Diggin’ This: Sango – “Dance for Blessings” (Last Gang Records)
A thoroughly experimental, fragmental, glitched and stitched percussive tapestry from Seattle’s Sango. Track of the day. Sango – “Dance for Blessings” “Dance… Continue reading
Category Archive: Songs I’m Diggin’
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Diggin’ This: Oma Nata – “Alone Together” (Forbidden Cuts)
On “Alone Together,” Hamburg-residing, Portugal-originating producer Oma Nata turns in four and a half minutes of low-lit jazz piano chords and a meditative flute underpinned by a reliable kick, hovering shakers, and… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Karriem Riggins – “4Es’J & Oddness” (Stones Throw)
The reversed beat, time-traveling synths, and sampled croon snippets of “4Es’J” and the strict drums and carousel keys of “Oddness,” here combined for Karriem Riggins‘ first single from his second solo… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: D-Rocksteady – “Wandering” (Free Download)
A fitting soundtrack to the wall-to-wall rain we’ve been having recently here in Los Angeles. On “Wandering,” Washington, D.C. producer D-Rocksteady weaves textured percussive elements and fluid low-end bass… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Bastien Keb – “Pick Up” (One Handed Music/First Word Records)
Lazy horns parps, slap-bass pops, a chilled chorus of soulful vox, and those all-important hand-claps, Bastien Keb‘s “Pick Up” is both instantly likable and repeat-listenable. Track of the day.… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Inna de Yard ft Ken Boothe – “Let the Water Run Dry” (Official Video)
Feeling this heartfelt yet airy, breeze-blown and stripped-down acoustic rendition of Ken Boothe’s 1968 rocksteady original by Jamaican collective Inna de Yard. Track of the day. Inna… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Eric Lau – “Lau’s Lament”
“Lau’s Lament” is probably in my top 5 favorite laments, among Bird’s, Eugene’s, and Busta’s. Track of the day. Eric Lau – “Lau’s Lament” … Continue reading
Diggin’ This: My Top 30 Remixes of 2016
Thirty of the best remixes, reworks, reshuffles, and reimaginations all from the year 2016. 30. Jodie Abacus – “I’ll Be That Friend” (Jono Jagwar Ma Remix) 29. James Blake… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: My Top 30 Albums of 2016
Of all of the many, many, many fantastic, great, and wonderful albums released this year, here’s a list of the 30 I enjoyed the most. (Click on the images below to… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Bonobo ft Rhye – “Break Apart” (Ninja Tune)
“Break Apart,” the latest single from Bonobo, threads together rainy ukulele strings, sombre pianos, stop-start snare rolls, stainless steel percussion, and the cherubic vocals of Michael Milosh aka Rhye. Track… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Fallgrapp ft Juraj Benetin – “Dym” (Gergaz)
Clouded, moody electronic soul from Slovakia’s Fallgrapp. “Dym” (“Smoke” in English) features frozen synths, tabla percussion textures, and a dramatic, Slovak-sung male-female dialogue. Track of the day.… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: B. Bravo – “I’m For Real” (Bastard Jazz)
LA funkateer and starship connector B. Bravo turns in “I’m For Real,” a heavy, sparkling slab of West Coast future funk that will have you involuntarily busting moves in your chair the moment… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Hiatus Kaiyote – “Laputa” (Koolade Rework) (Free Download)
Opening with swerving low-end dotted with stumbling hi-hats and closing with a bouncing bass-driven laid-back house stomp, Zagreb, Croatia’s Koolade takes Hiatus Kaiyote‘s “Laputa” to all rooms of the club. … Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Nikitch ft Kuna Maze – “Chemelin” (Cascade Records)
On “Chemelin,” French producer Nicolas Morant aka Nikitch presents a honey-dripped beat braided with synth lifts and an otherworldly, pitched-up vocal swirl. Track of the day. Nikitch ft… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Gabriel Garzón-Montano – “Sour Mango” (Stones Throw)
Beautifully off-kilter DIY indie-soul that burns slow, like a frame-by-frame Unknown Mortal Orchestra, “Sour Mango” by Brooklyn’s Gabriel Garzón-Montano is inventive, welcoming, unsour, sweet. Track of the day. Gabriel Garzón-Montano –… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Clap! Clap! – “Ar-Raqis” (Black Acre)
“Ar-Raqis” is a compelling, rhythmic house jam by Toscana, Italy’s Cristiano Crisci, better known as Clap! Clap!, that pulls in musical influences from all seventeen corners of the globe. This… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Dessert – “Cookie”
We don’t know much about mysterious LA trio Dessert, but what we do know is that “Cookie” is a paced, minimal R&B jam laced with celestial harp runs, skittering Aphex-ish pop-and-click percussion,… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Nightmares on Wax ft Andrew Ashong – “World Inside” (Warp Records)
