27 February 2018
Like Music to Dali & Jay-Z Lovers post last week, this week's Save the World! entry was inspired by the recent release of Marvel's Black Panther. It's rare that to have a film score deviate from traditional cinematic motifs and pull it off so well, but I really feel my enjoyment of the film was in no small part due to Kendrick's impeccable song curation. As curators ourselves, we know the impact that the right song can have on a particular moment, and it was humbling to see it done on a Hollywood scale.
Since the heroic nature of the subject matter pretty much speaks for itself this week, I'm not going to labour over any obvious imagery since to do so would be the equivalent of a toddler's crayon drawing of a dog; cute, but not particularly sophisticated.
Instead, let's talk about radical influence that discovering Vince Staples has had on both my musical proclivities in general and on my direction as a producer. It's actually one of those strange coincidences that I saw the film only a few days after plunging head first into Big Fish Theory, having come across Vince, probably unsurprisingly, through his collaboration with Flume (which, as part of the ongoing struggle to fight the urge to make this a Flume appreciation playlist, I decided not to submit as this week's track), but the timing has certainly helped to tie everything up in a neat little bow.
This is a genre that's somehow stayed off my radar for years, but Vince, along with Vic Mensa and Pusha T (who are both incidentally Flume collaborators. Honestly, the obsession just pushes through doesn't it), have got me hooked on the magic of the 808 (and you know I loves me some distorted 808).
Expect more from this world in the weeks to come x
You can learn more about Vince Staples here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
HyperParadise (Flume Remix) – Hermitude
20 February 2018
I'll be honest, I've had myself a pretty weird couple of weeks. Not to take this playlist to a place of doom and gloom, but I've not been feeling so Victorious! lately. In fact, I've been in a bit of a rut.
But that's okay! Heroes aren't always winning. That'd make for some shit-boring cinema, and if box office success is anything to go by, we know that's certainly not the case. I won't reference any particular heroes here for fear of flaming up a DC/Marvel turf-war, except of course for Mr Incredible, who quite famously finds himself in the mother of all ruts. And everything turns out pretty great for him, so, y'know. Chin up.
In an effort to force a change in perspective, this week's track is the most uplifting thing I could think of. I dare you to throw this on and not feel 100x more powerful. If it were a supersuit, you know for a fact Frozone would be asking his wife where it was (which of course, he should know himself since it's not his wife's job to know where his clothes are kept. This ain't the 50s kiddo).
I've tried to keep my Flume obsession under control to give other artists a chance to breathe on this playlist, but I think I can get away with this one since it's a remix and therefore technically a Hermitude track. In classic Flume style, this version of HyperParadise is what a *true* remix should be; an elegant re-imagination of an already brilliant track, taking just a few elements from the original and, much like a Master Builder from the Lego Movie (yeah, they're all heroes in that too, shut up I like Lego), creating something completely different.
I get so frustrated hearing the lazy rehashes the keep popping up on the radio in an infuriating abundance these days, where the "producer" in question has taken all of five minutes to throw a dance beat behind an old pop track and then *definitely not ruined* the whole thing with ridiculous noises that make Ross Geller look like a musical virtuoso...
Anyway, enjoy yourself some Flumey goodness this week (which sounds far more diseasy than it should do), and if you're in a rut like I've been, remember that all great heroes go through hardship along their character arc. And if that fails, just drag up a song that should have died in the 90s and put some helicopter noises over it. That'll work.
You can learn more about Hermitude here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Places – Martin Solveig
13 February 2018
Sometimes we're not super-human without that special someone who brings out our full potential. And sometimes, we lose that someone. In fact, one of the most gruelling challenges a superhero can face is the loss of their sidekick. It can be for different reasons, but it's almost always an incredibly difficult thing to overcome.
I first got into Places after a pretty gnarly breakup, and it resonated incredibly strongly with me at the time. Nothing felt good, I wasn't me, and I definitely wasn't in control. It took a bit of time for the dust to settle and realise that I'd survived, and a lot of time to see it for the Victory! that it actually was. The superhuman feat here was making an awful situation into one of opportunity, to change the things in my life that didn't make me feel fulfilled and stop languishing in acceptance of the less savoury parts of being myself.
Places now represents a snapshot of a very strange time in my career being a human, and adopts a very bittersweet place on this playlist. It took a long time to be able to find a way to frame it as a track to Save the World! to, but now it's here, I couldn't imagine this playlist without it.
