His head is always moving in both directions
Mix 7: A grab bag of international sounds, featuring Nyege Nyege Tapes, Dlala Thukzin, and the artist formerly known as Priscilla Renea
Off to a new headspace! In the interest of periodically linking old pieces I like, the above screen shot is of the bizarre touchscreen puzzle game Feed the Head, which I featured in a piece I wrote about the meditative pace of puzzle video games a few years ago. It was by far the most-read thing I wrote on that short-lived attempt to do some longer-form essay blogging.
This week was a real bear to sequence, but I think it paid off. And of course the day after I was done with it, I heard three new songs that I knew would make next week’s mix. So there’s that to look forward to!
Mix 1 // Mix 2 // Mix 3 // Mix 4 // Mix 5 // Mix 6
MIX 7: HIS HEAD IS ALWAYS MOVING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
1. Ntjam Rosie, Licks & Brains: Keep Movin’
Dutch jazz singer goes pop cannily enough to remind me a little of Matthew Herbert’s “Moving Like a Train,” which is such a huge compliment from me that it got Ntjam Rosie the lead-off spot this week.
2. Akini Jing: Black Widow
Dai Chinese pop artist who does cyborg cosplay, seemingly in both the figurative and literal sense. Love when the rapping stops (according to the video, “this next part was too graphic”) and she breaks into a sarcastic, syrupy ballad detailing a “wet dream that tasted like nothing.” I was laughing even before I knew what she was saying.
3. Saya Gray: AA BOUQUET FOR YOUR 180 FACE
Saya Gray is pretty great: I’ve heard no bad songs from her yet. On this one there are castanets like crickets and toward the end a sitar tries to get a more raucous party going, but the song demurs.
4. Maxida Märak: Vuoddaga
From crickets to frogs — Swedish pop weirdo tiptoes around a saxobeat but never really rises above the swamp, even after threatening an EDM drop that doesn’t arrive.
5. Sami Galbi: Dakchi Hani
Francophone Swiss-Moroccan artist does dayglo analog-synth disco that sounds equally indebted to raï and chiptune.
6. Kitty Ca$h f. Thundercat, James Fauntleroy: Time Machine
Don’t know DJ/producer Kitty Ca$h — she stars in a hot air balloon music video that looks like it could have either been a fun day or a long slog in front of a green screen. By process of elimination, the rubbery bass must be Thundercat and the melodies James Fauntleroy (the songwriter responsible for Rihanna’s “Te Amo” among many others).
7. Anaïs x Toddla T x Nadia Rose f. LEVi: Hey Hey Hey
Couldn’t remember which “T” is in TQD (it was Royal-T) so this will be a new trio acronym: ANT, because it’s small and mighty, but also annoying if it winds up in your house uninvited.
8. Caity Baser: I’m a Problem
I take it back, now this is annoying. But it’s a nostalgic form of annoying — I’m surprised that time has flattened the distance between Lily Allen, Kate Nash, and Jessie J. None of them used curse words so pitifully, though, an unfortunate trend in the post-Rodrigo environment (more on her — or not-her — next week).
9. Sabasister: Prepare Yourself!
Tuneful Japanese pop-punk.
10. sportcafé: вічне літо
Tuneful Ukrainian goth-pop.
11. Nastya Lisa: Хвилями
My only real criterion for including a song on a mix is it has to be a [7] or higher. But I have to admit that sometimes I give a half-point bump to a [6.5] in certain genres, like melancholy Russian dance-pop. Was reminded of the tricky nature of the [6.5] while going through Chuck Eddy’s very fun blindfold playlist reports, here and here. Lots of good finds so far; here’s Gary Byrd’s “Soul Travelin’ Pt. 1 (The G.B.E.),” from 1973, which Chuck gave an [8].
12. Hala: Shok W Sakakeen
Egyptian pop that seems to be making a bigger play for broader international crossover than the more distinctively regional Egyptian music I usually get from Spotify’s New Music Egypt list. Starts with a “Runaway”-esque piano figure and keeps things at a brooding simmer the whole time.
13. Ruby Waters: Adult Swim
Canadian singer-songwriter, flirts dangerously with total marshmallow-mouth collapse but the sequencer keeps things moving and the chorus perks up just enough to keep it from going under.
14. Rail Band: Marabayasa [1973]
Sure, it’s a track from 1973 that’s been re-released before this year, but when a Rail Band song shows up with a 2024 date on Spotify, it goes on the mix. I leave myself so few loopholes, I’ve gotta exploit ‘em all.
15. Mc Madimbu, Dj Muvuka: Baile Do Dj Muvuka
An oddly gentle synth-flute line caught my ear in this otherwise just OK baile funk track, and was pleasantly surprised when the synth comes barging in and immediately trips over itself.
16. Wanda Nara: O Bicho Vai Pegar
Argentine artist better known as a television presenter from what I can tell. Has that patina of Fast and Furious soundtrack appropriateness that I apparently am a sucker for despite never seeing a Fast and Furious film.
17. Stepa f. Pehmee Goo: Nyt alko bileet
Content warning for strobing lights on the video here, I don’t always mark those but even I thought it was a little intense. The song in no way justifies this choice; it’s Finnish goof-rap over a drum machine that’s going for old school 808 but ends up sounding cheap and inept.
18. dreamcastmoe: Hand Down, Man Down
DC producer soundtracks a fractious pick-up game with serviceable funk loops, but the vocals— joshing and kvetching and then breaking into spontaneous song—make it work.
19. Normal Nada the Krakmaxter: AZ House 3 (Deep Love Afro House)
An eclectic batida mix from an Afro-Portuguese artist now on Nyege Nyege Tapes. Need to check out the whole album (along with the other big Nyege Nyege release so far in 2024, the arty baile funk Queridão by DJ Anderson do Paraíso). In fact, I should probably listen to any album, something I haven’t done this year so far! Anything good yet?
20. Muni Long: Made for Me (Yumbs’ Amapiano Remix)
I’ve begun to wonder if amapiano may be finally making its soft landing out of ferment, though I wouldn’t say this of South African dance music as a whole, which seems to be getting a lot of life from other Afrohouse styles after a banner year for amapiano that was still ultimately eclipsed by 3step. (Immediately after wondering all of this, I heard an extremely popular and good amapiano song that will likely lead off next week’s mix, so what do I know.)
At the same time, amapiano may finally be traveling a bit more outside of the mutually beneficial Afrobeats pipeline. Across the weekly playlists I’m hearing some attempts at amapiano in ways that strike me as clumsy but make a serious go of integration, like Moses Ideka and phil’s “Do It for You”. And after Tyla’s “Water” (which for the record was the only good contemporary pop song I heard on the overhead speaker at a recent conference across three days!), maybe there’s some promise for R&B amapiano remixes like this. This is a fairly unremarkable song in its original version by Muni Long (fka Priscilla Renea) (!!!), but it’s remixed into a state of bliss by producer Yumbs.
21. Dlala Thukzin f. Funky Qla: Rite
A nice closer from Dlala Thuzkin, of “iPlan” fame, appearing on an interesting compilation from a label that has been curating some of the the non-amapiano side of the South African dance scene in the past few years.
***
That’s it! Until next week, remember to feed the head, no matter which direction it moves in.
—Dave Moore (the other one)
Title translated from Hala’s “Shok W Sakakeen”: “دايمًا راسه ماشيه إتجاهينالسا”