The Return of the Classic - Mister T (Cold Busted)

Just downloaded this album to work into my lounge sets. Amazing funky hip hop vibes - you can always rely on the Cold Busted label to provide classic sounds.

OHM Dedication Series #3: Ahu presents Blossom Dearie

Ahu presents Blossom Dearie is an endearing, funny, relaxing and classic jazz mini-mix for a Sunday of chilling and recovering from whatever you got yourself into Saturday night. This mix is by Ahu, a Turkish singer on OHM who has worked with Flying Lotus and other legends in progressive and downtempo music. Her mix honors Blossom Dearie - an American jazz singer with an incredible voice and great sense of humor, which is a major part of her songwriting, live jazz and bebop performances. She was a staple in the New York supper club scene in the 60s and 70s, and this mix makes me want to travel back in time, drink Manhattans and see her live.

Most of what I blog about has a strong electronic component, but I love to share other classic downtempo sounds that have been an inspiration for today's music and lately its come in the form of jazz. This mix is the 3rd in OHM's Dedication Series, where OHM Label's artists and DJs share their love of artists that have inspired them.

Rare Korean Jazz Grooves by DJ Soulscape - Turntable Lab Radio Mix

I've been listening to a lot of Turntable Lab Radio over the last few weeks, digging into their mix archives. This particular mix has really held my attention - it's all vinyl rare Korean jazz from DJ Soulscape - a Korean DJ and producer based out of Seoul.

Here's more about DJ Soulscape from The Creators Project: "DJ Soulscape is a wildly impressive Korean DJ and producer based out of Seoul. Deeply influenced by 80s hip-hop, his parents’ extensive collection of soul vinyl, and his engineering background, the musician is a culmination of diversity and contrast. Soulscape composes and arranges electronic symphonies reminiscent of K-pop, yet innovative in style and genre. The artist has been praised for his side project 360 Sound, a party series founded in 2005, that curates regular performances by influential Korean DJs."

Check out his Turntable Lab Radio mix here, and learn more about his approach to mixing and producing via The Creators Project:

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?)

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.