Brisbane’s own Rolls Bayce have announced they’re finally hitting on the road, taking that wave of momentum that’s seen them scoring nods from NME and Rolling Stone and getting major airplay from the likes of Triple J into venues around the country for their first headline tour.
Kicking off this week, Rolls Bayce will be wowing crowds in Sydney, Wollongong, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, showing off the chops that have seen them nab spots on prestigious international festival lineups like the UK’s Great Escape.
Things have been moving quickly for Rolls Bayce since they unveiled their self-titled EP back in November. With their popularity boosted by the success of their first two singles, ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ and ‘On My Own’, fans are now eagerly their debut album, slated for release later this year.
To celebarte the exciting upcoming tour the guys, Dean McGrath (of the late Hungry Kids of Hungary), James Wright (formerly of Millions) and Neal Apel have put together an eclectic and impressive tour mixtape featuring some of the favourite songs right now. Check it out below!
1. ‘Intro’ – Silk Rhodes (Stones Throw, 2014)
James Wright: Opening track of one of the best records of last year. With squelchy keys and raw drums, the vibe is immediate, spacey and lush. Definitely what we try and aim for with our songs.
Dean McGrath: ‘Squelchy’ was the most used adjective in the studio while we made our EP. And yeah, that drum sound is crazy good. All the vibe is in the instrumentation too – they don’t need to layer all kinds of effects over the track to make it sound like it’s from another planet and I love that. Great band.
2. ‘Digital Witness’ – St. Vincent (Loma Vista/Republic, 2014)
D: I’m an Annie Clarke obsessive. You can definitely hear the influence of the time she spent writing with David Byrne (another hero) all over this track.
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J: I like this song because it’s very different from a lot of other music St. Vincent has done. It’s nearly all horns, and as a fan of horns, it’s texturally unique and also pretty damn thumping.
‘Sugar’ – B- Jam (78 Recordings, 2011)
J: I recently saw DJ J-Rocc (Stones Throw/Beatjunkies) play in Brisbane and he let this slice of sweet nu-disco loose early in the set. As a huge fan of disco/house/garage, this track spoke to me immediately and the groove is undeniable.
4. “Do It Do It Disco (Tom Noble Remix)” – Myron & E (Stones Throw, 2014)
J: A very beefed up and smoothed out 80’s boogie remix of one of my favourite tracks from Myron & E’s debut album by legendary remix and edit artist Tom Noble. I love seemingly cheesy synths and basslines, and as a throwback to the 80s, this track nails it.
D: Those backing harmonies too…heavenly cheesy. Grade-A dancefloor fodder.
5. ‘Bra’ – Cymande (Janus Records, 1972)
D: And so begins the ‘Neal’ section of the mix…kicking off with some classic 70’s Afrobeat. So much guitar vibe.
J: We’re all big fans of world music, in particular the different varieties of Nigerian funk/psychedelia. The James Brown imitation beat and luxurious chord progression make this track essential.
Neal Apel: I dig this song because not only can you hear the disparate influences, but it seems each instrument itself is played in its own style. So, the groove is a little sparse but when each attention grabbing part is piled together it makes for an interesting song. I hadn’t heard it since I was kid, but was reminded of it after catching a few seconds of The Roots playing it as the Tonight show went to commercial.
6. ‘Tire Loma Da Nigbehin’ – Monomono (Capitol Records, 1974)
J: A true favourite of mine from my record collection, this track from Nigeria exemplifies the musical revolution that was happening in Nigeria at the time, with western tastes and music influencing the traditional styles and rhythms of Africa, the result comes out sounding not quite like anything else.
7. ‘Tudo Que Você Podia Ser’ – Quarteto Em Cy (Odeon, 1972)
J: This track was recorded by an all-female vocal group, Quarteto Em Cy. Love the unique instrumentation and arrangement of MPB combined with those The Mamas & the Papas-esque harmonies.
N: They’ve made like thirty albums since 1964, the last was released in 2006. The original is by Milton Nascimento, I’m pretty sure. Quarteto Em Cy’s version is much better.
8. ‘Miami’ – Oddisee (Mello Music Group, 2010)
J: We love instrumental hip hop so much, this cut illustrates why. Thunderous drums, gorgeous chords and blaring horns. No need for a vocal, the beat says it all.
D: James and I are housemates and I hear that huge organ chord progression blasting through our house a LOT. Not that I’m in any way complaining.
9. ‘XXX’ – Danny Brown (Fool’s Gold, 2011)
J: I remember seeing Danny Brown’s first ever Australian show at The Zoo in Brisbane a few years back. I was one of only about 40 people who had bothered to buy a ticket, and the show was that good I haven’t gone to see him since so as to not ruin the experience of seeing him in a near-empty venue playing material from ‘XXX’, one of the greatest modern rap albums.
D: Meanwhile I saw him at a sold out Hi-Fi a couple of months ago and the place was a heaving, sweaty mess…Danny Brown killed it but the crowd scared the shit out of me.
10. ‘My Life’ – Erykah Badu (Motown, 2000)
J: Back when this song was made, there was a neo-soul revolution happening. D’Angelo, Common, and Erykah were all making albums at the same studios at the same time, with the same production crew (The Roots, J Dilla) all contributing their genius.
D: Lyrically she had and still has so much to say too, which seems kind of rare in a lot of modern R&B/soul. That’s a huge part of why she’s an icon I suppose.
