Day 20: Balenciaga by Cheat Codes

I can’t hear this song without thinking of University Radio Nottingham. My student radio station, I spent three years there and in my final year, had a dance music show on Fridays, 7-9pm, to get students in the mood for going to the student club, Ocean (for which I also gave away four tickets). I played this song so much in that little basement, and fills me with fond memories that I look back on that room (not least because, after being the last person to have gone on air in those studios whilst interviewing Big Narstie, a group of us stripped it to its bones as the station prepared to move basecamp last summer).

Trevor Dahl, Kevin Ford, and Matthew Russell sound like they should be a group of uncle’s, but, whilst I can’t confirm or deny that, they do make up DJ/Producer trio Cheat Codes. Based in Los Angeles, they broke into the charts in 2017 with their song No Promises, which featured Demi Lovato on the vocals. They ticked the box of dance music producers who were looking for chart success, however with Balenciaga, there is at least a slight venture towards more traditional dance/electronic music.

The song was released on 4th May on Spinnin’ Records and, unsurprisingly from a song called Balenciaga, focuses on the superficial and materialistic nature of the 21st Century population. The male vocals speak about buying a romantic interest Balenciaga and Prada products, with little emotional return on his monetary investment coming from the subject of his affections. Typical love stuff, but the instrumental is slightly heavier than your usual dance-pop track and seems to be a gradual evolution of the trio’s sound to move away from the typical chart music.

Nothing is wrong with creating that sort of music. In fact, one of the next songs they released was Only You which featured Little Mix and probably helped pay the bills. It’s refreshing though, alongside these major chart singles, to see Cheat Codes experimenting with different sounds. Their early work was very housey and it’s exciting to see the artistic variation continuing over the years from a dance artist that have made an impact on the charts and the dance-pop crossover revolution.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 19: Hear Dis by Chip ft. Stormzy

Quintessential grime beef is the dish of the day this Saturday, with Chip and Stormzy coming hard for Bugzy Malone. HARD.

The track was released on Chip’s Rap vs. Grime mixtape in 2016 as a reply to a number of shots fired by Tinie Tempah on his Junk Food mixtape. Stormzy did actually feature on some of the tracks that included the disses but didn’t realise what he was getting in the midst of, so used Chip’s track to fire some of his own shots towards Cadell, Wiley’s half-brother (the subject of a little-known track called Shut Up). What resulted was three minutes and twenty seconds of pure fire.

It’s all verse and is as aggressive and fiery as you need from a grime diss track. Stormzy introducing himself on the beat with “Eeerm, you cunt” says it all really. The pair show solidarity with each other and state their admiration for each other’s lyricism, a dig at Tinie and his cheeky omittance of his subliminals at Chip on Peak and Been The Man (the tracks Stormzy featured on).

This is refreshing evidence of the grime artist Chip can be. A highly publicised and controversial venture into the world of pop. His tracks Oopsy Daisy and Champion (featuring Chris Brown, hence the American artist’s namechecking on this track) are now infamous and are viewed by a lot of the community as selling out. The pop venture was the subject of another heavyweight grime beef Chip was involved with between himself and Manchester grime artist Bugzy Malone, with it being mentioned repeatedly in Relegation Riddim.

This is a return to the Chip that broke through over a 140 bpm instrumental though, and the inclusion of grime royalty in Stormzy makes this an unbelievable track, even long after it is relevant as a diss track. A tough feat, but one that has been navigated successfully.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 18: 7 rings by Ariana Grande

New James Blake? New Future? Obviously not, today we’re focusing on arguably the biggest star on the planet right now (minus a certain Instagram egg of course), Ariana Grande. Who would’ve thought the best friend on Nickelodeon’s Victorius would turn into the this multi-faceted, strong female icon (it was my sister that watched it. Not me. Promise).

As has been the case with her most recent string of hits (her album Sweetener and her last singles thank u, next and imagine), 7 rings has had a lot of hype surrounding it. She has been teasing it on her Instagram and Twitter for weeks now and is yet again an unapologetically fierce anthem aimed at empowering successful young women.

It revolves around the true story of returning her engagement ring after she split with fiance Pete Davidson less than two months after the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller from overdosing. Having had a traumatic few months, she went with her friends to return the ring to Tiffany’s, only to buy 7 rings and give one to everyone that was with her. The video that was released earlier this morning features those friends and is a decadent, neon-lit visualisation of the freedom that Ariana’ssuccess has given her.

