So I thought I'd share a few more of tunes i'm diggin' with you. As promised, the list is much shorter than last time, but still contains a range of genres:
1. SBTRKT - Trials of The Past
This track is just plain cool. I love the tone of Sampha's vocals with the "post-dubstep house" beat. If you fancy something a bit different from the norm, it is definitely worth checking out the whole album.
2. Alice Jemima - Far From Here
I came across Alice Jemima on Breaking More Waveswho did a feature on her new song All The Boyfriends. I love the innocence in her voice and the simplicity of the accompaniment. It's rare to find either of these qualities in a music industry lead which is lead by technology and sexuality.
3. Dillon - Contact Us
Dillon's misic has repeatedly been compared to that of Swedish musician Lykke Li. Her tone of voice just melts me inside and I love the feel of this song.
4. Clockwork- It's You Again (Lee Foss meets Robert James in the Art Department remix)
I am in the fortunate position of personally knowing some very talented DJs and producers, so I feel it my duty to them and you to share some of their work. Here is a deep house remix by my pal Robert James, Hot Natured boy Lee Foss and Canadian duo Art Department. I just love the groovy bassline and spacey vocal!
So there we go - just a small collection of tunes I wanted to share with you. Let me know what you think!
I woke up this morning to see the words "KONY 2012" plastered all over Facebook. I was intrigued as to why people wanted to "Make Kony famous". "Who, or what, is Kony?" I wondered. A new musician? A festival launching this year? Some new theory in the 2012 apocalypse phenomenon? I deduced from the number of people who had shared it that I would find the answer in the video below - which was described by one of my Facebook friends as "ONE OF THE MOST INVALUABLE AND IMPORTANT 30 MINUTES OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE":
It sickens me to think that a fellow human being can be so evil, dangerous and manipulative, and I shed more than a few tears at the plight of Jacob and the other children who live or have lived in fear of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army. I also emathised with Jason Russell - co-founder of Invisible Children, maker of the Kony 2012 film and father of Gavin, who fuels his desire to make the world a safer place - as I have always wanted to be a mother, but do not particularly wish to bring a child into a world which is rapidly deteriorating due to various aspects of human behaviour. I, too, am eager to do something to end suffering and make the world a better place, and if Jason has found a way to even begin to do this then I want to do everything I can to support him and his campaign. After all, the fewer baddies out there the better, right?
Well, maybe not as it turns out. I am an avid sitter-on-the fence; I always like to research a story fully before jumping on either side. Unsurprisingly, a counter argument - which you can find here- appeared soon after the Kony 2012 video went viral. Grant Oyston points out flaws of the Kony 2012 campaign and the charity Invisible Children, such as the minute proprtion of their revenue which actually goes to direct services, and the fact that they are in favour military intervention - supporting the Ugandan army who have also been accused of rape and looting. I will not go into all the criticisms as more details can be found on Oyston's Visable Children blog and others such as this one by Musa Okwonga and this one by Alex Miller, who has saved me a lot of typing as he may as well have taken the words out of my mouth.
Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Lauren Poole - founders of IC and makers of the Kony 2012 film - posing with guns. Hmmm.
Anyway, reading these criticisms made me think about how quick people are to believe, agree with, and support what they are told or shown without necessarily knowing real facts. Although there is a lot of evil in the world, fortunately, the majority of people will jump at the chance of helping those less fortunate than themselves (as long as it requires minimal effort and little to no cost). So when the Kony 2012 video was released, millions of social networkers hit "share" with no hesitation, believing that this simple action will facilitate the capture of Joseph Kony, thus solving all Uganda's problems, thus saving the world...?! Ok, so maybe I am slightly exaggerating the naïvety of the public, and I don't think that I am particularly superior or immune to being fooled by propaganda tactics. But the fact is that most people who shared that video are not aware of all the implications it will have. Please read the blogs I have linked, which explain that members of Kony's child army will have to be killed to reach him, and that even if Kony is caught, it will not necessarily mean the end of the LRA and certainly won't make the issue of rape, abuse and abduction in Uganda disappear. I definitely agree that raising awareness of Kony's crimes is important, but I'm not sure if the Kony 2012 campaign is the most effective way to address the issues.
It is awful to think that something which we take for granted as being good or helpful has the potential to do further harm. It reminded me of this articleI read a few months ago, which reveals the fact that westerners who volunteer in developing countries such as Cambodia can do more harm than good, and may actually be preventing orphanages from improving their conditions. Volunteers in these countries are essentially tourists who bring business and aid, and some orphanages reportedly intentionally keep their conditions poor to fuel pity and encourage westerners to return. In fact, one study found that only around a quarter of children in the orphanages had actually lost both parents; many of the rest had been sold or rented out to the orphanages by their parents themselves. Furthermore, volunteers take potential jobs from the locals so they are in fact often damaging communities' economies. Do read the article as it's really interesting and highlights some issues I would never have considered myself.