11. ‘Just Because I Love You’ – B.C. Camplight (Bella Union, 2014
D: I heard this song for the first time right at the end of last year and it was love at first listen. Had on repeat for days afterwards and I’m still playing it to death. Easily my favorite song of 2014…this guy’s vocal melodies are just timeless and irresistible.
12. ‘Ohnomite Outro’ – Oh No (Stones Throw, 2012)
J: A great little beat from Madlib’s younger brother. I mostly picked this one as it’s coincidentally in the same key as the previous song and also because his album “Ohnomite”, is severely underrated. The album was made exclusively using sound bytes and soundtrack samples from the 1975 blaxploitation film, “Dolemite”.
13. ‘The Nightcaller’ – Flying Lotus (Warp, 2012)
J: A very tasty and dissonant beat from another modern classic, Flying Lotus’ “Until The Quiet Comes”, my favourite album from him to date.
D: I love how he can take all these elements that are slightly wonky and shouldn’t make rhythmic sense and then mystifyingly arranging them into a track that grooves so hard.
14. ‘Episode VIII’ – Madlib (Stones Throw, 2010)
J: Taken from Madlib’s “Medicine Show” Series, this is a dark, moody instrumental from some of Madlib’s earliest productions. I could write a book on Madlib and how great he is, but I’ll just leave you with this track and hopefully the desire to know more.
D: You should check out more though. I just finally added some Madlib to my vinyl collection and it’s not going to leave the turntable for some time.
15. ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)(BADBADNOTGOOD Reinterpretation)’ – Future Islands (4AD, 2014)
D: I already loved the original, but this reinterpretation is insanely good.
J: It’s a testament to both BADBADNOTGOOD and also the voice of Samuel T. Herring for being versatile enough to have the same vocal track used for not only one, but TWO amazing songs, that couldn’t be more different from each other.
16. ‘Mutate’ – Rolls Bayce (Create/Control, 2014)
D: Yeah, we thought we’d sneakily throw one of our own tracks in here. It’s a bit of a mixed bag this song…the verses are mostly informed by R&B and hip hop, then it’s got that big chorus riff that I think came after listening to ‘Dig A Pony’ by The Beatles a bunch. I didn’t attempt to play the keys part until we were in the studio recording but it had been bouncing around in my head from the moment I came up with the chord progression.
J: Also I stole the beat from Eddie Kendrick’s “Intimate Friends”.
17. ‘Multi-Love’ – Unknown Mortal Orchestra (JagJaguwar, 2015
J: This song made my jaw drop the moment I heard it. Early and promising contender for the best song of this year.
D: Oh I’m calling it. Song of The Year 2015. I don’t care that it’s only February.
J: For some reason I hear “Say A Little Prayer” by Aretha Franklin in the vocal melody but maybe it’s just me. We’ve followed Ruban Nielson since The Mint Chicks and it’s so great to hear his songwriting going from strength to strength.
D: We definitely wear our love for UMO on our sleeve.
18. ‘Do Right’ – Les Sins (Company Records, 2014)
J: This song, from Toro Y Moi’s dance music alter-ego, is definitely the odd one out on his album of last year. Where the rest of the album is house music of varying temperaments and intensity, this song slows everything right down, letting Chaz Bundick’s legendary chill-wave production strengths shine, albeit briefly.
D: I love that this song follows on from UMO given that Ruban features on the new Toro Y Moi record. Chaz is another huge contemporary influence on our music and I can’t wait to hear what those two guys have done together.
19. “What We Got” – Oh No (Now-Again Records, 2007)
J: Another Oh No track, but this one comes from a markedly different place. Invited sometime in 2006 by Now-Again Records to dig through the back catalogue of legendary underground soul label “Soul Cal” and make beats from it. I like this one because of the huge harmonies, fuzzy bass, and also the fact the beat utilises a crash cymbal, which is very uncommon in a lot of beats.
20. ‘Already There (Feat. Robert Glasper & Thundercat)’ – Taylor McFerrin (Brainfeeder, 2014)
J: Son of legendary Bobby McFerrin, Taylor’s debut on Flying Lotus’ Label features some of the most intricate rhythm playing I’ve ever heard.
D: An artist/record that deserves much wider exposure. I remember I caught the advance stream on NPR’s website just before it was released and, knowing the other guys in the band would love it, raved to James about it immediately. Of course he’d already been listening too. Beaten to the punch again.
21. ‘So Good’ – Nao vs A.K. Paul (Dummy, 2014)
D: Solo debut from London producer and brother/creative collaborator to Jai Paul (whose music is also worth checking out). Some tasty guitar at the end plus that girl/boy vocal harmony is all gooey and awesome.
22. ‘Sunshine (Demo)’ – Roy Ayers (Rapster, 2005)
J: How can you do a mix and not include Roy Ayers? This toned-down version is much smoother than the album version which has very dated and ear-piercing synths on the hook. Everybody, including us, loves the sunshine.
Rolls Bayce Tour Dates
Saturday, 28th February 2015
Secret Garden Festival, Sydney
Saturday, 14th March 2015
Farmer & The Owl, Wollongong
Saturday, 27th March 2015
The Foundry, Brisbane
Saturday, 4th April 2015
GoodGod Small Club, Sydney
Thursday, 16th April 2015
The Curtin, Melbourne
Friday, 17th April 2015
Rocket Bar, Adelaide
