Simon Irvine

POTW (2019/9): Get Happy!

Get Happy from the playlister Hits4U is our 9th Playlist of the Week this year. I’ve selected this one because it is full of uptempo tunes, it is intended to be cheerful, and that’s exactly what we all need at this time of the year when Spring is trying to arrive but Winter’s not quite disappeared yet.

It’s a rather eclectic selection of tunes, this one, with a few tracks that are nothing short of quirky (for example Juan Maria Solare’s fun Es Geht Noch, is juxtaposed with Andy Garrett’s metal jaunt Afterthought).

The playlist is, unusually, almost entirely comprised of independent musicians’ work; indeed some of the artists may be familiar to you as they have appeared in other playlists that I’ve featured.

I’m not convinced it manages to stay cheerful the entire time, as some of the tracks stray into more melancholy territory, such as Jackie Marie’s haunting Won’t Settle for Less but those are in the minority and it’s a fun listen. Particular highlights for me were Simon Irvine and Jayber C’s collaboration Accord, Munro’s Let It Go and Moonbeam by Robert Maitland.

Playlist of the Week (2018/16)

This week’s playlist of the week is Simon Irvine’s Simon’s Mini Monster. Simon, aka Stuffamebobs, is an artist in Brisbane signed to Pink Dolphin Music, an indie label based in West Bromwich, in the UK. Simon’s also a member of the Climatronica Collective, a group of musicians and producers who are concerned about climate change and fundraising jointly with an album to support the charity Solar Aid.

Simon’s/Stuffamebobs’ music is electronic, synthy and occasionally moody; do check out his latest album Metaphors, which came out on 8th January – I think you’ll like it if you enjoy my music.  My favourite track from the album (so far) is Pursuit, which sits at the sonic junction between trance and synthwave, but a close second is the ambient chillout track Birds – Crest of the Syndicate.

Simon’s Mini Monster playlist is a smaller collection of tracks by artists who feature on a much larger playlist, known as the ‘Monster List’. (I think I can see what he did there!) All artists featured are independent (or with indie labels). There may be a couple of Stoneygate tracks that have snuck in towards the end.