This week, remember that situations change with perspective, wounds heal, and things in your life that are hard to accept now will one day be distant memories. The Places you're in now might well be the Places you finally find yourself.
You can learn more about Martin Solveig here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Solidarity – Enter Shikari
7 February 2018
If you need an anthem to supercharge you to Victory!, I've got you covered. Or, should I say, Rou and the boys have you covered with the powerhouse that is Solidarity.
From the opening cascade of saw-toothy goodness (you guys know how much I love my saw-tooths. Saw-teeth? Hmm...), Enter Shikari do not disappoint in delivering an incredible journey and a powerful message of unification. I've said it before, but even lone heroes need to team up every now and then to unite in the face of Common Dreads, and what better way to do it than to a backdrop as powerful and dynamic as this one?
It's easy to feel alone out there, especially when your adversaries seem to be getting the upper hand (I don't know about you, but the long gap between the December and January paydays has made a significant nemesis out of my bank balance), so at times like this we need to focus on the fact that we're all part of the same dumbass species, and that's a great reason to stick together and look after one another.
I think this may actually be the oldest song on the playlist now, given that Common Dreads was released nearly 10 years ago, but it's as relevant as if it were written yesterday (funny how songs have the power to transcend time isn't it), and after last weeks chill sesh, I felt like it was time to inject a bit of energy back into the mix.
Get yourself moving to Solidarity's infectious flow, and make sure you're having a great week while you're at it x
You can learn more aboutEnter Shikari here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Fire Away – Skrillex
30 January 2018
Every Hero needs to take time out to rest and recuperate: how can you make that miraculous comeback if you never went away in the first place?
When I picture the kind of place I'd escape to, it's very much your typical exotic retreat; an island, rich and lush, full of nature and all that nice stuff (zero tolerance policy on snakes though), somewhere fresh and relaxing to bring those all-important wellbeing levels back up.
Fire Away really captures this vibe beautifully. Most obviously, the lyrics are all about escapism, but that isn't what makes this track so... escapey. We've got this really crunchy percussion top line that sounds like an excursion into the jungle undergrowth, sine synths that emulate soft droplets of water on tropical leaves, and pads as light as clouds in the dense canopy above. Show me another song that paints a sonic picture this clearly.
This is the kind of track you stick on loop while you immerse yourself in you work, because at 5:41, it's just not long enough. My only gripe is that I'd like an instrumental version since lyrics tend to engage the analytical gremlins in our mind swamp, which isn't necessarily what we're after when we throw on a track to get lost in, but it's a small price to pay for audio magic. My favourite thing about this track is it comes at the end of an onslaught of dubstep mayhem (which isn't really my cup of tea. Since you ask, that would be a strong cup of Yorkshire tea, milky but no sugar. I'm sweet enough), and shows off Sonny's versatility as a producer. Although that's really no secret.
This week I invite you to fuck whatever place you call home at the moment and instead Fire Away to somewhere more wholesome. Maybe your bank balance won't let your body join in on the journey (mine certainly won't), but that doesn't mean your mind can't take the trip!
Have a great week team x
You can learn more about Skrillex here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Haunted – Beyoncé
23 January 2018
Cast your mind back to my earliest posts, when we built the foundations for what this playlist is about: people, achieving super-humans feats of existence on a daily basis.
Lyrically, Haunted hits this nail on the head: 9-5 / to stay alive. Ambition takes a back seat to the more pressing reality of surviving. And that takes serious strength to push through every single day, especially if it feels like the embers of a dream are dying in the process.
What I really love about this track, aside from the incredible vibe inspired by some stellar production, is that it arose from two people's frustrations with the peculiarities of the modern music industry. Probably won't make no money off this / oh well. The fact that something experimental in scope is considered so commercially invalid so as to actually be acknowledged in the lyrics should be a wake up call for all of us.
Because Haunted is truly a work of art.
For the most successful pop artist of a generation to throw this into the mix is remarkable. You know how much I love my soundscapes, and this track is no exception. Ethereal pads, expansive reverbs, distorted 808s (my new favourite thing), wrapped up in an arrangement that never stops to rest on one single vibe, instead progressing from abrasive hiphop, through slick latin-inspired grooves to finally culminate on in a rich saw-tooth symphony without ever seeming jarring or laboured.
