PAUL COUSINS — THOUGHTS IN THE ETHER

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Written "as a soundtrack to daydreaming," London-based producer Paul Cousins track 'Thoughts in the Ether' is all-encompassing. It toes a balance between warm pianos and gossamer threads of synth that tick with icy intent. It evolves organically, like the moment of pouring a drop of milk into the darkly glimmering black-gold depths of tea, or how smoke curls through the air.

"The scene changes reflect the different thoughts we have as we let our mind wander," Cousins says via email.

The gentle touches of piano, its chords and descending notes, serves as a heartfelt metronome to the shifting sounds. It may be intended as the soundtrack to daydreaming, but the slow piano melody seems to step into a fog of melancholy, a gentle realisation of deeper feelings when the mind steadies itself. The rhythm of the natural world floats past us, insubstantial; conversations, cars, convenience stores drift by; and inside, the slow tick of ourselves.

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• 🔔 Purchase, stream or otherwise admire 'Thoughts in the Ether' in hypertext stasis over on Bandcamp.
• 🔔 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfDABxWSF0Y There's a film to accompany 'Thoughts in the Ether'. Created by director Edward Harber, it's "an aerial study of the North Sea from Happisburgh in Norfolk, documenting a week in the evolving appearance of the water."

  Cousins adds: "I wanted the video to take place from a floating viewpoint, and to be similar to the phosphenes we might see when closing our eyes for a few minutes."

• 🔔 Inspired by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, the track artwork — following the form of videos on Cousins' Instagram account — was created in collaboration with London-based graphic artist Signalstarr.

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URTE — PERMAFROST

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Fraught with bristling space, 'Permafrost' by URTEis an intergalactic voyage of sound. At its centre, the drifting vessel: rocketship arpeggios, scuttling messages of ping-pong ball synth, resonant feedback emanating in a void of rattling 808 percussion. Either side of this upbeat tumble of angularity and plasma aesthetics, space weighs hefty in 'Permafrost'.

It's reminiscent of the Planet Zebes theme from SNES classic Super Metroid, the sense of a cold abandoned place leaking through its crackles and sparse instrumental elements.

Similarly in URTE's track, tension fizzles as bells glitter, mechanical chords press into earshot, an infinity of grainy sparks and decay, nervous percussion skitters amidst the ominous stomp of a kickdrum, and a sludgy bass bulges against the surface, poised with intent — dramatic sonic parentheses that further draws attention to the colour and kineticism at its core.

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• 🔔 'Permafrost' is the title track taken from URTE's Permafrost EP (obviously), arriving via London label Coyote Records. It's available to stream and/or download from Bandcamp.

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RYAN PLAYGROUND — BETTER OFF ALONE

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'Better Off Alone' by Alice Deejay lends itself to being covered in some way, whether it's Mark Redito giving it a tropical rework or if it's a nightcore flip by Crapface (real artist name). It's impossibly iconic and instantly recognisable, both in its of-a-certain era (1998) aesthetics and in its simple, titular vocal refrain and melody: "Do you think you're better off alone?"

The question is asked in such a haunting, slow and repetitive way that it's almost impossible not to be caught up in a daydreaming moment, feeling the melancholy of the vocal. The fact that it's in the second person immediately puts the listener at the receiving end of the interrogation: You, no matter where you read it, is always you (yes, you). It's relative, and relatable.

The choice of how the question is being asked may have been one of picking what fit best, of course, but the interesting thing is that it's not simply "Are you better off alone?" That's a simpler question. Prefacing the question with "Do you think—" automatically elicits a shift to pondering in the one being asked. It forces consideration.

Not only that, but in using the colloquialism "better off", the comparative "better" begs a thing, a situation, which may have been worse — by however many degrees — than being "alone", i.e. together, but perhaps not ideally together. In the unspoken unknown that lingers in the moments before the iconic refrain calls out, there is the feeling of abandonment, a pair divided, and the repeating enquiry is necessarily stacked with emotion.

When we get to the "Talk to me... Oh, talk to me" it becomes clear that we're hearing something like one side of a phone conversation. And it also becomes clear that, in the pleading imperatives and the wordless, tuneful "oo-ooo-oo" that punctuates them, the prior question has gone unanswered, heartbreakingly so.

Needless to say, what was a hit at the time, and which could easily be seen as a simple dancefloor song by a europop group in what is very much a bygone era, has in fact stewed and simmered these past 22 years, fusing its feeling into the memories of all that have heard it. And that's why it's a great song to cover, whatever way you look at it.

