Select Frequency #15

Carefully curated wrap music

The last month or so has been an endless cycle of buying, wrapping, crying, buying, wrapping, crying... I’ve developed permanent cramp in my hands, a severe pain in the wallet, and concluded that the effort involved in wrapping incongruously shaped gift items so they look presentable simply isn’t worth the gusto with which people tear into them — like a Swiftie convinced there’s a sloshed Tay-Tay voice note inside. Or a signed Brat vinyl (hint, hint). That said, the activity — its duration inflated by my apparent inability not to crease the paper — has afforded me a great deal of uninterrupted listening time, and this is the unseasonal/ seasonal well I’ll be drawing my picks from this month.

With the frequent lows and occasional middle-elevations that wrapping beer helmets and cuddly toys (my kids’ and wife’s presents, respectively) consistently serves up, a nice, varied playlist was clearly called for. After an hours-long battle of wills between the shuffle algorithm and my finger on the skip button, I opted to curate something more intentional: a playlist comprising some of my most played tracks this year, which did the trick nicely. I had no idea I had such spiffing taste.

So please, ignore the door should any carollers come knocking, get suitably cosy, and have an evening on me with this doozy of a playlist — serving up prize jams for all moods. Re-discoveries and on-repeat fixtures are the name of the game this time around, so please, feel free to bask in my molten hot taste during this chilliest of seasons.

1. Bossman Birdie, D Double E, Scruffizer, Footsie - “Rhythm & Gash”

2. Snuffed On Sight, PeelingFlesh - “Time 2 Dip”

3. Ariana Grande - “Touch It”

4. Addison Rae - “Fame Is A Gun”

5. Kuniva - “Boss Down”

6. Converge - “Love Is Not Enough”

7. clipping. - “Summertime”

8. Cathedral - “Death Of An Anarchist”

9. ken kaio - “pokemon ruby”

10. Plastician - “Cha”

Bossman Birdie, D Double E, Scruffizer, Footsie - “Rhythm & Gash”

single release // 2021 // grime

Any UK urban music enjoyer worth their Air Max 95s can spot the “Rhythm & Gash” instrumental from twenty paces away. The grime equivalent of an after-club takeaway burger, it’s incredibly dirty, iconic, and best experienced in a crowd of similarly incapacitated revellers. In its OG incarnation, it was all clipped punches and bassy stutters — that is, the sound of London violently shaking you awake to take the bins out. This remix doesn’t so much reinvent the wheel as staple nitrous boosters to the undercarriage: the samples are chopped into juicy little bites, sub bass deep enough to shake your fillings loose is brought in, and a small army of MCs are invited in to pound the thing into the muddy earth. Furthermore, the stylistic variety between the rap contributions keep the track from feeling like a basic nostalgia spin: it’s modern street-level UK chaos observed through a classic lens. D Double E and crew swan through the instrumental with bars that flux between cheeky and menacing, imbuing the cut with bags of personality and covering the experience in their individual fingerprints, all of which are delivered with that trademark nod-and-a-wink. Brazen, addictive and relentless, it’s a stomping revival that will undoubtedly make man lean like dirty sprite.

Snuffed On Sight, PeelingFlesh - “Time 2 Dip”

from Smoke // 2023 // slam metal

If ignorance is bliss, then this ungodly team-up from two of slam’s most ridiculous outfits definitely represents the zenith of smoothbrained metal. Between the absolutely monstrous production, demonic diaphragm-belch vocals and grooves that make me want to scrub my body with Lysol, Snuffed On Sight appear to have cracked the alchemy behind the most stupidly obnoxious slam sound imaginable, and they sure as fuck love letting you know. There’s no respite, no development, no pretence. This is an exercise in how thoroughly a track can kick your ass in the space of a minute and change; it’s a concussive explosion of caveman-theatrics delivered with the enthusiasm of a toddler dual-wielding a wooden spoon and saucepan. The vocal break that makes mention of smokin’ Pall Malls and stealin’ hubcaps should permanently cement the fact that none of this should be taken seriously, however, which allows the track a tongue-in-cheek crash mat that marks a refreshing change from the squinty seriousness of a lot of modern slam. Both Snuffed On Sight and PeelingFlesh want you to have fun, regardless of how uncompromisingly heavy they are. And if you refuse to have fun? They’ll snuff you on sight and peel your flesh, obviously.

