A recommended gem of an article. Oliver Ainley has put together this insightful retrospective of Roots Manuva’s best musical output in celebration of Rodney Smith’s debut album,… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show. It’s no secret that my favorite album of all time is Nuyorican Soul by Nuyorican Soul aka “Little” Louie Vega… Continue reading
Come backstage and meet Brijean! The Oakland duo and I talked about their very favorite venue to play, how they first met, hip-hop trivia nights, opening for Channel Tres,… Continue reading
My heart is warmed by this heartwarming new song from LA’s Mndsgn. I’m getting Thundercat plus Mac DeMarco plus tape-delayed Money Mark Push the Button vibes, which is no… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a video. Surfer Pete Devries and photographer Jeremy Koreski venture to Vancouver Island to ride and capture some of the world’s best cold… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a video. Everyone’s favorite Texan global funk trio reps Houston heavy in their picks for Amoeba Music’s legendary What’s In My Bag?… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a DJ mix. Listen to this scintillating blend by the digital dons Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek for the XLR8R podcast back in 2011 that… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a video. “Sometimes I’ll take a year off and just listen to music” – Madlib Driven by Sound is a new two-part… Continue reading
Very into “Sunset Plaza” by 20-year-old LA-via-UK musician Mackenzie Morris. It’s a sun-bleached and subtle chilled indie-soul blur that sounds like mhmm mhmm mhmm. Bonus… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show. I’m a regular listener to Mike D’s Apple Music 1 show, The Echo Chamber. This is… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show. Essential through and through, from the muted digital funk of the James River outtake of D’Angelo’s “1,000 Deaths” to the… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a DJ mix. Vintage. A recently unearthed mix of hip-hop and downtempo beats direct from cassette courtesy of Mark Farina… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a video. Buhdum-bum-bumbah-dah-dum. (That’s the “Nautilus” bass line, from the track of the same name by Bob James, also known as… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a podcast. Northern Irish DJ and broadcaster Phil Taggart hosts the Slacker podcast, a deep dive into musical history and journey of the UK’s biggest… Continue reading
Backstage with Dan Digs is back! We’re remixing it up for 2021 with new and very special “at home” editions! For episode 5 I had a chat “backstage”… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a video. When Questlove said “I make sure no day goes by where I don’t discover 100 new songs,” I felt that. … Continue reading
A recommended gem of an article. Annie Mac, one of my favorite DJs and broadcasters, recently wrote this beautifully vivid and personal piece on homesickness and her native Ireland. … Continue reading
A recommended gem of a documentary. Directed by Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller, Other Music is an excellent chronicle of one of NYC’s best record stores, sadly no longer with… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show that reminds me of that time I ran a nightclub in Panama in 1983. Very strong selection here from Action Bronson on his… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show. XL Recording’s head honcho Richard Russell is joined by Ibeyi for the latest episode of his monthly Making A Mixtape radio show… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a book. Laurent Fintoni recently authored Bedroom Beats & B-Sides: an essential history of the bedroom producers who changed the instrumental hip-hop and electronic music scenes forever. … Continue reading
This is how we chill: watching this recommended gem of a music documentary. Filmmaker Shomari Smith interviewed the Hieroglyphics collective and hip-hop luminaries across the country about the Oakland group’s… Continue reading
What a groove. UK producer Contours collaborated with Nairobi, Kenya’s Pyramid Project back in 2018. The four track EP, Mangroves, is the textured, percussion-heavy result, recorded in… Continue reading
Lo-fi country music echoes meet rainy Manchester melodies. Annie Truscott, who plays bass in Chastity Belt, and Melina Duterte aka Jay Som are the LA duo Routine. … Continue reading
