Our Creative Director Dan picks a random track, our guest adds a track that they think of in response and explains the link, then they go back and forth for 10 tracks.
Track 1 - Louis Cole "Doing The Things"
DD: Here we go, kicking things off with some breezy Louis Cole funk...
Track 2 - CZARAFACE, MF DOOM "Break In The Action"
BW: Breezy? That's bustlin'! Love it. Cole is signed to Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label, and it seems he's also best buds with Thundercat – both of whom were involved in ”Lunch Break”, an obscure MF DOOM cut that was part of the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto Online: The Cayo Perico Heist, and which was released after DOOM's passing. DOOM was a prodigious collaborator, so it's no surprise there would be plenty of material still to come, and “Break In The Action” (a standout from the CZARFACE–MF DOOM album Super What?) raises the bar for posthumous releases. R.I.P. Metal Face.
Track 3 - Soul Mission "Jackie In Action"
DD: Sticking with the action theme I've gone with Jackie In Action - a kitsch-y, big beat-y old favourite from my early days in the world of sync.
Track 4 - Dusty Springfield "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher & Higher"
BW: Ahh the 90's, the decade that rehabilitated kitsch! So many ways to follow on from this one. Plenty of folks have covered this Jackie Wilson classic, and while it's hard to pass over Otis Redding it's equally hard to top Dusty Springfield's 1970 BBC session.
Track 5 - St Etienne “Nothing Can Stop Us Now”
DD: Here's St Etienne's Dusty-sampling Nothing Can Stop Us Now.
Track 6 - Christian Lee Hutson "Dancing Queen"
BW: SO…This is from Saint Etienne's Foxbase Alpha, which also includes the Neil Young cover, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". AND…Young covered "Farmer John", an R&B standard written by Don & Dewey but popularised by The Premiers (who btw *also* used fake live audience sounds on their rendition, as on the outro to "Nothing Can Stop Us”). BUT…"Farmer John" was also covered by the Swedish act Hep Stars, with keyboards by a pre-ABBA Benny Andersson. Which finally brings us to this.
Track 7 - Prince "Love... Thy Will Be Done"
DD: Wow! Epic linkage. I’ll switch it up and instead of a cover go with an original demo, linked by royalty. One of my favourite songs of all time.
Track 8 - The Knife "Got 2 Let U (Shaken Up Version)"
BW: If we're doing all-time favourites, let's pick up the pace again with a *really* tenuous link based on Prince-style title spelling. Here's the Knife monstering the dancefloor with a reversioning of one of their early tracks... and more than a nod to the Star Wars cantina band. This was for the Shaking the Habitual tour, a brain-bending performance that was maybe almost entirely mimed?? And still it's one of the greatest live performances I've ever seen. Almost a decade later I'm still baffled.
Track 9 - KH "Only Human"
DD: Very nice. The bouncy percussive beats and raw energy made me think first of Bjork's "There's More To Life Than This", then Matthew Herbert ("Moving Like A Train", or his re-works of Moloko or Jamie Lidell are good examples) and finally recent Four Tet; "Baby" is great but "Only Human" released under Kieran Hebden's KH alias is a right banger.
Track 10 - Novos Baianos "Os "Pingos" Da Chuva"
BW: You're not wrong, that's 100% certified banger. Keeping it simple to wrap things up: obviously that's a Nelly Furtado vocal sample, and since Nelly Furtado speaks Portuguese, let's have something from those Portuguese-speaking Brazilians, Novos Baianos. You should check out clips of their 60s/70s sessions for the full effect, but the right song for our purposes is "Os Pingos da Chuva" ("The Raindrops").
Massive thanks to Barrie for his time and some super track selections. For further info catch up with Barrie on LinkedIn.
If you would like to take part in a future Top 10-uous playlist please email dan@thesyncagency.com
PREVIOUS PLAYLISTS: TT#1 X cable tv aka JAMES YUILL // TT#2 X DAVID DEARLOVE // TT#3 X CLIVE PICKERING // TT#4 X SUE HIGGS // TT#5 X STEPHEN MEAD // TT#6 X MICHELLE STODDART // TT#7 X PAT MURPHY // TT#8 X BARRIE WILLIAMS // TT#9 X TEAM SOLO aka SCUTA SALAMANCA // TT#10 X NAZNEEN READ // TT#11 X CHLOE CORDON