Genevieve Ryan Martel aka RYAN Playground brings a decidedly different feel to the song, in her hands it becomes an icy, emo-tinged cover, guitar in glittering arpeggios that summon Brand New at their most downcast sparkling atop a frosty whisper of ambient synth; deep below, a far-off rumble provides not only the bass, but a sense of vague disaster. The vocals, crisp and wonderfully falling into the snowy soundscape, eventually fade, as does the track as a whole, thus ending a version of the original was woven with a similar sense of loss and heartache.

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• 🔔 Montreal artist RYAN Playground's version of 'Better Off Alone' can be streamed and downloaded on her Bandcamp, along with another Alice Deejay cover, 'I Can See (See It In Your Eyes)'. Both of them make up a two-track release For The Ones Who Need Guitars Anyway; in light of her use of guitars in the covers, it's a pun on the original album that both songs appeared on, Who Needs Guitars Anyway? (2000).

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🐣 MAX ANXD — WAITING

The textures here are gorgeous, soft snow flurries and twinkling icicles, the crackling fruit juice appeal of Fox’s Glacier Mints in hologram format, the pixelated glassy clink of Chaos Emeralds, the sparkling metallic impact of the gleaming Big Key falling from the sky when you defeat Bowser in Super Mario 64; the sound of treasured trinkets now airborne and floating in a speckled cloud of crystalline decay; memories held dear now swirling in the contemporary realities of life.

These are the synth sounds that take flight and conjure exotic nothingness in ‘Waiting’ by Cluj-Napoca-based Romanian musicmaker Max ANXD. Ascending melodies paint intrigue whilst its irregular patterns and seeming randomness summon up an elsewhere yet to be explored, unfolding in the mists before our eyes.

It moves in three parts: firstly the glistening synth of the beginning soon is joined by swathes of thick sound like hurricanes in slow motion or the slow unfolding of an alien landscape as your mind hovers above it; secondly there is a bold crunch of distortion which heralds this new minimalist urgency as the synth, equal parts soft and sharp, stutters in rapid-fire bursts; thirdly, we emerge into a cradle of sound where the hush of vox synth becomes the overriding voice, a finale of soothing synth chilliness, the atmosphere calming itself in choir, re-balancing after the anxious midsection. It is a sonic illustration of the impatience as much as the resolve of an active imagination, the expanse of externality as much as the depths of internality.

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• 🔔 Hear more tracks from Max ANXD over on SoundCloud.

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🐣 PODGY FIGURES FEAT. BONKAZ — MAD TING

Grime grime grime. Recognised by countries other than the UK in recent years, it's having something of a renaissance. Only something of one though, because it never really went away: people just started talking about it more. One component of the genre who seems to have always been around is Dot Rotten, who lends his production finesse to this one under new name, Zeph Ellis, which he changed since he shifted his focus to producing over the last couple of years. The beat clacks with the slap of rapid-fire handclaps, sharp cymbals tsing with reverb and wobbly synth rains down on the jostle of the beat like meteors: this is 'Mad Ting' by Podgy Figures.

Indistinct vocal samples ghostly and icy crystalline ambient gossamer runs like mist through the dense tree thicket beats, gently looming as the track rolls on, first up with emphatic bars by Croydon rapper Bonkaz (you may know him from his 'We Run The Block') that rolls into the hook where the beat's poised and calm, the ice cavern synth frozen glacial chimes spinning its web as "mad ting, mad ting." Podgy's bars bristle with laid-back growl, referencing a few choice sports amongst other things "we gave rudeboys their showers / you don't want encounters / we're the founders / out man running like rounders" and "man's investing / dem man are fake like wrestling"—This track judders both with the spooky electric charge of Zeph Ellis instrumental and the controlled venom that these two up-and-comers effuse with energy.

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• The video for 'Mad Ting' was directed by Jay Parpworth.
• 🔔 The track is taken from Podgy Figures' new EP Gingerbread Season, which is out now.

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🌭 BK BEATS — STRANGERS

There is a touching sense of heartbreak in this track, or not even of something so specifically affecting, more a sense of something oppressive in the face of innocence, a feeling of being weighed down, on the cusp of suffocation, something about yourself at risk of being flattened. Simultaneously co-existing with this atmosphere swirling and enclosing, summoned by the same robust twinkle of that melody that rings out with icy clarity, that cold resounding polygonal sharp-softness, a melody like javelins of mist that are fragile and precious and that sounds childlike, like an ethereal music box, carefree. There is the threat and the threatened, as created by LA-based musicmaker bk beats in this whimsical yet vital track, 'Strangers'.

