue my little endeavor into the world of incredibly specific mood playlists.

The setlist compiling electronic music associated with textiles is still very much alive and I'm here to unpack its latest installment. Linen. 

Linen is a material usually worn in the summer in hot countries. I have therefore associated it with a subgenre of electronic music that relies heavily on African drum sounds, latin lyrics and rich high-hats. 

Here it is, in order. 

If you've followed the three materials before this one, you might know by now that I like to tell little stories with my playlists and that they're divided into smaller sections. 

Linen begins with our arrival in this hot country. It starts off calm and we can hear crickets, so we've arrived at night and we can barely see the ground in front of our feet. Akabongi by Daniel Haaksman, Spoek Mathambo, Los Bulldozer and Kapote (who provides the remix), wouldn't have made it on the list but for the guitars that kick off around the second minute. I thought it was quite a cheerful sound that fit perfectly with the start, to help everyone understand what's coming.

Pray by Trashlagoon on the other hand isn't as cheery but it does feel like a warm breeze on your face and it would be a song that I could picture myself listening to at sunrise. It only has a hint of the drums I was referring to at the beginning so it feels quieter, like the day is just starting. 

Caparica by Populous signals that the sun is getting warmer. People are on the streets, there is hustle and bustle, there is chaos and strange smells surround you. You start to truly connect to the drums and you can feel invisible threads pull at your chest and force you to dance to the beat. 

Things change when we get to Pa Lante by Tom & Collins, Mr. Pig, Minow and Gabsy. It has gotten a lot faster and the drums require quicker feet. We're at twilight and there is a lot of humidity, the linen starts to stick to your back as the dancing gets heated. It might be one of my favourites of the list simply because there is no way this song doesn't make you feel good. 

But my favourite is without a doubt Xtasis by Nick León and Dj Babatr. It feels like the dark side of the moon but it is in fact the heart and soul of the mood I'm trying to encapsulate with the list. There is still positive energy coming from it and there are fast drums even though the sounds are slightly less organic than before. It holds the exotic essence and it has a great kick-off around the middle that just sends you spiraling into some other dimension. Ten outta ten. 

The harshest song on the list is once again by CRRDR, it's Besinho and it's hard to keep up with it. The sounds are nowhere near organic anymore yet it still manages to hint at those drum arrangements we've been listening to so far. Also, the lyrics in Portuguese make us think it might just be some dodgy Brazilian number. I didn't want to get too far into this vibe so after CRRDR I softened the mood again. 

Even though we're keeping the list quite chilled out, it's still night in my mind and that's what Umma represents. The song by Matt Sawyer and Everything Counts is clearly a darker energy than the first songs and it serves as a good transition between CRRDR and the African-beat-infused house music that is up next. 

The purest house song on the list is Significant Others by Chaos In The CBD. It is lounge house as I like to dub it but it has the same drum sequence as the rest of the list entwined with the rest of the elements of the song. It is the heart of track and yet it remains classy and expensive. It also has this Peruvian pan flute segment that brings it all together and highlights the warmth of the song. Riu - N'Dini mix by Millok and Kingja is exactly like the previous song only with a little bit more spice to it. It's faster, groovier and is asking you once again to sway to the beat. The horn charts in the middle are excellent and it's what earned it its spot on the list. It has peak moment of the night energy. 

Another one of my favourites is Ritmo del Amor by Hamza Rahimutula. The DJ manages to balance perfectly the moment in which he drops so he spends the first two and a half minutes teasing the listener. The drop isn't even that spectacular but it's enough to want to keep listening. The moment when it all comes together is as the lyrics are added in and he starts to prepare the next one. 

And to finish off, we have a high-energy track, Hear My Soul by GW Harrison. We're still respecting the drum sequence that has been with us since the beginning but this one also has a soulful voice guiding us along the latin rhythms. An excellent communion of elements and a final tune to leave you wanting more which is the general feeling when your summer holidays are coming to a close. 

Linen was hard to make but extremely enjoyable to listen back to back. Hopefully, the listeners will agree. 

Anyways. 

More materials will be up shortly.