So, what CAN we do? I wish I had all the answers. I wish I knew how we could help these children rather than pointing out all the ways we're failing to do so. But I don't. There is so much propaganda in the world that we never know the whole story of either side. I have always said that if I won the lottery I would set up my own projects helping people around the world rather than give to existing charities. That way I could truly have a say in where my money goes and I could see the effect my work would have on a group or a community. But what do I know? How would I be able to lead a successful project when these charities and organisations which have been going for years are supposedly failing? I guess I'll have to wait til I win the lottery to see if I can change the world. But for now, I think I'll stay up here on my fence.
I've never given anything up for lent. I'm not hugely religious...more spiritual if anything. However this year my boyfriend and I decided to give up not one, but four vices - sweets, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks - for forty days and forty nights. We're about 2 weeks into it and, to be honest, it's not been too difficult so far. I'm not a huge fan of sweets and fizzy drinks - they are more my boyfriend's vices - and I don't eat chocolate that often, but when I do I absolutely feast on it! So far I've had no real cravings but I'm sure that won't last long. Crisps is the main thing I have craved, especially when I eat sandwiches as I love putting crisps inside them to give them a bit of a crunch! I'd love it if giving up these unhealthy foods helped me lose some weight, but I just seem to be replacing them with other junk food like chips and pizza! I have come to realise that there is no particular unhealthy food which I eat too much of; it's just a combination of all unhealthy foods! Next year I think I'll add takeaways to the list...or maybe I should just see if I survive this year first!
So, I have decided to do a few music posts and see how it goes. I have an eclectic taste and love all kinds of music from house to hip hop to rock n roll. I'm no music snob, but I do feel that a lot of music in the charts at the moment lacks the soul and depth to be able to make you drift away to another place or emotion when listening to a tune. I find that modern RnB is often simple and materialistic lyrics over a trance or electro beat...a far cry from the original rhythm and blues which were the epitomy of soul. I also find a lot of commercial house music to be superficial and fickle. I feel that many young people have jumped on the David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia bandwagon, attracted to the idea of going to festivals, getting off their heads and jumping around to loud electronic music without actually taking any notice of what they are listening to. Fair play to Guetta, SHM et al for getting where they are, but to me their music has no groove or soul. Which brings me onto my final rant about today's music...dupstep. The dubstep we typically think of - or 'brostep' as it is sometimes referred to as - is not representative of the whole dubstep genre, and I have been pleasently suprised by some dubstep tunes which are absolutely stunning. However, to me, the commercial dupstep many people are into at the moment, is just noise...gosh I sound like my mother - I must be getting old!
Like I said, I don't want to come across as snobby; I listen to an extremely broad range and I am not slating all commercial music. There are a lot of (a few) mainstream artists who I massively respect and love listening to, and I will be including these in my blog. I just think music in general has lost a lot of the emotion it used to have, and many artists today are more concerned about their brand than their music.
Anyway, enough complaining for now, and onto something positive - the reason I came back to my blog. I love searching the web for new music, and I can happily spend hours doing so. As long as it has some depth, groove, soul, bass and a bit of sexiness I will enjoy it no matter what the genre. So I thought I would share with you a few little gems I have come across.
1. Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans
Here is an example of an popular artist I could listen to all day. When a song gives me goosebumps like this one does there is no reason why it should not be topping the charts. The haunting vocals are full of raw emotion, and to be fair I don't think anything that came out of those amazing lips could not make you want to stop and listen.
2. Jamie Woon - Spirits
It is hard to pick a Jamie Woon song to feature as his whole album "Mirrorwriting" is just amazing. I first heard of him about a year ago and this was the video which introduced me to him. Notice how he is creating the whole track by sampling and looping his own vocals.
3. Azari & III - Into the Night (Nicolas Jaar remix)
Nicolas Jaar is an absolute musical genius. He was 18 when he had his first release on Wolf and Lamb music. Some of his stuff is a bit too minimal and plinky plonky for me..maybe I just don't "get" some of it, but I think this remix is absolutely beautiful. Just crank up your speakers, close your eyes and let it take you away...
4. Little Dragon - Ritual Union (Maya Jane Coles remix)
I'd not heard much of Little Dragon's stuff unitl recently and I intend to feature them again in my blog. The original of this song is brilliant too but I thought I would post Maya Jane Coles' remix as I heard it first and I love the dark moody baseline. I find that, especially after winning DJ Mag's Best Producer, Maya can be slightly overrated, but there is no doubt that she has produced some fantastic tracks and I'm sure she will be featured again too.
5. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby (Jozif edit)
My dad is a huge Beatles fan, so I couldn't find this and not include it in my blog, especially as the strings in it also massively relate to my family as my mum is a violin teacher and my sister plays the cello. I heard it last summer on a Jozif podcast and managed to find it a few months ago on YouTube. Jozif is a brilliant house DJ and producer from London and I've loved every set of his that I've seen. He always looks like he's enjoying himself and he absolutely buzzes off the music which is what I like to see!
