I really meant it when I said in September’s edition of On Repeat that my track selection would get darker the more into autumn and winter we get; because in October’s edition there are only three dance tracks! When it reaches mid-October, I tend to listen to a lot more grunge and rock than any other genre, it just feels like it fits the changing of the seasons. I’ll start with the three dance tracks and then discuss my other selections of grunge, metal and hardcore:
Tjade – Voyager (Marlon Hoffstadt AKA DJ Daddy Trance Remix) – The first dance selection for October is this trance number, Voyager, remixed by DJ Daddy Trance (otherwise known as Marlon Hoffstadt when he isn’t djing or producing under his trance alias, or previously known as Dansson when he formerly made house music belters such as Shake That from 2013). Originally by Netherlands based producer Tjade, the track was released in July this year on the four-track Voyager EP, including this remix, which boasts extended breaks and a high bpm alongside sparkling chords and acid trance interludes that unironically remind me somewhat of Darude’s Sandstorm. This is a great track of the new wave of trance-techno that has blown up this year.
Schak – Moving All Around (Jumpin’) (Feat. Kim English) – Next up and the second dance release for October is from North Shields newcomer Schak with his debut single Moving all Around (Jumpin’), released on fellow geordie Patrick Topping’s label, Trick. The track has been doing its rounds on social media both before and after release, in a video where Schak and friends invaded their local B&Q to host a kitchen sesh complete with decks and PA system, and other videos where they have been spotted on public transport including buses and the Newcastle Metro. The track is a complete party anthem, there hasn’t been a tech house track with this much wallop in a long time in my opinion, and the icing on the cake here is that it features vocal samples from the late, amazing, queen of house; Kim English.
Selker – Too Much For Me – The third and final dance track for October is up and coming scouse producer Selker’s Too Much For Me. This is another debut single, which first landed on Soundcloud last year and since its 1.6 million listens, has now been signed to huge label Warner Records and was officially released this July. Too Much For Me is a more modern, tempo-pushed take on the 2010 house mix of the 1995 Charlene Smith hit of the same name. What I can only imagine is relatively simple to do production wise, the tweaks and studio wizardry on Too Much For Me have certainly excelled it onto a path to become a timeless house classic for years to come. It has that really nice nostalgic house feel to it, like classic old school house. This is definitely the track I have had on repeat the most out of all of this month’s selections. It is an absolutely gorgeous track, I love it.
Melvins – Honey Bucket – Now its time for the rock picks. This is a song I found on one my spotify daily mixes and I’ve been obsessed with it. Melvins are a sludge metal grunge band, formed in Washington in 1983. Honey Bucket is from their 1993 album, Houdini and features a face screwing riff approximately one minute in. What drew me in initially were the vocals from Buzz Osborne that sound a lot like Metallica’s James Hetfield in the Garage Inc. era, right after the guitar work that is very Black Sabbath-esque. They never quite broke through the way they definitely should have done, but Honey Bucket and the rest of the Houdini proves that Melvins are one of the best kept secrets in metal.
Counterparts – Bound To The Burn – Canadian metalcore band Counterparts released their seventh album A Eulogy For Those Still Here on the 7th of October and I think it is definitely a contender for album of the year. My favourite song on there is Bound To The Burn, the third single released prior to the album, following the previous two singles, Unwavering Vow and Whispers Of Your Death. Bound To The Burn is a song about the pressures of making music for a living and the mental turbulence that comes with it, and features a bone-splintering breakdown and unrelenting drums.
Minerva – Deftones – Deftones are one of my favourite bands of all time and their music sounds like it was made perfectly for Autumn, or as I like to call it, Deftones season. I tend to listen to them more this time of year when the days are darker and shorter. One song I have had on repeat is Minerva from their self-titled album released in 2003. It has a heavy shoegaze influence throughout but is one Deftones’ more softer songs, a break from their usual heavy sound.
Alice in Chains – Rain When I Die – Another band I’m a sucker for this time of year are the great Alice in Chains. Rain When I Die is from their classic 1992 album Dirt which is one of the greatest albums of all time (fact, not opinion), and I also think this song in particular is one of the most underrated on the album. Frontman Layne Staley’s voice is at one of his best performances here, along with the guitar lick that just soothes the soul and utters out all emotion.
Joy Division – Interzone – I’ve recently finished reading Joy Division bassist Peter Hook’s book, Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, and really enjoyed it. It is a really insightful book on the band and is full of interesting and funny anecdotes about them and what they got up to, as well as of course the delve into the album Unknown Pleasures and the stories and meaning behind the lyrics. I often listened to the album whilst reading the book (as recommended by Peter) and Interzone was the one song on the album that caught my attention on this particular day. This is one of few songs with Peter on vocals (as well as Ian Curtia) and is one of the less miserable sounding songs on Unknown Pleasures, it’s a song with a skip in its step.
Helmet – Like I Care – Helmet are a band I have recently discovered in the past few months and I’m really stoked to be writing about them and my new found love for them. I can’t remember ever hearing of them before which I’m surprised about because their music and sound is exactly the kind of post-hardcore rock music I love. Like I Care is from their 1997 Aftertaste album which got very poor reviews as far as I can see from my research. I haven’t listened to the album as a whole but if it is as bad as the critics say, I would be very surprised because I think this song rocks. It has a weighted bassline throughout alongside crashing drums and lyrics that sound very Deftones inspired by how suggestive and almost flirtatious they are. It’s your typical, late 90’s alternative rock. This song made me listen to their other works such as their 1994 album Betty, which is sick; I guess I should probably check out the rest of Aftertaste now too.
High Vis – Walking Wires – Finally, to wrap up October’s edition of On Repeat, I have selected a song from another band I have listened to a lot this past month or so. London-based post punk High Vis were at Outbreak this year and unfortunately I didn’t get to see them and hadn’t listened to them before, so I checked them out a couple of months ago and was absolutely kicking myself for not doing so earlier. They’re a really good band and I really like their song Walking Wires from their 2019 debut album No Sense No Feeling. Walking Wires was the first single before the album was released and has an absolutely stunning intro riff, met by pattering drums creating an 80’s style post punk sound.
That’s it for October, thank you for reading and be sure to check out all ten tracks, which have been added to The Ruthless Raver Spotify playlist below:
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