If there is one album you must buy this year, The Golden Age of Apocalypse is it! The musical tutelage of Stephen “Thundercat“ Bruner is amazing. In case you didn’t know, his father played the drums with The Temptations and his musical partner is Flying Lotus, who also, if you didn’t know, is the great-nephew of the late Alice Coltrane. These cats are music! The Golden Age of Apocalypse takes inspiration from everywhere sound exists, taking us on an odyssey where the destination is not entirely known. You could call this jazz, but with a modernism that is futuristic. The Golden Age of Apocalypse is retro in feel but also is highly progressive and new. He’s not your regular cat. You can purchase the album from his label’s website Brainfeeder, iTunes, or wherever good music is sold. Sit with this, blast it, and bask in it.

“Fleer Ultra”

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“Seasons”

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With every project Oddisee shows his diversity as a producer, translating themes into music in lush ways. Rock Creek Park is a unique place centered in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC and extends 12 miles from the Potomac River to the border of Maryland. Donald Byrd‘s group of his best students, Black Byrd‘s recorded the seminal track “Rock Creek Park” in 1972, and is what inspired Oddisee to create his own interpretation of what the park means to him. Capturing the sounds of the soul and jazz era of the 70s, which was mired in compassion, Oddisee‘s take on Rock Creek Park is a sensory piece of work through break beats, samples and live instrumentation. There are few songs from the past that have that same effect, such as Bobbi Humphrey‘s “Harlem River Drive,” and Light of the World‘s “London Town” and Oddisee‘s entire project captures the essence of a landscape and how life plays into it, through his experience. “When I was younger, [Rock Creek Park] was a place for skipping rocks, bike rides and imaginary adventures in the woods. As a teen it was a place where I played basketball, had cook outs with friends and walked through with dates. As an adult it’s my short cut through the city, my quickest way from Silver Spring to Georgetown. One thing it still is and always will be, is my retreat,” says Oddisee of Rock Creek Park. Hear it for yourself on Oddisee’s Bandcamp page and buy yourself a copy!

The second Jazz re:freshed installment comes from über talented multi-instrumentalist Kaidi Tatham, member of West London’s broken beats, nu-jazz, soul collective Bugz in the Attic. Kaidi’s 5ive is five tracks of wonderful. The compositions are delicious, whetting your appetite for more. His use of jazz, funk, afrobeats and soul, and the way he uses various musical instruments to fill each track is truly amazing to listen to. With each listen, you ear a different element that’s equally as fascinating as the first listen. You will love Kaidi’s 5ive. If you haven’t checked out Kaidi‘s debut album, In Search of Hope, which came out in 2009, I suggest you get a copy pronto! Kaidi Tatham reminds us just how special Bugz in the Attic were as a collective. Wish they were actively making music together and bringing more amazing underground artists to the forefront. In the meantime, check out “Don’t Hide Your Love” below, then head over to the Jazz:refreshed Bandcamp page to get yourself a copy.

We’ve been sprinkling music by Applejac a.k.a. Uncle Shecky for quite some time and its as though we’re on a sojourn as he takes on bigger and more independent projects. Playin’ Favorites is like swallowing a dose of cool, fusing various sounds and genres, taken from yesteryear yet making it progressive and new. Applejac says with the release of Playin’ Favorites, “It is my hope I can expose the masses to my super talented friends and also educate the younger fans by putting a new twist on these classic tunes.” That is exactly what you get when listening to an Applejac production—an education. The album features the talents of The Baldhead Queen, Tonya Dyson, Ramona, Rogiers, Reggie B, and Carmen Rodgers. Check out “You Meet My Approval” featuring Reggie B. which has a little funky Steve Arrington vibe to it. Then head over to Applejac’s Bandcamp page to get yourself your dose of cool.

I remember hearing this song on one of my dad’s mixtapes. I searched for this song many times at Amoeba Records before the days of internet digging. The group Colourbox is an electronic group from London that formed in 1982. Coming out on one of London’s older indi labels 4AD, which now houses artists such as Atlas Sound, Stereolab, and Thievery Corporation. The group was initially formed by brothers Martyn Young on synthesizer and Steve Young who  played several instruments. In the beginning the group also included Ian Robbins and Debbie Smith; but later became a trio with vocalist Lorita Grahame. Colourbox released one EP, one full album, and several singles including this one which was released in 1987 as a remake of the classic “Baby I Love You So” by Augustus Pablo and the legendary Dennis Brown. The group disbanded after 1987 and have only since been active separately as writers or guests on other bands records. A best of album was produced and released by the group in 2001.

Every time I hear this version of the song, it reminds me of what it felt like riding the bus playing this in my headphones, wanting to sing out loud but too shy to belt out the tune. Since I found this song through my parents, I wondered what they looked like jamming to it. The bass is a profound interpretation of Pablo’s original. The random clashes, sound effects, and movie snippets must have been groundbreaking at the time. Up until this day when I heard the entire original song, I thought all the voices on the track were the DJ’s addition to the mix. The piano and electric guitar are haunting. Lorita’s voice is a dream induced hallucination. It’s strong and soulful, yet sparse and fleeting. The drums are like a ship’s captain guiding us through the river of the dream. Check it out below.

“Baby I Love You So” by Colourbox

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If you’re a resident of New York City, there is a 95% chance that you’ve attended an Ahficionados event. Deffrei Enfermera a.k.a. FREElikefrei is one of the founding members. Amassing a career in lifestyle entertainment, from DJing, music production, promotion, to fashion styling, video production, music has always been a mainstay for FREElikefrei - an area in his arsenal not fully pursued. “It’s really about being comfortable. I’ve been in this [business] for a minute and feel I have built a lane that takes years of understanding and learning one’s self,” says FREElikefrei. His inner voice has become loud and clear, and set the wheels in motion for his forthcoming album, Grey Era, where Frei explains it to mean, ”If life is truly black and white then I’m gonna put it together.”

