Washed Out

Washed Out is a project by musician Ernest Greene, and the pioneer of the genre named "chillwave". WO released 'Paracosm' a couple months back, and I was going to write my opinions on it, but I didn't feel like I listened to it enough. However, just before writing this post I searched them in my iTunes, and discovered some of the lost treasures in there, which I feel like I have more right to share. Therefore, this is isn't going to be so much of a review, more of a general description on the vibe of WO, and my favourite tunes.

Firstly, I have to touch on 'Paracosm'. It is a really good album, and I particularly like the colourful warmth that the album presents. 'Don't Give Up' is probably my favourite off this record, backing up the colourful nature of the whole album, this song in my view accumulates the album in a single song. The bonus track 'Pull You Down', is right up there as well - a tribal feeling, yet atmospheric song. Both of these are linked below.
 


My favourite songs are taken from Washed Out's earlier work. The EP 'Life of Leisure', and the debut album 'Within and Without', are both fantastic and I suggest you check them out. The song off the EP 'Feel It All Around' is just beautiful, I have linked this below. It is pretty much a sex song - but to be fair most of WO's songs have that feel to them, easy listening and passionate. Overall I am a big fan off WO and the unique vibe which Ernest Greene presents through the project. 'You & I' deserves an honourable mention as well. An incredible track.
 

BANKS

BANKS is a female singer from LA. She has been releasing some big songs over the past year, with an array of different dance and electronic producers. The unique production is combined with her mysterious voice, which is extremely similar to Lana Del Rey's.

I came across her work a few months back whilst listening to Rinse FM. Her first major breakthrough song 'Warm Water' was played, and got exposure. Since then I have constantly been checking up on her discography via Soundcloud, and loving her work.

I felt it was the right time to post about her, as she recently dropped a new favourite song, 'This Is What It Feels Like' - produced by Lil Silva & Jamie Woon, along with an EP. This is probably the song which stands out to me the most, and is for sure my favourite of hers thus far. It's deep, smooth and suspicious, keeping in tune with her consistent style of vocals and production. Check out her new EP and other work on Soundcloud.

She's also a babe.

SOPHIE :: Numbers

I've really been feeling the work released on Numbers by artist SOPHIE. Numbers is a club & record label, ran by a group of house // electronic DJs including Jackmaster. It has dropped a couple of songs with SOPHIE which are blowing up in numerous mixes.

The production is very broad. The song "EEEHHH/Nothing More To Say" has a poppy and upbeat feel, where in contrast the track titled "Elle" - released on Numbers, is darker with Hip-Hop at the core. Whatever your fancy, SOPHIE brings heat with every release to date. A personal favourite in my iTunes at the moment, and I'm looking to go to a live set in the future. I have linked a couple of mentioned tracks below. Check out more if you haven't already on SoundCloud.
 
 

Top 5 Tracks :: So Far This Year

Here are my favourite top 5 tracks so far this year, as a countdown. It was pretty hard, and even now i'm unsure of my choices... I haven't included any of the stuff i've previously posted about, to mix it up a bit.

No. 5:
So the first song in my Top 5 is 'Wanna Party' by Future Brown featuring Chicago rapper Tink. Future Brown is a project by an array of dark & mystical hip-hop producers: Fatima Al Qadiri, Asma Maroof & Daniel Pineda. I'm a big fan of Fatima Al Qadiri's work, she has produced some massive tracks such as 'Hydra' & 'Ghost Raid', which led me to find this joint project, and this banger.

No. 4:
RL Grime's 'Because of U' was only released this week, and was a large factor in writing a top 5 post, as I instantly knew it has to go in there. I love his previous work such as 'Art Money', and this offers a slightly different vibe. 'Because of U' is a beautiful tune.

No. 3:
I am such a big fan of Mount Kimbie, so I had to put them in there somewhere. This year they released 'Cold Spring Fault Less Youth', and to be honest I could have chosen any song from this album - in particular the collaborations with King Krule. But instead I chose 'Home Recording', an extremely laid back and chilled tune.

No. 2:  
I first heard this song in a Boiler Room set, and had to listen to it properly outside a mix. An instant favourite of mine, and I've been listening to a lot more of this Swedish nutter. 'Solarflare' is another favourite, check it out if you haven't. 'Gatorade' edges it out in this case, to go in at number 2.

No. 1:
Not overreacting or anything, but this song in my view is a masterpiece. Slow disco & r'n'b vibes all over the place. I'm one of those people who prefer Drake's singing voice to his rapping voice, and the argument for that is best seen in this track. I'd probably just edge this as my favourite so far this year.

Pusha T :: My Name Is My Name

I've been a fan of Pusha T since his Clipse days, and the work he's been rolling out on GOOD Music is some of my favourite in hip-hop at the moment - I said this in my Big Sean post a while back. I was going to review Big Sean's new album, but it just seemed all over the place. It did have some jams on it though.