George Evelyn aka DJ E.A.S.E. aka Nightmares on Wax ventures into hypnotic house territory with “World Inside.” The song features plucked strings, a decisive drum stomp, fluttering paper percussion, tape-delayed synth shimmers,… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: The Cinematic Orchestra ft Moses Sumney – “To Believe” (Ninja Tune)
Unbelievable. Fragile yet flawless, “To Believe” is a delicate demonstration of the immense musical talent possessed by both Moses Sumney and the Cinematic Orchestra. Track of the day. … Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Kllo – “Bolide” (Lone Remix) (Ghostly International)
Cosmic synth pads, mechanical percussion, and, yes, some life-affirming jazz flute from Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam aka Melbourne, Australia’s Kllo. Track of the day. Kllo – “Bolide” (Lone Remix)… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Yellow Days – “Your Hand Holding Mine” (Good Years) (Official Video)
17-year-old Haslemere, England singer and producer George Van De Broek aka Yellow Days starts your weekend with “Your Hand Holding Mine,” a Lynchian lounge ode to longing and lost love, fringed with a radioactive guitar… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Stillehavet – “Gola Malimbe”
Distant bell arpeggios, bass drones, expectant guitar notes, and misty vocals fill the entirety of the percussive, psychedelic-folk song “Gola Malimbe,” the latest musical output of Bergen, Norway natives and former Funin members Marit… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Archivist – “Everything is Wanted” (Official Video)
“Everything is Wanted” by London’s Archivist is an upbeat low-key indie-funk synth-strut experiment. Track of the day. Archivist – “Everything is Wanted” Archivist‘s… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: PREP – “Futures” (B3SCI Records)
“Like I’m swimming in seltzer, diving into the blue…” London four-piece PREP is made up of “a hip-hop producer, a classical composer, a house DJ, and a singer-songwriter with credits including… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Tay Sean – “Kathedral Spectre” (HomeSkillet Records)
“Kathedral Spectre” is Shabazz-like, Pluto palatial, cosmic hip-hop (with added, addled, high-neck, space odyssey guitar solo fretworkery) straight from the mind of Helladoper and Kingdom Crumber Tay Sean from Rainier Beach, Seattle. Track… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Sporting Life ft Evy Jane – “Court Vision” (Letter Racer/R&S Records) (Official Video)
On “Court Vision,” NYC’s Sporting Life (who also makes music with Ratking) takes Vancouver singer Evy Jane’s atmospheric R&B vocal melodies and levitates them above sparse and utilitarian drums, reliably punctuated with what sounds like… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: James Vincent Mcmorrow – “Rising Water” (A. K. Paul Remix)
Dublin, Ireland musician James Vincent Mcmorrow‘s filtered folk falsetto gets a plastic fantastic drum machine backbeat interspersed with synth surges courtesy of Rayner’s Lane, North London producer (and frère du Jai Paul) A. K.… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Yagi – “Timelessness” (Jakarta Records & BRRWD aka Ta-ku & Repeat Pattern)
Saitama, Japan producer Toru Yaginuma, bettter known as Yagi, is a central fixture in Tokyo’s beat scene. It was in Tokyo that he first met Ta-ku and Repeat Pattern, who… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Moses Sumney ft Thundercat – “Lonely World”
Stark and stunning, “Lonely World” by Moses Sumney, featuring Thundercat‘s unmistakable bass tones, is an opus of vocal emotion propelled forward by focused drums that gradually build into a rich, complex beat… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: WONK – “1914” (Live at Red Bull Studios Tokyo) (Video)
My new favorite musical export from Tokyo is the experimental soul outfit WONK! Shades of Hiatus Kaiyote, Fat Freddy’s, and BBNG abound; in short, all of my favorite things.… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: MAST ft Tim Lefebvre And Josh Johnson – “The Night Drive” (Alpha Pup)
Feeling this cinematic orchestration of funk bass noodles, cricket-chirp synths, George Benson-ish guitar cascades, and one glorious, unstoppable saxophone on “The Night Drive” by LA-via-Philly musician Tim Conley aka MAST. … Continue reading
Diggin’ This: SWISHA & Los ft Kush Jones & Scatta – “Born Dis Way” (Great Traks)
“Born Dis Way,” an optimistic, starry-eyed juke-jazz joint from Los Angeles producer SWISHA, fuses Chicago footwork and Jersey Club elements to create a magic carpet ride of diced drums and twinkling, wish-upon-a-star piano… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Jay Daniel – “Knowledge Of Selfie” (Ninja Tune’s Technicolour Records)
