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

Oh no, It’s me again.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a fairly quiet few weeks of political upheaval, bloodthirsty crime mysteries, and uninspiring kickmen. 

A strange time, accompanied by a strange inbox. 

This week’s playlist is more electronic and spooky than I would usually curate, but that’s purely down to what I enjoyed from what was submitted to Fresh on the Net this week.

In creating this playlist, I heard tracks that hadn’t been mastered for playback at all and were barely audible, and one with thirty seconds of silence at the end. I quite like scruffy production values, but it would be really cool if artists could listen to their tracks all the way through before sharing them with the world.

If those rogue tracks were at the bottom of the pile, these creamy oddities were splat atop:

1 Charlie Gray – Before It Starts
Picture a brooding teen drama montage set in the early 90s: decisions must be made, nothing will be the same, everything is equally possible and impossible. All gorgeous with perfect levels of reverb and exquisite composition. I know they’re not the words, but I’ve been singing “You’re the tits” to my partner, to my exclusive amusement.

2 Minimums – Sun Moon And Talia Remix Of Prologue
I think this track summed up my mood this week. An ambient piece simultaneously sounding both rich and desolate, lost yet hopeful. Sounded marvelous in the studio and went straight into my playlist with no nagging.

3 Julia Dales – Bite It
My favourite track from the inbox this week. Oddly compelling combination of simple strutting peacock vocal delivery and insane crescendo electronic mini breakdowns. The upload has been tagged as ‘cocky’ on Soundcloud, and I concur.

4 ARPRAXIS – Next Track … Be There
Arpraxis is on a roll. I picked Monte’s a couple of weeks ago, and here he is again with the aptly titled Next Track… Check out his work. So much effort goes into each production, it makes me feel positively lazy- I’d have strung out the first four bars for five minutes. I keep hearing new sections and ideas with every listen.

5 Peter McDonnell – 7 Sequences
A pleasing selection of synth melodies layered over one another with a pleasing pulsing beat. I have no idea how to produce a track like this with a run time of 3.12 seconds – that takes some discipline.

6 Lost Signal – The Orange Salamander
Lots of things that I like squoozled into one track by an expert producer. Part dramatic synth electro soundscape, part delirium inducing classic techno gear change.

7 Particle Drift – Valence
This deserves to have more written about it, but excellent techno doesn’t really benefit from words any more than an excellent experience benefits from a selfie.

8 The Fantom Man – INTRUSION
Helpfully described as “chill out featuring jazz guitar with electronic nuances…” which saves me a job. I like all the sounds, and I like not being able to predict which order they will come in next.

9 Spectre Horsemen Pale With Dust – The Stars Gaze Back
Ah the sort of track the Eclectic Picks Playlist is made for: mad past versus future experimental ambient drone with chanting and throat singing.

10 Reid Anderson – We Would Have Noticed The Moon
Phew, this is the one non electronic music track that I liked from this week’s inbox. Really cool to hear new music in this style, and thoroughly deserving of inclusion and applause. Produced with ethereal echoey quality as though it had just started playing on a long abandoned gramophone in an empty warehouse – a sign of survivors or another red herring?

I feel like this is some of my least eclectic picking, but it does form a surprisingly coherent playlist.

I’ll leave you now, and think about what I have done.

ARTISTS SELECTED THIS WEEK

1. CHARLIE GRAY – Before It Starts
2. MINIMUMS – Sun Moon And Talia Remix Of Prologue
3. JULIA DALES – Bite It
4. ARPRAXIS – Next Track … Be There
5. PETER MCDONNELL – 7 Sequences
6. LOST SIGNAL – The Orange Salamander
7. PARTICLE DRIFT – Valence
8. THE FANTOM MAN – INTRUSION
9. SPECTRE HORSEMEN PALE WITH DUST – The Stars Gaze Back
10. REID ANDERSON – We Would Have Noticed The Moon

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!