Playlist: Sounds of Spring
Melbourne winter sucks but it’s over. Here are some tracks to put a…ahem…spring in your step. You can hear the playlist in its entirety on YouTube here.
The Durutti Column – Otis
A British post-punk band formed in the late 1970s, The Durutti Column got hold of a sampler for their 1989 record Vini Reilly. Here, Otis Redding and Tracy Chapman samples are combined to dizzying effect. The result is timeless.
Jack J – Thirstin’
Vancouver producer / crooner Jack Jutson simply refuses to put a foot wrong. The jazzy shuffle of Something (On My Mind) was one of the highlights of 2014, and Jutson is bringing the heat again this year with Thirstin’. Is it pop? Is it house? Is it a throwback or a step forward? When it’s this funky it doesn’t matter.
Len Leise – Desperado Dining
Len Leise used to make music for production libraries. Then an Ibiza label boss (Mark Barrott – International Feel) found a dusty old tape in a Paris record shop. Barrott tracked the Australian producer down and persuaded him to make new music, presumably to be played at sunrise on the White Isle. You can see why. This sounds like an unhurried journey to somewhere beautiful.
Retiree – Gundagai
A four piece out of Sydney, Retiree recently released a catchy EP of dreamy pop on renowned label Rhythm Section International. Gundagai has alternative Aussie anthem written all over it. Yes, it sounds like Arthur Russell. Is that a bad thing? Not in this case.
Boof – Just On The Swings
Maurice Fulton has been around and then some. He has been spinning hip-hop and producing house (among many other things) for more than 20 years. In 2015, he turned once more to his Boof alias for a groovy LP. Just On The Swings will get hips moving in unison.
VO – Mashisa (Dub Mix)
Funky electronic disco out of South Africa circa 1990. Need we say more?
Suzy Q – Get On Up and Do It Again
1981 disco banger. WARNING: will induce uncontrollable boogieing.
Paul Kalkbrenner – Feed Your Head
German electronic behemoth Paul Kalkbrenner cares not for the haters. He has gone from the Berlin underground, to headlining festivals across Europe, to signing with Sony and Colombia. This deal made him the first artist to be given complete access to their master vaults of samples, stems and tapes. Kalkbrenner now has sights set on global domination. There are better songs on the album, but this is the one American EDM kids will hear on the radio, and that’s a good thing. Plus the video is beautiful.
Hidden Spheres – Bill Loves You
Hidden Spheres tout their Waiting EP as ‘melting the sun like butter on a roasting-hot lobster.’ I can’t disagree. Bill Loves You is the pick of a sexy bunch of house cuts.
Harvey Sutherland – New Paradise
My mates are sick of me banging on about Harvey Sutherland. Harvey, if you’re reading, please come over to my house with a bag of records and some candles. This is an absolute pearler.
Fatima Yamaha – What’s A Girl To Do
Finishing things off with the track that won’t go away. First released in 2004, this gained a repress in 2015. Listen to it once and it’s with you forever.