Ariana Grande - “Touch It”

from Dangerous Woman // 2016 // pop

Ari makes me happy. Aside from the monotony of the trap-inflected production during the thank u, next era, I’ll gladly make time for any of her records — I find myself consistently crawling back to those dulcet, haloed tones in dire need of an over-sugared pick-me-up. “Touch It” sits in the sweet spot between her glossy pop affability and fluttering (over)stylisation, grabbing what works about each and wringing every drop of sultry playfulness out with a knowing smirk. It’s extremely catchy, sensual without feeling try-hard, and a whole heap of fun, insulated with pounding kick drums, sparkling synth washes and that airy vocal stacking that frequently makes her material so distinctive. There’s an urgency to the cut too, feeling both intimate and anthemic in a stadium-ready way, feathered around the edges but built from a surprisingly angular skeleton. It represents peak Ariana: polished, mischievous and just emotional enough to needle the listener a touch. It’s a batting of lashes subtle enough not to distract but pronounced enough to leave an impact.

Addison Rae - “Fame Is A Gun”

from Addison // 2025 // pop

Much against my expectations (and probably those of a lot of other mouthbreathers), Addison Rae’s debut full-length turned out to be a startlingly robust collection of glossy pop tunes, replete with bouncy hooks, infectious vocal lines and toe-tapping rhythms. Basically, it was the complete sharp-yet-candy-dipped package I hope for from a pop record, and “Fame Is A Gun”, is a crown jewel delicately prised from the collection. It’s a driving, neon-hued standout with a bouncy, sugary chorus whose deceptive simplicity keeps it helter-skeltering around your head long after the track concludes. The themes allow the song a looming emotional shadow to offset the bubblegum allure, ensuring that it remains consistently grounded in incisive, realistic observations that prevent it from being as throwaway as its sonic texture might suggest. This cute-but-serious dichotomy has proven to be a fruitful angle for the unlikely pop star, and should she keep landing thoughtful hum-alongs like this warming little breeze, we can expect big things from her in the future.

Kuniva - “Boss Down”

from The Bando Theory // 2019 // hip hop

1/6 of D12 and perhaps the most criminally underrated rapper of the whole chaotic stable, Kuniva has always specialised in a very specific brand of hip-hop mayhem: meatheaded gangsta tirades fused with anarchic, grinning silliness. His third full-length, The Bando Theory, is a fully-formed and accessible hip hop record that’s positively stacked with chunky 90s-style beats, crisp low-end thumps and flows sharp enough to pierce through kevlar and scrape bones. “Boss Down” is a perfect example of this — a swaggering cut that sees the rapper strutting through the booming production with the air of a man who knows exactly how underrated he is. Snappy punchlines delivered with streetwise charisma and that gritty, cartoonishly violent D12 energy saturate the vibe, and give the track a slick atmosphere and entertainment factor that feels perfectly judged so as to go hand-in-hand with the nastiness. Abrasive, but delivered with a cheeky grin — what’s not to like?

Converge - “Love Is Not Enough”

from Love Is Not Enough // 2026 (upcoming) // metalcore

It’s been three years since the slightly off-brand yet still excellent Chelsea Wolfe collab Bloodmoon: I, and it’s fair to say that fans have been clamouring for a brand new, honest-to-goodness Converge record. If this first single is anything to go by, the new album Love Is Not Enough is set to be an absolute ripper. Channelling the scrambled ferocity of Axe To Fall’s nastier cuts, the track bristles with a tension largely absent from their last release, presented with that familiar structural intensity: not a wasted second, just bullet-point fury delivered with a taut emotional undercurrent. Looking at statements from the outfit regarding the upcoming record, it appears that there is an intention to return to the band’s previous raw emotional honesty and scattershot wildness, with vocalist Jacob Bannon stating, There’s a lot of powerful moments on this record and a lot of angry moments. The realism amplifies that. Given the fact this cut practically embodies both of the sentiments mentioned (and in a run time just over two minutes), I’m inclined to believe the assertion. If the remainder of the album pumps with even half this amount of venom, we’re in for a wild ride. Colour me bloodmoon red and let me at it.

