Who likes the best tunes, hmm? Bad Sounds duo Ewan and Callum have a showdown of epic proportions.
EWAN
Aminé – Caroline
I love all the aminé stuff I’ve heard so far. I can’t wait for the album! It’s awesome to hear someone doing fun hip-hop again, and it’s done so well! Without a doubt my favourite I’ve come across this year.
Lauryn Hill – Every Ghetto Every City
That Kung-fu sound effect is just the best thing ever. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, and I kind of have this romantic idea about what it would have been like to grow up in the city, so I feel this song is kind of window into that life for me. Plus it just feels so positive it’s hard to listen to it and not smile.
JVC Force – Strong Island
A hip-hop classic. This is one of those tracks that it’s hard to describe what’s so magic about it, but it just feels amazing and grooves like nothing else. I love tracks from this era where you can hear the beats aren’t looping up 100% perfectly and you can kind of hear the limitations in the equipment in the final recording, but it adds to the final vibe of the track.
Massive Attack – Be Thankful For What You’ve Got
This is my favourite song and also my favourite version of this song. Massive Attack were one of the first groups that got me into production and using samples.
Young MC – Know How
The Dust Brothers are a huge influence on us. They have really bold and unique production ideas. I love how they will pick samples and loops based on how cool they feel rather than how well they’re played; it makes a huge difference to the overall groove.
Missy Elliott – Bring the Pain
Missy Elliott is my hero, and I think she’s insanely underrated. No one has had a bigger impact on me lyrically. The way she makes sound effects in her tracks in the middle of a sentence is the coolest thing ever, and she’s hilarious! Literally can’t get enough of her.
Jackie Mittoo – Summer Breeze
Obviously a banger, It’s rare to hear a Jackie Mittoo track with vocals, but I’m so glad he put vocals on this.
CALLUM
Justin Timberlake – Señorita
NEPCHOOOOooooonnnzzz. Both me and Ewan are digging golden era of Pharrell and Chad right now. In a big way. We’re fascinated about how they manage to write songs that don’t really change very much but somehow still stay totally interesting and cool. It’s a big deal.
The Roots – The Next Movement
I’m obsessed with Questlove. OBSEEESSSSSED. I’ve read his book a bunch of times, watched every interview with him I can find on YouTube, stalk him on Instagram. Obsessed. I think he’s the ultimate music nerd and I want to be him. This is a good intro to The Roots if you’re not familiar with them. Also, I’m a big fan of really simple concept music videos, and the video to this just sorta gets me.
Beastie Boys – Root Down
This is such an underrated beastie boys track. I really dig the sound of the sample and… that drum fill… oh the drum fill… dribbles. That’s what it’s all about. The wah guitar… all of that. There’s a sort of naive simplicity about this track that just makes it feel like they wrote it on the fly, recorded it the first time and nailed it. They’re the coolest.
Outkast – So Fresh So Clean
Andre 3000… I’m sorta obsessed with him too. Fearless genius. Big boi’s rhymes are dope, Andre’s rhymes are dope (obvs), the beat is dope. I think it’s kind of a brave and bold move to write a track like this… it’s pretty simple, but it says everything about Outkast for me.
Bill Withers – Lovely Day
This is pretty much one of my favourite songs ever. For real. People laugh at me for that, but I just think it’s so great. Whenever I hear it, it reminds me of this time when Ewan, Olivia, and myself were on this super long drive to a show, and we were all trying to “out Bill Withers” each other, competing how long we could say “daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy” and just creasing up laughing.
Michael Jackson – Rock With You
I’m all over some smoochy shit right now, and this is my fav smoochy MJ song. I had the HIStory VHS when I was a little kid, and I remember being hypnotised by the way the studio lights would reflect of that incredible outfit in the video for this song. Head to toe in a silvery glittery number? I’ve been known to rock something similar … the guys a style icon. Also, the video is shot with this sorta soft focus lens type of thing, and I feel like the track is so soft I feel like I’m listening to it in soft focus too.
Oliver Cheatham – Get Down Saturday Night
I used to work in a suit shop, and this song was on the in-store playlist. Absolute jam. Before I worked there, I was only aware of it because Room 5 sampled it/ based their song “make luv” around it, and that was on the radio all the time when it came out. But when I eventually heard the original I was like “Gaaaaad daaaamn this is dope af!” I guess it’s a little cheesy, but that sorta thing doesn’t bother me. Imma deffo drop it anyway when I’m DJ’ing.
Herbie Hancock – Chameleon
Just a heads up: this track ain’t for everyone (soz not soz). I don’t really understand how this track has so much groove… it just does okay… from the opening three notes to the end. The drums sound super seventies and dry as a bone. I just love it sonically. Also, I just got an ARP Odyssey (the synth that Herbie played on this track), and I’ve managed to bolt it on to every Bad Sounds demo since I bought it. It’s fly as hell.
Taken from the August issue of Dork, order your copy below.