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.

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.

NTRODUCING WILL FARR

This week’s curator is one of our regular curators, Will Farr. Will’s sound isn’t easy to pigeon hole but it can be abstract, minimalist, kinda-techno, tongue in cheek, some of those things, none of those things. Will is another prime example of some of the great underground acts lurking in the shadows of the Bristol music scene. Turns out he has a good ear for scouting for talent in the inbox too.

If you made the cut this week, don’t just thank Will with words, check out some of his tracks here instead. It’ll mean a lot more to you if you got the nod of approval from someone on your wavelength.

A FEW WORDS FROM WILL FARR

It’s me again, and I’ve brought the sunshine this time. I particularly enjoyed this inbox, and I promise I would always tell you if I didn’t. Here are the submissions I wanted to hear over and over and over again this week:

1. lazenbleep – sniffies
This is first in the playlist because it has the best cover. I’ve known this lovely clown for over 20 years now, and have always thought highly of his unique music and DJing style. Despite being keen to do so, I have never been able to make an impression on him with my own noises. He once arrived at a free party near Winchester several hours after the best techno set I’ve ever played, and people mistook him for a rambler. Lazenbleep makes music out of things that normally don’t make music, and that’s one of my favourite things in the whole world. Sniffies is high quality dark slow electro, and my head keeps filling in “I am wet and I am shiny” because it sounds like a distant cousin of Wet and Shiny by The Horrorist. Tell me I’m wrong.

2. Low Bridge – Nicer
To me this sounds like The Postal Service smashed into Baxter Dury, and I’d pay good money to see that. Being nicer to each other is a sentiment I am firmly behind, so let’s all do it. I’ve been singing this out loud whilst cycling around Bristol in the sunshine and compiling this week’s playlist. I look forward to hearing more music from Low Bridge.

3. Mr Bewlay – Honey
How many times have I listened to this? I’ve lost count. I love it, and I think this is definitely one of the best pop songs I have heard in the last twenty years. How is it not in the Fresh Faves? I’ve shared Mr Bewlay with people who like finding good new music, and I urge you all to follow and check out the back catalogue. Somehow I’ve missed all the previous submissions to Fresh on the Net, so I will make an effort to be more thorough in the future. Based in Cardiff, and playing a show in London 2nd July which I would be attending if I was free – perhaps you can make it.

4. The Empty Page – What Happens Now
I really like the swampy mastering in this track. The sounds are all independently excellent, but I don’t think they’d work so well together without that shoe gazy mushy reverb style. Excellent mood and energy reminiscent of the mid nineties resulting in tasty throbbing indie punk rock from Manchester’s The Empty Page. Their Imploding album is out now on Vociferous Records.

5. Dharma Hounds – Black Friday
Cool artwork so I knew this was going to be good. Big fat high energy distorted rock music which has reminded me of Idles at times. Subject matter in keeping with my anti-online world ideals. Another one for my propaganda portfolio.

6. ARPRAXIS – Monte’s
Woah, there’s so much here! I get exhausted thinking about producing this. Arpraxis makes electronic music in as many different styles as I do, and none of them are ever shy. I get the vibe of Monte’s establishment, and I wish there were more places like that open in this country. Let’s push for it!

7. Catford Gyrations – Land of 1000 presets
To me, this is music from an imaginary 70s film directed by Germany’s equivalent of Quentin Tarantino. It’s set in Paris and depicts a perma-smoking police detective who never even begins to attempt to solve any crimes. He explores the city with a confident vigour, and we’re left with a lasting impression of him as a man, but not of his impact on the world he inhabits. Everyone loves this imaginary movie of mine, in my imagination. In summary, excellent imagination soundtrack.

8. Karolina Wilgus – Kwiatuszek (little flower)
If music can be verdant, then this music is verdant. I can’t understand any of the lyrics, which means I get to imprint my own meaning – something I used to do as a child. The whole composition and Karolina’s voice are clearly excellent, and anything I say can’t really do it justice. All I can say is I don’t usually listen to music like this more than once, and I have heard this many times very happily this week.

9. ManiSol – Organ at Sea
So we’re at the tail end of this week’s playlist and this week the tracks get longer, and more orientated to my tastes as a DJ. I really like Organ at Sea, and the dream-like qualities within. We’ve recently moved to Cornwall and had the sounds of the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival drifting across the harbour. Well, the people of Falmouth will have the sound of Organ at Sea played back to it as a reward. A composition and feeling that reminds me how much I enjoy the music of Sun Araw.  I always check for ManiSol in the bathroom cabinets at strangers’ house parties.

10. Cumsleg Borenail – Fragile & Adaptive
I think I would like a butler called Cumsleg Borenail. This sounds like the sort of thing I would submit to Fresh on the Net to be cantankerous. I did that with one of my tracks once a few years ago, and it got picked for Eclectic Picks – I must be part of some kind of feedback loop. Fragile and Adaptive is here because I love all the noises, and the voices really remind me of Twin Peaks. I would definitely play it in a DJ set, but mixed with something else that has a bass line. I really like it, and I want to hear more. It could be three minutes shorter and therefore more conducive to inclusion in a new music playlist, but I’m jamming it right up the end of eclectic picks this week. It would probably sound fairly similar if it was on CD and you held the fast forward button.

11. Rico 9O1 – Rico_901-Nguwe_v6.mp3
Ah, the catchily titled “Rico_901-Nguwe_v6.mp3”. Super cool and apparently “sounds like one of your edging tracks, Will”. Yeah, I’d play this in a DJ set, probably for the full run time. A fine example of a tune you play as a DJ that gives the crowd an opportunity to put a bit of effort into the experience themselves. Well, presumably you’re not listening to it right now as part of a crowd, but imagine you are, please. It’s another long track (useful for a DJ, but not for a playlist), which is why it is tagged on at the end. This is definitely the first time I have knowingly heard electronic music from Swaziland, bring me more.

12. Popfuture – Zig Zag
I always like to finish my playlists with something that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and here we have Zig Zag by Popfuture. One of the finest electronic acts from Malvern, I wonder if we know some of the same people from there? Listening to Zig Zag, I feel like I’m trying to escape a melting circus.

Thank you for your time.

Be sure to comment on the tracks you like and support all the artists involved as best as you can. In my opinion, the best way to support music generally is to get out there and keep the quality music venues open, so give them your money in exchange for a good time.

ARTISTS SELECTED THIS WEEK

1. LAZENBLEEP- sniffies
2. LOW BRIDGE – Nicer
3. MR BEWLAY – Honey
4. THE EMPTY PAGE – What Happens Now
5. DHAMRA HOUNDS – Black Friday
6. ARPRAXIS – Monte’s
7. CATFORD GYRATIONS – Land of 1000 presets
8. KAROLINA WILGUS – Kwiatuszek (little flower)
9. MANISOL- Organ at Sea
10. CUMSLEG BORENAIL – Fragile & Adaptive
11. RICO 901 – Rico_901-Nguwe_v6.mp3
12. POPFUTURE – Zig Zag

STEP 1 – LISTEN

Listen to this weeks Eclectic Picks playlist on Soundcloud here.

After 7 days, the playlist will be updated with the next batch, and this week’s picks will be added to the 2024 playlist 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. If your video made the list above, post a youtube link to it below 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 annual playlists below:

2024 Playlist: Soundcloud

2023 Playlist: Soundcloud | Spotify

2022 Playlist: Soundcloud | Spotify

2021 Playlis: 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 trustthedoc@demerararecords.com

If you are are radio presenter/DJ and want to be added to the list above, just give Signal Committee a shout!