Witches' Brew (song)

Last updated
"Witches' Brew"
Witches'Brew.jpg
Single by Katy B
from the album On a Mission
B-side "See Through"
Released28 August 2011 (2011-08-28)
Recorded2010
Genre Electro
Length3:20
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Katy B
  • Zinc
  • Sam Frank
Producer(s) Zinc
Katy B singles chronology
"Easy Please Me"
(2011)		"Witches' Brew"
(2011)		"Anywhere in the World"
(2012)

"Witches' Brew" is a song recorded by British dance recording artist Katy B, for her 2011 debut studio album On a Mission . Written by the singer, Geeneus and Sam Frank, along with the song's producer, DJ Zinc, the song is styled in the genre of electro music, while infusing breakbeat. Its production centers on the usage of synthesizers; the lyrics revolve around luring in a lover using spells and potions. It was released by Rinse and Columbia Records as the album's fifth and final single, on 28 August 2011.

Contents

Upon its release, "Witches' Brew" generated mostly positive reviews from contemporary music journalists, who favored the melodic use of synthesizer arrangements. Commercially, it only entered two European charts, being that it reached number 128 on the UK Singles Chart. In doing so, it became the lowest peaking song from its parent album. In Flanders, its peak was higher, at number 22 on the Ultratip chart (a chart containing songs that have not yet reached the Top 50), equivalent to a peak of 72. The accompanying music video, directed by Colin Tilley, depicts Katy surrounded by winds, while in a room alongside a tied-up man.

Background and release

"Witches' Brew" was released to iTunes Stores worldwide on 26 August 2011, featuring a new version of the song subtitled the "2nd Incantation". It was additionally packaged with a B-side, "See Through". American DJ Diplo released a self-produced remix to his SoundCloud account on 28 February 2012. It has since been described as taking on a dubstep-influenced sound, featuring 808 drums and a "sludgy, looping bassline" seemingly inspired by musician Redlight's "MDMA". [1] Jenn Pelly from Pitchfork Media commented: "It's an aggressive take that rips slow, propulsive beats through the otherwise melodic dance track, evolving it into something noticeably more physical." [2]

Recording and composition

"Witches' Brew" was recorded at Rinse and Zinc's Studio; mixed at the latter location and mastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis Studios, in London. [3] Having a length of three minutes and twenty seconds (3:20), [4] "Witches' Brew" is styled in the musical genre of electro, incorporating diverse elements of breakbeat in its composition. [5] [6] Its instrumentation makes use of contrasting synthesizers, breakbeats and bass, [7] [8] as the song prominently utilizes the first instrument. [7] [9] Jon O'Brien from AllMusic considered Katy's vocal performance to be of a neo soul nature. [7] Written by sly seduction, [10] it references spellcasting and wizardry in order to lure her love interest. [7]

Critical reception

Alex Denney of music publication NME deemed its beat "strident" and compared its synthesizer arrangement to sounds from a pinball machine, though he had a slightly more polarized reaction to the song's "hackeneyed arena-rave"-based chorus. [5] Jon O'Brien from AllMusic classified the track as an "intoxicating fusion" and described the synthesizers as being "kaleidoscopic". [7] Along with album song "Why You Always Here", Rick Pearson of Evening Standard called the song "thrilling, original and utterly of the moment". [11] Gavin Martin of the Daily Mirror believed in the song's potential to be received as positively as the first two singles from its parent album, due to its "creamy melody and soulful come on". [12]

Writing for The Guardian , Alexis Petridis mused that the song had "arrived at their own sui generis point", and thought it was organic instead of "forced". [6] Marianna Halavage of The Herald thought the track was the "most exciting" out of the album's track listing, and, much like other critics, she favored the synthesizers which she deemed "manic".

Music video

The music video was directed Colin Tilley and was released on 3 August 2011, and features scenes with Katy singing towards the camera in a white room, a close up on her face with flashing lights in the background, her in an office with a tied up man and papers flying around the room, and her dancing in a dark graveyard with the rain falling.

Track listing

Chart performance

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [24] 22
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [25] 128

Release history

CountryDateFormat
United Kingdom28 August 2011Digital download [26]

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References

  1. ↑ "Katy B – 'Witches Brew' (Diplo Remix)". Fact . The Vinyl Factory. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Pelly, Jenn (28 February 2014). "Katy B – "Witches Brew" (Diplo Remix)". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  3. ↑ On a Mission (Media notes). Katy B. Rinse, Columbia Records. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ "On a Mission — Katy B". iTunes Store. Apple. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  5. 1 2 Denney, Alex (4 April 2011). "Album Review: Katy B - On A Mission (Rinse)". IPC Media . Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  6. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (31 March 2011). "Katy B: On a Mission – review". London: Guardian Media Group . Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 O'Brien, Jon (12 April 2011). "On a Mission - Katy B". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  8. ↑ Rivers, Joe (14 April 2011). "Katy B — On A Mission". No Ripcord. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  9. ↑ Henderson, Eric (11 April 2011). "Katy B: On a Mission". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  10. ↑ Patrin, Nate (29 March 2011). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Katy B: On A Mission". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  11. ↑ Pearson, Rick (1 April 2011). "CDs of the week: Katy B and Glasvegas". Alexander Lebedev. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  12. ↑ Martin, Gavin (1 April 2011). "One Dubstep at a Time". Trinity Mirror . Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  13. ↑ Gardner, Noel (1 April 2011). "Katy B: On a Mission". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  14. ↑ Halavage, Marianne (30 March 2011). "Katy B, On A Mission (Sony)". Newsquest . Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  15. ↑ Macpherson, Alex (18 March 2011). "Katy B: On a Mission". FACT . Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  16. ↑ "On a Mission". Noripchord.com.
  17. ↑ "Katy B: On a Mission". The A.V. Club . 27 September 2011.
  18. ↑ "Katy B - on a Mission | Capsule Review | Music @ the Digital Fix". Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  19. ↑ "Katy B". The Irish Times. 4 April 2011.
  20. ↑ "Katy B: On a Mission < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-25.
  21. ↑ [ dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Witches Brew (2nd Incantation) - Single by Katy B". iTunes . 26 August 2011.
  23. ↑ Witches' Brew (Promotional CD single). Katy B. Rinse. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ "Katy B – Witches' Brew" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  25. ↑ "Chart Log UK" (TXT). Zobbel.de. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Witches Brew by Katy B". Amazon.co.uk .
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