The Past, Present and Future of Music

Press Play with Greg Fenton is our platform for recommendations, offering you a curated selection of tracks, albums, and performances that embody the vibrancy of music. Whether revisiting timeless classics or introducing ground-breaking new sounds, Greg’s recommendations cater to a diverse audience, from casual listeners to dedicated enthusiasts. His ability to connect the dots between the past, present, and future of genres provides us all with a unique, comprehensive and engaging perspective.

"Without music, life would be a mistake."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Welcome to Press Play 002 – our second monthly edition of all that’s vital according to the world of Magazine Sixty aiming to tempt you into the world of electronic music from past to present future.

Expanding upon that while continuing the theme of contrasts and chance this month we will be exploring Led Zeppelin’s debut album. In part, the reason I chose this collection of songs was inspired by watching the highly recommended film Becoming Led Zeppelin, which is currently on cinema release so let’s dive straight in!

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Past – Becoming Led Zeppelin

Watching the film Becoming Led Zeppelin felt like a re-acquaintance with old friends. Their presence always featured in the psyche of the Rock music pantheon but the band were always much more than the confines the genre suggested. Always further, always more.

The film charts each musician’s development through life in sound and how their combined, unique set of influences sealed the fate of the band sounding the way it did. Covering up to and including their seminal second album the narration was touchingly voiced by each member, including a not-heard-before interview with late drummer John Bonham whose crucial addition proved key to painting the full picture. Details such as his James Brown drummer’s influence made perfect sense as you heard the band play freely through extended passages, his funkiness bluntly apparent.

Never-ending Stream of Ideas

Much like the way session musicians both bassist and arranger John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page learnt before the band’s formation playing on a vast array of styles, drawing on a readily available never-ending stream of ideas. The bass player’s brilliant instrumentation on his cherished Fender Jazz bass stated how he particularly admired Bonham’s kick drum allowing occasional space for it by dropping out his notes. The devil is in the detail.

Robert Plant’s powerful yet always incredibly sensuous vocals Led Zeppelin’s sound would never have been the same. I was struggling during the course of the film to think of another vocalist who did this so beautifully at the time. I couldn’t.

Incendiary Landscapes of Noise

The concert footage proved invaluable to all this illustrating the stark influence of the blues as much as exploding the era’s psychedelic charge through incendiary landscapes of noise. But more than that by cementing the group’s heartfelt, transcendent connection to each other. Indeed, it was the way their committed friendship and consequent musical communication truly defined them as such a tour de force. Not forgetting manager Peter Grant’s determined driving force in establishing the band’s standing. This was all before they became stars in the stratosphere taking full advantage of rock excess so much so that there remains a charming, down-to-earth quality to the early days recounted here.

Determinedly an Album Band

There’s an admirable part where Page states they were determinedly an album band, not a singles driven, to the point where he said he included the esoteric section on Whole Lotta Love to prevent suitability for single release. Either way, it’s such an impressive masterstroke with its expansive stereo and avant-garde sounds overlapping that interestingly key New York DJ Francis Grasso picked up on it mixing it into percussive passages in his sets in the early seventies.

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin – Atlantic (1969)

Led Zeppelin (1) was released in early 1969, initially tellingly in the USA and then the UK, and remains magnificent produced by Jimmy Page and Glyn Johns who had already notched up credits with The Rolling Stones and Small Faces assisting. The sound of guitars burning into the soul electrifying a distorted reality, while the bass dances around with jazzy precision letting the drums propel Plant’s heady voice into the ether is truly remarkable to this day. Try the intro to their cover/ reimagining of Babe I’m Gonna Leave You as a starting point to highlight the contrast between the delicate guitar’s acoustic dexterity and the eventual epic distorted heaviness, a trademark the band made all their own.

Or varying textures employed by Dazed and Confused that speak for themselves.

A Pure Celebration

Among the many gems populating the album is Your Time Is Gonna Come, a pure celebration combining the rush of sweet melody alongside the force of seismic drive proving both anthem and pure exhilaration in one. On the other hand, Black Mountain Side offers transcendent riffing on a tabla’s punctuating rhythm to the defining twang of acoustic guitar sounding beyond expectation. That exploration of styles permeates throughout giving the album its powerful, individual character revelling in the Rock sound as much as musical subtlety, all informed by words speaking with depth of spirit.

Communication Breakdown is proto-everything for me.

How Many More Times excels at sassy swing and dangerous intensity, much like the band.  It is also a close second to Dazed and Confused and the perfect closing highlights all of the disparate elements that made them so great. Their debut album sees the band arrive already perfectly formed, each part reliant upon the next like they were made for each other. They were.

