Powerful soul from Rochester, NY’s Danielle Ponder. Love the interplay of that winding bass, those organ keys, and that heavy kick drum around Danielle’s fantastically fiery vocal performance. … Continue reading
Late night UK soul from the Freerange label boss Jamie Odell aka Jimpster. Featuring the talents of British vocalist Oliver Night, “Ascension” is a piano-propelled R&B move for the… Continue reading
Glacial vocals meet a frenetic yet chilled beat. Into this new single from Oakland, California musician ABUNAI (translated as “dangerous” in Japanese) which features Berlin’s Glenn Astro. … Continue reading
A percussive reimagining of the Swedish singer-songwriter’s original. Drums that sway in the sunshine. José González – “El Invento” (Sofia Kourtesis Remix) … Continue reading
A remix to make you feel like you’re inside a flower. Nick Hakim dials up the mellow on “Red Room,” turning it into a sunsetter with streaks of scorching electric… Continue reading
Future soul from Seoul. “Sagwa” from South Korea’s soullette (소울렛) is a vivacious pop-R&B bounce. soullette (소울렛) – “Sagwa” “Sagwa” is taken… Continue reading
IG Culture dons his New Sector Movements guise for this monstrously good bruk bounce rework of “Eu Quero Ser” by Brazil-via-Mozambique’s Lenna Bahule. (If you love this track like… Continue reading
Cruisin’. Love this easy Sunday morning soul with a sliding beat from two of my favorite London-based artists: Fatima and Joe Armon-Jones. Huge fan of that wandering… Continue reading
Scintillating disco-funk meets the pop-rock soundtrack from an 80s movie courtesy of Los Angeles musician Kid Bloom. Love that guitar solo. Kid Bloom – “Does It Feel Real”… Continue reading
Ukelele-driven bedroom pop. “Please Don’t Make This Weird” is some delicate folk from England’s tinyumbrellas that combines the softly spoken vocals of Arlo Parks with the playful melodies of… Continue reading
Piano-led R&B from the Danish singer-songwriter and the legendary Raphael Saadiq. I recognize that snare and deliciously sharp hi-hat from Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky,” which Raphael Saadiq also… Continue reading
A slinky indie groove. Love this latest one from Brighton, UK musician Toby Hayes aka Laundromat. “Combo” recalls the alt-90s audio aesthetics of Luscious Jackson and the… Continue reading
Library music blended with a Salsoul sensibility. Telephone Man is Nostalgia 77 aka Benedic Lamdin and DrumTalk aka Nathaniel Pearn. “Angel” began by the duo diving into the… Continue reading
Highlife meets psychedelic soul. “Mantra,” the latest single from Torquay, Australia’s Immy Owusu, is a carefree coastal breeze. Immy Owusu – “Mantra” … Continue reading
West African rhythms fused with grooves straight from the Funkadelic mothership. “Something’s Going On” by the London eight-piece is some gloriously fuzzed funk. Kokoroko – “Something’s Going… Continue reading
A pathos-led, ethereal acoustic folk number from Leeds, UK duo Sunflower Thieves, whose 16-year friendship is evident through the effortless and knowing way their vocal harmonies meld together. Love… Continue reading
Previously only available on the Japanese edition of Sampha’s Process, which was my number one album of 2017. Brimming with vulnerability and emotion, “In-Between and Overseas” will comfort you.… Continue reading
Synths on synths from the Italian-born, London-based artist. “Clouds” is a meandering, brass-infused keyboard daydream. Maria Chiara Argirò – “Clouds” “Clouds”… Continue reading
“A new beginning.” With its softly sung, pastoral jazz-flecked folk and nods to Talk Talk and fellow Bella Union labelmates Lost Horizons, “Dunes” is my favorite track from the… Continue reading
“No matter what, we keep it frrrreeeeeeesshhhhh.” Definitely enjoying the heavy Houston funk of “C U Later” from one of my favorite drummers, Chris Dave. Chris Dave… Continue reading
A perfect song to start the day. Featuring singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees on vocals, “Morning in the Jungle” by Belgium’s Black Flower wakes slowly and sways gently. The… Continue reading
This jazz stomp is strong. Extremely into this Henrik Schwarz rework of Jazzanova’s reimagining of the Lyman Woodard Organization original. Love those vocals from Indianapolis… Continue reading
Bristol-via-Somerset musician Tuff Bear aka Theo Vernon has shared “Talk to You,” a gentle cosmic slo-disco cut that features the London-via-Hong Kong artist, bb sway. Tuff Bear ft bb… Continue reading
Rich strings over steady meditative drums. Inspired by the “beat-driven production of artists like Four Tet, Bonobo, Machinedrum, DJ Shadow, and Madlib,” Ben Marc’s latest release, “Mustard,” is a… Continue reading
Currently experiencing waves of experimental French pop sounds on this new single from New Zealand’s Aldous Harding. Love that piano paired with those vocals. (Oh, and also… Continue reading