Haunted is a welcome reminder that no one ever really 'makes it', where they arrive at a place where all the pain and anguish that is an integral part of the human condition is washed away on tide of fame and fortune. Knowing that struggle is inherent to any endeavour makes it that much easier to pursue a goal, because if you're going to have to work regardless of what you do, it might as be for something that you actually want.
Don't be Haunted by regret. Get out there and kick stuff!
You can learn more about Beyoncé here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Throne – Bring Me The Horizon
16 January 2018
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
For every clear-cut Superman, there's a darker, more complicated Al Simmons (y'know, the guy that became Spawn? Todd McFarlene's breakthrough character! No? I promise you he's very well known!). Whether you're a noble Ned or a redeemed Jaime, you have the potential to overcome great adversity on your path to Victory! (although Ned did lose his head, so maybe don't follow his lead too rigorously...)
If there's one outfit that embodies the dark and the complicated, it's Bring Me The Horizon.
Throne really shocked people when BMTH first unleashed it on the world. Sempiternal, the predecessor to That's the Spirit, had been an eye-opener in it's own right, but this was something completely unheard of for fans who'd grown used to the gnarling and snarling from Suicide Season and the briefly titled TIAHBMISITIAHLKIAS.
This kind of bravery is rare in the world of modern music. Artists find a sound that works and then stick to it religiously, which is fun for a while but it's not the stuff of legend that we're so interested in here. Throne is a Victory song in every sense of the word. It's a triumph in the face of creative stagnation, an anthem for the under-trodden and the forgotten, and it's one that soars over a powerful electronic landscape driven as usual by Matt Nicholls' characteristic artillery-like drumming.
BMTH haven't always had an easy ride in the public sphere, but like the one-handed Lannister of Westerosi fame, they've matured and developed into a band who are loved by millions, and rightly so - they're a lovely bunch of lads!
Given the lyrical and visual imagery invoked in Throne, I wouldn't be surprised if the track was directly written about The Kingslayer himself.
You can learn more about Bring Me The Horizon here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Atom – Madison Mars
9 January 2018
This week we're getting back to our roots with Madison Mars' interstellar journey 'Atom'!
This track oozes cinematic brilliance, from the trancey string lead to the gritty vocal bass, everything about Atom screams soundtrack. Picture this: you're about to go up against your nemesis (your boss, your annoying neighbour, your in-laws ...) and you need to get the adrenaline pumping: Atom will surely see you to Victory. It's dark in all the right places (highlighting our internal dichotomy, which is a big theme over here), with enough punch and power to push you through the inevitable fight scene and all of it's ups and downs.
Madison was one of the very first producers I started listening to when I got into future house, along with our old pal Tchami, and I've always been captivated by his subtle twists on sound design that lend to his unique sound. The world 'average' isn't in Madison's vocab: everything he releases is testament to the amount of work you know went into it, which isn't surprising since he's one of the hardest working producers out there!
So get ready to take another journey into the unknown, and take a break from the world for 3 transcendent minutes!
You can learn more about Madison Mars here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Song of Cedric – The Blue Wave Pavilion
2 January 2018
There are two forces in this world that no hero, regardless of how powerful they are, can defeat - Time, and Death.
It's easy to forget this when we're all wrapped up in the business of Saving the World!, especially when our current endeavours behave as though they're matters of life or death. But eventually, Time will age us, and Death will take us, and it won't matter how many cars are on the drive or numbers are in the account.
We've discussed the importance of a hero accepting Death before, but Time deserves our attention too since it's Time who will ultimately take us to meet the shadowy customer himself (or herself!). It's something that Cedric, the titular character in this week's saga, contemplates a lot, since Time has already taken his sidekick on to the next plane, and now our hero has to take on the world alone. It's a reminder to value what we have when we have it, and to not take life for granted.
This week's track is a special one for this playlist. Not only is it our first real dive into the world of indie rock since we touched base with Kasabian a few weeks ago, but it's also the first time I've introduced one of my own musical projects into the Save the World! family. At the helm is my brother, guiding us through a swirling soundscape littered with crisp guitar lines and layers of ethereal goodness, driven along by punchy drums and a bass player doing his best. James really captures the emotion of the song with each vocal layer, mixing sadness, regret, and a hint of triumph as the song reaches it's spiralling crescendo and fades out on a bittersweet note. It packs a lot of punch and it's definitely one of my favourite songs to play live!
