Stephen’s Selects #4: October 21st – 27th

We’re already hit the fourth week of ‘Stephen’s Selects’! The playlist has now been updated for October 14th – 20th. But don’t worry… if you still want to listen to last week’s tracks, you can see what was included here.

If you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on Spotify and follow along!

Remember that I’ll be updating the playlist every week with 10 tracks that have influenced my life, music, career and conversations. I’ll be breaking down why each track is included right here on this blog.

I’ll also happily include your music, so please send links my way!

Now, without further ado, here’s the breakdown of Stephen’s Selects #4: October 21st – 27th…

1. 65daysofstatic – ‘trackerplatz’
   Beautifully melancholic. I love the production and mixing in this track. It’s a slow burn that builds nicely over time. This track feels much longer than 3 minutes and 41 seconds, which is a credit to its immersive composition.

2. Tides From Nebula – ‘The New Delta’
   The opening synth in this piece instantly pulls me in. It’s dark and distant and makes me want to hear more. The guitar and percussive elements are then introduced to pique your interest. Then when you’re giving it your full attention, the drums and bass hit. It’s very clever composition and production. I love the balance between the buzzy distorted bass guitar and the electric guitars in this track. Overall, the balance is maintained really nicely with some distinct dynamics between sections. There’s also some lovely slide guitar work, which is always appreciated in my book!

3. The Killers – ‘When You Were Young’
   More guitars! I’ve always loved Dave Keuning’s unorthodox guitar work and ‘When You Were Young’ displays it within a bright, pop, indie rock style. It’s a classic for a reason. The chorus is anthemic, the lyrics are simple and the song structure itself is also very simple. But it’s all executed in style.

4. Barrie – ‘Canyons’
   My good friend Oisín turned me on to this one. My only issue with this song is the fact that it’s mastered so loud. I think the intro overpowers everything else. I feel it causes the song to lose power at the 38 second mark. But I do love how the bass guitar was mixed. It’s quite a sparse mix and I like how the midrange attack of the bass shines through. This is a very cool pop song with lots of interesting pop production and sounds in the mix.

5. Ebi Soda – ‘Dahling’
   Another track pulled from a friend’s playlist. Thanks Gavin! Some very nice jazz grooves going on here. If you want to know how to mix modern jazz, I definitely think this track is a good reference.

6. Stevie Wonder – ‘Higher Ground’
   Something in the last track reminded me of ‘Higher Ground’ and I had to include it. This song is untouchable. One thing to note is the hi-hat sound on the left of the mix. It sits slightly higher in the mix than it “should” but for some reason it works really nicely. It goes to show you that your music doesn’t need to be perfect to be perfect.

7. Mike Posner – ‘Perfect’
   Mike Posner is a very talented songwriter. This song has a lot going on with a combination of a lot of different styles. It’s another slow build but when it gets going it has a groove that’s going to make you want to jam along. Really nicely mixed too.

8. Post Malone, Halsey, Future – ‘Die For Me’
   Continuing the theme of a mix of different styles… here’s Post Malone’s ‘Die For Me’. Trap, rap, pop, rock and layered guitars. There’s a lot going on in the production here and it definitely has my attention. This should give you even more ideas on how to blend styles.

9. Little Simz, Cleo Sol – ‘Selfish’
   The almost pristine production of ‘Die For Me’ is replaced by the darker, distant drums of ‘Selfish’. This one was dropped into my lap by my buddy, Ramsey. Take a listen to the contrast between the sung vocals and the rapped vocals. The singing is further back in the mix in stereo and the rap is right in your face in mono. It’s a great example of how to balance two vocalists in a mix while creating different colours within one song.

10. Chance The Rapper – ’65th & Ingleside’
    The organ opening got me hooked and I hope it does the same for you. I’m almost always critical of strange vocal effects when they’re done wrong but it’s done so, so right in this instance! The production in this track is very clean and unorthodox. There’s a lot going on and a lot to learn from when you listen to the drums. They really hit home without overpowering the other elements in the mix. It’s a top quality beat with Chance’s vocals blending in perfectly.

    Click here to listen to the full playlist on Spotify!

    (Please note that the link will send you to the playlist of the current week and might not feature the tracks listed above!)

    So, that’s week four of Stephen’s Selects.
     

    Remember that if you like what you hear, then please hit that ‘Follow’ button on Spotify and follow along!

     
    If you’d like to have your song featured or have any recommendations, drop me a comment below or email. Let’s talk more about the music we’re listening to and share our ideas!

     
    

    Now, I’d love to know…

    
    What are you listening to this week? What are you working on? Have anything you’d like to share?
     
    Leave a comment below!

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