This is week 20 of Stephen’s Selects!
There’s an eclectic mix of tracks for you to enjoy with some stories thrown in!
What would life be without a story or two?!
I hope you enjoy this week’s playlist.
Here’s the YouTube version:
Here’s the spotify version:
(Please note that the tracks listed above are part of a live Spotify playlist and are updated weekly. They might not match the information below!)
Now, without further ado, here’s the breakdown of Stephen’s Selects #20: February 10th – 16th…
- Tourist – ‘Emily’
– I’m sure you know already that I’m a big fan of using unconventional samples in music. This track starts out with vocal, atmospheric sounds, so I’m all for that!
– Very nice, clear drum sounds. A round kick and snappy snare/clap samples.
– The synths are big, buzzy and atmospheric.
– The mix and overall production feels very full but well balanced.
– The vocal sampling throughout is really nice, as it blends in with the other instruments. - Ben Khan – ‘Savage’
– Huge intro with a horn-style synth and heavily processed electric guitar and vocals.
– Very nice vocal layering. There are some lower vocal parts panned wide that create a sense of the vocal surrounding you.
– Sticking with the vocals… the use of distortion on the vocals is very tastefully done to help them cut through the mix.
– Overall, the mix has a lot of saturation/distortion present but it’s a very present, dry mix, so it definitely needed something to “rough” it up a little and make it stand out. - OutKast – ‘Skew It on the Bar-b (feat. Raekwon)’
– This track comes from OutKast’s third album, Aquemini. In my humble opinion, it’s one of the best albums of all time.
– The low end is nailed down on this. The bass and kick drum provide a solid foundation for the rest of the mix.
– I’m a big fan of the drum samples in this. They’re sampled/machine-based but you can hear that the hi-hat on the right is volume automated.
– The clarity of the snare sample is a particular highlight.
– The vocals in the hook are panned wide and layered heavily but they still leave room for the lead rap vocal in the middle.
– That vocal is very much in your face. To get that effect, keep your fader high and don’t focus too much on compression. You’ll also notice that there are a number of doubles and key phrases are also layered. - Kanye West – ‘Jesus Walks’
– Another absolute classic! Before Kanye was making worship albums, he was talking about Jesus in his early career.
– This is a hip hop song with a marching band beat.
– There’s a strong military style to this track even though it has a spiritual meaning. That mostly comes from the chanting and the snare rolls.
– As you can hear, there’s a large blend of styles happening here.
– I really like the vinyl crackle that is almost ever-present throughout the production. It helps to give it a vintage sound.
– Even though that sound is there, the production still feels modern and the song is now over 15 years old! - Faces on TV – ‘Womba’
– This popped up on my Spotify and I’m very glad it did.
– The chant at the start immediately attracts your attention.
– Percussion is handled very nicely in the production and it’s panned to perfection.
– Despite coming out in 2019, this feels like an 80’s song. It reminds me of ‘Big Love’ by Fleetwood Mac with a lot of its production values.
– The bass in particular stands out to me. Really nice slap bass! - Tenderlonious – ‘Song for My Father’
– A piano, tambourine and shaker intro gets your ears “thinking” and primed for what’s coming next.
– I really like the slow build of this track.
– By the one minute mark, this song is in its stride and grooving away.
– Elements are constantly being added to the mix, which is a challenge for any mixer!
– The flute doesn’t enter until 2:32 but when it does, it makes an entrance.
– If you want to create a big flute sound like that, focus on tasteful EQ and some nice reverb. - Lorca – ‘Ritmo De La Noche’
– One of my friends treated us to a viewing ‘Biutiful’ last Saturday night. As I was watching it, I heard this song pop up in a nightclub scene. I thought it was Coldplay. It turns out Chris Martin liked it took and sampled this for ‘Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall’.
– This track is actually based on ‘I Go To Rio’, written by Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson, so they became credited songwriters on the Coldplay track too.
– The chords at the start are very much in line with dance music of the early 90s.
– They also remind me a lot of ‘Born Slippy’.
– If you want to create dance stabs like that, then add plenty of delay and reverb to a staccato piano sound. - Maggie Rogers – ‘Light On’
– I’m a big Maggie Rogers fan. This is song is unique in style but much closer to a pop song than a lot of her other work.
– The vocals are very up front but not overly compressed.
– What I like about Maggie Roger’s music is that a lot of the sounds used in her music feel unique.
– Notice the difference between the up close and personal verse with sparse production and the big chorus.
– The vocals in the chorus are much bigger with quite a few layers and heavy use of reverb.
– The snare reverb in the chorus is another highlight. It’s huge! - WYS – ‘Take Me Back’
– I love the melancholic guitar in this.
– The drums and guitars blend beautifully with the long held notes of the bass.
– Can you hear the side chain compression of the kick drum ducking the rest of the music when it hits?
– There are some really nice transitions between sections – like at 2:45.
– There’s something really lovely and relaxing about this track that resonates with me. Let me know if you feel the same! - U2 – ‘Get Out Of Your Own Way’
– The “warped” sound on the synth in the intro is quite interesting. It sounds like it’s being played back on a tape that’s gone wrong.
– The kick drum pattern and sample is reminiscent of ‘Beautiful Day’. Is it the same?
– Ryan Tedder, Steve Lillywhite, Brent Kutzle and Jacknife Lee all have production credits – so this was definitely in safe hands!
– If you’re ever considering a career in engineering and you’re wondering how it could be possible to work with the biggest bands in the world, then I strongly encourage you to read up on how U2 have chosen their recording engineers over the years.
– There’s a very nice cameo at the end by Kendrick Lamar. U2 then returned the favour on his album.
– Yes, I love U2. Yes, I’m Irish. Yes, I get that you might not like U2. Yes, I’m sure you’re still mad about the Apple thing.
– ‘Get Out Of Your Own Way’ is a very strong message and it’s very true. The only thing standing in the way of what we want is ourselves.
Take some of these notes away, make your own and implement what you’ve learned when you’re making your own music. I have no doubt that they will help you.
Remember that if you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on Spotify and follow the playlist!
Now, I’d love to know…
What did you like about this week’s playlist? What have you learned?
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