Every week Signal Committee present an Eclectic Picks playlist. All tracks are selected from the full inbox of 200 tracks that are submitted each week to Fresh On The Net. This week all the credit goes to our special guest curator, Funky Pythons.

WHAT DO WE LOOK FOR?

Our playlists are orientated to the alternative music fan. Lyrics are not essential, abstract ideas are embraced and the fusing of different genres is encouraged. If you used to write band names on your pencil case at school, you’ll probably like our playlists.

INTRODUCING FUNKY PYTHONS

Funky Pythons first caught our ears back in batch 464 with his post-punk track, D-Madness aka Halloween. Since then we noticed that Funky Pythons has been a keen supporter of Freshonthenet… so we figured, why not channel all that energy to produce the latest offering of the Eclectic Picks?

ARTISTS SELECTED THIS WEEK

1. BARRELHAUS – Kerfuffle Shuffle
2. MARY LOVETT – Tambor
3. THE LOVEDOGS – Where do we go from here
4. TREVAS – Outbound
5. SVERRE – Hei Søta Heggkvist
6. SPOONFINGERS – Woap
7. DEVYN ANTHONY – Rich Lee
8. THE MARCH AFTERNOONS – London I & II
9. ASTRAKAN- Come back to me
10. MISERY PRIZE – How long must we go on like this?
11. FAST TRAINS – Ha Ha, I Love you
12. PICTURE THE SCENE – First one in … Last to leave
13. PHILBUS – Orbiting the sun
14. SUMMER NIGHT AIR – These Hearts
15. CERAMIC – Kitchen
16. B OF BRIZ – Forgotten Melody

A FEW WORDS FROM FUNKY PYTHONS

First of all, it has been a great honour and a major excitement to participate as guest curator for Fresh on the Net Signal Committee Eclectic playlist. Clarification alert. I will attempt to write a succinct review of the songs I chose for Batch 500, but please notice I am not a music expert, blogger or professional journalist. I am one of you, a crazy musician producing my own music and enjoying the music that other Locos like me produce. So, my approach is simple and straight to the point. I will attempt to describe how your music made me feel. So, let the show begin.

BarrelHaus-Kerfuffle Shuffle

Wild West vibes with a modern touch. Very nice vocals. Very nice changes that make the track more authentic. The chorus evokes something from my teenage years, but I can’t find it! Great end.

Mary Lovett Music – Tambor

Beautiful voice with amazing choruses. The beat and synth work integrates seamlessly with the voice. It gives me the vibes of Bel Canto, a Norwegian band I really liked in the 90s and the Cocteau twins. Prepare to be transported to a cloud of dreams and freedom.

The LoveDogs – Where do we go from here

Great track. Atmospheric but upbeat at the same time. Elements of Shoegaze are very well fused with electronica. Love the bass lines.

Trevas- Outbound

Is it Faithless? The chemical brothers? No, It’s Trevas! A Trance techno track that made me close my eyes and dance from beginning to end.

Sverre- Hei Søta Heggkvist

One word describes this track. Sincere. So, original. Sverre is not pretending to be; it just is. The track makes it obvious to me that it comes from the artist’s own existence. Synth work, melody and voice co-exist in a very original way. Excellent.

Spoonfingers- Woap

Talking about original tracks. This track is just fantastic. It transported me to the Efteling (theme park in the Netherlands), which is intended as a compliment as the Efteling was one of the first theme parks in Europe. It is said that Walt Disney took inspiration from the Efteling. The track transports you to an alternative world. Check it…Now!

Devyn Anthony- Rich Lee

Do you remember Roger Rabbit’s film? Do you remember The Aristocats? Listening to this jazzy track, I found myself inside a cartoon movie, hanging out with musician cats and dancing to their rhythm. Smooth.

The March Afternoons- London I & II

Cuban rhythms fused with melodic voice harmonies. Eclectic? Hell yeah! Wait for the changes. Most importantly, it’s beautiful.

Astrakan- Come back to me

Bass driven song. Very jazzy. Now, I am walking and observing people on the streets of a cyberpunk film. Obviously, I am wearing sunglasses.

Misery Prize- How long must we go on like this?

