The Playground Picks 06/12/19

Friday is upon us and we have a number of great additions to our CHILL, EXPERIMENTAL, POP and INDIE playlists to introduce you to.

We’ve included a number of fresh selections in our CHILL GRØUND playlist for those who’ve had a busy week, while we continue to break new GRØUND with our EXPERIMENTAL picks. On the INDIE front, we have included a rapid up and coming solo artist alongside a band looking forward to their European and North American headline shows in 2020. Our love for the best in alternative and exciting POP music grows every week as our playlist does and we are pleased to present it all to you below.

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Fresh selections:

Jonny Element – ‘Portal’

‘Portal’ is the first release from Element‘s new 3-track EP, Bufo Vision. Each track is inspired by different aspects of a DMT trip. ‘Portal’ relays the feeling of a beautiful death and “breaking through” to another dimension. Berlin-based producer Jonny Element mixes samples, field recordings, synths and guitar to create his sound.

Ohslo – ‘Illuminate’

Dawning like a warm summer morning, ‘Illuminate’ is a wonderfully sensual and surreal listening experience. Unique electronic and organic sounds establish a minimal yet exquisitely detailed stage for the delicate vocals. Dave Sorry and Nanne Hil‘s electronic jams take inspiration from all sorts of (other)worldly stories, melodies and rhythms and are instantly recorded to capture the vibrancy of the moment

under:tones – ‘3’

‘3’ is a dreamlike exploration of melody and harmony, with moments of tension rising and falling throughout. Dynamic percussion and a solid groove anchor the track while layers of atmospheric synths and samples expand outwards and upwards. under:tones is the new musical project by Florence natives, and Italian electronic music mainstays, Alex Neri and Matteo Zarcone.

The Ultimate Escape Project – ‘Peng Win’

Inspired by witnessing a live marimba performance at The Barbican, ‘Peng Win’ is awash with midnight blue hues – the gentle, synthesized melodies colliding with delicate electronics to create an intricate late-night groove. With a quarter of a century’s experience in the music industry, acid house pioneer Suddi Raval, recording under his moniker The Ultimate Escape Project,

The Nisshin – ‘Erimo’

This spacey sonic journey from Hiroshima-based The Nisshin blends rustic guitar with an assortment of ethereal synth sounds. Inspired by an invigorating motorcycle trip, ‘Erimo’ communicates feelings of euphoria and freedom.

Please Wait – ‘Rush’ ft. Alayna

‘Rush’ enlists the vocal performance of Auckland, NZ based singer-songwriter Alayna. Coupled with moody strings and electronic elements, ‘Rush’ is a tale of heartbreak, swelling with emotion. Please Wait is the culmination of numerous online exchanges and years of sharing voice memos, stems, musical ideas & TikTok links between Ta-ku and matt mcwaters.

Will Samson – ‘Beyond The Dust’

On ‘Beyond The Dust’, Will Samson‘s distinct voice weaves in and out of a steady beat, emotive piano chords and heart-rending strings. Pulled from his new psilocybin-inspired LP Paralanguage, the listener is struck by a notable clarity and tranquillity.

Jesse Woolston – ‘Weave’

A wonderfully textured piano piece supported by Nils Frahm on Piano Day and a score to multi-media installations and visualizers. Jesse Woolston is a multimedia artist and composer hailing from Auckland, New Zealand. His visual art explores the incandescence of shape-shifting geometry, soundtracked by his own musical works — electronic in nature but indebted to the traditional elements of minimalist piano composition, reminiscent of early works by Erik Satie.

Fresh selections:

Gerald Fjord – ‘Smaller’

‘Smaller’ brings in beautiful vocals over broken and disjointed beats and swirls of violins, cellos, and modular synths. It is an eccentric blend of downtempo, trip-hop, beat-oriented electronica with ambient sensibilities courtesy of modular synth artist Gerald Fjord and featuring Holly Drummond on vocals.

LSMarley – ‘Zither’

‘Zither’ is a unique take on Half-time Bass, with the majority of the lead lines comprised of processed vocals. Luke Samuel Marley combines bass-heavy, low tempo rhythms, with found sounds and elements of live performance – using recordings of his own vocals, piano, bass, violin and percussion performances to create textures, before manipulating them with basic synthesisers and vocoders.

Fresh selections:

Jules Gabriel – ‘Tides’

Recorded in the Mallorcan winter in his grandma’s old house, ‘Tides’ features emotional melodic vocals, dreamy guitars and euphoric whistling. Instruments and samples feature the livingroom sofa (kick) and Jules’ mum complaining (intro sample). Swedish born songwriter/producer Jules Gabriel, in his first solo project, takes inspiration and recordings from family, history, spirituality and nordic nature.

Mighty Oaks – ‘Forget Tomorrow’

‘Forget Tomorrow’ is a song written about the day before leaving on a tour, about living in the moment and enjoying each other instead of fretting about the inevitable. Mighty Oaks bring uplifting and resolute energy to this intimate expression of the difficulties that often accompany success. Packed bags and long goodbyes, exchanging the comforts of home for a rumbling tour bus or solitary hotel room, often for months at a time. This is the reality for Mighty Oaks, and since all the band members of the Berlin-based trio have become fathers they find it especially tough to leave home.

Fresh selections:

Hello Victim – ‘Go, Be Gone’

Hello Victim’s third release of 2019, ‘Go, Be Gone’, is also their most personal. Vocalist Megan Emanuel delves into the psyche of her abusive and unfaithful ex-partner in an attempt to make peace with trauma. Dark, brooding melodies float above a grimey synth soundscape to reveal darkness within.

Irena Zilic – ‘Tremors’

Saxophone lines intertwining with Irena‘s soft vocals and subtle samples shape frustration and fear caused by unchangeable tides and emotional tremors. ‘Tremors’, the third single from Irena‘s upcoming EP Small Hours (2020), is a melancholic sequel to Irena‘s previously released material. Irena Zilic is a Croatian musician steadily growing in popularity and garnering international recognition.

Kyson – ‘One & Other’

‘One & Other’ is the final single from Kyson‘s upcoming self titled EP, due out Jan 17th. The track is a positive yet nostalgic moment on the record about “trying to talk about finding that balance of being yourself and being open to change”. On his latest release, he has ventured out of his comfort zone, embracing real-life storytelling and instrumentation that reflects that unvarnished authenticity.

Ro – ‘To Pretend’

This new single from Melbourne’s Ro is a musing on ‘the birds and the bees’ and learning to ditch bedroom expectations and stop pretending. Ro is known for her songwriting and ability to layer pop-infused melodies with razor-sharp lyrics and combining melancholic poeticism with conversational wordplay.

Fehlt – ‘Closure’

‘Closure’ is the debut single from Fehlt, a new project from art student Ewan Barr. The influence of art + aesthetic is clear on the track with its cinematic amalgamation of discordant melodies, intricate guitars and noisy passages – blending post-punk, art rock and slowcore into one lush coherent sonic landscape.

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