Good vibes from the get-go. Backed by a buoyant hip-hop beat from producer Marc Rapson, “What I Had Done” from the UK’s Georgie Sweet is laced with a neo-soul… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a drum masterclass: Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker gives the lowdown on his favorite drum breaks from Silver Apples to Stevie to Led Zep and more. 💎… Continue reading
Kon and Ben and Andreya have got The Vision. “Missing” is a bonafide disco boogie. It’s all about that impromptu lights-out tambourine breakdown at 3min 5sec. … Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show: Brittany Howard talks with Zane Lowe about her favorite music on Apple Music 1. This was a special one. Loved hearing… Continue reading
Chilled beyond chilled Danish electronic jazz. Svaneborg Kardyb – “Haven” Listen to “Haven” on my 2020 Essentials playlist here. … Continue reading
A recommended gem of a radio show: Special Request sits in for Benji B on BBC Radio 1. 4hero, Donald Byrd, SAULT, and cicadas. 💎 … Continue reading
Greatly enjoying the vibraphonic jazz of Taiwan’s Chien Chien Lu‘s new album The Path. My favorite track so far is “Invitation” featuring Jeremy Pelt, closely followed by her cover… Continue reading
A recommended gem of a podcast episode: Chal Ravens chats to Taro Kesen, co-founder of one of my favorite record labels: Jazzy Sport, for Carhartt W.I.P.’s Relevant Parties series. … Continue reading
JG with the UKG. Jack Garratt – “Time (Rework)” Listen to “Time (Rework)” on my 2020 Essentials playlist here. … Continue reading
Introducing a new series on this here website called RECOMMENDED GEMS! In addition to music, I’m now going to be unearthing DJ sets, podcasts, books, TV shows, movies, and more that… Continue reading
He’s back. Chet Faker – “Low” (Official Video) “Low” is out now. Add it to your playlists here and check out my reaction to first hearing Chet Faker… Continue reading
Crystalline drum ‘n’ bass from one of my favorite producers. Machinedrum ft Jesse Boykins III – “Wait 4 U” “Wait 4 U” is featured… Continue reading
Feeling this playful piano-plonking hip-hop heat from Fuzzface (Portishead’s Geoff Barrow), Katalyst, and 7-Stu-7, otherwise known as Quakers, that features some fiery rhymery from Sampa the Great. Quakers ft Sampa The Great –… Continue reading
Soaring optimistic indie-folk in the vein of Whitney. Michael Doherty, Alenni Davis, and Nick Sebastiano are Another Michael, a trio from Philadelphia-via-Albany, NY. Another Michael – “Boring For… Continue reading
Throwback vintage soul meets bedroom pop production from Palm Desert, California. The result sounds timeless. Gabriels – “Love and Hate in a Different Time” … Continue reading
That psychedelic textured Paul White production. Love that raw flute, that friendly bassline, those shakers, and that general sense of uplift throughout. Paul White ft Iyamah & Remi… Continue reading
Slow and steady boom-bap grooving from Brijean’s Dougie Stu. Dougie Stu – “Another One For Slug” “Another One For Slug” is taken from Dougie… Continue reading
Very much feeling this stumbling beat behind the woozy funk of “Cherry Ice Cream Sundae” by Virginia’s Simpson. Simpson – “Cherry Ice Cream Sundae” … Continue reading
Bumping this excellent new neo-soul from transatlantic duo Sons of the Sun. Sons Of The Sun – “Underwater Dreaming” “Underwater Dreaming” is out now… Continue reading
My very first LP. Glow is a lo-fi Losangelican love letter to record stores, 90s UK indie, the beach, Toro y Moi, Primal Scream, Jai Paul, the Beta Band,… Continue reading
Very much into this new single from LA vocalist and producer Genevieve Artadi. “Hot Mess” is a happily melancholic, lighter-than-air, Stereolab-ish experimental pop composition that fuses jazz electronics with… Continue reading
It’s a different view. Currently very much into the honeyed folk of the Nashville-via-Los Angeles duo ØZWALD, otherwise known as Jason Wade (he of the band Lifehouse) and Steve… Continue reading
What. A. Collaboration. Fresh from breaking a five-year hiatus from music, Mtendere Mandowa aka Teebs recently returned with the Panda Bear-assisted “Studie.” More singles and an album announcement… Continue reading
Show number 12! This week we welcomed the wonderful Salami Rose Joe Louis to the show! I had a chat with Salami Rose over the phone from Columbus,… Continue reading
Show number 11! The eleventh installment of my Loops + Dots radio show on Dublab aired brand new newness from Joe Armon-Jones & Georgia Anne Muldrow, Godtet, Jamila Woods,… Continue reading
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Having previously wowed the galaxy with the stainless steel bass of “When I’m Comin’ For Ya,” Bakersfield, California’s Charles E. Dickerson, otherwise known… Continue reading