Adding to this push-pull of an atmosphere, pitch-shifted digital interruptions in the form of an iPhone message sent sound make haphazard chirps into this ice sculpture of a track, growing rapid and agitated around halfway through. Opposing the sharp icicles of sound are the overdriven drums, a contrast of natural sweetness and natural ugliness, the trap-ish beat leading itself trampling rhythmic amidst the delicacy of the melodies; it serves itself up pugilistically, thrashing with thudding kicks that thump and roll, sword-swish cymbals, distorted bass crumpling, decaying, a tide of strangers, the internal violence of anxiety making itself known, the march of never wanting to show yourself in public marches on. Wrapped up in each other, we face the world.

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• 🔔 This comes from bk beats' recent EP, also named Strangers, which consists of the title track and remixes by Airynore (serves it up frayed and crashing), Bosstone (livens it up, focuses on sweetness) and Scalade (juddery, brooding). It's out courtesy of entity/label ONE EIGHT HUNDRED. You have the freedom to decide whether or not you download the release for free from Bandcamp.

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🐣 GLADES — REAL [初演 • PREMIERE]

Stomping onto the scene is the pump-action rhythms of 'Real', a frosty frenzy of dancehall flavours and futuristic leanings from Colorado-born New York-dwelling musicmaker Glades or sometimes GLZDES. Overdriven kicks provide necessary fidgeting bounce, icy synths paint spooky gleaming sparklescapes from space operas freeflowing and far off, thin misty lasering sounds that provide sufficient otherworldly ambience. As a sidenote, beginning at 1:22 the pingpong syncopation summons the plinky noises that appear in the theme for Stage 3 of Streets of Rage—recollections empower music.

And amidst the luscious shaker sounds with its textured bristling and the clacking percussion that drive the track forward and lend it a popping atmosphere, the thuddy kicks that help it sway away from the "real real real real real" parts, amidst this and between them is the voice of Yoh, his words distant and whirled in fogs of synth and skipping with jazz inflection and agility.

Glades tells us over email that 'Real' is inspired by "the relationship btw Honesty and Promiscuity." Indeed there are two contrasting facets of the track: the unrelenting faster sections vs. the soft nebulous parts. This duality could be mirroring those conflicting concepts. "In Western culture ~ we don't like to let these coexist," he explains. "We like to demonize, shame... we talk about sexual freedom and like to think we are free sexually as a culture, but I don’t believe that’s true, I don’t believe as a culture that we can handle it emotionally."

'Real' pops with minimalism and intensity, compels with hazy floating sounds and crucial tactile ones, grounded but cloudbound, it's the far-off future where things merge and work together and concepts are as free and flexible as the ones that dream them, a heartgasm of isolation in idealism.

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• 🔔 'Real' follows two weeks in the wake of 'Turbulence', another track taken from a forthcoming release called VISCERAL. Glades revealed that all its songs were all like a purge the past few years, the times I could let it all go and be most honest."—"Now I realize the best way for us all to live is to be full honest all the time, but I did not know this at the time." The project is due for release on 2nd June.

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🐣 ORIGINAL DODGER — MILLIONAIRE FEAT. DAECOLM, P MONEY, DAVINCHE

Before grime came garage, and amidst the forefront of its mainstream popularity was Southampton duo Artful Dodger, brained and piloted by original members Pete Devererux and Mark Hill. Amongst their famous tracks was 'Re-Rewind', which kickstarted the career of Craig David in 1999. However, the moniker itself has since changed hands leaving its founders for "legal reasons" needing to define themselves as Original Dodger for this, their first single together in 15 years. The effortless skitter of the beat, its insectoid shuffle and buzz, fluid and fluent, fast and bustling but whirling easily chilled and free through the track, this garage foundation is the steely stalwart of 'Millionaire'.

And with that the clean bulging bass blossoms subtly below, syncopated and measured the booms of it bounce along with the same rapid rhythm effused by the beat itself. Icicles of synth chime out coldly glittering in their effective and simple grime-ish melody, maybe the influence of featuring grime producer veteran Davinche, this icy sound gleaming as the two-part hook courtesy of up-and-coming London singer Daecolm, his vocal plays out first quick, low, layered and catchy and then slower with a rich balladic tone, aching and weaving through the thicketing beats. Topping it off, it's grime MC P Money in the verse, stoic triumphal muted chords playing as his red carpet, his flow laid-back and competent seeming to stride easy over the skipping beat—"i pick up the mic and leave chilblains / got em baffled when i talk grime."

All this talent and then that message, anti-ostentatious, "I ain't no millionaire" in the hook, not needing to front, being content with yourself, positive and refreshing—and then you remember, like this isn't an ordinary cake but a special one let's say red velvet because when do you ever eat that or imagine any other favourite food but augmented, its best version, but yes: it's the return of the actual Original Dodger.