*Visit the Led Zeppelin website

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

Bob Marley

Present – Solu Music & Gabby Law – Give Me Sunshine (Sundown Remix) – Solu Music

If soulful melody is your thing then look no further. Both mixes are filled with it, try the new Sundown version with its heart-warming vocals and tough four/ four drums and bass underpinning the smouldering magic providing a touch of class.

Download/Stream Give Me Sunshine on all platforms here

Present – Anna Ling – Butterfly (Lucky Sun Remixes) – Lucky Sun Recordings

Next is Anna Ling’s rather lovely Butterfly (Lucky Sun Remixes) on Lucky Sun Recordings which sells the idea of summer’s bloom months in advance. It’s a most welcome blend of sumptuous harmonies hinting at folk alongside a gentle stroll of downtempo rhythms which I’m sure you will agree hit the horizontal position note perfectly. Complimented by a more robust dub version lifting the tempo all angles are covered. Download/Stream Anna Ling at Bandcamp

Present – Accident Machine + Natasha Kitty Katt – Circus Deep – Ramrock Red

Musically referencing the Chicago Acid sounds of the 1980’s this intensely powerful production explores dark corners via its dub-charged vocal treatments echoing out like a crazed sermon. It is also completely enthralling. Those same elements expand under two remaining versions while a set of No’West remixes channel the spirit of earlier eighties instrumentation through a twisted Talking Heads styled prism. All excellent. Download/Stream Circus Deep on Bandcamp

Present – Joseph Malik with Kameelah Waheed – My Whole World (The Variant Issue Orchestra Mixes) – Ramrock Red

While we’re talking of all things Ramrock Red the label compliments its musical dexterity care of another great release: Joseph Malik with Kameelah Waheed – My Whole World – The Variant Issue Orchestra Mixes. Jazz has always been an essential, defining genre in the grand scheme of things and the grainy release of electric keys feels notably wonderful here.

Likewise, Kameelah Waheed’s spoken poetry flows immersed in a stream of consciousness plucking at your heartstrings as the replenishing jazzy accompaniment is simply joyous. Exemplarily work by The Variant Issue Orchestra in providing the remixes too. Download/Stream My Whole World (The Variant Issue Orchestra Mixes) on Bandcamp

“Music is the universal language of mankind.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Present – Whatever The Weather – 9°C – Ghostly International

Finally, this month is Whatever The Weather and the single 9°C on Ghostly International.

Otherwise known as Loraine James an artist whose brilliantly realised album Gentle Confrontation released in late 2023 now confounds the listener i.e. you, with newly formed aural pathways seemingly leading in all sorts of wild directions. This tense, atmospheric piece of music dispenses with beats to reveal pure depth of emotion. And while there is clarity to be found within the interruption of voices and transmissions of past events there is something magical going on as unfolding layers of sound open up to suggestion. It’s a haunting story, an urban one, providing a lavish listen.

Download/Stream 9°C on Bandcamp

Future Recommendation

I would also like to announce the arrival of Magazine Sixty Radio on Mixcloud. Presented by Sean Holland sharing interviews, insights and guest mixes from a wide range of independent artists. The first show is up with special guest Simon Mills – One Half Of Bent. Listen to it here right now and don’t forget to head over to Mixcloud and Follow for future shows!

Look out for the March release of Whatever The Weather II the forthcoming album from Whatever The Weather aka Loraine James which judging from the single (above) will sound nothing less than tantalising. Also, an exciting compilation from Cherry Red Records – Middle Earth 1967-1969 celebrating the London psychedelic club of the same name across three cd’s

This Month on Magazine Sixty

You can up with all of the latest releases reviewed at Magazine Sixty including gems from Glåsbird – Glacial Drift – Driftworks, Leit Motif – Vestige – See Blue Audio, and Traian Cherecheș – C1M3R4_Analog cut_v3 on Arthouse. See you there and se you here next month!!

About MagazineSixty

At the heart of Greg Fenton’s work lies MagazineSixty, an online platform he created to showcase the best in contemporary music. The website is a treasure trove for fans of electronic and alternative sounds, offering a blend of album reviews, artist interviews, and features that delve into the creative processes behind some of the most compelling music being produced today. The site’s mission is to explore the intersection of artistry and innovation, highlighting the transformative power of music in a constantly evolving cultural landscape.

What sets MagazineSixty apart is its focus on quality over quantity. Fenton takes a discerning approach to curation, ensuring that every piece of content aligns with the site’s ethos of authenticity and depth. His reviews are not only detailed but also reflective, often connecting the music to broader cultural and historical contexts. This level of thoughtfulness has earned the website a loyal following, with readers appreciating its commitment to celebrating creativity without succumbing to the pressures of mainstream trends.

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