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This was another neat Record Store Day pick back in 2014 because it’s an artist I’ve been following for years, it has remixes I’d played on the show, and those featured artists like ODESZA, Blue Sky Black Death, and Emancipator. Oh, and it’s a 2×10″ EP, which is really weird.
Side A was the spin this time around and the intro track Lost and Found is everything I like in this corner of music. Really nice percussion, neat vocal samples, and some heavy synth work. Done!
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Newport Jazz Festival has been a staple of the genre for decades, and the late 50s were a joyous time to be an attendee. This is one of a small handful of records in the collection from this time period, and the atmosphere is incredible. This brings together many of the all stars of brass and while it only features five tracks, they do a lot in that time. Side A features an introduction and then gets into I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me, which is a long train of solos, but is my pick on this side. It’s always fascinating to hear takes from masters of their instrument during a period or intense but friendly competition.
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In the modern world of instrumental artists who mix in vocals, Bonobo is a big player, and The North Borders came out at a time when an album like this fit in very well. Everyone has heard at least one track from this album. Side 4 was my choice, and I knew that Sapphire was going to be a tough track to top, but I’d forgotten how much I love Transits. It’s lush from the start, and makes it’s case, and then the vocals by Szjerdene come in nearly halfway through the track and it’s a no-brainer at that point. Lovely panned ambient sounds and a tapestry of instruments and texture.
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A neat pick up in Amsterdam many years ago, this was something I knew I needed to have in the collection. Side 3 if pretty dense, but Analogue Bubblebath won out. It’s the most melodic, bright, and descriptive. In all it was nice to revisit some of these tracks after many, many years.
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I’d heard this album and been a fan of it since receiving it as a promo, but I was surprised when I found the vinyl for sale, new, in a discount bin during Record Store Day. It’s an interesting record with a lot of Joker’s “Purple” flair on his trademark synths, but the vocal performances are also very, very good. So good, in fact, that Lost was my pick of Side 3 over My Trance Girl, which is a six minute treat of the sound. Lost is, by contrast, a tale of city life with an eye on hope.
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Back in 2009 or 2010 I got a compilation from an Argentine label called ZZK Records. It was called Future Sounds of Buenos Aires, and it was an eye opening introduction to Cumbia and the sounds of Argentina and South America. Later, Rio Arriba showed up and it included Prima, the track from that compilation by the artist Chancha Via Circuito, and my pick from Side B.
It’s got a wonderful rhythm and swing, lots of cambia swing, and several tempo changes up and down in the track, which are pretty neat.
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This incredible debut LP from the band is high energy from the start and is one of those amazing releases that was recorded in a matter of days after being practiced and performed previously for years. Nothing since has quite matched it, or even the half of it, in my opinion. Luno was my pick from Side D, with it’s immediately catchy, jangly, shifting and relentless story. The drums on this track set it apart more than anything.
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The Beat Kondukta got a chance to dig in to the archives of Blue Note, one of the premiere jazz labels, and was able to take samples and do some reinterpretations of tracks from artists in the past. It’s a very neat concept that works very, very well. Madlib does his thing very well on Distant Land, from Side A, originally by Donald Byrd. It’s a fun, jangling track with a super bass line, Common samples, and just a lovely flow throughout.
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This neat little EP was the second EP from Beacon, and my first exposure to the duo. Their lushness of vocals and instruments were something I’d not really heard before. I’ve since been able to see them in person at SXSW and in SLC, even getting to meet them and get a radio drop. I really enjoyed Into the Night on Side B, which is at a delightful 45RPM.
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This one is a little unusual because it’s a 10″ record, but it’s also a repress on a non-profit label I picked up during a Record Store Day several years ago. I know I’ve listened to Side A in the past, but Side B was the one to hear tonight. Someday My Prince Will Come is my pick of the two, not only because it’s more memorable, but because it has one thing I really enjoy about jazz trios when the bass and drums can breathe without the lead, be it piano, trumpet, or other.
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