Downbeat Lounge Selection - May 2016 (Vol. 7) by E-ROK

Ah! It's a few days into June - but here's the May 2016 Downbeat Lounge Selection (Vol. 7) - featuring 15 tracks I've been enjoying and discovering in June.

Shout out to my favorite tracks in the mix: "Borchi" by Silva, Break Science remix of "Fu-Gee-La", "Toucan Wing" by BoomBaptist, and "Child of the Universe" by Frits Wentink.

As always, this is an eclectic mix of glitch, trip hop, downtempo, chillout and deep house. Enjoy!

Jeff Oster - Chillout Trumpet Remixes by Chris Coco and AfterLife Chill

Jeff Oster is a California based trumpet player who contributes to and has released his own downtempo and chillout albums. He recently shared some of his tracks from "Surrender" - a very nice downtempo album he released in 2011. The album is a collection of tracks that make me feel like I should be in a beach sunset, slight breeze while listening to them. Check out two highlights - remixes and edits by none other than the legendary Chris Coco and AfterLife Chill:

EROK - Lifted Epilogue - Downtempo Mix

I had this feeling that my previous mix "Lift" just wasn't over. I followed my energy and created this "Lifted Epilogue" - a continuation of "Lift" and an end that brings together the balance of light and dark energy that I generally feel throughout the course of a mix. Best enjoyed chilled.

Jenova 7 & Mr. Moods - Time Traveller LP

Jenova 7 is a 25 year old downtempo trip hop artist based in Boston. He came on my radar a few years ago and his stuff keeps getting better and better. Mr. Moods is a Canadian producer. I'm not sure how they hooked up but i'm glad they did. I'm really diggin their new LP - "Time Travellers"  It's a great collection (12 tracks) of downtempo beats. Listen here, enjoy and stay chilled --> 

New EROK Mix - LIFT (Downtempo Bass Dreamscape)

After I got that house endeavor out of my system a few weeks ago I needed to get back to downtempo roots. I've come to love combinations of foundational bass vibes and light melodies - they balance out, they just do. This mix is just that -some deep bass with dub influence and downtempo style. Featuring new and old tracks alike, this truly melds some of my classic downtempo inspirations with new stuff. Check it out, plus the track list below...

Track list includes: 
- Tranquility - Direct
- Beyond Raging Wave - DJ Krush
- DRNUK - Louis Futon
- Parallax - Direct
- Phantomile - Actraiser
- The Turn Around - BRRIO (Lifted Contingency)
- Voyager - Minnesota
- Step Aside - Silkie
- One Dub - Antibalas
- On a Lake - Chims
- Lakeside - Praktikos
- Drugstore - Sounds from the Ground

Direct - Tranquility [Monstercat Release] - downtempo/ambient

The Monstercat label is a treasure of electronic music. I go to them for high energy and interesting electro beats, and every once in a while they have interesting downtempo that is closer to my DJ and blogging sweet spot. This track is an example - "Tranquility" by Direct. The song is exactly as it's titled, a tranquil treat that is almost Tron-like in it's electronic melodies. Check it out here and, if you want it in your personal collection, buy it on Bandcamp using the 2nd link below: 

Downtempo: Romare - Prison Blues

Ninja Tune is promoting "Projections" - a new album out February 9 by downtempo groove artist Romare. Based out of London (many Ninja Tune artists are), Romare squarely has my attention. His tracks are rooted in slick drumming that allows for interesting layering of downtempo grooves and even more funky danceable beats. Check out tracks from the upcoming album "Projections" here - Prison Blues (downtempo), Pusherman (experimental ambient) and Roots (funky house):

Razoof - 15 Years of Dubby Downtempo

Razoof, dub master DJ and producer, constantly selects great downtempo, dub and reggae tracks for his mixes. This mix - 15 Years of Dubby Downtempo - is exactly as the title says. It's pure dub through the years. Timeless for sure, and forever the perfect chill.

RAZOOF - 15 years of dubby downbeats by Razoof on Mixcloud

New Label & Mix: The Bohemian Club

I've recently become interested in the work of Alistairr Read - a London downtempo and electronic producer. His work is a mix of chillout downtempo and lounge house electronic, with light melodies creating weightless overtones throughout. He also runs The Bohemian Club - a blog showcasing a variety of music ranging from traditional downtempo to various electronic styles.

From his success as a producer, music mixologist, and blogger, he has recently launched a music label under the same name - The Bohemian Club. Alistairr's label will release music ranging from "downtempo, to dub, to electronica and beyond" (his words). His label will showcase artists and music that break the "predictable mould of current electronic music and creates a path of its own." I love the spirit of this project and look forward to the range of downtempo sounds it produces.

Here is a mix by Alistairr of the type of music he finds inspiration from and is seeking to promote via his label - remember, if you're a DJ/producer/artist send demos to The Bohemian Club here:

OHM Dedication Mix Series #1: Beautiful Swimmers present Don Cherry

I recently received a mix from the One Handed Music (OHM) label and the Beautiful Swimmers out of Washington, D.C. that educated me about a legendary jazz artist who influenced the downtempo music that I love today. This mix - the first in the forthcoming OHM Dedication Series - was curated by Beautiful Swimmers (musician based in D.C.) to showcase the influence of Don Cherry - an African-American jazz musician who helped pioneer and showcase avant-garde jazz around the world from the 1950-70s, playing with legends such as John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Listen to the mix and keep reading to learn more about Don and his jazz and world fusion sounds:



Don Cherry specialized in the jazz trumpet and cornet - a compact version of the trumpet that creates mellower sounds. He was a jazz purist who emphasized the power of the single note, but didn't hesitate to use "smearing" techniques to bend and blend notes to create distinct sounds. Over the years, in his own exploration of music led him into world fusion where he experimented with Middle Eastern, African and Indian sounds.

