What The F*%$ Is That Track?!

Having heard this recently on a friends mix (Helio-Bee Soundcloud) I was immediately smitten. It was clearly one of the stand out/take note tracks and I couldn't wait another moment to find out what it was. It was clearly a "What.The.F*%$.Is.That' moment and I wasted no time in finding out directly… the cool kids don't put up track lists!

1. JK Soul - 'You Give Me Happiness'

From the effortless groove and soul to the RnB influences of yesteryear. The piano. The horns. That mid range synth riff are all topped off with a sensuous vocal and contribute to creating quite a mesmerising piece of music. All the while maintaining a modern sound through tight production techniques. Clarity, dynamics, arrangement are all spot on here. This is one that would get even the moodiest of bass heads shuffling their feet, or at least an acknowledgeable head nod.

2. Metaform - Electric Eyes

Ah here we go an either love it or hate it kind of track, my favourite as I typically love them! It's time for one from the exceptional back catalogue that Metaform possess.

Metaform is typically known for chopped up samples, funk breaks, interesting grooves, atmospherics (Door Number One or Heaven Can Wait ). It's experimental hip hop if you will. Think DJ Shadow before he went all weird and 'Hyphy' on us. With 'Electric Eyes' and this LP, he pushed the boat out and pushed it in a different direction.

Electric eyes starts out with an almost child like lullaby sequence. Bouncy, catchy keys set the tone before a monster kick and snare join in the fun. Deep strings, and a weighty distorted synth line soon follow and what started off as a somewhat pleasant and happy sound is 'Metaformed' (sorry) into something quite sinister and epic. The contrast and play on moods here for me is quite exceptional. I am personally all about two things in a track, character and vibe, and this song has both in abundance. 

So...the main love or hate aspect of the track- the vocal. Auto Tune is as we have been lead to believe, the Anti-Christ. Even though there is a borderline unnoticeable amount, its still there, and like I said, it's the 'Marmite' aspect! I personally think it works very well, and as an overall piece of music was totally engrossed and excited by it. Strong thoughts on it? Drop me a Tweet: @kododj