Tag Archive: Diggin’ This

Diggin’ This: Thandii – “Sinus Node” (HaloHalo Records)

  “Beat driven art-pop; love songs on a loop…”       Having previously worked with modern UK soul and hip-hop luminaries such as Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz, Ghostpoet, Mr. Jukes, Cleo Sol,… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Sema Solé – “Yoboza” (Mellow Couch Records)

  Lo-fi beats and rhymes from Kigali.       Love this hip-hop meditation from the Rwandan artist Sema Solé, produced by 8een and delivered in his national language, Kinyarwanda.     Sema… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Mk.gee – “Lonely Fight” (R&R Digital)

  The elastic guitar tone and power ballad melodics may come straight from the 80s but the emotion is timeless.        Michael Gordon‘s latest, “Lonely Fight,” is an achingly personal dream… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Henry Green ft Colouring – “Final Form” (Akira Records)

  Stunningly emotive.       Bristol, UK’s Henry Green has teamed up with fellow British artist Colouring for “Final Form,” a driving yet thoughtful swell of indie-electronica.     Henry Green ft Colouring… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Jung-In & Mild Beats – “Midnight Running”

  South Korean neo-soul.       “Midnight Running” by singer Jung-In and producer Mild Beats is an elevated, jazz-infused groove peppered with synth zaps.     Jung-In & Mild Beats – “Midnight… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Mayfly – “Another Day” (Underdog Music)

  Chilled acoustic folk from the Philippines.       Mayfly is the musical project of Michelle Conejo.     Mayfly – “Another Day”           “Another Day” is out… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: MarMar ft Arnii – “Stay” (Mammal Sounds)

  Heavy on UKG and feelings.       “Stay” is the latest track from the American-French producer MarMar and features vocals from the Australian singer arnii.   MarMar says: “Stay is one… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Ben Böhmer ft Lykke Li – “Hiding” (Ninja Tune)

  In love with this breakbeat dicing up those walls of synths.       German electronic artist Ben Böhmer and Swedish indie mainstay Lykke Li have teamed up to create “Hiding,” a… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Oreglo – “Levels” (Brownswood)

  That jazz-rock-reggae fusion.       Definitely vibing to “Levels” by the London four-piece Oreglo, which features Linus Barry on guitar, c-sé on keys, Teigan Hastings on tuba, and Nico Rocco on… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Tendai – “Twin Flame” (0207 Def Jam) (Video)

  A crisp UKG beat meets impassioned R&B.       London’s Tendai delivers a standout vocal performance on new track “Twin Flame.”     Tendai – “Twin Flame”        … Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Ginger Root – “Better Than Monday” (Ghostly International)

  Imagine Paul McCartney going city pop.       Love this lo-fi alt-pop jam from Huntington Beach’s Cameron Lew, otherwise known as Ginger Root.     Ginger Root – “Better Than Monday”… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Zara McFarlane – “Inner City Blues” (Marvin Gaye Cover) (Eternal Source Of Light)

  A Marvin mood.       Been down with Zara McFarlane’s sounds since I first heard “Mama Done” from her 2011 album Until Tomorrow.     On her latest project, the London,… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: hrlum – “Follow Me” (Planet Lum)

  Those layered harmonies.       Charleston, South Carolina’s Harlem Farr, who records under the name hrlum, describes herself as “a multi-instrumentalist interpreting harmony of the cosmos.”     Her new track,… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Amyrion – “Backseat_Diamondlane” (Bad Owl)

  A sped-up version of the original.        The Los Angeles artist Jeffrey Wilson makes music under the name Amyrion.     His latest single, “Backseat,” is tremendously good, however it’s… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Chinese American Bear – “Feelin’ Fuzzy (​毛​绒​绒​的​感​觉​)” (Moshi Moshi Records)

  A playful, bilingual bop.       An indie-funk strut sung in English and Mandarin courtesy of the Seattle duo.     Love those dramatic gong crashes.      Chinese American Bear… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: BALTHVS – “Aguacero” (Mixto Records)

  Gloriously psychedelic soul and funk from Colombia.       Balthazar Aguirre, Johanna Mercuriana, and Santiago Lizcano are BALTHVS.     The Bogotá trio fuse Middle Eastern sounds with lo-fi surf soul… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: ORB – “Can’t Do That” (Fuzz Club)

  Scuzz-fuzz bongo-psyche-rock.       Having toured Europe and the US supporting King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in 2019, Geelong, Australia trio ORB are back with a new single, “Can’t Do… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Ev Bird – “Freezer” (Royal Mountain Records)

