The Chemistry of Sound

Here is my attempt to post a track daily that is really helping me get through & say a little bit about it. I expect that these links will become stale over time. A quick google search should provide another link to the tracks. :) A song a day keeps monotony away. www.facebook.com/thechemistryofsound

[thechemistryofsound]

Sub Focus - Endorphins (feat. Alex Clare) (Sub Focus vs. Fred V & Grafix Remix). This is quite a tune. I never really got into Sub Focus too much and I think that's a shame because his productions are stellar. Fred V & Grafix are a great little duo with some pretty decent creativity behind them. I'm glad they made their way to true Hospital artists. The original track is okay, but this remix truly puts it over. The vocal is super catchy and I remember rushing to figure out what this was when I first heard it in a podcast. The second drop is a switched up groove which totally adds some appealing dynamics to the mix. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo

Heard this one as the opening song to a RL Grime and Baauer set in the Boiler Room. The chords at the beginning immediately turned my head. Loud & clear, they announce the beginning of the track. The percussion drills through after a moment of introducing the vocal sample that plays throughout the track. This track was called one of the most forward-thinking dubstep tracks of 2009. If this is considered dubstep, then I think I have a lot more to learn about the genre. The genres tend to splinter pretty heavily once you dive any deeper than this and get into "future garage" and associated friend genres. Anyway, this is a great track. I'm sure it was a breath of fresh air in 2009 when it came on the speakers. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Disclosure - You & Me (Flume Remix)

It's pretty unfair at how fat this is. The original was clearly amazing and I can't think of a better person to remix than Flume. His style is super unique and sounds like hip hop that just took a Xanax. The percussion is perfect and simple for the track and allows those accordion-esque synths to breathe and steal the spotlight. Subtle horns in the background shoot some more emotion to the center with strings to follow. One of the better remixes I have heard all year. Enjooooooooy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Bonobo - Cirrus

Simon Green (Bonobo) needs no introduction here. This is his third appearance on the blog. This tune is off of his latest album The North Borders which is a stunning album to say the least. I would highly suggest obtaining this album (preferably through purchase) as it's a snapshot in time of a developing artist that still stays true to his original form. The video in itself is out of this world and mesmerizing. The music is fantastic as well. Unique bell sounds and a swaying bassline are the highlights here. Crispy percussion totally drives the mix to completion. Beauty in simplicity. Enjoy this.

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DJ Part - Finger Painting

Give this one a try. Turn it on and close your eyes. Imagine the sounds to run circles around your head. Waves like those could end wars. Strings push their way through. After a minute and a half of bliss, the journey continues with the appropriate breaks. Nothing too big and nothing too small. A bass meanders through after the two and a half minute mark. This piece is one of the more soothing ones I have heard in some time. I adore it. Find this track in any way you can and listen to it while walking immersed in a crowd. It's an experience like nothing else. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

The Mountain Goats - Cotton

Probably one of my favorite TMG songs. I picked this album up the other day at a local record store and was thrown back into my early college years. Such beautiful lyrics in this track. It seems like John is singing about his drug-related past based on the "stickpins and cottons" lyric. Apologizing to his family for things that he can't and won't be sorry for. I read that a majority of this album is about people he used to know during his meth days. Depressing yet relieving to hear the track, as the chorus does repeat to "let them all go." I've had the pleasure of seeing this live a while back during one of my two TMG shows and it was very moving. You could tell that John was strongly connected to these lyrics. I hope you enjoy this one.

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Kodomo - Concept 16

I've been saving this one for a rainy day but I am feeling it tonight so I will post it. Of course, this one appeared on my Bonobo Pandora station and has stuck with me since. Very cool track and deeply melodic. I needed something to write to for my other tumblr and this was it. The constant arpeggio that is going throughout the track sets a steady course to experiment upon. There sounds like an almost muted-trumpet mimic that is played around 3 minutes in. The delay used to layer the sounds upon each other in a constructive way is just so good. There's an album full of tracks like this on Kodomo's album Still LIfe. Check it. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Disclosure - You & Me ft Eliza Doolittle

Oh hell yes. This is just delicious. That signature Disclosure sound (deep house purists would probably swoop in and say "NO. ____ DID THIS FIRST" but for this paragraph, let's just say it's their sound). Disclosure always has amazing videos. Latch was amazing as well. Their minimal style with super clean percussion allows for everything else to shine through. The vocals of Eliza are beautiful, especially when she hits those higher notes. Lyrically fantastic as well.

Home is where the heart is, and I gave it to you in a paper bag. Even though it’s tarnished, you told me it’s the best you ever had. You got my secret combination, and I don’t be giving that out easily. When my deepest dedication, you can tell you would want the same for me.

Another gem from Disclosure ahead of their album Settle due out in June. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Boom Clap Bachelors - Tiden Flyver

Originally heard this as being the primary sample in Kendrick Lamar's "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and was glued to it since. Such elegance in the construction. The muted trumpet is the highlight here. Such a sad & sorrowful tone to lay right alongside the guitar strums. The vocals are hauntingly beautiful as well. They have an airy nature to them that fits perfectly with the overall style. Naturally, I have absolutely no idea what is being said because I don't speak the language. You almost don't need to with the energy in this track. It's definitely not killing my vibe. Enjoy.