I've been listening to and showcasing a lot of electronic music these days, but i'm really glad I got this email from OHM label turning me on to their dedication mix. Jazz is such an important influence on music in general, especially on the downtempo music that I love, ranging from trip hop to acid jazz. This is incredible listening - you'll hear the jazz, the world fusion, and the old meshed with the new.

Suburban Dream - Wandering Around

I've been following Suburban Dream for a few years and his latest - "Wandering Around" - is a downtempo piece that builds with elements of jazz and hip hop, giving it great texture, which is no coincidence considering this track is, in his words, "actually a tribute to Mark Farina's acclaimed Mushroom Jazz series which Ciaran [the man behind Suburban Dream] has repeatedly found inspiration from over the years. It builds beautifully, wrapping the listener within a curtain of sound." Suburban Dream continues to produce great chillout tunes that perfectly toe the line between ambient and head-noddin' electronic lounge music. I'm always excited to hear the latest from Suburban Dream - all his work maintains a dream-like quality (no pun intended) created with light synthetic sounds and pointed percussion that together carry a ton of weight. His songs are aptly named to fit the stereotypical suburban experience - "Wandering Around [looking for my friends]" "We Long To Be" and "They Start Out Using." As I was checking out his latest , I was also surprised to find a track that I hadn't yet heard: "We Long To Be" This downtempo track has a simple lyrical phrase punctuated with drug references and this sense of yearning, that is lifted by synthetic sounds that lighten the track and put it into the clouds (an effect of the drugs maybe?)

New Gramatik EP - #DigitalFreedom - Pretty Lights Music label

Gramatik (Pretty Lights Music) released a new EP last week called #DigitalFreedom. His sound is historically hip hop driven (like most Pretty Lights Music) with gritty funk elements and less electronic sampling than other PLM artists such as SuperVision, Paul Basic or Paper Diamond.

#DigitalFreedom maintains the foundation of downtempo hip hop but brings in a much stronger electronic element (mostly dubstep oriented) than his previous work. I've heard this shift across many of Pretty Lights Music's latest releases. Fortunately, they all incorporate new sounds without sacrificing the style that their listeners have come to appreciate. This is true for the new Gramatik release. It really does meld his style with new elements, and there's a healthy balanced mix of really organic hip hop samples and synthetic downtempo electro. Listen on SoundCloud and download his new album on Pretty Lights Music for free:

Ninja Tune Solid Steel Radio Show - 3.30.12 - Stream & Download, expert trip-hop mixing & sampling by Coldcut, Yppah, DJ Food

Ninja Tune founders Coldcut and guests always produce incredible mixes for the Ninja Tune Solid Steel Radio Show. This month's is an amazing mix of contemporary and classic UK trip-hop tracks. The sampling and mixing is immaculate - no easy feat. Big props to downtempo veterans Coldcut and their guests this month Yppah and DJ Food. For those of you who aren't as familiar with Ninja Tune: Ninja Tune is a legendary music label that features downtempo and trip-hop artists, DJs and producers from around the world that are personal favorites of mine, including Amon Tobin, Bonobo, Coldcut, Kid Koala, Mr. Scruff, Yppah, DJ Food, DJ Vadim, and many more. This is one label I always recommend following.

Here's the full mix, to stream and download for free via Soundcloud, and the full track list at the Solid Steel website:

Early Summer Jammin' - Pretty Lights vs. Summertime, Pacha Massive

It's ridiculously, unseasonably consistently warm in Madison, WI - it's been nearly 80 degrees for the last week and looks to stay around 70-80 degrees for at least the next week as well. This warm weather is spreading east - I like to think I'm sending Boston/NYC my warm weather ;) Everyone here has been in great spirits - its amazing what the weather can do for people.

In honor of this early "summer weather" we're having, I just wanted to post two songs that have made me feel particularly "summery" today: Pretty Lights remix/mashup from last year of "Summertime" and Pacha Massive's downtempo chill ballad "Just Want to See Ya." Keepin' me in a great mood... Enjoy

Shigeto brings "Lineage' to life

You know how you hear a song and think it's nice, but then you see it performed live and then it means so much more? That happened to me when I was checking out Shigeto's new track "Lineage" - off his new EP of the same name (just released Jan 31, buy it here!)

I follow anything Ghostly puts out - it's all solid. Shigeto is no exception. His fine downtempo is a mix of jazz and ethereal sounds, with some breaks sprinkled through some of his songs. His new track "Lineage" is a fantastic atmospheric track. When I first listened to it I loved the ambient textures over a foundation of rolling drums, but then I saw a video of him performing it live and it really did, well, bring it to life. Seeing how he builds the track through his drum kit and uses midi controls for the other sounds was cool, seeing the movement of him playing really complements how the drums reverberate in your head and through your body. Check it out, and DL for free via Soundcloud:
Shigeto - Lineage Teaser from Ghostly International on Vimeo.

More about Shigeto, from Ghostly International:

Zach Saginaw consistently grounds his music in a deeply personal, familial context; his grandmother inspired two releases, his producer aliases, Shigeto and Frank Omura, both reference family names and it's not for nothing that his latest release as Shigeto is titled Lineage. Lineage combines Shigeto's jazz, hip-hop, funk and folk influences. These elements aren't new to Saginaw's work, but never has he demonstrated such complete command of his material.