Spy trax, on a more modern tip
December 25, 2022 7:52 PM   Subscribe

I have a playlist of a kind of spy rap/Brit hop/electro vibe that I'm slowly building since asking this question. Something a bit more current than 60s gangster film soundtrack remixes. Can you help me add more such tracks?

Hopefully these three give a flavor:

• Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Belize (feat. MF DOOM)
• Les rythmes digitales - Kontakte
• Portishead - Sour Times (which in turn inspires the theme to GTA IV)

I'm not looking for general artist or album recommendations, but hopefully particular tracks that will help construct a world of sonic espionage and paranoia. Other than being reasonably recent, no limits on genre or origin, so long as it has a good beat.

Please help!
posted by They sucked his brains out! to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
This might be slightly too fast, but the track that comes to mind is Vince Staples's "Opps."
posted by praemunire at 9:22 PM on December 25, 2022


The Herbaliser - Take London, especially 8 Men Strong, Nah Mean Nah'm Sayin', Failure's No Option, Kittyknapper

DJ Food - Kaleideocope. especially Full Bleed, The Crow, Nevermore
posted by googly at 10:45 PM on December 25, 2022 [1 favorite]




All things to all men - Cinematic Orchestra

Kota - Bonobo

Sordid - Amon Tobin

A lot of late 90s Ninja Tune artists were mining this particular vein, and rifling through the many, many artists who sampled John Barry on whosampled.com has a good chance of turfing up something in that area.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:20 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Barry Adamson, 'Suspicion'. Any and all Adamson, really.
posted by srednivashtar at 3:38 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Herbaliser - Mission Improbable

To my mind a lot of Amon Tobin's album as Cujo, Adventures in Foam, probably fits the bill, but if pushed for one song maybe Break Charmer?
posted by juv3nal at 4:05 AM on December 26, 2022


Oh Skalpel is worth a look too. Their use of language lesson samples for instance evokes what a spy might use if assigned to a new country.
posted by juv3nal at 4:10 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Let me introduce you to one-album-wonder The Propellerheads. (If you only check out a couple of tracks, make it "Take California" and "History Repeating" [featuring Shirley Bassey]). But the whole album is kind of modernized retro spy music.
posted by mmoncur at 4:58 AM on December 26, 2022 [4 favorites]


Check out the 2020 album "Declassified" from Secret Agent. Should be right down your alley.
posted by reptile at 9:20 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Your mefi mail is disabled, but I'd LOOOOOVE it if you shared your playlist! I often listen to Secret Agent on Soma.fm
posted by cyndigo at 11:54 AM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


I feel like Thievery Corporation might fit - my choices would be Holographic Universe and Air Batucada.

From the same label, I know you said you didn't want general artist or album recommendations, but this is basically Thunderball's whole thing. For a sampler, maybe Heart of the Hustler (give it a bit to get going), Vai Vai, and On the Sly, all off the Scorpio Rising album.

Also, Chris Joss, Tune Down got some notice due to being in a Better Call Saul episode but I knew Danger Buds first.
posted by sigmagalator at 2:53 PM on December 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Hooverphonic - 2Wicky
posted by credulous at 8:28 PM on December 26, 2022


Cassettes Won't Listen - Kingdom
The Beekeepers - Dark Ascending
RJ2D - Heaven
Rex the Dog - Circulate
Gramatik - Good Evening Mr. Hitchcock
Blockhead - Attack the Doctor
Band (O) Neon - La Miranda
Jlin - Black Origami
posted by eponym at 6:26 PM on December 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


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