Tag Archive for Electronica

5th October

Grouper – Heavy water / I’d rather be sleeping (Matty Graham guest post)

My name is Matt and I know Rob from my extremely productive and relatively short time working for Tesco. Since then we have regularly shared our taste in music, with our recommendations usually falling on deaf ears, with an occasional exception.

This song is one of those rare exceptions and is by a woman called Liz Harris, who releases music under the name Grouper. It comes from one of my favourite albums, with the cheery name Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill which, according to Wikipedia, was described as “devastatingly beautiful” by one enthusiastic reviewer. I don’t know if I concur with that assessment but this track is quiet and simple and one of the most soothing I know.

I was initially sceptical when Rob told me that listening to one track over and over again is a valid way to spend my time, but since discovering this I’ve come round to his way of thinking.

Finally, one of comments on the youtube video leads me to believe that it has been played on a Skins, and to save face I must add that that wasn’t where I heard it first. Unless Skins is cool, in which case I did hear it there.

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Air – Alone in Kyoto (CJK Guest Post)

Colin Kenny, Rob’s Dad and originator of the cassettes-in-the car-to-play-on-long-holiday-road-trips that Rob refers to. Electronica/chill-out/instrumentals are sadly lacking in the blog thus far, so this track from Air’s album Talkie Walkie goes some way to righting that wrong.

 
The music by the hip French duo is used in a short scene from the film Lost in translation. Like a lot of contemporary films we are expected to suspend disbelieve – that if you were married to Scarlett Johansson you would abandon her in an hotel in a foreign city for a week. She and Bill Murray share an edgy friendship as both battle jet lag and culture shock. The extract from the film where the track is used captures the feeling of alienation perfectly, with the music acting as an ideal compliment.

CjK

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The Go! Team – The power is on



I was reminded of these guys recently when I saw that they are playing in London in the near future. Thunder, lightening, strike sounded so fresh when I first heard it, I found it to be exhilarating listening. The Go! Team may have fallen out of my consciousness of late, but this still sounds great.

Calibre and High Contrast – The other side


This is a little bit of cheat as I have posted High Contrast before. I couldn’t resist it however. I love how drum and bass can be at once serene and otherworldly and yet energetic and relentless at the same time. This track is a perfect example of this dual effect.

/RjK

17th September

Roisin Murphy – Through time

Roisin Murphy is the former lead singer of late 90’s and early 2000’s electro-pop darlings Moloko. She is slightly eccentric and richly talented, perhaps a little like an Irish Bjork. This is taken from her 2005 debut solo album Ruby Blue which was a massive favourite in my university days and used to get heavy play on my old radio show.

Endlessly formulating foolish, romantic ideals of love…

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Robert Owens – One Body (Kaine Interpretation)

This is a MASSIVE house tune.

Somebody, one body…

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The Field – Then it’s white

This is a little meandering but it is very soothing and hypnotic. Is it just me or is no surprise, based on this track, that The Field is Swedish? It is taken from the album Looping state of mind, which I happen to think is a great title.

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M83 – Midnight City

These guys are a French electronica act, apparently named after a spiral galaxy rather than a motorway as I first thought. I really like how urgent it is.

RjK

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Kelpe – Beat Imperial

This is just smooth as silk. I woke up this morning with the beat stuck in my head, reason enough to post it.

There is quite a good video to match the cool beats here too.

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Mo Kolours – Biddies

This continues my current fad for simple, mellow electronica. It has no bells and whistles but there is something engaging and hypnotic about it which I find appealing. I don’t know know much about the artist, but I intend to find out some more.