The song opens with a perfectly fitting sample of The Sound of Music’s song, My Favourite Things. It seems so simple and obvious when you first hear Ariana singing her extravagant wishlist, and it really sets the tone of the whole song, with the melody being used repeatedly through the song too.

This is a sassier, sharper side to the Ariana that we heard on thank u, next. Littered with expletives, it doesn’t ask for permission and clearly shows her desires and wishes (she described the song as “a flex” on her Twitter). Where thank u, next looked to the past and was an ode to her ex-boyfriends, 7 rings lives in the moment. It’s an impulse buy, a snap decision of a song with no regrets. It feels reminiscent of Beyonce’s earlier work, and the role model that Ariana is becoming for young women everywhere isn’t a million miles away from how Queen Bee is viewed.

Sweetener was a great album and seemed to showcase just how good a singer Ariana was. The singles since then have felt more timeless and iconic (despite being written in a specific, highly publicised era of her life) and this follows suit. Ariana is leading up to a new album and if the numbers across all platforms for thank u, next, imagine and 7 rings are anything to go by, I certainly wouldn’t want to be releasing music on the same day as her.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 17: Good Thing by Kideko

My first experience of Kideko came through the single Good Thing, a solo track that was released in April last year on Ministry of Sound Recordings. Upbeat and tailor-made for mainstream dance music enthusiasts and radio spins, it showcases a desire from Kideko to create more of a household name for himself. Other tracks include breakout single The Jam, which sampled Technotronic’s 1989 Pump Up The Jam, Jalisco and latest single Gonna Be, and these are all more targeted at true dance music fans rather than audiences who encounter dance music and it’s tropes through mainstream radio and national charts. Having collaborated with Tinie Tempah, amongst others, in the past, this is a sign that Kideko is trying to cover a few bases with his work.

Good Thing features a really infectious bassline that never becomes too heavy and gorgeous female vocals that are a perfect fit for the niche this project is trying to sit within. There aren’t many instances where these vocals aren’t being delivered over the beat, making it much more palatable for a potential new fan to ease themselves into.

Kideko is a Brighton based DJ/producer who, when he’s not in the studio or behind the decks, goes by Ryan Hurley. Previously a drummer, his love for electronic and dance music came later in life as he studied music production and his drumming roots shine through in his work, with the unmistakable drum beat running through Good Thing and a unique short burst to open the track. With a lot of love shown from the likes of Pete Tong and Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, Kideko’s career looks to go from strength to strength in 2019 and beyond.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 16: Say To Me by WHTKD

WHTKD, a stylised name pronounced “White Kid”, is a DJ I discovered on Youtube as a lot of his material is featured on dedicated UK House channels. He started honing his craft when he fell in love with house music at the age of 14 and has a big underground following, with this song, in particular, amassing nearly 40 million streams on Spotify alone.

Say To Me is a big deep house track and it is clear that WHTKD made it with big DJ sets in mind. It peaks and troughs very naturally and the bass is heavy yet upbeat, with effective use of high hat drums to guide the listener/dancer through the track.

It was released in 2016, but it never made any real dent in the house music world outside of some late night radio spins and the occasional club play. WHTKD hasn’t released much original music at all, as he prefers to perform sets and remix other artist’s track. What we have in this track, then, is a rare gem from a house artist that does his thing at his own pace, and because he is truly invested in a project, rather than for monetary gain or fame.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 15: Goldie by A$AP Rocky

World famous rapper, unashamed drug enthusiast, successful model, and fashion icon. A$AP Rocky has “made it” not just in the rap world, but in popular culture. Today’s track pays homage to his debut studio album, Long. Live. ASAP, which today celebrates its 6th birthday. This was the first hip-hop album I bought a physical copy of, and the summer after it’s release I vividly remember being the only one from a group of about 20 of my friend’s ar Reading Festival that ventured into a tent to watch him perform. The air-filled with weed and cigarette smoke, my first experience of live hip-hop was like many others (live hip-hop is, as a rule of thumb, never something to shout home about anyway), but the memory of rapping Goldie word for word, on my own, surrounded by veteran hip-hop/festival enthusiasts was really formative for me and my music tastes.

