Properly Chilled Propercast 7 Review, Part 2 - The Music!

Propercast #7 starts in a way that no other Propercast has, with reggae and funk, balanced with relaxed and wah'ed guitars driven by quiet, downbeat drum and bass. In fact the opening track is Bob Marley's "Sun is Shining" (Yes King remix from Quango - a label that has released the likes of Kruder and Dorfmeister and Zero 7). Yes, Marley is the King and you feel like the sun is beating on your face, drinking Dark & Stormy's in Jamaica.

Marley slides into Ashtech's "Beat da Drum Gringo" which you can imagine from the name, is about relaxin', beatin da drum and enjoying life. The reggae-fest continues with a silly song "Pork Eater" from Ticklah. If this song wasn't so chill, i'd bust out laughing - its really just about eating pork.

After these first three songs, the tempo picks up and the vibe distinctly travels across the Atlantic - the guitar picks up and feels distinctly Spanish or Portuguese. Tracks from Deela and Romanowski, though not from Spain, takes us there and drops up in a spanish villa with not a care in the world.

This vibe continues as new tracks from Federico Aubele's Panamericana intro and conclude his interview.

I love the flow of this Propercast. They slowly awaken us from slumber with downtempo reggae, rays of sun on our face and as we rise from our pillows, they engage us with guitars and then electronic beats and organic world music.

If you check out any tracks from this Propercast, I recommend the first three reggae tunes and then "Yes Mr. B" by Lodekka. Rise and shine.

Properly Chilled Propercast 7: Review Part 1 (of 2) - Federico Aubele Interview

ProperlyChilled.com released Propercast #7 on Monday, Nov. 5. Its an hour and 15 minutes of music, and a 15 minute interview with Federico Aubele, ESL artist and Buenos Aires native.

Most of the music in this Propercast is an amazing collection of reggae and Spanish-inspired chillout, to fit the theme of Federico's flamenco and Argentine guitar style.

Federico's interview focused on his new album, Panamericana, and the production process with Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton. It was interesting to hear Federico's perspective on having his album produced by one person, instead of a collaboration of himself, his band and others. Having Eric Hilton produce Panamerica allowed Federico to focus on song writing and not so much the nit-picky sound tweaks. Having someone watch over allowed him to focus on guitar and song creation. The production quality is amazing, as are the songs.

He also got to practice his English. Though Panamericana doesn't have English songs (does it matter!?), maybe we'll hear some on his next album. Though he doesn't say it outright, I think Federico would want us to expand our horizons and appreciate his and his collaborators' foreign crooning. Though he's downtempo-based, he's inspired by artists ranging from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, jazz, reggae and many other types of music. We need to expand our horizons and listen to everything, to appreciate many styles and forms. I think many of us agree, that's why we appreciate downtempo music in general - its influenced by so many different styles.

So check out ProperlyChilled Propercast 7, Federico Aubele's Panamerica, and stay tuned for Part 2 of the Propercast 7 review where I'll focus on the music.

Enjoy!

Welder

I cured my friend! She was sick so I sent her some Welder to listen to - and yup, she got better. I suspect its because I selected the best songs for her ailment. Welder is the downtempo alter-ego of Eskmo, known for his house tunes. But Welder gives us a much mellower, experimental sound. Welder's 2006 "Vines and Streams." The whole album is electronic, sounds like it was mixed on a computer and then shoved through some psychadelic fog. Very chill and melodic middle eastern infused downtempo. I served up a dose of these four songs to my friend: "Rain," "Valeez," "In the Park," and "Isle of Sky." These are my favorites off "Vines and Streams." The rest have a hint of house that mixes well with the downtempo, but these four songs just get in my blood and slow me down, in a very chill way.

Oh, and Julie says Hi.

Slackline Radio

Chris at Slackline Radio sent me a kind note of support the other day. It was great to hear positive feedback, and reinforced what I'm trying to do for myself and others: get exposed to even more of the chillout scene, and create conversation about it.


I hadn't yet heard of Slackline, so I checked it out- and I was pleased. I stream BuzzOut Room often, but I'm definitely going to be a frequent listener to Slackline now too.

What I like about Slackline: It's downtempo everything - not just ambient. It flows through dub, trip-hop, acid jazz, experimental downbeat stuff. It doesn't lose your attention. You can sit and listen, or get up and move to everything they play - its strikes a nice balance. BuzzOut Room is great for strict ambient music - spacy and very atmospheric. Slackline fills the rest - it has great variety and is very engaging.

Check it out at www.slacklineradio.com The site also features many reviews of well-known downtempo artists such as Boards of Canada, Thievery Corporation, Alif Tree, and I was sooo happy to see Baseheadz reviewed. If you're not familiar with Baseheadz, i'll blog about em soon ( think chilled trip-hop inspired by DJ Shadow and the Roots)

Works of RJD2

Remember RJD2.

I just thought of RJD2 tonight - my very first MP3 player, this shitty Sony that held 80 songs on it, had RJD2, and then it got stolen. RJD2 debuted in 2002 with Deadringer, an album that combines hip-hop, trip-hop and jazz. He takes a lot of inspiration from producing local hip-hop records in Ohio. Deadringer is the album where every song has staying power on its own, and together they are unbelievable. Its the album you can put on at a party and let it play over and over and nobody would notice, they'd just know they were listening to something really cool. I really recommend Deadringer...all of it...

and then RJD2 wants to groove a bit more...

you've got his second album, Since We Last Spoke, which has a much more dubbed dance feel. Still trip-hop but with some faster beats that are more danceable. Still a good album but not as chill or as eclectic as Deadringer.

RJD2 needs Prozac, he's a bit darker now, and pretty manic...

Magnificent City Instrumentals is that - instrumental. And still with a dance hall vibe, but on the verge of deep house...sometimes, but too often for me. only alright if i'm in the mood.

And out of nowhere he goes POP! back to his trip-hop roots, but forgot how to make anything engaging. he's got some trip-hop ambient stuff...I'm listening, hoping it gets more interesting...but...it just stays boring. Hm. I'll tell ya what - skip RJD2's The Third Hand, recently released. Its just boring.

Get Deadringer! And lets hope RJD2 remembers how to make albums like that again.

Buzzed at Work

Its 8:41 PM and still at work. Need to leave soon. So i tuned into the BuzzOut Room at www.buzzoutroom.com. I've listened to this radio stream for several months now, and 99 times out of 100 it plays a marvelous mix of chilled ambient sounds and slow dub and downbeat deep house. I'm pleased with the mix nearly every time I listen, and now is no exception. Here's to the BuzzOut Room, keeping my eyes open long enough to hit print and jet outta here...Trick or Treat!

Djini....buddha buddha budda!

I gotta hang out with my old neighbor Amir, he taught me to spin and mix tunes. Inspired me to pick up turntables and annoy the shit out of my roommates.

His spin-alias, Djini, drinks Dark & Stormy's, smokes cloves and sometimes mimics Aladdin. Check out his site, www.djini.net and download some great mixes. I'll just let him explain some of his sounds...

Aesop Rock

I can't wait to leave work, hit the gym, and listen to new Aesop Rock~! I haven't been this excited for hip-hop since Danger Mouse and MF Doom collaborated as Danger Doom. Aesop's new album "None Shall Pass" came out in August and is phenomenal (so far!)

I listened to a few tracks on my morning commute and had to put my reading away, I just needed to rock out, the beats were so engaging. I love Aesop because, as his name suggests, he's a master story teller. You follow the beat, the song, the groove, and you get into his story. Check out Aesop if you like Atmosphere, Beastie Boys, RJD2... hip-hop mashed with dub, jazz, downbeat.