Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.
𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 – 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙤
Charles finds the motherboard…
Despite my listening habits being relatively eclectic, migrating from Liam Gallagher to Chopin; The Sylvers to Fred Astaire; Audioslave to Lauv, all within the space of a few hours, I think most readers generally have an idea of what I like to listen to. Or at least they THINK they do. It seems many people think I simply like “retro”. All analogue, all real instruments, with a large chunk of that 60s/70s sound. While I must admit being partial to all of this, it is a pretty small fraction of what I force upon my old lugholes. It’s part mood and part upbringing, I suppose. I was brought up listening to The Beatles (REALLY!? You DO surprise me), The Kinks, The Who, The Stones (the rolling variety), Hendrix, Manfred Mann, The Searchers, The Hollies, and funny little acts like Helen Shapiro and Tom Jones. I was also brought up on that gorgeous 50s doo-wop shoo-wop stuff. In my early teens I started discovering things for myself – not straight away diving into newness, but simply wondering what followed the 60s. It turned out to be the 70s. So, on marched Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and many other two-worded bands. There was also Stevie Wonder and Wings – both being vitally influential to me. Other than Michael Jackson, I pretty much skipped the 80s. Then finally, I was able to discover what the modern day had to offer. The modern day, being the 90s. Actually, before discovering the 70s, I remember two specific “current” singles that blew my mind at the time – yes, I bought them age 9 to 11. ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ by Lenny Kravitz, and ‘Lump’ by The Presidents of the United States of America (bit of a mouthful). Then came the more obvious current buns; Blur, Oasis, Kula Shaker, Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller, Supergrass, Super Furry Animals, Reef. Then latterly The Verve and Travis. Yes, Travis. I still have yet to find out why it always rains on me. It certainly wasn’t “because I lied when I was seventeen”. Stupid lyric.
The Noughties rolled in, and I was simply obsessed with Coldplay, and detested Damien Rice (still do, in fact). I then went through the funnest phase of my life (probably): the 2010s. The likes of The Libertines, Maxïmo Park, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Mystery Jets and so on. After my brief obsession with Arctic Monkeys, something changed. POP changed. Suddenly the world was filled with David Guetta and Calvin Harris. A definitively bombastic dance sound. Things had gone from heavily compressed gnarly distorted guitars, to (seemingly almost overnight) a slicked-up four-to-the-floor projection of the future. Immediately skinny jeans, t-shirts and neatly razored hair (with a sleeping hedgehog on top) replaced what was essentially the 60s for a third time. So yes, I did love this constant 60s thang, but they were right; it was time for a change. And WHAT a change it WAS! I should have hated it. But I think I was JUST the right age. In fact, I felt (weirdly) just the right age for everything from about 1995 to roughly 2020. It just fit. Tailor-made music to suits my needs. I think at the time I just thought this was normal. I wasn’t struggling to find some decent music, I was struggling to keep up with all the amazing tuneage pushed out by the week. The only REAL struggle was finding skinny jeans that weren’t baggy on the thigh without restricting blood flow in the calves and ankles. Most of my friends at the time had not fallen so neatly into this fresh new taste of life. They still wanted guitars. They still wanted their trousers 2 metres wide and 3 metres long. I, on the other hand, was proud of my ankles, and I wanted to show them off on the dancefloor. Doomp-tick was my THANG!!!
Fast forward to 2015 and I was absolutely in my element. It was due to an artist that not too many had heard of. His debut album was released this very year, and he was only 20 years old. A Frenchman, no less. His name was (and still is), Madeon. It was the first time I had heard the most unbelievable editing and electronic production feats. This was an entirely new sound. But not JUST because of the technical side… What really pulled me in was his incredibly musical way of writing. Take away all the electronic parts, and you would still end up with fabulous music. Almost classical, in some ways! Not only did he produce the whole thing, but he also mixed and mastered it! Then he petered out and pretty much disappeared. Shame. Since then, I have never heard anything quite like it. I missed it. The way he edited and sculpted sound was so meticulous and clean, yet so hard-hitting. I thought I would never get that satisfying feeling again… Until… Steve Lazero. If electronic music ain’t your bag, it is easy to lump it all together as “that doomp-tick sound”. Steve Lazero is NOT your average disposable bag; this is Chanel, baby! This is craft of the highest grade, with a passion for the process and the creation itself. It is finally time to get down on the dancefloor.
I will begin by saying that although I have picked Steve’s latest single, this is more a much needed introduction to the world of Steve Lazero. His discography is flawless, and I feel he deserves this exposure. For some reason. No, The track is called ‘For Some Reason’. And for some reason, he is not mega. I can only assume because he hasn’t been discovered yet. This is NOT easy music to make. It’s the kind of music that needs constant attention every second of the process. You won’t ever hear a single repeated bar, and yet it is never annoying. Quite the opposite; it is thrilling! Steve Lazero, based in Las Vegas (home to one of my two favourite independent artists), has UK and US roots. Though I suspect his roots are that of an electronic plant. Copper wires growing in an organic way. He produces synths and beats like a classically trained musician would play a more tangible instrument. He understands the way electronics work, but he concentrates on the way a human feels. Steve Lazero is the energy. The ecstasy-riddled air you breathe. His sound is pure, clean, wide and airy, but also full, thick and gritty. It pokes and perforates our skin without leaving a scar. The sensation of extremes, without the extreme. Listening to Steve’s work is the safest way to get high. The easiest way to get you up and grinning like a warped 19-year-old. Life is suddenly endless. Welcome to permanently youthful immortality.
This is actually a rather tricky review to write, for two reasons. One, it’s difficult to know what to say, other than “Just listen, for Gawd’s sake”. And two, I keep being halted by the groove. This mesmerising trip kinda makes me not care about the writing. I just wanna stay immersed and not be brought back down to Earth. I keep stabbing the air with my index fingers on beat one of every drop. My head, heavy with every nod. And all the while, my smile is like that of a dribbling buffoon. It’s euphoric, so don’t make me come down!! The sound manipulation is second to none! The god that is Madeon would be proud. Steve just KNOWS what to do. As if there is only a right and a wrong choice; his, of course, always being correct. This is so damned visual! He knows about levels, EQ, space, compression, reverb, excitement, build, when to be sparse, when to be arrogant. But he is NEVER subtle. This is like the electronic musical equivalent of a Baz Luhrmann film. And at only two and a half minutes, you will either find yourself reaching for the play button again, or, if you’re less lazy, delving into his entire back catalogue. Think of ‘For Some Reason’ as a taster. A taster that blends the dancier side of Jamiroquai’s ‘A Funk Odyssey’ with Madeon’s debut record, plus a sprinkling of Deadmau5. Steve’s latest is impeccably perfect. Thank you, Steve, for making my life that little bit better.
I don’t know if Steve has ever remixed other artists’ work, but if he is up for the idea, I strongly suggest your remixes would fly off the shelves. If we still had shelves.
Sometimes it takes the words of an appreciator in order for you to appreciate. For some reason.
Listen to 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!
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