clipping. - “Summertime”

from CLPPNG // 2014 // alternative hip hop

clipping.’s schizophrenic hip-hop Kool-Aid has only gotten more potent in the years since their underpass-heard-through-a-tin-can breakout, but the slightly more structured —yet no less bizarre — sound of their early records are still well worth diving into. Pencil-style. Legs akimbo, of course. “Summertime”, the knife-edge highlight of their second album is a perfect demonstration of the group’s early magic: a pileup of static-encrusted production, jittery rhythm lobster-pots and Diggs’ mile-a-second delivery that contorts through/ around the beats like an abandoned structure reclaimed by nature. The true triumph of this cut, though, is its harmony of form. Every layer writhes with life, synths and beat pulsing in tandem with vicious purpose, twisted imagery mirroring the aesthetic. It’s clipping. (bitch) doing what they do best - taking the accepted hip hop infrastructure and bending it into a bizarre, angular funhouse where it’s only through looking back to reality again you realise the mirrors are warping. Like the rest of CLPPNG, it’s the committed sound of an outfit sharpening blunted tools to prepare for the surgical cruelty they would later be known for.

Cathedral - “Death Of An Anarchist”

from The Guessing Game // 2010 // doom metal

The kind of doom that slithers into your bones and takes up permanent residence in your marrow, this exceptional cut from Cathedral’s ninth studio album is a personal favourite from their sprawling discography. Somewhat repetitive yet undeniably epic in its intent, it opens with a considered acoustic passage before detonating into the colossal main body of the track, straddling the line between vast and contained with impressive finesse. The interplay between that infectious, plodding riff and Lee Dorrian’s morose, hollowed-out vocal delivery creates a downbeat yet strangely groovy slice of cavernous adrenaline — equal parts singalong and thunderously foreboding. It’s perhaps not quite as strikingly composed as some of the outfit’s earlier releases, but it remains one of their most memorable late-era exercises in songwriting, all catchy hooks and dusty production that fits the themes like a moth-eaten glove.

ken kaio - “pokemon ruby”

single release // 2018 // grime

A bitesize grime joint with slick production, this track throws together urgent bass, skittering rhythms and, ahem, GameBoy sound effects, before daring you to complain about it. What might read like an ill-advised hodgepodge on paper ends up working remarkably well, however, with kaio’s warping flows slipping neatly into the beat’s hidden fjords, switching between tightly locked delivery and vocals that float off into the margins — detached but still integral. The end result is surreal but oddly comforting, like revisiting a much loved childhood video game that’s been remade and updated. There’s a nostalgic glow around the track, despite its contemporary grime DNA. Clocking in at exactly two minutes long, it’s over almost before it can be processed properly — but it never wastes a second, and seems to get better every time you experience it. Curiously cerebral but still gritty at street-level, this is grime that shimmers, bubbles, and refuses to sit still.

Plastician - “Cha”

from Cha EP // 2003 // grime-dubstep

One of the finest (yet also one of the most underappreciated) grime instrumentals ever produced, “Cha” is a masterclass in subtle development and immediate impact. Built around a relentlessly looping, syncopated rhythm and surging bassline, it creates a thick, menacing atmosphere from the barest of elements. Dubby echoes and liminal flourishes seep into the structure as it progresses, adding depth and texture without ever overriding or cluttering the mood. It’s a simple exercise for sure, but it’s simplicity wielded with absolute control and a severity of purpose that creates a macabre energy even before bars have been added. It feels heavy even as an instrumental — immersive, sparse, quietly overwhelming. It’s minimalism as intimidation; borderline skeletal, but thoroughly, uncompromisingly aggressive. I’m aware I’m stretching the definition of ‘song’ with this inclusion but there’s two reasons for its inclusion: I’ve recently revisited Plastician’s Boiler Room set after many years and it’s still one of the most precise, impressive displays of DJing I’ve ever seen (especially his blending of this beat with two others at roughly the 04:30 mark). And secondly, I so wanted the playlist to be a grime sandwich.

You’re welcome.