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Andrew Bayer feat. Ane Brun - Lose Sight

Such a beautiful video. Andrew Bayer is an amazing artist and I love his experimentation. His first album, "It's Artificial" was an eye-opening & forward-thinking work of art. Glitchy beats & downtempo tracks that soothe the soul. The vocal chops and use of guitars are savory and fit very well with the video. The interludes that occur just over a minute has piano that just melts me. His new album "If It Were You, We'd Never Leave" drops tomorrow and I can't wait to listen through it. His progression from trance & progressive to this was amazing to watch, and so is this video. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Quantic - Time Is The Enemy

Quantic has always been a reoccurring artist on several of my Pandora seeds. The highlight of this track for me is clearly the piano lines that drift throughout. It's almost like a lullaby with a kick. The track won't have the same result to me anymore when listened to casually, but maybe it will for y'all.

[thechemistryofsound]

Lemaitre - Cut To Black

Mmm. It's been a minute since I've heard a track that grabs me like this one does. It's pretty much concentrated right on those piano lines and the clap. The percussion sounds just like Justice. You can hear Daft Punk influence with the chords. I think I listened to this song 7 times this morning on repeat on the way to work. I think it was starting to hit a spot that I haven't felt in a while, so I repeated it in hopes it would bring it out of me. It was close, but didn't quite get there. Great track, nonetheless. What are we even talking about. Where am I. Hey guys.

[thechemistryofsound]

Clams Casino - I'm God

Yes, you quite possibly could be divine with tracks like this. Sampling Imogen Heap's Just For Now, Clams Casino takes experimental hip-hop to another level. The bass in this track is insanity. The way he works Imogen's vocals so nicely into the beat is fantastic. Not much else to say except to turn this on, close your eyes and start moving those shoulders. This is delicious.

[thechemistryofsound]

Donald Byrd - Love Has Come Around

1981. I love this tune. The interlude sets you up for a ride that you won't forget. The clap in this track is one that even the indie dance / nu disco producers today try and imitate. The strings in the background, the horns, the piano, the vocal harmonies. My favorite part starts at 2:41. The synth that fades downward. I say synth, but it's entirely possible that the sound is a highly processed guitar strum sample. The three chords that come right in the same voicing make the track for me. 

Another amazing remix on this track can be found here that captures what I am talking about. It focuses heavily on the three chords and adds some wicked good percussion to make this a bit different to groove to.

Anyway, it's late. Not sure what I'm trying to say. I suppose it's simply a drawn out way of saying that I really enjoy the soul & emotion in this track. Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes

This is by far one of the most moving & beautiful things I have seen in some time. Ironically enough, someone asked me tonight if I ever thought about what it is like to die. I don't often think of such things. Not because I don't want to, but because I feel like it's something we can't know so I'd rather focus my efforts on the present and take each day as it comes. If it's my last, I guess I will find out what it is like, won't I? Regardless, it's funny how this video popped into my life on the same night.

2 minutes in almost brought me to tears. It is just incredible. It's reminiscent of an out of body experience just before death. Floating along with individuals standing still. Not exactly tied to your body anymore. Time stops. The vocals as well really strike an intense chord with me as well. Flying Lotus is known for this sound. Shakes, chimes, sporadic kick drums. The car floating off at the end tilted at that specific angle.

Underwater.

Please watch this.

[thechemistryofsound]

BCee - Captured in Time

I'm simply going to paste a text I sent to someone describing this track because I think it sums up my reaction to it. It's just intensely beautiful.

The pianos. They are filtered a bit to make them sound distant. That, with the strings are absolute perfection. Beautiful. The chords along with the single string notes have such wonderful cohesion. The voice saying "so happy" brings me to a place I can't quite describe. The drum beat provides me with a cozy normal that I am used to. The bass that comes in at around 1 minute is just so deep and fantastic. Some more piano notes come in later that add a bit more variety along with small, high-pitched notes in the background. The sound placement and chords they use are just emotional and just evoke those sad & melancholy emotions that we all sort of don't mind having because it feels good to just feel sometimes.

Enjoy.

[thechemistryofsound]

Above & Beyond ft. Zoe Johnston - Love Is Not Enough (MRZO Remix)

I simply can't put into words exactly what it felt like to listen to this track for the first time. It was almost scary how much I immediately connected with it. The chords in this track are sublime. Perfect. Punchy plucks that drag the older progressive nostalgia right out of you. The stuff I grew up with. Mat Zo knows exactly how to get it done. His MRSA/MRZO alias for drum & bass has been such a refreshing sound.  Preserving the original melody & elaborating on it in such a creative way, his technical prowess delivers a fantastic remix of a wonderful original. A lot of DnB these days seems to be very bass-centric and almost working towards becoming dubstep. By that I mean that the melodies are being lost and the focus is more on "how crazy can I make this drop bro." This track keeps the gorgeous melody that flows throughout and adds the proper changes to make this a really fucking groovy drum & bass remix. I wish I had heard this earlier. I am upset I missed it in the release package.

I am relatively drank currently, so this may not hit you as hard as it's hitting me currently. If that's the case. Drink. I'm not sure you'll need it though.