It was this album that solidified my love for hip-hop. After listening to this a lot, it encouraged me to explore older hip-hop and more nuanced projects within the genre. It also introduced me to artists I would go on to discover, such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Action Bronson, Schoolboy Q, Joey Badass, and A$AP Ferg, as any good early album experience should. This is why I’ve chosen to honour this album, and it is fittingly done with one of my favourite hip-hop songs of all time.

Goldie was the first single from the album, released 8 months to the prior album in April 2012. Produced by Hit-Boy (of N*ggas In Paris fame), it almost feels, at times, detached from the rapper, both in delivery style and lyrical content. It is typical of hip-hop themes; bitches, cars, weed, and guns, but Rocky brings the arrogance of a new, emerging artist to make it fresh and palatable. Hit-Boy has revealed that the beat was originally intended for rap royalty Jay-Z, but Rocky jumped on it while they were jamming in the studio.

The start of the instrumental is like a time machine for me. It brings back so many memories and I am obliged, whatever my mind, to badly rap along as loud as possible. A defining song for me, if you haven’t heard it before I hope you enjoy it a share apart of my musical upbringing. If you have, we should collab on a cover. Hmu.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 14: Cherrypie Blues by Noname

When people are drawing comparisons between your work and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s, and you feature on, arguably, Chance The Rapper’s defining mixtape Acid Rap, Noname becomes quite an ironic name for an artist.

Coming out of Chicago, rapper/songstress/lyrical poet Noname brings a wonderfully raw, evocative touch to the crowded world of hip-hop. She gained recognition through a number of guest appearances around 2013 (including the aforementioned project with Chance) and went on to release Telefone in 2016 as an unsigned artist, with the credits on that debut album reading like a Chicago-natives-only afterparty. Saba and Monte Booker were just some of the amazing collaborators she brought in over the three years she crafted the album, all whilst working again with Chance, this time on his Grammy-nominated 2016 project, Colouring Book. In September last year, Noname followed up her highly commended debut album with her sophomore work, Room 25.

Today’s track, however, comes from a compilation album called TwoSyllable Records Chicago Cassette Compilation Vol. 2. Twosyllable records are based in Brooklyn and the owner, Zach Pollakoff, has put out several compilation discs of his favourite Chicago artists. Noname features on the 2014 record and sings of love lost. Previously a spoken-word poet, her wordplay is vivid and imaginative, the lines “Let it be a bygone how you python/Mama said never dance wit snakes wit the lights on”. She effortlessly dances between rapping and singing and, as the name would suggest, breathes a modern twist into the blues genre that is still recognisable between her bars.

Whilst originally released on her Soundcloud, Pollakoff’s documentation of the work of Chicago artists has done a great deal for the lesser known natives of a city that boasts a certain Mr.West as one of its children. Bringing this, and many other, singles onto streaming platforms has allowed for much wider consumption of the art, and everyone is better for it.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 13: 4r Da Squaw by Isaiah Ashad

Isaiah Rashad is a rapper that has come from Chattanooga Tennessee and is no stranger to collaboration. He’s toured with Joey Bada$$ and Juicy J and is a member of several hip-hop collectives, including Chattanooga based The House and Chicago based The Village. His first album, The Sun’s Tirade, came off the back of signing with Top Dawg Entertainment and earning a place on the coveted XXL Freshmen list in 2014 (a list of upcoming hip-hop artists to look out for, published each year by the magazine XXL).

4r Da Squaw comes from that album and is the second track. This album feels more laid back and relaxed than his earlier, shorter project, Cilvia Demo. The album diverges further from his previous project as the tracklist progresses, but this song typifies Rashad’s desire to speak his truth through his product. On a record label that, at the time of release, consisted almost exclusively of Californians, 4r Da Squaw has distinctly southern characteristics, from the beat to the slight southern drawl that gives his carefree style genuine authenticity.

Less experimental than some of his other work, Isaiah Rashad’s 4r Da Squaw shows off a development from his earlier work but also doesn’t try to be something it is not. It is a lovingly crafted track that is authentic to Tennessee native Rashad.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 12: Caroline by Aminé

If you haven’t heard of Animé, you’ll be forgiven for struggling with pronunciation. You’re not the first, however, his song Hero is perhaps a good place to start if you don’t want to pronounce it wrong as he has given the world an informative skit, presumably referencing the number of different ways his name has been mistaken over the years.