'My Name Is My Name' is Pusha's solo debut album, and after giving it a few listens over the past week I thought i'd share my thoughts. The first half of the album stands out to me the most. Powerful grimey beats, with heavy bars by Pusha. 'King Push', 'Numbers On The Board' and 'Sweet Serenade', will probably be my three most go to songs from the album - these are all on point, and classic Pusha. The beats turn more mellow around the midway point. Still some good songs, but I prefer Pusha forcing his voice through so us listeners can hear what he's saying whilst reflecting the beat. Overall I really like the album, and it was definitely worth the wait.

I'm seeing him live next month at The Warehouse Project, in Manchester for 'Disclosure Presents'. He's the act that i'm most looking forward to seeing that night, and that's out of a strong lineup. Check the album out as it's one of the most anticipated this year from the world of hip-hop. The video for 'King Push', possibly my favourite from the album, is linked below...

Jacques Greene

I've been a fan of Jacques Greene's remixes and production for quite a while. The two tracks linked below are remixes of Ciara's - 'Sorry' & 'Body Party'. These songs are crisply produced electronic R&B, featuring Ciara's powerful female vocals; something which I have previously mentioned I am a fan of. 'Sorry' is the more chilled track, and builds up in the middle. Whereas 'Body Party' is heavier throughout.

These remixes of contemporary R&B create a shiny end product. Stretching beyond the Ciara remixes, Jacques has also remixed Kelly Rowland's 'Motivation', along with others. 'Motivation' is similar in style to these Ciara remixes, with a poppy beat. Additional collaborations with Koreless & How To Dress Well are other projects he has worked on, as well as Autre Ne Veut's 'Play by Play'. I recommend you check all these out if you haven't already.

R&B // Hip-Hop

So I haven't posted in a while, and I thought i'd carry on from the R&B Classics post I wrote earlier on in the blog with some more of my favourites. Although, this time I will include songs from the mid 2000s which feature hip-hop more predominantly, which are rooted in the smoother beat.

A couple of my favourite songs that fall under this category, are "Slow Jamz" by Twista (Featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx) & "Ride Wit U" by G-Unit & Joe. Both flow well lyrically, and feature a catchy beat. Looking back now, at "Slow Jamz", produced by Kanye, shows how his productions from that era to now have changed dramatically. Nowadays his songs are completely different and are a lot more upbeat and powerfully delivered, presenting how far he has developed his production skills over the years. The development can be seen most in "Yeezus". I plan to write my thoughts on this album in another post in the near future.

Like I said in the Classics post, the 1990s & the 2000s presented R&B in a unique light. The hip-hop genre was full of these chilled out songs, just as much as it was with 'gangsta rap'. Causing for a weird yet enjoyable blend. Anyway check em out below.

French Fries

An artist who has been releasing some decent work lately is 'French Fries', from France. After hearing "Hugz", I started to research him, and how he got into music. From scanning various articles about his musical tastes growing up, he seemed to have got into producing music and deejaying through his father being a sound-engineer.

It's clear that his production is influenced by American music // culture. The name of his musical alias, 'French Fries', supports this. His work nowadays has stemmed into a broader musical taste, whilst keeping the hip-hop and house elements at the core.

The unique sound of hip-hop rooted in house, is something I am a fan of, and makes me excited to hear his future releases. I have linked the previews of both "Champagne"& "Hugz" below. These are two of his biggest productions in my opinion.
 

R&B Classics

Most people who know me know that I love a bit of classic R&B, hip-hop soul, or whatever you call it - you know the genre. Through a deep sea of favourites, i'll try and pick a couple to kick off the R&B section on this blog. Through growing up in the late 90's mid 00's, I was led into these tunes as they got air time on the radio and on various music channels. Nowadays, the majority of house // electronic // hip-hop DJ's sample R&B tunes and either use them in a mix or to create their own edits & songs.

Female signers with a rapper featuring with a verse seemed to be a common trend. While although it's still a bit strange hearing Joe Budden, a now member of hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, rap a verse on a Christina Milian song, I still enjoy it. I know this was a method to bump up the earnings and hit a new audience, and i'm not complaining. To my knowledge it was pioneered by Biggie and Puffy during the throwback 'Ready to Die' promotions for a couple of the albums songs, and this method of production was triggered. Anyway, maybe I wouldn't have been into these tunes as much if a hip-hop influence wasn't present... I doubt it as I still love this sub-genre to this day, but it's obvious loads of people were.

But yeah, I know loads of classic R&B songs can be either solo male // female, a group and sometimes even the R&B artist features on a hip-hop song. But the rapper featuring is clearly a trend in 90's & 00's R&B. Anyway... to wrap up, below i've posted three classic R&B tunes all featuring a rapper, and neither are sitting dusty in my iTunes library.

They are, "Boy - Mariah Carey Featuring. Cam'ron", "Best of Me (Part 2) - MYA Featuring. Jay-Z" & "All I Have - Jennifer Lopez Featuring. LL Cool J".