1. Fatimah Yamaha – What’s A Girl To Do
The best song for when the lights come back on. Weirdly minimalist, but very catchy and with a great sample by one of the best voices of this century.
2. Bonobo – Cirrus
The track that lured me away from guitars and high school rock bands and into whatever the hell this was. The absolutely mindblowing video didn’t hurt either. A testament to the power of cutting and pasting.
3. The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
An absolute classic that was eons ahead of its time, and packs more innovation per minute than any other track I know. And a lot of raw Ringo power.
4. Moondog – Marimba Mondo II
Hard to make heads or tails of this track, but as a story it makes so much sense. Which is the magic of Moondog.
5. Sonique – It Feels So Good
Excellent chorus. Backing vocals to die for. 90s energy I return to every couple of months.
6. Ross From Friends – Project Cybersyn
A song with ultra modern sound design that embraces everything from classic drummachine sounds to dying, fizzling laptop sounds to cheesy sax solos. And makes it all work brilliantly.
7. Shigeo Sekito – The Word II
A soothing melody for a world of neon. Sampled by Mac DeMarco but the original just hits harder.
8. GusGus – Within You
The sound of the synth just does it for me. Add melancholic strings and I’m sold.
9. Caribou – Second Chance
The warpy, choppy chords grab hold of you at 00.00 and never let you go. Also, I can never remember when the key change comes, so that’s always a nice surprise.
10. Simian Mobile Disco – Tangents
Made with modular synths, wires and turning a lot of knobs, which is basically the way I like to work. Never has this modus operandi sounded better than on SMDs Whorl album. Outlandish but controlled.
Melawati – Daliah (inc. Maceo Plex and Tale of Us Remixes) – Ellum Audio
Hailing from Amsterdam, Melawati, also known as Melawati Modular, is a composer, sound designer, avid lover of modular synths, and an experimental live electronic music artist making his debut on Ellum Audio. His beautiful single also features two astounding remixes by the maestro and label head Maceo Plex and melancholic masters Tale of Us. The excellent ‘Daliah’ is a smooth and seductive journey through lush melody andproductive synth work. Those synths come in various forms, from fluid smears to more pixelated stabs. The restless breakbeats below his humming tunes add to the sense of adventure as you race through the cosmos on the galactic journey Melawati has created. Maceo Plex steps up to remix, with a version that has tense, textured chord vamps, punchy kicks, and enigmatic twinkling keys raining down from above. It is epic and cinematic and a perfect fit for his always far-gazing label. Finally, the acclaimed Italian duo treats us with their excellent remix. Tale of US flip the cut into a spacious melodic techno track with dramatic breakdowns, big chord builds, and a cruising groove that will carry the auditor into the next dimension.
Melawati – Daliah (inc. Maceo Plex and Tale of Us Remixes) – Ellum AudioRelease: 23rd July / 21st AugustCat. No.: ELL062Format: digital / vinyl
