Each week on the FACT Singles Club, a selection of our writers work their way through the new music of the week gone by.
With the way individual tracks are now consumed, the idea of what constitutes a single has shifted dramatically in the last half a decade, and its for this reason that the songs reviewed across the next pages are a combination of 12″ vinyl releases, mixtape cuts, Soundcloud uploads and more. All are treated equally – well, most of the time. On the chopping block this week: The Bug, Flosstradamus & Waka Flocka Flame, YG, Alessandro Cortini and more.
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Flosstradamus & Waka Flocka Flame – ‘Too Turnt Up’
Chal Ravens: In which Flossy and Waka call time on the whole #turntup brinkmanship by demonstrating that there might be such a thing as too turnt. That’s not so much a drop as a faceplant from a 10 ft vert ramp. (4)
Joe Muggs: There’s a comment on the Soundcloud that says “Yep – cock and balls”. I pretty much concur, although it redeems itself a little bit when it basically turns into hardstyle for 20 seconds in the second half. (3)
Aidan Hanratty: This starts off innocuously enough, but quickly escalates far beyond kitchen-sink territory. It’s hard to believe this is a feature from Waka – it sounds phoned in from another decade, let alone another city. The beat itself would be passable if it stayed in one place. Too Many Ideas (None Good Edit). (3)
Chris Kelly: The first 2:30, wherein Waka gets turnt over a widescreen trap beat: (6) / The last 1:30, wherein the Flosstradamus bros throw handfuls of molly into the crowd and watch their fans descend into a clownstep frenzy: (0) (average: 3)
3.3
Trippy Turtle – ‘Trippy’s Theme’
Chris Kelly: Produced within an inch of its life. I’m not in favour of building walls around it, but if you really care about Jersey club music, don’t let Mad Decent et al do here what they did in Baltimore. Club music deserves better than flavour-of-the-month tourism. (3)
Aidan Hanratty: I feel like I would have loved this in 2009. After ‘Too Turnt Up’, though, it feels like a hit. (5)
Joe Muggs: Wow, that’s annoying. Just like the Flosstradamus one, it’s got a great four-to-the-floor section that lasts about 20 seconds, then it’s back to being a novelty record. Drugs are bad, m’kay. (3)
Kristan J. Caryl: Them watery sounds are good, but the rest of it is a messy, tinny auto-tuned hell that bounces too many different things about. (2)
3.25
Alessandro Cortini – ‘Dell’infulenza’
Chris Kelly: Synthy somnambulism soundtrack. (5)
Chal Ravens: A welcome tea-making interlude in this week’s testosterone-addled haze, I thought – very much into the submerged synths here and the lack of shouty bits. (6)
Joe Muggs: This is a double bluff and it’s really a track from the leaked Selected Ambient Works Vol 3, right? Very nice as far as it goes, I’ve kept coming back to it anyway, so that’s a good sign… (6)
Aidan Hanratty: This is wonderful. There’s not much to it, but it just gets me right here. The delay at the end may be a bit much but it’s caught so perfectly by that vocal snippet that almost sounds like someone saying “is that enough?” I just listened to this one on repeat really. (9)
6.5
The Bug ft. Death Grips – ‘Fuck a Bitch’
Joe Muggs: The backing track is monstrously good – Kevin Martin doing what Kevin Martin does best, with snares the size of London, will never get tired. The vocal is… ummm…. well, he’s used it well, put it that way. It works great if you zone out a bit and imagine he’s sampled some tramps ranting to use as discomfiting texture. (7)
Chris Kelly: Still can’t stand Death Grips. Here’s hoping The Bug releases the instrumental, because it’s tough as hell. (4)
Aidan Hanratty: It’s a wonderfully abrasive beat, but the vocals are awful. I guess hearing this out at the right time would drive me (and everyone else) wild, but it’s just not working at home in my headphones. Can I get an instro? That’d definitely get an (8). Otherwise it’s a (6).
Chal Ravens: Slightly less annoying than the Turtle song. Five points for the drums. (5)
5.5
YG/Blanco – ‘Block Party’
Kristan J. Caryl: Super summer sizzler, even with the unnecessary Tupac bits. Not much to hate here, especially if you’re as high as you should be when listening to it. (8)
Joe Muggs: It’s the echoes and those dubby swooshes that make it – without those, the whole thing would just be a total throwback to Pete Rock type beats. As it is, it actually makes you feel stoned, which is no small achievement. It’s the sort of track I’d really want to stick in playlists / DJ sets for the summer, but won’t because I get intensely embarrassed playing tracks with copious use of “the n-word” – or is that stupid, and should I just stop worrying and learn to love my cultural appropriation? (7)
Chal Ravens: The immediate whiff of throwback got my hackles up (wot, no Mustard?), but the dungaree-clad KFC ad vibe is expertly handled anyway. Third verse obviously the best. (7)
Chris Kelly: Bickin’ back being bool. (7)
7.3
Dego – ‘Nuts!’
Joe Muggs: Now THERE’s a summer record I can get behind. Blueberry’s turning into a tidy little label, and this is absolutely rock solid, the subliminal acid burbles are the perfect seasoning and it grooves along in its own sweet time. Super. (8)
Chris Kelly: Dig those sun-drenched Balearic breaks, but this one gets lost on the way to the beach. (6)
Kristan J. Caryl: Lovely sun-soaked stuff that’s warming me through, even though the view out of my window is of a drizzly silver-grey sky. (9)
Aidan Hanratty: This IS nuts. Nicely chosen electro riffs, gorgeously emotive chords and sweet-as percussion that’s as crisp as overdone rashers at your friend’s barbecue. Deserving of an otherwise irritating exclamation mark. (9)
8
Final scores:
Dego – ‘Nuts!’ (8)
YG/Blanco – ‘Block Party’ (7.3)
Alessandro Cortini – ‘Dell’infulenza’ (6.5)
The Bug ft. Death Grips – ‘Fuck a Bitch’ (5.5)
Flosstradamus & Waka Flocka Flame – ‘Too Turnt Up’ (3.3)
Trippy Turtle – ‘Trippy’s Theme’ (3.25)