LCD Soundsystem and !!! meet Liquid Liquid in Leeds. “Free Advice” is a freeform disco rollercoaster from the Yorkshire seven-piece that sonically encourages all who hear it to try… Continue reading
Overjoyed to hear new DJ Shadow beats in 2022. A groove-filled, scratch-laden reimagining of the jam from the Melbourne band “Black Hot Soup” that sounds like it was beamed… Continue reading
“Pas besoin de s’inquiéter d’une chose…” Love this bilingual Sunday stroll of a song from Dope Lemon aka Angus Stone. Dope Lemon ft Louise Verneuil – “High… Continue reading
Sensual instrumental ambient-soul from South Korea’s Mydreamfever, the side project of Seoul artist 파란노을 (Parannoul, or “Blue Sunset” in Korean). Released on New Year’s Day, “Rough and Beautiful Place”… Continue reading
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Special Request, Salami Rose Joe Louis, AK Paul, Harvey Sutherland, Nightmares on Wax, Moses Boyd, and many more are all here in my 30 favorite remixes of 2021. … Continue reading
Fred again.., Jeff Parker, Little Simz, Dijon, Cleo Sol, Hiatus Kaiyote, Pino Palladino & Blake Mills, Kiefer, Puma Blue, Leisure, SAULT, and many more all feature in my 30 favorite albums of… Continue reading
Little Simz, Cleo Sol, Dijon, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Sofia Kourtesis, Ruthven, Hiatus Kaiyote, Royce Wood Jr, Mdou Moctar, Tirzah, plus many more all released truly fantastic songs this year. … Continue reading
Singaporean shoegaze. Bo Zhang, Daniel Lim, Soffi Peters, and Daniel Pei are Blush. Blush – “Best Friend” “Best Friend” is taken from… Continue reading
Uptempo, breezy, California-esque chamber pop from Norway. Earlier this year I wrote about “Dearest,“ a favorite song of mine from the group Orions Belte who make “instrumental music with… Continue reading
A weighty Air cover from Salt Lake City’s Dad Bod. Love that corkscrew reversed guitar at 1min 3sec. Dad Bod – “Playground Love” (Air Cover) … Continue reading
Low-key neo-funk excellence from Orlando-via-San Diego’s Cruza. “Brewster” unfurls slowly with elements of Childish Gambino and Steve Lacy woven throughout. Cruza – “Brewster” … Continue reading
Deep jazz-house of the finest order from South Africa’s China Charmeleon. Low-lit for late-night. Love those vocals. China Charmeleon ft El Payo & Dindy –… Continue reading
Highly danceable. Love the Creole-sung kaleidoscopic electro-pop of “Simé Love” by the Lyon, France collective Dowdelin. It’s all about those pianos. Dowdelin – “Simé Love”… Continue reading
I’ve said it before, and I’ll no doubt say it again, disco Khruangbin is the best Khruangbin. This is also why I never finalize my Top 100 Tracks of… Continue reading
Sail away with the ex-Jagwar Ma frontman Gab Winterfield aka Golf Alpha Bravo. “Smoothie” is a 60s-inspired psyche-garage groover. Golf Alpha Bravo – “Smoothie” (Official Video) … Continue reading
A footwork-broken beat amalgamation from the Tokyo-born, London-based producer. Love those slipping and sliding synth keys over that future-facing beat. Risa T – “Lucky” … Continue reading
Delicate psychedelic folk from the former Yeasayer co-frontman. Love those waterlogged piano keys. Anand Wilder – “I Don’t Want Our Love To Become Routine” https://soundcloud.com/anandwilder/i-dont-want-our-love-to-become … Continue reading
An euphoric two-step transmission from the future. Says London producer Duskus, “This release means a lot to me. It’s about love and relationships. It’s about… Continue reading
A piano-soaked jazz wandering with delectable drums from South London’s Carmody. As Carmody puts it, “This song was written with Alfa Mist, we wanted to create a record exploring… Continue reading
Eclectic brilliance from Lisbon, Portugal. “Little Season I” is a collision of leftfield electronic experimentalism and orchestral European pop from the Portuguese musician, composer, arranger, and producer Bruno Pernadas… Continue reading
More science fiction psychedelic soul from the Leicester, UK trio Shadeemus. Love this latest one from Scott Xylo, Demigosh, and Adam. “Solaris” is a string-laden, dimension-traveling invitation… Continue reading
A seven-minute journey. Originally from the town of Bor on the Upper Nile in what is now South Sudan and now residing in Melbourne, Australia, Ajak Kwai performs in… Continue reading
Light lost and found. New York duo The Antlers, otherwise known as Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner, released Green to Gold earlier this year, their first album in seven… Continue reading
Guitar waves upon guitar waves. After reading about Nick Drake’s guitar detunings and listening to a lot of underground 80s and 90s bands from New Zealand last year, Horsegirl… Continue reading
“Bedroom pop that moved to the couch” says the band’s Bandcamp bio, and it’s entirely accurate. “Galveston” by Austin five-piece Why Bonnie is an indie-rock ode to beaches, lawn… Continue reading
