Remembering Hugh Masekala
Not often is a musician the embodiment of an entire musical genre let alone a social movement. In the case of South African Jazz giant Hugh Masekela who sadly left us today, the argument can be made that his powerful horn playing and songwriting accomplished just that. Masekela flourished in …
Crucial Material – January 19, 2018
This week brought some killer releases and compilations all across the board. From Broken Beat to Ambient, Funk to Experimental, Afro-Latin House to Electro, these are the releases that stood out for us. There’s a little something for everyone, so let’s get into it! XL Middleton “G-Funk Vibes Vol. 2” …
The Astral Walkers “The Passage EP” (Deepblak Recordings)
On their début expedition as Astral Walkers, AYBEE and Lars Bartkuhn produce house music compositions that merge dubious elements from various genres and styles in electronic music. Percolating rhythms that run throughout the EP pay silent tribute to the Body and Soul era of house music, while certain melodies acknowledge …
Byron The Aquarius’ Top 5 Keyboardists of All Time
Alabama’s Byron The Aquarius has been funking up the scene since 2007 with his infectious personality and bounce, and of course his killer chops on the keys. With his latest release coming this Friday on Dimensions Recordings’ “An Introduction Pt. 2”, we thought we’d ask him who his Top 5 Keyboardists …
Onra “All-Weather Mixtape”
via Ponytail Journal: We are so proud to present our latest audio release by French producer and beat maker Onra, who has carefully curated the funnest tunes possible for Ponytail Journal. Set yourself up for a colourful mix of spicy, fragrant, and sweet tunes that inspire a little bit of …
Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe “Duo Exchange” (1973, Survival Records)
via Boomkat: Incendiary and rare free jazz ripper from Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe from 1973. Out of print on vinyl ever since and a fierce addition to any jazz or avant-garde shelf. From Thurston Moore’s Top Ten Free Jazz Underground (1996): “Frank Lowe has been studying and playing a …
Habibi Funk 005: The Electronic Tapes par Ahmed Malek & Flako
via Habibi Funk: In the early 1980s, Ahmed Malek was already in his 50s, when he discovered synthesizers and electronic music for himself and started to experiment with sounds. None of it was ever released but we got a huge box of master tapes from his family and we’re happy …
Mndsgn & Ahwlee Release “Rap Vacation X-mas” Album on Red & Green Vinyl
The Rap Vacation collective have you covered for your holiday season Christmas tunes. A couple years ago Mndsgn & producer Ahwlee released an tape of X-mas tracks. The cassette is long gone, but they’ve just issued the collection on limited edition red & green vinyl, with three new Ahwlee tracks. …
Stream the Mica Levi-Produced Score for the Jackie Movie
Musician, composer, producer, singer and ridiculously talented Mica Levi aka Micachu returns with her second solo movie score project. After she created the groundbreaking score for the Under The Skin movie (2014, Jonathan Glazer), Mica Levi instantly became one of the most in-demand names in the movie industry. We had …