Theophilus London » Turntablr

Why Even Try (RAC Remix), Theophilus London
I liked the original version of this track for the most part when I first heard it last summer, but I found its overly-pronounced growly ‘80s bass line distracting, and honestly a little bit ugly. Lo and behold, the mighty Remix Artists Collective agreed with me, replacing the dirty bass part with a twinkling piano melody on their own remix of the track. This step towards pleasant bounciness completely rescues the track in my opinion. It stays just as danceable, but it opens up a sense of shimmering wonder that really feels great, especially through a pair of decent earbuds. This has become one of my favorite tracks to walk around the city to, especially as the nights start getting milder here in Dublin. The tempo magically seems to match up its quarter notes with the length of my stride, turning walking into a type of secret dance that I randomly perform on the sidewalks, unbeknownst to my fellow pedestrians. The glissando in Sara Quin’s hook does get a little bit schmaltzy, but London’s crisp verses and backing vocals make that a small concern. Cheers to RAC for making a slightly flawed track into an immensely more enjoyable remix.

Flying Overseas (feat. Devonte Hynes & Solange Knowles), Theophilus London

2011 was a year that in large part legitimized the rise of indie music, in all its eclectic forms. With Bon Iver topping Pitchfork and many others’ charts, 2011 marked an age led by low-fi acoustic folk recordings, accompanied by 80s-esque electronic renderings of several sorts. And there was nothing wrong with a lot of it, and some was even good! That being said, I felt a distinct lack of soul in too many instances.

Anyone that knows me already knows my definition of soul as something connected to duende and, as such, compels one dance. I firmly believe that a firm bass can reverberate from the feet through to the vertebrae in a way only its own. It brings out in one a want to move in a way 2011 generally was want of. Except for Theophilus London.

Each of the five-tracks on his 2011 EP Lovers Holiday have a sound so rich and full you don’t even need surround sound for it to envelope you. The warmth found here speaks for itself — and all this from London in spite of some very obvious indie influences! London has colossus clout with a coterie of artists, from indie-pop English songwriter/composer/producer Devonte Hynes to indie-rock/folk singer Sara Quinn (of Tegan and Sara) — both featured on the album.

London conforms (to an extent) to his contemporaries’ 80s vibe on several tracks, but they vibrate with a liveliness that engages the present. From the extravagant anthem banger “Wine and Chocolates,” to the beautifully tragic “Why Even Try,” to the synth-happy “Strange Love,” Lovers Holiday shows that London knows how to make music and its consumers move.

In the song featured above, Flying Overseas, London combines all the keys: a perfectly produced rich sound, a melody of chimes with a rumbling humming, well-timed synth, and angelic vocals provided by Solange Knowles, R&B-singing kid sister to Beyonce. Listen to this one next time you take off, whether or not its overseas, and see if it doesn’t move you — feet or elsewhere.