Picks Of The Week (15.05.21

0. Killbox - Divine Profits LP [RAM Records]

Recommended if you like: Burr Oak, Teddy Killerz, Gydra

In case you missed it, I did another full-length album review, this time about Killbox's, also known as Ed Rush & Audio, second album Divine Profits! Here it is.

This took up most of my energy this week, so this week's weekly reviews will be a little shorter than usual. I don't think you'd want to be drowned in even more of my words anyway. Good news though: We got u/jandogearmy stepping in with a great selection of his own though, so watch out for that!

Anyway here's some other great Neurofunk I would recommend from this week:

Teddy Killerz, Kompany - Beast
Frannabik - The Temple EP 💎
Art1fact - Criminal 💎
Despersion, Paperclip - Axiom / Katoptrikos

1. MYKOOL, Lost Child - Our Scene / Confinement [MYKOOL]

Recommended if you like: Duskee, Monrroe, Keeno

I was thinking about just completely taking a week off, until I stumbled upon this one. It was technically released the week before, but this simply deserves a spotlight. The lovely piece of music I'm talking about comes from MYKOOL and Lost Child and is called Our Scene / Confinement. Let's start with the artists involved before we dive into the music itself though.

MYKOOL, also known as Michael Cebreiro (it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise his artist alias is just a weird way of spelling Michael), is a multi-genre-but-mostly-dnb producer from Coulsdon in the UK. His production career as MYKOOL might have only "officially" started in 2012, but he was already exploring the ins and outs of electronic music-making by emulating the soundtracks of his favourite videogames and TV shows way before that. As MYKOOL he started out with a focus on the uplifting dancefloor of 2012 sound à la Netsky, but has since then experimented with all kinds of other styles and genres over the years. Not only did he dabble in Chillstep and Bouncy EDM-y stuff, he has also been continuously exploring new subgenres in the 174 spectrum, from relaxed liquid to the more heavy stuff. While he is usually working on his own and self-releasing most of his music, he has over the years also become a regular on labels like Nu Venture Records and Tasty and has very recently been a part of Pick'n'Mix's 2020 compilation album Black Excellence. However nothing shows his self-made-ness more than his YouTube channel presence. Track breakdowns, weekly livestreams, even vocal covers and the occasional parody song, that channel really is a treasure trove of great mostly-dnb related content. I'm a bit disappointed he doesn't call them VoKOOL covers though.

Can you guess who MYKOOL was collaborating with on the Black Excellence compilation? Right, Lost Child! Unlike MYKOOL, the London-based producer is a relatively new face to the scene, at least production-wise. Not only was he already DJing for a while before posting his first bootleg in 2020, in late 2019-early 2020 Gael Benjamin, Lost Child's real-life alias, even started his own local event series Unusual.! Due to outside influences you might be familiar with, it sadly didn't get much chance to shine yet though. After these first few first bootlegs, Lost Child got his first official release on the aforementioned Black Excellence LP, which also included a collaboration of his with Kyst Cortez and another solo track. Making this double single here only his second release!

After more than one year of slugging ourselves through a global pandemic with not much of a light at the end of the tunnel (depending on your country's response to it), it's safe to say we're all a little tired of it all. MYKOOL and Lost Child took that frustration and channeled it into this melancholic liquid double single, with Lost Child providing an honestly heart-wrenching lyrical performance and MYKOOL showing off his soulful voKOOL (I'm not sorry) chords.

On Our Scene the two tackle how all the madness of the last year or so impacted the thing we all hold very dearly: The scene. Clubs, Festivals, performing artists, the entertainment industry as a whole has really not been well, to put it lightly. On top of a beautiful liquid production full of pianos and melancholic guitar chords, including a great guitar solo at the end for added emotionality, both artists provide a deep insight into what they think about all this through rapped verses (by Lost Child) and dreamy chorusses (by MYKOOL). The anger and disappointment at the government that is shining through a lot in Lost Child's verses is contrasted with a very wistful, almost nostalgic vibe in the choruses. The second half is almost entirely a call to action: We need to save the rave, not tomorrow, but today. While the lyrics themselves might be from the UK perspective, they still apply to most of us I believe. Okay you New Zealanders will just have to empathize a little here. As someone who is longing for the days where at least small open airs with a lowered volume can happen again (my standards are really low at this point), I can say the lyrics are resonating a lot with me.

As you can probably tell from the track title, the second track of the release Confinement is concerned with the pandemic-induced personal struggles most of us have been going through. Days all start to blur together thanks to less or straight-up no social life and only a very limited amount of hobbies to pursue indoors, which lead a lot of people down the road of burn-out, lack of motivation or depression. I really like both tracks a lot, but this one has got to be my favourite. The simply depressing piano loop, paired with effectively used strings, incredibly haunting background voices and a weighty as hell bassline, compliment the deeply personal lyrics perfectly. Confiment is structured in a conversation-style way, with Lost Child and MYKOOL taking turns each explaining what they have been going through in all this time. It's not all about how they currently feel, it's also about reflecting on the past. About reminiscing about the good times we used to have, about how important it is to appreciate the good things in life while we still have it. To quote the track, It's hard to say goodbye when it's all over. Simply beautiful piece of music.

If you like soulful liquid with a message, you'd be a fool to miss this one. A MYFOOL, one could say.

Other liquid things from this week:

Various Artists - Skint x Elevate Records The Drum and Bass Remixes (well, the Fourward one at least)
Emba - Mirrors
London Grammar - Lord It's a Feeling (High Contrast Remix)
Muffler - Blue Skies
Artsea - Born To Thrive EP
Audioscribe - Who We Are
Anwius - The Only Way 💎
SØL - Chasing Stars
PROFF, Soultorque, Fon.Leman - Solar Wind