Shades of Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature imprint’s hypnotic drums and Eglo’s otherworldly synth swirls on this new rustic house cut from 25-year-old Detroit producer Jay Daniel. Track of the day.… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Adrian Younge – “The Concept of Love” (Linear Labs)
“Consider, for a moment, that you are a part of the universe.” “The Concept of Love” is compelling. It’s an ode to vintage synthesizers, to analog radar squeals, to visions… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Tall Black Guy ft Moonchild – “I Will Never Know” (First Word Records)
The force of the sonics of soul is strong in this one. Detroit producer Tall Black Guy has collaborated with LA “tape-delay soul” trio Moonchild to create the stunning “I… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Bearcubs – “Sirens Calling” (All Points)
Future-garage-beat-in-a-distant-submarine vibes from Jack Ritchie aka Bearcubs with the future-forward “Sirens Calling.” Track of the day. Bearcubs – “Sirens Calling” “Sirens Calling” is taken… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Vex Ruffin & Fab 5 Freddy – “The Balance” (Stones Throw) (Official Video)
Pure NYC. An ESG-ish noodly bass dance-punk beat courtesy of Vex Ruffin with New York legend Fab 5 Freddy bringing the bars. From the man himself, Fab 5 Freddy: “I liked… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Barnaby Carter – “This Is Ours” (Project Mooncircle)
Rainy guitar, atmospheric synths, and delicate, mechanical drums make up Barnaby Carter‘s new single, “This Is Ours.” Wait for those rosewood violin strings to enter the fray at 3min… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Jadu Heart – “Late Night” (Mura Masa’s Anchor Point Records)
Listless yacht rock guitar chords and top-fret note ripples sway in the breeze to tropical percussion and cloudy vocals from Dina and Faro, otherwise known as Jadu Heart. Track of… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Uffe – “As Long As It Lasts” (FaltyDL’s Blueberry Records)
Amsterdam-via-Copenhagen producer Uffe‘s “As Long As It Lasts” is a relaxed jazz journey complete with cocktail lounge piano keys, a tip-toeing vibraphone, graceful guitar wah-wah’s, and a delightfully angular drum beat. … Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Electric Wire Hustle – “Go Slow” (Bastard Jazz)
Feeling the slow strings, slow toms, slow kicks, and slow vox of “Go Slow,” a brand new song from Wellington, New Zealand’s Electric Wire Hustle. Track of the day.… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Kaidi Tatham – “Mister Seahorse” (2000Black)
Bug in the Attic, Herbaliser, and Neon Phusioner Kaidi Tatham has turned in a fantastic new EP, The Extrovert City; my favorite track of which is “Mister Seahorse,” a future funk-jazz excursion that boasts a bassline bouncier… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Jose Mauro – “Obnoxius”
Originally released in 1970 on the Quartin label, “Obnoxius” by Brazil’s Jose Mauro is a graceful, elegant, and brooding orchestral gem that easily sits alongside the work of the masters João Gilberto and Marcos… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Sampha – “Blood on Me”
Funny thing about new Sampha tunes is that I already know I’m going to like them before I’ve even heard them. This new one is no exception. “Blood… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: The Code – “Brooklyn Baby” (Free Download)
Mysterious British production outfit The Code have covered Lana Del Rey’s “Brooklyn Baby” by turning it inside out and upside down and outside in. It’s all about that heat-singed bass and… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Glass Animals – “Season 2 Episode 3”
“Season 2 Episode 3” from Oxford, England band Glass Animals floats singer Dave Bayley’s falsetto over a Lindsay Lowend-ish beat bounce that sounds “like my head is on backwards.” Track of… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Yussef Kamaal aka Yussef Dayes & Kamaal Williams (Henry Wu) – “Yo Chavez” (Brownswood)
Ease into Thursday with this smoother-than-smooth, mellow and mysterious, Herbie-ish synth-jazz jam from London’s Yussef Kamaal aka Yussef Dayes and Kamaal Williams (who also makes music as Henry Wu). Track of the… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Amber Mark – “Way Back”
A late summer, poignant, piano-led soul-pop-house construction from New York’s Amber Mark. Track of the day. Amber Mark – “Way Back” “Way Back” is… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Charlotte Day Wilson – “After All”
I first got introduced to Charlotte Day Wilson by hearing her vocals on fellow Torontoist jagged jazzists BadBadNotGood’s “In Your Eyes” from their latest album IV. Since collaborating with BBNG, Charlotte… Continue reading
Diggin’ This: Oscuro ft Mirror Signal – “Too Long”
Cambridgeshire, UK producer Oscuro teams up with Suffolk singer Mirror Signal for “Too Long,” a textured and glitch-splintered moonlit R&B cut with rippling bass tones and sweet-sour organ chords. Track… Continue reading