The Octopus gets incredibly excited by new music, and we’re constantly on the lookout to bring you the best of it. In fact, the whole electronic scene is very ‘of-the-moment’, and this can make even the best tracks seem somewhat disposable. Well, no more! EO is taking a stand, and every Thursday, we’ll present to you an album, song or artist that you’ve probably forgotten about. It may be from a few years ago, or even just a few weeks ago, but every Thursday there’ll be some old, forgotten treasure - y’know, the sort of thing that would make you go, “Ahh, I remember that!” if it came up on shuffle. So without further ado, here’s this week’s TBT.
I'd been vaguely familiar with Feed Me prior to Electric Mountain. I'd heard and enjoyed well-known tracks like Cott's Face and Pink Lady, but it wasn't until this release that I became the massive fan I am now.
What drew me to Electric Mountain, and what still does, is the sheer variety of styles and sounds that Jon managed to achieve on it - I'd argue that other than his debut album, Calamari Tuesday, not many of his other releases come close in that sense. The name for the release really couldn't be more apt, as I'd argue it's right at the peak of his output.
It has some of his most instantly memorable material within it, too. One Click Headshot is comedy gold, as well as being a damn fine electro track (this is relevant). And Trapdoor, his collaboration with Hadouken!, remains one of my favourite tracks of his - the vocals and melody are stunning, and the complexity and construction of the sounds within the drop are simply jaw dropping. The pairing of the two artists works instantly. Evidently, I'm not alone in this opinion, as Jon played a mind-blowing drum & bass rendition of it as his encore track during Wednesday's live set.
What about that variety I mentioned, though? Although at different tempos, the aforementioned two tracks have the same sort of filthy vibe to them. This is where Relocation comes in, the second track on the EP and my second favourite from it. It's an incredibly chilled and beautiful track, with Jon's ability to control harmony and melody coming right to the fore. It sounds almost like a modern, less abrasive take on last decade's Trance music. It shouldn't fit in here, but it does, and wonderfully so.
Then, right at the other end of the spectrum is Trichitillomania (which I almost spelt right first time), a bass-driven, gritty monster of a track. It's massively lengthy, but I love that about it. It doesn't matter how many times I listen, I never know when it's going to end; "Is it here? Oh, wait, nope, here we go again..." Seriously, my face was damn-near torn off when this one dropped for the first time, playing it through my big speaker system.
Embers and Whiskers round out the collection, collaborations with Lindsay and Gemini respectively. The former I never really clicked with, I've got to confess. The latter, though, is like Trapdoor's slightly younger, less angst-driven brother - it's slower but has the same complexity in sound.
Sonically, Jon's grasp on sound design and track construction simply can't be beaten - his bass in particular is so unique to anything else I've ever heard. It's what always keeps me coming back to Feed Me. And it's what always keeps me coming back to Escape From Electric Mountain, as it's the perfect example of what Feed Me does best, whilst also displaying the sheer versatility that Jon can manage. I know others would disagree, but I reckon this is one of his best and most memorable releases, and I'd urge you to give it a listen.
Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.
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