  Lo-fi alt-pop-progressive-R&B-folk?       Not sure what genre to call it, but Montreal’s Ev Bird‘s latest track “Freezer” is a feel-good ode to feeling cold.     Ev Bird – “Freezer”… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Sebastian Mikael – “Next Chapter”

  Lo-fi D’Angelo feels.       Boston-via-Sweden artist Sebastian Mikael‘s latest track is a woozy soul late-nighter that appears to be crafted with the same approach of abandon and unbridled verve as… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Baby Rose & BadBadNotGood – “It’s Alright” (Secretly Canadian)

  The Atlanta artist partners with the Toronto trio.        “It’s Alright” is the best song on Baby Rose‘s new six-track release, produced entirely by BadBadNotGood.     Love that breakbeat… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Uniri – “Celestial Waves”

  Showers of space synths.       Translated as “one unified dream,” Uniri is a London-based future jazz quartet headed up by Chiminyo and which also features Al Macsween (Nubya Garcia, Gary… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Aaron Frazer – “Into the Blue” (Dead Oceans) (Video)

  David Axelrod takes a cross-country road trip with Ennio Morricone.       The latest song from the Brooklyn artist and recent Los Angeles transplant Aaron Frazer imagines psychedelic soul through the… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Slowdance 슬로우댄스 – “whenyougottago”

  Seoul’s late night soul.        “whenyougottago” by the Korean outfit Slowdance 슬로우댄스  is a bilingual, experimental indie-soul jam.     Love that slow and short-lived transition into doo-wop at 4min… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Anysia Kym – “Pool of Life” (10k Records)

  NYC d’n’b.       Produced by 454, “Pool of Life” from Brooklyn’s Anysia Kym is an atmospheric roller pocked with cloudy R&B elements that sounds like it could be a circa-1997… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Earth Radio – “High Water”

  Future soul from Grand Rapids.       Western Michigan quartet Earth Radio‘s latest track is “High Water,” a jazz-meets-R&B rumination.     Love those piano keys.     Earth Radio –… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Bad Tuner ft Pollena – “Repeat to Fade” (Foreign Family Collective)

  A London-Brooklyn connection.        The NYC producer Bad Tuner, whose rework of “Ooo La La” by Brijean landed at number 16 in my Top 30 Remixes of 2023 list, has… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Efterklang ft Zach Condon of Beirut – “Getting Reminders” (City Slang) (Video)

  Gentle, pastoral sounds from Denmark.        Led by Casper Clausen‘s acoustic guitar and vocals, this brand new song from the Copenhagen trio features a warm and bright trumpet motif from… Continue reading

Recommended Gem: The Story Behind Every Song On Air’s Moon Safari by Larry Fitzmaurice for Stereogum (Writing)

  A recommended gem of an article.         I love this album so much, although almost every time I play it I usually just end up listening to the opener, “La… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Angelo Outlaw – “Speed of Light” (Eraserhood Sound)

  One of my favorite albums of the year so far.       Philadelphia mallet percussionist and poet Angelo Outlaw has released his debut album, Axis of Time.     Produced by… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Hinako Omori – “Cyanotype Memories” (Joe Goddard Remix) (Houndstooth)

  A gorgeous remix.       Joe Goddard has turned in a predictably excellent rework of “Cyanotype Memories” by the London-via-Yokohama artist Hinako Omori.     Says Joe, “I tried to mimic… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Caméra – “Dimanche”

  Blissful and abounding with beauty.       Together, guitarist and Little Misty bandleader Francois Jalbert, violinist and Flore Laurentienne member Mélanie Bélair, and composer Aurélien Tomasi are the Montreal trio Caméra.… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Kamasi Washington – “Prologue” (Young/Shoto Mas Inc) (Video)

  100% energy.       “Prologue” is a triumphant new beat-driven direction for Kamasi Washington that almost sounds like drum ‘n’ bass.     And that crashing crescendo outro from 5min 20sec!  … Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Lei Hope – “21” (Heist or Hit)

  Psyche-R&B-soul.       Hope Chiguvo aka Lei Hope was born in Zimbabwe, raised in Leeds, and is now based in Manchester, UK.     His latest track “21” is a vulnerable… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: PREP ft Phum Viphurit – “Getaway” (Bright Antenna Records)

  PREP meets Phum.       The London, UK production outfit PREP, whose sound I fell in love with when I first heard their single “Cheapest Flight” back in 2015 (read my review… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Glass Beams – “Mahal” (Ninja Tune)

