12 October 2016, No. 201, Sweat Band, ‘Hyper Space’

I imagine Fred Wesley saying to Bernie Worrell, “Hey, make that synthesizer sound more like a horn section,” and so we get the un-Horny Hornsified first cut on the Sweat Band self-titled LP, “Hyper Space,” which also occupies spot no. 201 on our list. That slowly opening filter envelope that makes a “fwah” synth sound reminds me of the vamp that opens No. 149, “Le Spank” de Le Pamplemousse, but on closer listening, the sounds aren’t so similar after all—aside from the fwah.

I don’t like the part of this song that starts near 0:40 and recurs periodically. Maybe when it comes time to put this on a mixtape I’ll edit around those sections. Probably not, though, since this tune doesn’t have a lot of diversity in terms of what’s going on. Plus the Clavinet and the synth have an interesting call and response lead happening over that chord progression, and I wouldn’t like to leave that on the cutting room floor.