McQuaid's Bruk Out Selections #4

Music

Pharrell ft Nelly & Nicki Minaj – Get Like Me

OK, so I know officially this is Nelly ft Pharrell & Nicki, but who are they tryin to kid? Get Like Me is 100% pure, high grade Pharrell shizz Its the best thing Ive heard from the master in a while, and the perfect antidote to the horrible taste Blurred Lines left in my life. Im going to be playing this every set from now til NYE, and I swear its gonna sound bigger each and every time.

While Im here, I should mention the other recent cut from Pharrell thats been rocking the Bruk Out shuffle, Kelly Rowlands Street Life. A wicked raw mix of razor sharp soul, Fela Kuti horns and Neptunes synth builds, Street Life is slinky with the DNA of disco yet still utterly contemporary. Its fascinating to hear the traditionally sparse Neptunes aesthetic applied to the lush orchestration of 70s soul- whilst there are strings and horns; theyre dry, they snap, and they dont have an ounce of fat. Who knows where Pharrell will go next, but if the standard remains this high, were in for a year of sick music

41 Boyz – Watch My Feet

Its finally hot outside. Thankfully it looks like London might see some summer this year after all. Feels like the capital hasnt had a decent heatwave since the middle of the last decade which probably explains the hordes of English nutters outside my house going completely sun-tarded. Down the park I saw more red flesh than a busy butchers. As a nation, we really dont know how to handle nice weather *sigh*

I for one will be foregoing burning myself crimson. Instead Im gonna herald summer by opening the windows and cranking out afrobeats, starting with this new cut from the 41 Boyz camp, produced by the prolific BigDowG. Its proper sunny vibes, LDN via Ghana, sweet, uptempo and dancefloor oriented.

Qua LAmar – We Cant Stop Now

HOLD ON. This is proper. Soul music thats hot and pulsating as a bayou twilight. The production is tight. Whoevers on the desk has taken a classic bluesy Southern soul sound and given it the subtlest lick of modern technique – mostly in the way the vocals come right up close on the chorus – and the result is killing me. For the first time in my life I want someone to remake In The Heat of the Night, just so they can run this on the soundtrack (although you still arent gonna top Quincy Joness original selections) Right now its scorching in the city, and Qua LAmar is all you need..

Dola Billz – No Gocking

Just had my attention drawn to this by the prolific Afrobeatbuzz tumblr..Dola Billz is UK born, Nigerian raised, and you can hear the fusion in No Gockings mix of UK Funky drum patterns and Naija autotune. The piano riffs are pretty weird, kind of off centre, but still working, and the beat is seriously on point. I gotta confess now though, I aint got a clue what gocking is. Anyone care to fill me in?