Five Track Friday #4
Good lord it's getting dark out early now
Happy Friday!
Winter is rapidly approaching and it’s getting proper dark outside now which is quite the slog. Thanks to climate change, however, I’m still finding that I can go outside without an actual coat which is maddening.
Anyway another week another Five Track Friday.
Out And About
Salute tweeted about an idea of his to throw small cap, no phone parties and it got me thinking about the state of parties and mobile phones at the moment. This discourse is not a new one by any means but I think it’s good that more and more mainstream DJs are beginning to talk about it. There’s little that’s more annoying than trying to enjoy a moment on a night out only to look up and see a sea of people motionless holding their phones in the air.
And I’m guilty of it too, I love recording snippets that I can watch back the following day. But I personally find that the sheer prevalence of such sights is beginning to detract from the scene in a major way. Gone are the days of “living in the moment” and now it’s all about “capturing the moment” instead. The focus has shifted to the DJ and away from the experience and whilst I love it that DJs are getting recognised for their craft, I think there’s more to nights out than just the DJ themselves.
I hope this energy continues and we see a refocus on creating an experience, instead of a spectacle.
Kyle Chayka wrote for the New Yorker about why’s he quitting Spotify recently and a lot of his qualms with the service echo my thoughts exactly. I remember the days when I first started using the app over 10 years ago and I was blown away by just how enjoyable the whole listening experience was. It came with a blindingly fast desktop app that had all the music you wanted to listen to on it and the free service was actually okay back then.
Nowadays, it’s an AI generated mess with a disastrously slow desktop app and its “recommendations” are basically shoving the same music you already listen to back down into your gullet. I used to love browsing the official curated playlists and discovering a fantastic array of new music however most are now just algorithmically generated with some playlists even getting accused of being filled with AI generated songs.
In my opinion, I listen to music for the musicians, not the music. This idea of “passive listening” that Chayka argues Spotify is driving towards is not something I align with. I don’t want to listen to anything, I want to listen to what people have created and what people have curated.
Finally, Holden Seidlitz wrote about The Dare for the New Yorker too. I’m intrigued by this artist, he came mostly out of nowhere and I first became aware of him when his track Girls started going viral on Tiktok.
I’m absolutely loving this newfound trend of “fun dance pop” which artists such as Confidence Man are pioneering at the moment. With simple, catchy lyrics and addictive riffs, it’s the perfect antithesis to a lot of the world’s more depressing recent news cycles. I would even argue that Charli XCX’s Brat album also fits this description and it’s roaring success speaks volumes about what people want to hear at the moment.
People want to dance, they want to be silly, and they want to have fun.
Anyway, onto the music.
Five Tracks
Deadmau5 is not an artist I would usually associate with house-y beats, but his track Charlie can’t dance is exactly that. With a delicious background breakbeat and an acid track that would make 90s producers salivate, it’s getting first pick of the week today. I just wish it was slightly longer, it’s a hard life trying to get jiggy with it in just over 2 minutes.
Llewellyn’s For The Weekend on Gerd Janson’s Running Back label is a gorgeously uplifting italo banger. With a soaring riff and pumping kick drum, it’s a delectable hands in the air moment.
Fatima Yamaha is best known for his track What’s A Girl To Do (which is arguably a top track of all time) but on a recent deep dive on his Bandcamp page, I came across And The Wes. An energetic stomper of a track, the driving synth riff has me bouncing along to it.
Carrying on with the house theme, Gene On Earth’s Fan Man is on his recent EP The Velvet Edge that I came across on Resident Advisor’s summer themes roundup. I’m absolutely hooked on this “waft” vibe (according to RA) that’s hitting the charts at the moment. It’s the kind of house you can just bop along to and would work well at a day rave. Try not to sway along to this one.
Finally, Tim’s Symphony by Younger Rebinds was a shazam find from the Todd Terje set in Phonox last week. Again, it’s a house track (surprise surprise from me) and it was a sublime addition to his day time set. Another italo house hands in the air banger, you’d think I’d never actually put my hands down during a set (and you wouldn’t be wrong).
Bonus Content
Not much in terms of bonus content this week but I did give Josey Rebelle and Ben Sims’ set from Field Maneuvers a listen this week in the gym. With pumping techno from beginning to end, it’s an energetic journey and one I would recommend putting on during a workout.
Until Next Time
I’m seeing Barry Can’t Swim tonight which is going to be a treat, can’t wait for that. And with November kicking off today there’s a whole feast of events I can’t wait to attend in the coming month.
Shazam baby, I hope you’re ready.
See you next Friday.