Baker's Dozen: February

12 February, 2012

Not to be constrained by self-imposed institutional guidelines, February’s Baker’s Dozen features just ten tracks as opposed to the usual thirteen. These ten are those tracks I’ve either been listening to a lot over the past few weeks or those that I’ve fallen instantly in love with. Either way, I hope you enjoy them.

Kavinsky - Road Game

Last year Kavinsky reminded us with his soundtrack for Drive that he is still the master of French Touch. ‘Road Game’ is the first track to see light from his forthcoming album and it is exactly what we wanted from the man: retro 80s-inspired house, dramatic strings and huge, rising synths which render the track a four minute long crescendo.

Boddika & Joy Orbison - Swims

Walk for me, walk for me, walk for me, serve.

A massive dancefloor smash, ‘Swims’ has only been heard there until it finally found a release on Night Slugs last month. Limited edition heavyweight vinyl only.

iNDEED - Black Tears

When researching (Googling) a little about this track I came across a post on the Professor blog which explains the track’s origins: a Wu-Tang sample. There’s nothing wrong with that and iNDEED have struck gold with ‘Black Tears’.

John Talabot - Destiny (ft. Pional)

The debut full length from John Talabot is already a strong contender for my album of the year. I posted the final track ‘So Will Be Now’ last month which, like ‘Destiny’ below, also featured the vocal talents of Pional. It’s the perfect antidote to anyone that holds house music to be dull and repetitive.

J£ZUS MILLION - Benefits

I first heard J£ZUS MILLION on the New Noise podcast by way of the excellent Lost Lost Lost blog and since then he’s been making appearances across the web. ‘Benefits’ is his latest Soundcloud upload (re-upload actually as the track first surfaced in November last year) and is four and a half minutes of sample-heavy instrumental hip-hop in a style that will be familiar to fans of the bygone Avalanches.

Bonobo - Prelude (Lupalux’s finger on the tape mix)

Bonobo’s last studio album Black Sands was the most beautiful record I bought in 2010. A full remix album has now been released featuring a strong cast of remixers including Machinedrum, Cosmin TRG, FaltyDL and Floating Points. This is the Lapalux rework of the opening track, just a clip unfortunately, but it gives you enough of a sense of where it’s going.

Kid Kin - Katrina and The Wave

Part of a three track EP which includes the hilarious titled ‘Say Hi To Your Mother For Me’, this track is post-rock by way of Explosions in the Sky and maybe a little early M83 too. It’s not a genre I listen to particularly often but this stood out for me as being a cut above; strong melodies, deeply woven textures (especially in the latter stages) and a talented producer with a clear idea for his sound.

<a href="http://kidkinevil.bandcamp.com/track/katrina-the-wave">Katrina & The Wave by Kid Kin</a>

Lapalux - Gutter Glitter

Brainfeeder’s new signing has a new EP coming later this month and ‘Gutter Glitter’ is our first taste of what’s in store but you can hear a sampler of the rest of the When You’re Gone EP if you want more.

Forever Overhead - Beta Leads

A five piece based out of the ever-cool city of Austin, Texas, Forever Overhead have just presented their debut EP to the internet. Lead track ‘Beta Leads’ is a five minute slice of synth-led joy - an early female fronted Cut Copy if they’d listened to less Kraftwerk and more Ladyhawke.

<a href="http://theforeveroverhead.bandcamp.com/track/beta-leads">Beta Leads by FOREVER OVERHEAD</a>

Colo - Never Again (George FitzGerald remix)

‘George FitzGerald can do no wrong’ is fast becoming a personal motto. The Hotflush man has put on his remixing shoes for the below, a rework of Colo’s ‘Never Again’. It’s signature FitzGerald; bass-led overlayed with layers of melodies that pull you back in time and time again.