Phil's Finds - Apr 2024
Late again but here goes…
I actually want to start this month with some albums I’ve been listening to. Some are new releases and some are more established, however, I’ve been enjoying listening to albums front to back again and want to tell you all about it.
Albums
SWIM’s In Circle is the first in this list and what a way to start. Lush, ethereal, and energetic, this album has it all. The only thing it was missing is a longer runtime but we take what we can get. Never, Saw U, and Condition are my three top highlights for this one. I can only recommend giving this a listen to as it’s become a favourite between some of my colleagues and I.
Sound of Fractures was an accidental find this month, stemming from clicking through random Spotify suggestions. His EPs Real Friends and Meant To Be are delightful shorts that were a fantastic background to the slowly improving weather. Rush and Real Friends have to be my top picks from the former and Don’t Worry from the latter. Good for a pop to the shops.
On a darker but in similar ethereal theme, Godford’s Non Binary Place is the evening to the aforementioned morning’s. Heavier beats and more tearful chords take you on a journey of alternative electronic beats. This is one for dusk and beyond. Better Place has been on playlists a while now but I finally had the pleasure to listen to the whole album this month.
I can’t wait for the sunnier months ahead, I’m still in awe of how crap London was in April. And the soundtrack to at least one picnic this year will be Sonnee’s Chalk. Cheery and full of an easy energy, I see this become an easy regular in the rotation. Love Now, Again starts the journey off and is my favourite here.
And finally, another curveball as always, Headache’s The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth is my standout this month. Coming across this quite randomly in a TikTok I saw, I’ve been straight up abusing my Spotify subscription for this alone. Spoken Word has always intrigued me as a genre and I’ve enjoyed listening to artists such as Kae Tempest before. However Headache’s album is genuinely one of the best things I’ve listened to in a while. His simply wild poetry sits wonderfully melancholically on top of the tranquil beats. The Beginning of the End is the first tune, the most streamed, and the best of the lot.
Tracks
If you couldn’t tell, the album listening had a bit of a celestial feel to them. So let’s take a step into other things I’ve heard out and about.
I have to start this month off with must be the song of the coming summer. Badger’s remix of These Words by Natasha Bedingfield was born on TikTok and has grown into one of the smoothest and enjoyable remixes to date.
In a recent pop-binge of mine, I found my way onto Kohlib’s and Dagny’s Discomix of So Good. This fun disco beat is undeniably infectious even if it’s simple. Rooftop pool parties are built for this.
The Ae:ther remix of Bring the Lights Down by Moullinex and GPU Panic is 8:26 of dark and rolling beats. If you’ve read the blog before, you know I like this hypnotic sound so this has to be mentioned this month. Imagine Eric Prydz, but with a dystopian edge.
The Pete Herbert remix of Kwatamaja but Yuksek and Jupiter & Okwess has a similar rougher feel to it. Bringing the tempo down and the hypnosis up though brings a new twist to the theme.
Confidence Man is a top 10 artist for me at the moment and their tune with DJ BORING has been a must hear since it came out. Malugi came along this month however and did a fun and energetic remix of the banger.
Following my recent excursion to Drumsheds, I’ve been obsessed with O’Flynn’s Count You In. Huge garage-y beats shook the room that day and I knew finding the track was on the top of my list. Give it a listen.
Caribou has come out of nowhere this month with another relatively bassy mix. Pierced with his classic bouncy chords, it hits you in the face with filthier stuff part way through.
Bringing the vibe up again, I can only recommend Highly Recommended (hehe) by Gerry Read and DJ Koze. It’s one for a summer’s commute and delightfully cheery.
I know everyone loves a bit of disco so I want to suggest adding Take Five by Bellaire to all of your disco playlists. It’s got your sharp keys, illustrious saxophone, dreamy vocals, and a kick for the ages. There’s nothing not to love.
Now Bloodflow by Grandbrothers is not a recent tune, but it was one unearthed for me by a friend recently. A slow build from beginning to end, it would accompany long drives, evening rain, and vistas well. It makes me stop and breathe in the familiar and all encompassing stress of London.
Prospa were one of my favourite gigs in 2023 and their new track If You Want My Loving took me aback at first. I had no idea what to make of it. An energetic and powerful build to what seemed to be like a disappointing drop. However, listening back to it a few times unearthed this new sexiness I hadn’t noticed before. It swings with you.
Jamie xx and Honey Dijon’s Baddy On The Floor has to be mentioned this month too. Another summery banger, this came out of nowhere after Jamie xx’s hiatus for a few years. It’s also been added to the picnic playlist.
Simple Times by SG Lewis and DJ Seinfeld is next. A surprisingly dark but enjoyable tune. The energy isn’t dampened one bit by the slower tempo.
Stutter house is all the rage at the moment and Love The Time by Lavern really nails the genre. Whilst it’s a bit of a meme to use chopped vocals as an instrument following Fred Again’s heavy use of the motif, it still sings delightfully and has made the list.
Meet My Other by Kinder was a rogue find this month. I’m still not sure where I came across this but this deep house masterpiece sings with a familiar deepness to those who enjoy a throwback to the house that dominates the early 20-teens.
I love it when tracks sing with a specific energy and Bright by BluePrint and Tristan Heavy is filled with song. It’s a fantastic closing track as hands in the air is the best and only way to listen to this.
Interestingly, despite the common theme of house in these roundups, Armin van Buuren is who usually tops my Spotify Wrapped each and every year as I often listen to his A State of Trance podcasts during my gym sessions. This month however, I would like to highlight his new track with D.O.D. and Laura Welsh: By Now. It sits perfectly between the uplifting trance and the heavier hard house themes and I can’t get enough of it.
In the last of the Spotify tunes, we have Supakilla by The Cube Guys. These two were in my initial introductions to the housier style of electronic music and their new track is a heavy housey big hitter.
YouTube is also subject to my obsessive collection of music and this month I have S.U.R.E.’s Say Our Name remix of Florence and the Machine’s Spectrum. Jungly and euphoric, this Hackney duo is a surefire bet as a new star in the scene soon.
Sets
Only the one mix this week.
Kew Gardens isn’t your typical setting for a mix so when I saw Marsh recorded a set there I knew I had to watch it. Two hours of blissful and dreamlike beats, I couldn’t help but getting lost in it.