If you HAVE heard of Aminé, then you’ve probably heard today’s track, Caroline. The rapper’s stand out single comes from his debut studio album, Good For You and, in typical Aminé fashion, opens with a skit to set the mood. The eponymous, fictional character of Caroline is the focus of the rapper’s lustings throughout the song and, whilst it fails to deliver any new, groundbreaking concepts through its lyrics, Caroline is thoughtfully produced and infectiously catchy. With Aminé himself and Pasqué on production duties, it is clear to see how meticulous the Oregon rapper wanted to be with his lead single from his first body of work.

The song fits into the mold of “I want to fuck bitches” that a lot of hip-hop can stray into, but there are subtle distinctions that bring a slight smirk rather than a bored eye-roll. Aminé raps about finding the one rather than settling for perfection that might not be a right fit, which is refreshing from a young rapper (admittedly there’s a lot of metaphors surrounding sex and fellatio, but it’s a start). He also credits film director Quentin Tarantino as an inspiration for him, name dropping him during the song’s verse (verse one and two is repeated) and also wearing a Pulp Fiction T-shirt in the music video, one of Tarantino’s most-loved classics. Clearly, some of the director’s creativity has seeped into Aminé’s own storytelling, as he has discussed previously on writing for Tupac Shakur at the age of five and finding his muse in a Himalayan dragon that was pointed out to him by a Tibetan monk on a trip he was sent on by his sugar mama. Say what you want, but you can’t criticise his imagination.

The album is a solid debut project, and his sophomore album ONEPOINTFIVE, released last year on Republic Records, is a considered and enjoyable follow up. If you’re looking for a place to start to delve into Aminé and his work, why not start chronologically and enjoy Caroline?

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 11: Lost in the Fire by Gesaffelstein ft. The Weeknd

New Music Friday means we have a look at a brand spanking new track, with the spotlight today on Gesaffelstein and The Weeknd who come together for their song Lost in the Fire.

Gesaffelstein (Mike Levy outside of the DJ booth) is French, though his name looks like a frightening flashback to a GCSE German reading exam. Don’t worry if you’re struggling to translate it however, it is an amalgamation of Gesamtkunstwerk (a total work of art) and a little-known scientist, Albert Einstein. He has been DJing, producing, remixing and putting out his own projects, across a multitude of European EDM labels, under the Gesaffelstein name since 2008. He is known for very ominous, dark and moody techno that has been described as “industrial” and “sinister”. It is no wonder then that, when hip-hop came knocking, it came in the form of Kanye West and The Weeknd.

Kanye had Gesaffelstein co-produce two tracks on his highly divisive 2013 record Yeezus which felt very experimental and industrial, playing into his strengths as a producer.

Transferring his talents from Chicago to Toronto, Lost in the Fire is not the duo’s first collaboration. Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd to us normal folk) released a six track album entitled My Dear Melancholy in 2018, which was a return to the melodramatic, misery-soaked RnB that he had laid the foundations of his career on. His previous two albums were tailored to the masses with great success, but the change of tone may well have coincided with his split with Selena Gomez. Either way, the return of Moody Abel was an invitation for a collaboration with Gesaffelstein and it came on track four, I Was Never There, and again on track five, Hurt You. Trademark instrumental that sounds as if it was welded together in an abandoned warehouse is complimented perfectly by the warbling vocals of the Canadian superstar, and the recipe is replicated on both artists’s first release of 2019.

Lost in the Fire feels much more pop-y than their previous work together, with Gesaffelstein happy to take more of a backseat and perhaps use The Weeknd’s stature to bring the track to the masses. The beat is clearly tailor-made for The Weeknd to jump on and I would be stunned if any potential future visual accompaniment didn’t feature a 3am drive through a sleepy city (a visual teaser was released on Gesaffelstein’s website but I’m determined to see my vision come true).

The lyrics are typically blunt, with The Weeknd speaking of his desire to have sex with the girl in question, but also of his desire to stay with her, possibly in relation to supermodel Bella Hadid who’s relationship with The Weeknd bookended his ill-fated time with Selena Gomez. The track may also suggest a subliminal shot at Drake. The lyric “I just want a baby with the right one/Cause I could never be the one to hide one” is a reference to Drake’s child Adonis who he had with Sophie Brussaux, a former adult actress. During their highly publicised summer beef, Pusha T claimed Drake was hiding a child and that he was planning to announce it during an Adidas press run on his diss track, The Story of Adidon.

It’ll be interesting to see of Drake responds, but with new music on the horizon for both The Weeknd and Gesaffelstein, I can see the two coming together on another project in the near future.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex