Welcome back! It's been a while since I sat down to write a full article diving deep into a set but here we are. Today is something different though; this set isn't mine. I called up Angelo, one of my good friends from high school to check in with what he's been listening to recently. Him and I have had a musical connection for almost a decade now and have been to countless concerts together over that same time period. We overlap on some genres and artists, but we also have our own pockets which completely separate us musically which is the primary reason why I figured I'd get a pretty interesting set if I asked him for one.
"I already do mini playlists with eight to ten songs max with what I'm listening to" Angelo told me. "It's kind of like a time capsule for my life." I didn't have to put him on the spot to provide me with songs since it's something he already does rather frequently. This set is heavily focused around music from the UK and highlights artists and sounds that are not nearly as popular in North America as they are in the there. Angelo was first introduced to the UK Drum and Bass scene through Boiler Rooms on YouTube in 2016 but he was also studying in Europe at the time meaning he quickly became immersed in the genre.
Without further delay, here's Angelo's UK Inspired 3TrackSet: Chuffed To Bits.
hollaback bitch (with Shygirl & Channel Tres)
Mura Masa
Angelo's set started off with a bang. This is not what I was expecting from him at all. I hadn't heard of Shygirl previously but he described her as having a "experimental hyper pop vibe" which has a "putting on an outfit type feeling". The first track in his set "hollaback bitch" also features Compton, California based Channel Tres who Angelo says brings a west coast energy to electronic music. "He has this signature monotone deep voice and is like half sung half spoken" Angelo shared. I hadn't played the song yet and I was already intrigued just off of what he had told me so far, and my minor encounters with Mura Masa's music in the past.
The track starts off some brief electronic dialling sounds, followed by silence, and finally the all too familiar iMessage sent sound (I'm judging you if you have this sound on in public by the way) before diving into some minimal percussion and vocals from Shygirl. I haven't been to London for fashion week but could imagine that Shygirl captures that feeling perfectly with her energy. The song really opens up after the first verse with what I think is a saxophone solo combined with numerous other musical layers. Channel Tres' verse is the definition of chill and effortless and compliments Shygirl's voice extremely well. I liked the track a lot and even went to listen to the rest of the album "demon time" to see if anything else clicked. It did. A bit more of Mura Masa is definitely going to be entering my musical rotation.
darjeeling (feat jorja smith & unknown t)
FKA twigs
Keeping the UK theme in tact, the next song Angelo had in store was FKA twigs' "darjeeling" off of her album 2022 album "CAPRISONGS". "This is FKA twigs' flare on UK drill" he told me as a precursor to listening to the song. I hadn't really heard much of FKA twigs outside of a few features here and there, but the idea of hearing Jorja Smith, an artist I've been a massive fan of since the late 2010s over a variation of a drill beat definitely intrigued me.
Angelo described FKA twigs' voice on the song as "floating and ethereal". That combined with elements of indie pop and the typical UK drill elements lead to an incredibly interesting first listen. My experience with drill has lead me to expect and accept anything when it comes to the melodies, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the prettiest sounding drill track I've ever heard. Both FKA twigs and Jorja Smith sound very much in their element on this song as they beautifully recount their outset into the London music scene. When Unknown T enters the track abruptly with a deep and aggressive "LISTEN" you'd more closely associate with drill, I'll admit it did get a laugh out of me for the dramatic and sudden tonal shift, but immediately after we're back to the pretty vibes with FKA twigs and Jorja on the outro to wrap things up. This song truly was a nice listen as well.
Rumble
Skrillex, Fred again.., Flowdan
Admittedly, I'm not sure when I last listened to a Skrillex song. I had a massive dubstep phase when I was younger, but it had been at least 10 years since I had gone out of my way to listen to his music. I don't mean that in a negative way at all, my musical preferences just shifted. When Angelo hit me with "Rumble" as his last track in the set I was equal parts surprised and excited to hear Skrillex's name mentioned and to see what a song by him sounded like in 2023.
"Fred again.. had a run in 2022 and had so much hype around this single" was how Angelo introduced me to this songs co-producer, mentioning his previous "Actual Life" albums as a major source of this hype. He described Fred again.. as having a more traditional house sound with "Rumble" serving as a bit of a departure from the music he normally makes. The two producers are then joined by UK rapper Flowdan who provides the vocals for my first intentional trip back into EDM in nearly a decade.
"Oh shit" was one of the first things I said once we started playing the song together. Angelo mentioned the percussion as a standout part of the song which reminded him of a warlords drums which I think is an incredibly apt comparison. The track is incredibly atmospheric and sounds phenomenal with a good pair of headphones and really lets you appreciate all the different soundscapes painted during the distinct musical sections of the song. Flowdan also adds a lot to the track with his verses not to mention the additional vocals provided by BEAM who I was already a fan of and Elley Duhé who both appear as unlisted features on the song. This track is fun, and although I haven't yet, will definitely give the rest of the new Skrillex album a listen.
Shout out to Angelo for taking the time to join me share this set with me, I definitely had a blast stepping outside of my typical music bubble and look forward to other future conversations with friends, family, and strangers alike with their 3TrackSets. If you want to keep share a set or just follow what's going on in my musical life be sure to follow 3TrackSet on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Until next time, happy listening!
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