21st Century Music: Whitey
21st Century Music are playlists and profiles that focus on artists that have released their music since 2000. These highlight new(er) acts that continue the sound and spirit of the older acts that are the focus of Ceremony. Click on the streaming service of your choice below to listen to the playlist as you read along.
In the early 2000s, I came across a single/EP, Wrap It Up, by an artist called Whitey. The three songs on it, “Wrap It Up,” “Cigarette,” and “Head in the Corner,” were all fantastic and got regular play on my stereo. Over the next several years I found a few more songs on compilations that were equally good, yet whoever Whitey was, he remained largely elusive. I couldn’t find albums or information on him, and given the infectious nature of his songs, it perplexed me why he wasn’t better known and more accessible. I recently checked in on him again and thankfully can now find more music and info on him, so I’m pleased to be able to put this playlist and profile together.
Whitey is Nathan Joseph White, a British artist who has a fantastic knack for irresistible grooves and melodies. Leveraging multiple musical styles, his songs mix electronics, edgy guitar, understated vocals, and repeated, hypnotic rhythms to produce danceable, rocking songs. At times, the music has a pure pop feel, while at others venture into EDM, hip hop, or harder, industrial grooves resulting in albums that rotate between fully accessible moments to experimental tunes that challenge the listener. He often has long tracks that start slow and minimalist before expanding into full-on, upbeat tracks. Despite a somewhat obscure persona, Whitey’s many great songs have found their way into popular culture via video games, compilation releases, and several TV shows.
His career started in 2005 with the acclaimed LP, The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is A Train. When his next LP, Great Shakes, was leaked onto the internet in 2007, a common and scandalous occurrence in those days, it resulted in him losing distribution. Instead, the Wrap It Up EP was issued and was followed by several songs via video games and television shows and another EP, Made of Night. Another planned LP, Stay on the Outside, was withheld by the artist in an apparent struggle to come to terms with record labels. Finally, in 2010 Whitey self-released the LP, Canned Laughter, which saw his sound sprinkled with multiple styles such as swing era jazz. He also withdrew his music from streaming services, thus my difficulty in finding his music around that time.
In 2012, his first LP was re-released in an extended format and Great Shakes got a formal release. It was accompanied by a collection of additional singles and tracks from his abandoned releases, titled Great Shakes, Vol. 2. Later the same year he issued another new LP, Lost Summer. Whitey continued to self-release his music in digital formats, and the three 2012 releases were a marvellous collection of tracks. They included those three tracks from Wrap It Up, along with many other contagious tunes like, “Stay on the Outside,” which had first come out in 2007 on the Kitsuné Maison Compilation 4 and had been one of the few Whitey tracks I’d been able to add to my collection. There was also the song, “People,” which has become the artists best known track, and ultra-catchy, dreamy, pop-dance single, “Saturday Night Ate Our Lives.”
Since then there have been two more albums, 2015’s Seven and Now That’s Why I Killed Music in 2020. The use of varied styles and presentations has continued, with the albums continuing to be sprinkled with killer tracks. His overall sound continues to be anchored in electro-rock and repeating rhythms. Somewhere along the way he’s also allowed his music to be available on streaming platforms. Having used Kickstarter to aid the funding of his releases, Whitey is an indie artist in the purest sense given his self-release approach. He has also been outspoken against labels and producers and their treatment – and lack of payment - towards artists. I am just thankful that his music is now accessible and can be easily enjoyed for all who want it, which I hope will be many.
The Playlist (song\album (year)
Leave Them All Behind \ The Light at The End of the Tunnel Is A Train (2005)
Walk in the Dark: Reprise \ The Light at The End of the Tunnel Is A Train (2005)
Ha Ha Ha \ The Light at The End of the Tunnel Is A Train (2005)
The Awful Truth \ The Light at The End of the Tunnel Is A Train (2005)
Times Up \ Canned Laughter (2010)
Send Out the Clowns \ Canned Laughter (2010)
Wrap It Up \ Great Shakes (2012)
Cigarette \ Great Shakes (2012)
Stay on The Outside \ Great Shakes , Vol. 2 (2012)
Head in The Corner \ Great Shakes , Vol. 2 (2012)
Individuals \ Great Shakes , Vol. 2 (2012)
Brief and Bright \ Lost Summer (2012)
People \ Lost Summer (2012)
Saturday Night Ate Our Lives \ Lost Summer (2012)
Death A.M \ Seven (2015)
Lead Over Gold \ Seven (2015)
No One Wants You Round When You Are Down \ Now That’s Why I Killed Music (2020)
Pick Up Your Shadow \ Now That’s Why I Killed Music (2020)
Mountains of Ash \ Now That’s Why I Killed Music (2020)