“Blame Me/She’s Sexy” is a fun tune that touches on a relationship based on superficiality, kind of like the woman Chris Rock would categorise as “new pussy” who has all those external attributes which make her appealing, but ultimately, she ain’t nothing but a problem. The jazz like tone, and Frei’s storytelling is reminiscent of the years where musical expressions were fun and free. Check out the teaser below. Looking forward to hearing the full project. Stayed tuned for more info on this project.

“Blame Me / She’s Sexy” (Snippet)

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Tai Allen, New York based poet, and his production crew Vicelounge, have put together their second EP Love Music, which continues on the themes of love. When listening to Love Music, you’re reminded about the vibrations that come with love and lust. Tai, along with his partner Jonn Nubian chose to capture sounds from the 90s—an era when hip hop came of age and British trip-hop emerged. Sonically, Love Music combines of these musical elements into moods of life through sounds. You’ll find yourself singing and/or humming these tunes to yourself; they’re that infectious! You can download a copy of Love Music from the Vicelounge Bandcamp page. Enjoy.

What I love about Shade Cobain‘s Them Fighting Words series are the clever twists and turns they make in sounds. TEARS, the fourth installment from the Them Fighting Words Series is: “Denial. Patience. Regret. The mere thought of these words can break the average man down. However, the man who has focus and a purpose will not fear these words, nor the power behind them. He will instead learn to respect these terms and ultimately obtain…the prize.” Shade Cobain calls this a musical memoir of 365 days, and seriously, when you listen to it, the sounds span across so many genres, moods, periods in time, bringing to the forefront the notion of music being life. If you missed any of the previous projects, check them out here. All songs are produced, mixed, and recorded by Shade Cobain, except track 11 written by Simon Stone.

This grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, shows us that she cannot be boxed into a category. With every release we are exposed to a different side of Muhsinah. With Gone, it is vulnerability and weakness in the face of love, which comes across as begin her darkest composition to date. The opening track, “One” has a dramatic feel, as she enjoys the man in her life, while the synths create a sense of confusion. “Stop & Go” have these shattering drums as Muhsinah‘s emotive delivery of wanting the courage to leave a situation, yet stands in a fearful of love, which carries a level of confusion. The more rock infused songs are reminiscent of Res, with melodies that are sweet yet hard in the same breadth. This is a great treat; so get your free download from Muhsinah‘s SpinShop website at www.muhsinah.spinshop.com. All materials are written, composed, arranged, produced, performed, recorded, and mixed by Muhsinah, except tracks 4 and 5, where guitars are performed by Daniel Montagu Smith.

“Stop & Go”

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The second video from their Evil Christian Cop: The Great Mixtapes, “Quickstand” demands to know “Who do you love?” With Jack Davey sporting gothic style gear, and see-through plastic, stranded out in a hot desert, with her counterpart Brook D’Leau styled a la Clockwork Orange, while iLLaV8r‘s Def Sound kicks his verse comparing a woman’s body to Dali as the group ebb around. J*Davey‘s videos are always a visual treat, pushing boundaries either in theme or composition. The video is directed by The Ports.

“[The] thing is, you’ve been hearing him for years and probably didn’t even know it… [Thundercat] is the other half of my brain in the studio,” says Flying Lotus of his musical partner Thundercat. This man is awesome; his beats are eclectic, masculine, and simply are the future. Starting out as a bassist and now has evolved into a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and rapper. Versatility at its best! Below is a free download of Shenanigans Pt. 1, which is mixed by Flying Lotus, a 30-minute sojourn through the depths of Thundercat. Bring on part 2! His debut album, The Golden Age of Apocalypse (check out “Daylight” below) is scheduled to drop Aug. 30th on Brainfeeder.

Shenanigans Pt. 1 (Download)

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“Daylight” from The Golden Age of Apocalypse

Thanks to Brainfeeder and RCRDLBL for the free downloads.

South London producer Paul White, who is known largely for his hip hop futuristic beats has gotten reworked by Michael “DJ HouseShoes” Buchanan (can I just say, I love that name!). Taking Paul White‘s recent beats and reworking them into original rap productions with the likes of Guilty Simpson, plus unreleased beats and remixes of A Tribe Called Quest and Nas, this 30-minute mixtape is an ode to classic hip hop with a difference, and the difference being the future. Through his House Shoes Recordings, DJ HouseShoes pressed the now classic Jay Dee – Unreleased EP (1996), Phat Kat – Dedication To The Suckers 12 (1999), and Houseshoes – Loungin’ (2004).  What’s cool about this project, is you get to hear these rappers in a different musical light; and it works. Check it out below. Rapping With Paul White hits stores August 22 on a 2 LP release and digital formats. You can get the download below or here.

Rapping With Paul White – The DJ House Shoes Mixtape by alexchase

Although I’m from the UK, watching footage like this brings back a happy sense of nostalgia. Every generation has their moments in music that makes us look back and remember the ill-fated fashion, the animated dance, the attitude, and just some good-arse music. ”A Long Time” transports us to a late 80s local Detroit TV show in Highland Park called The New Dance Show, hosted by a Donny Simpson type guy named R.J. Watkins. Making a name for himself in nostalgia, Mayer Hawthorne gives us sounds from eras of music that should not be forgotten, and definitely should continue to be made. Love this song and the various idiosyncrasies displayed in the video (the Count Dracular and the guy with a giant bluetooth-like device attached to his ear!). Check it out below.