Maintaining a cyberpunk anime atmosphere, this track plays so well two different dynamics. The spoken word calls for your attention, then the chorus asks for redemption. Great synth work.

Fast Trains- Ha Ha, I Love you

80’s rock? Genesis? I don’t know! It is just very good. There are great guitars, changes in dynamics, and fantastic voices. Just enjoy it.

Picture the Scene- First one in … Last to leave

Get ready to jump. I can imagine the crowd going wild with this track. If you like Foo Fighters, get ready to be the first one to arrive at a Picture the Scene gig, and be … the last one to leave.

Summer Night Air- These Hearts

Do I smell Drum and Bass? I am a big fan of the genre. Liquid Drum and Bass? Jungle? Who cares! Summer Night Air’s beat and melodies are giving you only one option. Dance!!

Philbus- Orbiting the sun

Please, please, please! Take your time to immerse yourself on this track. It is a very sincere track that requires the listener to leave preconceptions aside and let the track exist. Let the magic reach you.

Ceramic- Kitchen

My work will be forever incomplete and I will never be able to forgive myself if these next two tracks, also selected for the Listening Post, would not be included in the Eclectic Pics Batch 500. As I see it, it is an honour to be considered Eclectic, out there, and very original.

Amazing Track! Post-Punk? I would say yes. Genre, after all, is not important. But the bass, the energy, the changes. So good. So energetic. If you like Squid, Crack Cloud or Shame. You are going to love Ceramic. =

B of Briz – Forgotten Melody

I am thrilled I have the opportunity to write a few lines about this great artist. B of Briz. Original, authentic, personal, mind-blowing, the adjectives could go on and on. Her narrative is soft but powerful. She whispers and shouts at the same time. Is that even possible? Yes, she manages to achieve this. I could repeatedly talk about her lyrics, rhymes, and very original vocals, but ignoring her music would be my failure. Fusion and contrast occur again. Delicate atmospheres and powerful beats …the perfect dish. Better I will leave it to your ears, enjoy this forgotten melody.

Thank you very much, Signal Committee, for the invitation to participate. I had a blast!

STEP 1 – LISTEN

Listen to this weeks Eclectic Picks playlist using your weapon of choice below:

SOUNDCLOUD

SPOTIFY

After 7 days, the playlist will be updated with the next batch, and this week’s picks will be added to the 2023 playlists below.

STEP 2 – SPREAD THE WORD

Do you ever think, or hear people say, “there’s no good music any more”? Maybe they aren’t looking in the right places. Prove them wrong:

• Subscribe to the playlist
• Listen in each week
• Tell your friends
• Shout on social media

The more people listen to this playlist, the more exposure unsigned artists receive. So spread the word!

STEP 3 – MUSIC VIDEOS?

Music is great. Music videos are better. Keep the momentum going, send any music videos our way and, if we’re in a good mood, we’ll add the best ones to our music video playlist here.

ARCHIVE PLAYLISTS

The playlists above are updated weekly, then added to the playlists below:

2023 Playlist: Soundcloud | Spotify

2022 Playlist – Soundcloud | Spotify

2021 Playlist – Soundcloud | Spotify

2020 Playlist – Soundcloud | Spotify

RADIO OPPORTUNITIES

We all have ambitions to get on national radio, but in the meantime there are loads of great, independent radio stations that are always looking for new music of the alternative variety. They offer no promises, but the following hosts tell me they that, if you made this list, they’d like you to get in touch to be considered for their show:

• Joe Figueira of North Manchester FM, apply with MP3, short bio & twitter handle by e-mail to joefigueira@yahoo.co.uk)
• Del Osei-Owusu, aka Platinum Mind and fellow FOTN moderator, is happy to consider submissions for the Songbird Sessions, a 1 hour show for The Songbird HQ on Islington Radio. Just email Del with a bio and MP3 to del.owusu@gmail.com
• Neil March, Trust The Doc Radio Show (5PM BST, Exile FM). Submissions to dptmusicdigital@gmail.com.

If you are are radio presenter/DJ looking for someone to do all the hard work for you in filtering out the more alternative tunes hitting the FOTN inbox each, week, just give Signal Committee a shout!