Sunday’s Best Pt. XXI

There’s a lot to be said for music that simply does what you need it to do. We all have a song we turn to when we need music for the 5am bus home after a miserable night, the song that softens the strip lighting illuminating your crushed heart. And then there are the songs that hold your best memories like a sun trap garden, those time machine tunes that none of us could live without. But what’s better than going to a club and hearing track that makes you stop mid-screwface because it’s so unexpectedly weird? We live for that surreal moment when your head is saying asking ‘what the hell is this’ while your feet have gone off on a mad one already. Your feet always know, don’t they? But you know who else has the knowledge? One Greg Feldwick, a gentleman your ears may already be acquainted with under his Slugabed alias. Ninjatune-signed and Truants-certified, the young man has fearlessly taken on the reponsibility of rejuvenating some of our favourite tracks, as well as supplying a steady flow of his own original material.

For the most part we’ve been provided with more bounce than a fair few basketball courts, but most recently Slugabed esq. has displayed how accommodating his tastes are by dusting off an old classic, Darude’s “Sandstorm“. Now we know what you’re thinking – how could that prime cut of musical juiciness possibly be improved upon! They said it couldn’t be done but it’s been did, and it’s bizarre enough to proudly take its place in our so-surreal-that-this-isn’t-happening-to-me Hall of Fame. Roomier than the original, with a slew of synths and some suitably boisterous percussion added in for good measure, this is a rework and a half, something you’d be proud to have on your hard drive. Even though we know you’ve got the original 12” framed in gold above your headboard, there’s no point denying it.


Download: Darude – Sandstorm (Slugabed Remix)

All we can really say about Palms Trax is that it’s meant to be an indulgent project for tracks in a similar vein as The Burrell Brothers and Omar S; at least he’s being honest about his intentions. He’s stated Rush Hour’s recent reissue of “The Nu Groove Years 1988 – 1992” “changed his life” and clearly is production. When “Equation” landed in our inbox and we knew this had to be shared with the Truants family. Sitting in the mix as if nonexistent or completely separate from everything else, the lofty synths that characterizes many of their productions is instantly recognizable. He does a number on pinning down exactly what made The Burrell Brothers tunes so catchy, carefree, cheap sounding pads. Once again this goes back to the concept of simplicity; a simple drum machine groove based around hi hats and various same note bass tones is at the heart of the track everything compliments those central elements. Honestly, what else do you need? This is functional and fun piece house music that also serves as an unorthodox ode to its predecessors. As the vocal says, “I don’t understand… why”, and we don’t, but we know enough not to ask questions, unless it’s in an interview of course.

Stream: Palms Trax – Equation

Warm and easy: so far this summer has been neither, for far too many of us. It’s ok though, because The 2 Bears cleverly preempted a July full of thunderstorms and cancellations by storing up some heat in this little banger. Raf Rundell and Hot Chips’s Joe Goddard have been making bear hug anthems since  2009, songs that cheerfully wallop you with musical positivity.  If Rundell and Goddard aren’t putting smiles on your faces, they’re definitely making you shake a tail feather, and the latest single from their full-length “Be Strong” does both. With lovely vocals from Goddard, as always, and shamelessly sparkly disco melodies, this is a straight jam. It’s basically three minutes of cheeky winks and elbow nudges.  And if you can’t bring yourself to laugh at the line “more wily than Wiley, but nowhere as trim as Trim”, then you probably deserve to get caught in a sunshower anyway.

Stream: The 2 Bears – Warm and Easy

We don’t even know at this point how many miscellaneous Zomby cuts are strewn across the disorganized, unlabelled wastelands of SendSpace, and we don’t have the dedication (sorry, had to) to trawl through it all – luckily our Twitter feeds blow up whenever the producer makes a stir or gives away something that’s really worth looking out for. Considering recent amounts of negative attention, it was a good move for Zomby to leak the instrumental to “Things Fall Apart,” a strong look from his last album. Animal Collective’s own Panda Bear makes the original stand out, with a jarring vocal contribution that is quite unlike the usual sample fare we’re familiar with. While we’ve been through ups and downs in our relationship with this song, we’ve always been curious to hear the instrumental on its own. Without the vocals as a distraction, an arpeggiating spider’s web draws you in and invites you to let your mind wander, only to be called back by the previously-unnoticed inclusion of Truants’ favourite sonic entity, the beloved airhorn.

Download: Zomby – Things Fall Apart (Instrumental)

It’s hard to peg the sounds of young Manchester native Sam Walton in a few words, as his past two releases on  confine him to no particular vibe and instead make the limits of his talents hard to trace. As a rising Hyperdub star he’s comfortably shown his skills in experimenting with a range of sounds, with grime and blissful house being the most prominent. Yesterday, Walton posted an unidentified track to his Soundcloud for us to enjoy as we settle down from the weekend. “Need To Feel” is a to-the-point piece that delivers exactly its dedicated message to get you moving and immersed within its infectious rhythm, cosy vocal sample and house-like waves within a matter of a little over two minutes. No word on the intentions for this track as of yet, but it’s here to enjoy for the time being and we suggest you make hearty use of that play button.

Stream: Walton – Need To Feel

Written by: Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura, Jonathon Alcindor, Cayley MacArthur & Sindhuja Shyam. (Sunday’s Best Archives)

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