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• 🔔 'Millionaire' is one of eleven productions from Original Dodger's project Soundtrack, scheduled to be released one-by-one throughout summer.

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🐣 HARMFUL LOGIC — BLADE

It's nice to hear a little bit of garage sound. Because it's such a specific thing, or at least was when it was most popular, the genreless feeling of modern day music that allows a natural exposition of different atmospheres whilst using this garage shuffle as a jiggling tapfoot backdrop is all the more interesting. Irish producer Harmful Logic does it here with a new track called 'blade' and he's used a picture of Yoshimitsu from Tekken series etc. and you know artwork is always a thing, always an influencer on how a track comes across, so here I guess it's like a soundtrack to the futuristic bossness of this fighting character. I always thought Yoshimitsu was a robot; is he?*

Anyway so the track has this rapid skipping offbeat that goes with garage as natural as you wouldn't have cylindrical french fries would you, cutting sheaves of lo-fi hi-hats and smart snare clacks with that kiltered out kick. So there's that, keeping athletic pace, set upon by elastic lead sounds that bounce around in high pitch gliding from one note to the next, and this then industrial sleeve of synth grumbling and painting metallic atmosphere whilst trance icicles crystalline lance through it, your very own ice cavern, the whirling dirvish of a circuitboard.

*he is not, he just has a robotic arm?

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• Harmful Logic kindly once made a guest mix specifically and exclusively for YES/NO, it's true. Check it out!?

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MINCHA – BEING WITH YOU

What first struck me about this track is its delicious noises – the sumptuous tongue-twizzling ear-tickling sounds at the upper end of the spectrum trickling and bouncing, eye-poppingly alive and full of the essence of found sounds: actual real world sounds put into music.

What is it? It's called 'Being With You' and it's by Mincha a musicmaker from Bordeaux, France. Aside from the noises I mentioned above – the subversive opulence of broken glass, running or maybe even boiling water, a crunchy noise that sounds like someone taking a huge bite out of an apple, little insectoid metallic noises, sharp ticking hi-hats – it is propelled forward by a broken garage-flavoured rhythm, offbeat thudding kicks working alongside syncopated cleanly clacking snare hits, supported by the constant cascade of percussion, resulting in a highly kinetic vibe.

On top of this shuffling beat we alternate between icy, atmospheric feeling – with cymbals shimmering silver into the void, slivers of synth providing cold singular hits, gentle phasing sounds, soft muted bloops, the occasional smart jazzy flourish of double-bass, unintelligible vocal samples echoing in the freezing expansive frame of the track – and something more intense, with just-as-icy synths skirling with slow trance flavour, piercing the cloudy atmosphere with angular sides

The whole thing ending with rich piano to round off what has been a voyage into a cosmos of unknown twinkling objects, an outpost of cleansing energy in cold, dark space; a tale of deeply nocturnal dance music, highlighting the unknown echoes of the night and thoughtful introspection with a collision of styles and an impressive inventory of imaginative ornamentation.

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• This song exists as one of a pair: 'Excuses / Being With You', which you can download from Bandcamp.

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AYSEN – ESTREMECIDO

Yes, this is four years old this track. But that doesn't really matter. I heard it and I liked it. What is the most strange is that the artist behind the track, a Chilean musicmaker called Aysen (perhaps named after the region in Chile, Aysén), hasn't really released much music as of late. In fact, the compilation this track is taken from, 3 estados (referring to 3 states of water; ice, um water, and water vapour), is made up of creations made by Aysen (real name Pablo Flores) in Santiago between 2007 and 2009.

In any case this is 'estremecido', which means 'shaken' or 'shivery' in Spanish, and it certainly lives up to its name. Great icicles chime together, heavily knocking into each other and producing waves of frozen air, wafting towards you with promises of cold: chattering teeth and red cheeks.

Even the beat is chilly, with cymbals gently shivering with frozen urgency, hi-hats stuttering, the kicks lazily pummelling the air with their gentle sub-bass; the snare itself actually sounds like someone kicking snow, grains of ice chafing together with each hit. A parade of claps, as if the song itself is trying to keep warm, joins this ambient ice music in the middle and at the end, waking you up from this bracing tundra of a track.

• If you like instrumental experimentally like this, I'd really urge you to check out 3 estados for yourself. All the tracks can be downloaded for free.
• Whilst Aysen doesn't seem active anymore, the Santiago-based netlabel that released 3 estados, Pueblo Nuevo, is alive and well. Check it out!

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