The late night grooves that keep us rocking ’til dawn
Arvo Part – Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten
I think it’s fairly obvious why Arvo Pärt’s music would appeal to a fan of melodic, hypnotic, loopy techno. The never-ending, falling feeling you feel if you listen on headphones is strange, kind of terrifying, reassuring and beautiful at the same time.
Aphex Twin – Tha
It’s not easy, picking a favourite from Ambient Works, but one had to be in there. I think this is my favourite.
Selena Gomez – Good For You
This is my ‘yeah i’m so comfortable with how underground I am that i’m going to love a pop song’ moment. Seriously though, I clicked a youtube link as I had no idea what Selena Gomez sounded like, and this is a stunning track! Not the version with the pointless rent-a-rap from A$AP Rocky though.
Django Reinhardt – Belleville
I wouldn’t say this is necessarily my favourite Reinhardt, almost any recording of him will do, it’s my favourite cooking music. It’s a funny combination of being really cheery, carefree, almost comedic sounding but when you think how fast he is actually playing it makes you feel sick!
Toumani Diabaté – Si Naani
I’m a big fan in general. It’s really nicely recorded and shows what a master of the instrument he is. Very relaxing, serene music but in a therapeutic, engaging way.
Radiohead – Codex.
One of Radiohead’s most beautiful tracks. I always get goosebumps when those horns come in.
Brigitte Fontaine – Comme à La Radio.
I don’t really know much about the what she’s singing about but it’s such a bizarre melting pot of amazing and crazy sounds, I love her!
Toots & The Maytals – Pressure Drop.
I always adored this track when I first moved out of my parents house and started exploring music. Bought it in Soho from a record shop and thought I was really cool!
M-Beat feat. General Levy – Incredible
Not the jungle connoisseur’s choice my any means, but a friend pointed me to a link of him on 1Xtra recently, smashing it SO hard. It’s a pure explosion of fun and energy.
Flight of the Conchords – “We’re Both In Love With A Sexy Lady”
Both in love with a sexy lady. R Kelly is hilarious enough without being parodied, but this takes it to an extreme level. Genuinely hilarious, and it was so hard to pick a favourite from the show.
Ashworth – Puma (Needwant)
One of the jewels in Needwant’s crown is UK talent Ashworth, and now he is back with four more excellent cuts that once again prove he is in a class of one when it comes to crafting exciting club music. Two of these are taken from his excellent debut album Grain, which came out in July and is stuffed with club gold, and two more are brand new cuts. This EP then, offers great new Ashworth material alongside tracks from his LP that are still very much deserving of attention.
Ashworth is a DJ and producer, but also scores for films, is an accomplished sound engineer and has been championed by the likes Radio 1 and leading press. He has also released on Anjunadeep, has picked up high scoring reviews from the media and has recently impressed with his debut full length, which is pulled apart and offered up in four delicious dub morsels here.
Up first is the perfectly stripped back, deep and inviting title track, ‘Puma.’ It’s a rubbery, warm groove that is established early on, with subtle glassy tinkles and distant textures adding to the draw. At the mid point, squawking melodies and icy hi hats bubble up through and eventually rain down from above as the groove just rolls on. Simple but effective, it is stuffed with atmosphere and also comes as a slightly more blissed out and smooth dub version.
Then comes the equally expertly crafted ‘Sawdust’ taken from the debut album. This one is a little tougher, with harder, more forceful hits and grainy lo fi textures characterising a mid tempo, elastic kick drum. The third and final track here, another from Ashworth’s brilliant and still essential album, is ‘Adder,’ which has a keen sense of bite in its tech-y drums. Rumbling bass, distant hisses and tons of reverb characterise this one as another fun but hugely functional track.
Every sound here deserves its place, and each element is so perfectly designed so as to have maximum impact. This, then, is yet another fine EP from both Ashworth and Needwant that will turn many who missed it on to his accomplished debut long player, which is out now and is still very much deserving of attention.
Ashworth – Puma (Needwant) Out 05-10-2015