  Another favorite release of mine named “Mahal.”   (Here’s the other one.)       “Mahal,” by the Melbourne, Australia trio Glass Beams, fronted by Rajan Silva, is a winding, potent instrumental… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Loving – “Any Light” (Last Gang Records/MNRK)

  Now that I see you I can renew My love My love       Jesse Henderson and David Parry are Loving, a duo from Victoria, British Columbia who write tender yet… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Fine ft Molly Rymer & Jonah Evans – “Empty Space”

  “2am-5am auditory essentials,” according to Fine.       Cannot get enough of this new track “Empty Space” by Leeds, UK producer Fin Vallance aka Fine, which features Jonah Evans and vocals… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: MRCY – “Lorelei” (Dead Oceans)

  Pure soul that expertly captures the main elements of the genre’s continuum from Marvin Gaye to Gabriels.       Connecting via Instagram during the pandemic, Huddersfield producer Barney Lister (who has worked… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Ceylon – “Qui Sait” (Floral Records) (Video)

  Ad astra.       “Qui Sait” is the latest song from the Toulouse, France cosmic indie-psyche-soul outfit Ceylon, comprised of Louise Holt and Tristan Chevalier (who both feature in the whimsical… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Sully ft Salo – “Nights” (Vocal Mix) (Astrophonica Records)

  Photek-esque drums meet Dillinja-ish bass drops.        “Nights” is a minimal and angular drum ‘n’ bass tune from Sully.     It features vocals from Manchester-via-Glasgow-via Tbilisi, Georgia vocalist Salo,… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Catpack – “What I’ve Found” (Amber Navran from Moonchild, Jacob Mann & Phil Beaudreau) (Tru Thoughts)

  Meows from the Juno synth.       Amber Navran from Moonchild, keyboardist and clarinet player Jacob Mann, and singer and trumpet player Phil Beaudreau are Catpack.     “What I’ve Found”… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Opa – “Goldenwings” (Far Out Recordings)

  Can’t stop listening to this album.       Translated as “Hi” in Uruguayan slang, Opa meld North American jazz and funk with Uruguay’s native Candombe rhythms.     Originally a collection… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: OMA – “Shook Ones, Pt. II” (Mobb Deep Cover) (Live at Bidston Observatory) (Video)

  The Pharcyde, Tupac, A Tribe Called Quest, DOOM, Nas, Ice Cube, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and more get the cover treatment from OMA.       Rewinding 12 years, I remember falling… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: TOLEDO – “Lindo Lindo”

  Breezy.        Daniel Alvarez de Toledo and Jordan Dunn-Pilz are the New York duo TOLEDO.     “Lindo Lindo” is their latest track, a casual, acoustic guitar-led indie-pop stroll sung… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Joy Orbison – “Flight FM” (Hinge Finger/XL Recordings)

  Set to be his biggest tune since “Hyph Mngo.”       So very simple and so very effective, Joy Orbison‘s brand new track is a free-falling low-end monster.     Explaining… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Sprig – “Dizzy” (No Stress Records)

  Bedroom pop-folktronica.       Very into “Dizzy,” the latest single from Austin, Texas artist Hannah Stomski, otherwise known as Sprig.     There’s something oddly calming about that steady drum machine… Continue reading

Dan Digs 2024 Essentials

  New songs added every Monday.       An ongoing playlist of 2024’s very best songs.     If you dig leftfield beats, electronic soul, and experimental sounds, you’ll feel right at… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Manu Delago ft Mad About Lemon – “Slow-Mo Moving River” (One Little Independent)

  The Austrian composer and percussionist has collaborated with the Tyrolean vocal ensemble Mad About Lemon.       The glacial and wintry “Slow-Mo Moving River” is a thoughtful, stirring yet chilled downtempo… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Bryony Jarman-Pinto – “Moving Forward” (Produced by Nostalgia 77) (Tru Thoughts)

  Exactly what I need to start 2024.       Can’t stop listening to this new one from Bryony Jarman-Pinto.     Brimming with optimism, “Moving Forward” is a ray of piano-led… Continue reading

Diggin’ This: Devon Rexi – “Sjikamo” (South of North Records)

  Dub meets post-punk meets an experimental trip-hop beat.       Nushin Naini (bass, vocals) and Nic Mauskovic (drums, vocals) are the creative force behind Devon Rexi, now expanded to a five-piece… Continue reading