So there you have it, a little slice of the world your humble narrator inhabits. Enjoy it, and enjoy your life x
You can learn more about The Blue Wave Pavilion here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Strobe – Michael Woods 2014 Remix – deadmau5, Michael Woods
18 December 2017
Remixing deadmau5 takes some serious courage. Not only does Joel have incredibly high standards when it comes to people messing with his music, but he's also not afraid to tell them - often in the bluntest way possible.
So you can imagine the stakes involved when it comes to tackling Strobe, which is arguably one of the most well-loved deadmau5 tracks out there (it's certainly one of my favourites). With that being said, Michael Woods certainly deserves a place on this playlist for his sheer bravery alone, never mind the fact that he did an incredibly tasteful job reworking an absolute EDM classic.
Michael gets it so right in fact, that Joel will often play Michael's versions of his tracks instead of his own, and that has to be the highest compliment that can be paid to a remixer!
Strobe is one of those tracks that makes you believe that anything is possible, and it delivers this message without the need for any words. It's ethereal, uplifting, powerful and melancholic all at the same time, and it conjures emotions that probably couldn't ever be conveyed in any other way. Think of the penultimate scene in your favourite superhero drama; the protagonist has managed to Save the World!, albeit at great cost and through huge sacrifice, and the film is coming to an end. Strobe could almost certainly be playing in the background. It conjures images of finality with just a hint of loose ends to be tied up, and in doing so it adopts subtle ominous overtones. It's as cinematic as dance music gets, and that is not a formula you wanna be fucking with.
Michael takes the original track and keeps all the fundamental pieces in place, but paints his characteristic trancey vibes over the top seamlessly. The Strobe adventure takes a new direction, whilst still ending at the same destination. In fact, I actually prefer his grittier, saturated approach to the original drop; there was an incredible amount of power lying just underneath that filter cutoff!
This week's track is a reminder to team up with other heroes, even if they usually work alone (as usual, points for guessing the reference. It's always from the same film anyway), since new and interesting results can arise from reworking classics that are commonly considered untouchable.
You can learn more about Michael Woods here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Mirage – Platon Emil & Stefan Nixdorf feat. Landry Cantrell & Kristen Hicks
12 December 2017
What's the point in Saving the World! if the world isn't worth saving? I think we all have days where we think everything is so completely fucked up that to try and change anything is pointless.
Well this week I'm giving you an incredible gift, one to remind you how much good stuff there is to get involved in on this big ol' stupid piece of rock we call Earth. 'Mirage', the collaborative work of four incredibly talented characters, is a captivating listening experience that brings to mind visions of expansive vistas, vast, open landscapes, and breathtaking panoramas. The use of instrumentation is tastefully exotic, and both vocal performances are executed flawlessly. It's the perfect reminder of all the beauty that sits in the world just waiting to be experienced.
Lyrically, 'Mirage' ties in wonderfully with the idea that sometimes we feel like we're wasting time, chasing illusions, running after nothing more than a mirage. But there's a subtle beauty in this idea, because sometimes it's worth chasing an ideal instead of settling for a reality that's unfulfilling and y'know, boring.
So maybe the world we want to save isn't anything other than a dream. But I'd take that over not trying at all!
Have a great week kids x
You can learn more about Platon Emil here:
You can learn more about Stefan Nixdorf here:
You can learn more about Landry Cantrell here:
You can learn more about Kristen Hicks here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Afterlife – Tchami (feat. Stacy Barthe)
5 December 2017
Sometimes the most superhuman thing we can do is acknowledge our mortality.
All heroes know that there's a very good chance they can be defeated, and what comes next? Where do we go in the Afterlife? It's important that we make peace with this fact if we're to stay brave in the face of Danger; if we don't, we might find ourselves succumbing to the Great Unknown.
Tchami's future house piledriver of a track asks this very question. Right from the opening swell, it's clear we're going on a spiritual journey, and boy what a journey it is. Guided by Stacy's creamy vocal, we're taken through a dreamy soundscape filled with moving pads and sonic curiosities, before melting into a drop that's understated yet incredibly powerful.
I've had this track on my personal playlists ever since I heard it last year and it's never lost it's appeal to me. It's just an incredibly cohesive track; the vibe is one of uncertainty with an anxious undertone, and it fits the lyrical theme perfectly. Too often we hear lyrics that are so clearly removed from the tone of the music and it's not only lazy, it also ruins the immersiveness of the music. Tchami won't stand for it!
So galvanise your spirituality, make peace with your fate, and head toward Victory safe in the understanding of your Afterlife!
You can learn more about Tchami here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.