Skiddle Stereo Selections - Friday 20th November

Image: Cool Uncle

From Space to the land of Oz, we've combed the eclectic riches of our hallowed playlist to pluck up a quintet of tracks that have been constant fixtures on our office stereo all week. Enjoy good people!  

Cool Uncle (Bobby Caldwell & Jack Splash) ft Mayer Hawthrone 'Game Over'

Whether it's the sampling of his voice on a pair of the best R&B/hip hop tracks circa 1998-2000 (2Pac's 'Do For Love' and the J Dilla backed 'The Light' from Common), or just the downright deliciousness that is 'What You won't do for love', Bobby Caldwell has got serious history. So the pairing of him with super producer Jack Splash as Cool Uncle was always a match made in heaven, augmented by a brilliant new album.

This is the best track off of it, a crisp duet between Caldwell and a man he helped pave the way for, Mayor Hawthrone. As rain, wind and misery falls down on us form the sky, this is exactly the kind of four minute escapism we all need.

Jimmy Coultas

Retiree 'Gundagai'

If you've stumbled across the viral video of the Australian guys drinking beer on mobile pub benches this week then it should have struck you that Aussies are cool as fuck.

Signed to Rhythm section, Retiree are a different kind of cool combining a foliage of minimal blissed out beats that float between Cafe Mambo house and pop territory.

'Gundagai' slipped from their This Place EP is particularly stunning, working a groove into the sunset hours with its weightless vocal, intricate guitar work and tribal percussion to evoke instant happiness to your day.      

Ben Smith

Space 'Strange World'

The Liverpool band have been one of the most strangely unappreciated groups of the Britpop era, but it's good to see them back with a brilliant new single 'Strange World'. 

This feels like a modern more mature twist on Space's trademark sound - eerily haunting yet stacked with charm - Tommy Scott's effervescent voice backed by a mariachi vibe and a cinematic darkness. 

JC 

Heinrich Dressel 'Lurking Underwater' (JTC Remix)

Released a number of weeks back but returning to our attention via a trippy as hell new video (above), Italian electro maestro Heinrich Dressel's 'Lurking Underwater', released on new Croatian imprint Barba has been an absolute joy each time it's graced our HiFi system.

Remixed by the mighty Tadd Mullinix under his James T. Cotton alias, the bubbling, cascading synth lines, crisp drums, alien vocals and undulating psychedelics are both unnerving and uplifting, but totally captivating throughout. In short, it's classic, uncluttered, and utterly majestic.

Mike Warburton

Eric Prydz 'Opus' (Four Tet Remix)

When good old Kieron Hebden tweets his desire to remould an Eric Prydz club sculpt, it's pretty apparent that he'll get his wish.

Shunning the minimal eclecticism he's revered for, Four Tet's assembled a progressive juggernaut that glides into a pulsing string-led trancey build up for the most part of five minutes.

Mid-way through it eventually breaks down to winding key work then builds back intensely to a spiralling Four Tet spun outro. There's no big drop, but it leads the way to a clubbing nirvana that very few can navigate. 

BS

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