6. Daniel Bortz - Boyz 2 Men
Another hauntingly beautiful track. My boyfriend found this about six months ago and I have been in love with it ever since. The wailing vocal and echoing piano riffs tell a story full of sadness and pain, but the tune is also somewhat uplifting at the same time. Daniel Bortz uses a lot of vocals from old R&B tunes which could explain why I enjoy his tracks so much.
7. Dilated Peoples - Worst Comes to Worst
I want each blog post to cover a wide range of genres, so I thought I'd include a hip hop tune which reminds me of my school days. They don't make 'em like this anymore, do they? Or maybe they do...I find that if you look hard enough there is endless good music out there, you just have to try to find it rather than relying on what is played on the radio.
8. Dr Dre and Eminem - Forgot About Dre
I bought Dre's "2001" album when I was about 14 to impress the boy I fancied, but after listening to it I fell in love with hip hop. I also fell in love with Eminem around the same time, and the infatuation has never really disappeared. I suppose I have stopped listening to any of his newer stuff but I still know every single word to his Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers LPs and I still love listening to them now as much as ever.
9. Ice Cube - Today was a Good Day
What can I say...a hip hop classic. Don't think I've ever met anyone who dislikes this song.
10. Incubus - Drive
I was getting a bit stuck on the hip hop vibe there so thought I'd change it up a bit. Before I listened to hip hop I loved alternative, rock, indie, grunge music. The baggy trousers, chains and dog collars have disappeared but I do like to keep a bit of a grungey feel to my fashion. And I still listen to a lot of the music I did back then. Incubus' "Make Yourself" and "Morning View" albums certainly got a fair few plays on my stereo during my early teens so listening to these songs sparks those nostalgic butterflies in my tummy!
11. The Weeknd - Wicked Games
I was introduced to the Weeknd by a friend last year and immediatley fell in love. His music is soo deep and sexy. He has done a lot of work with Drake and I predict that he will be huge by the end of the year. For me this is what rnb should be - smooth, sexy and soulful. A lot of his songs also have dubsteppy type backbeats which just grip your heartstrings. Heaven!
12. DJ T feat Khan - Leavin Me (Daniel Bortz remix)
Yet another gorgeous deep house track with eerie vocals and a moody baseline. Daniel Bortz never fails to deliver.
This track means a lot to me. There were just a few of us left at the end of a house party a couple of years ago and a friend of mine played this song to us. The whole room went silent and we just sat there listening to this beautiful tune. We didn't all know each other that well at the time but we have been close friends since, and I like to think this song bonded us a group. I have listened to it countless times since then and I still get goosebumps every time. It is just magical to me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do - plug your speakers in so you can appreciate the bass.
14. Delilah - I Can Feel You
There are a lot of these young female vocalists around at the moment - the Lana Del Rays, the Birdies, the Emeli Sandes and the Delilahs. All these girls have beautiful and unique voices and many of their songs are truely stunning. I don't know if I would like to listen to a whole album of this type of music but I love the simplicity and the emotion in songs such as this one by Delilah.
15. Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box
Here's my grunge past coming out again. I was going to post Come As You Are as I love the bass guitar riff but I thought I would post a slightly less well known Nirvana song. Enjoy..
16. Fink - Pills in my Pocket
I discovered Fink a few months ago. I keep meaning to listen to some more of his stuff and after listening to this again today I will make it a priority. It's nice to hear decent British indie music like this and after doing some research I've just discovered that he used to produce ambient techno and has worked with Amy Winehouse. I'll definitely be looking more into his music!
17. Frank Ocean - Thinking About You
This tune has a similar vibe to The Weeknd's stuff. His voice is absolutely gorgeous - that Pharrell Williams-esque falsetto vocal just makes you want to do naughty things! And the dubby beat just gives it another level.
18. Blood Orange - Bad Girls
I love the 80s feel to this song. I'm thinking Depeche Mode meets Human League. I am downloading their album as I type!
19. Shorterz and Enigma ft Little Palm - Rag Doll
This is an example of how dubstep can be beautiful. I think this type of dubstep is now referred to as "liquid" or "future" dubstep, but who cares about names of genres, just listen to the music and enjoy! This tune is that extra bit special as Shorterz is a local Birmingham boy who is a regularly plays at The Rainbow which is my favourite venue in the country.
20. Miguel Campbell - Something Special
Had to shout out, Miguel for giving me the title of this post. This sexual track has been played (almost) to death throughout 2011 and deservedly won DJ Mag's Best Dance Single. If this doesn't make you groove then nothing will!
I realise that 20 songs is probably too many for one blog post but I just got so carried away as there is so much music I want to include! I will wait a while to do my next post to give you time to listen to all these songs as I would really appreciate feedback. I promise to try to make my next post shorter so please bare with me!
Thanks very much for reading/listening, and well done for reaching the end of the post!
