To celebrate the arrival of our favorite holiday, we’ve curated a special Halloween edition of Tuesday Tunes chock-full of only the freakiest tunes. This genre-bending list includes one of dark techno queen Rezz‘s finest, a timeless classic by The Cure, a jazzy cover by the one and only Jeff Beck, and more.
- REZZ – “Lucifer”
There are few producers in the cut-throat world of electronic music that have achieved success and prestige as rapidly as this dark techno wonder-kid. After Isabelle Rezazadeh – most commonly known as REZZ (or Queen Rezz, for that matter) – was signed onto Deadmau5‘s prolific label ‘mau5trap’, she made a name of herself by releasing mind-blowing EP after mind0blowing EP. Within the space of a year she’s gained a huge cult following that worship everything she does, and rightfully so because this chick is the real deal. You could go as far as saying that her music is what the love child of Gesaffelstein and Deadmau5 would sound like. Given that all of her tracks have a dark, twangy, and entrancingly spooky feel to them, it was hard to choose just the one that best fits the Halloween Aesthetic. However because the track is called “Lucifer”, we decided we couldn’t go wrong with including it on the list. That and the fact that the song itself is a trip. If you’ dig it, check out her latest EP ‘Something Wrong Here’ here – it will make you fall in love with dark techno.
The Cure – “Lullaby”
We’re bending the Tuesday Tunes rules this week by we’re including songs that were released in different eras, as opposed to highlighting noteworthy recent releases, but can a Halloween playlist truly be complete if it doesn’t include at least one Cure song? “Lullaby” has been deemed as one of the most chilling songs of all time. Word around the block is that the record was created to portray Smith’s long-standing struggle with drug addiction. The “Spiderman” reference is meant to represent the tantalizing nature of rockstar vices. With lyrics like “For it’s much too late to get away or turn on the light/
The Spiderman is having you for dinner tonight” and a subtle bass-line that seeps into your skin, it’s practically impossible to avoid shivers tingling down your spine when you listen to this creepy tune. - Immortal Technique – “Dance With The Devil”
Another oldie but goodie. Not only is “Dance With The Devil” one of the eeriest songs known to mankind, but also a prime example of how music has the power to punch you straight in the gut with the absence of physical force. Complex Magazine ranked this 2001 record as #10 on their list of the 25 most violent rap songs of all time. The song is instrumentally very simple; it is comprised of Technique’s flow layered over samples of Lyn Collins‘ “Think (About It)”, Mobb Deep’s “Survival of the Fittest”, and Frances Lai’s “(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story”. The narrative is what places this tune on the list. It tells the unfortunate tale of an aspiring gang member that is being chased by The Devil for committing abhorrent acts to earn the ‘hood name’. This one is best experienced lying down in bed with quality earphones plugged in, but be prepared to reevaluate your moral existence once it’s over.
- Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (Kapka Remix) – “Kids”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 6 months, then we’re going to assume you hopped on the Stranger Things bandwagon. While pretty much everything about the show is phenomenal, the soundtrack produced by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein is arguably the best part of the series. It made us feel nostalgic for life in the 80s – a time period during which we weren’t even alive. The hypnotic synths and minimalist nature of the tracks make for the perfect soundtrack to use as background music while walking around the city. This remix is great because it plays around with the new wave elements of the original song and enhances them to create a dance-friendly jam perfect for a spooky party (or for breaking out a dance solo in your room).
- Jeff Beck – “I Put A Spell On You (feat. Joss Stone)”
Last but not least, we have a twist on the crowd-pleasing Halloween classic “I Put A Spell On You” by the blues master himself, Jeff Beck, and the extraordinarily talented singer Joss Stone. Laced with Beck’s slick guitar riffs and Stone’s deep, sultry vocals, this song is bound to transport you to a very jazzy Halloweentown.