Sonic Gardens: Day 153

 “So all a man could win in the conflict between plague and life was knowledge and memories.”

-Albert Camus, The Plague


As the pacific northwest hits its fleeting moments of intense heat, sounds continue to shed solace and energy to the scenario. As I sit in an artificially chilled space and vibe to the sounds of Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids I can’t help but think about the world around me. 


Yesterday was filled with the sounds of nature as I floated along a river, laughing, conversing, meditating, praying. A little more than a week ago it was the waves of the Pacific crashing against the shore not 100 feet away from where I slept. Sometimes the music of my life isn’t coming out of the stereo but from those around me and my surroundings.


Of course a speaker is never far from my ears and I like to soundtrack my life. I sat on that shoreline and read Camus as the Budos Band jammed. A group that has always been in my awareness but never really gotten the attention they deserve. The music is great. But always sought for a setting and never just for its own soulness. It’s ambience for the sake of ambience. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, their sounds never disappoint as they are a group of sharp players who construct beauty. And thankfully I haven’t even begun to exhaust their albums as they continue to churn out projects and morph their own demeanor. 


Blu & Exile are also probably benefiting from my own lack of attention as I repeatedly fall in love with Miles. But is this just because I never really gave their previous albums the play I should have? Who is to say what the right amount of listens is for something? All I know is that Miles is magical and deep. I may not have really joined the bandwagon on Below the Heavens  (sacrilege?) but I’m all the way in now. There is depth and weight here. Passion and life. Music worth investing your time. Well at least my time.


As the days roll by I can’t keep up with all the things that came over my ears. I continue to dig through my crates, listening to Peter Tosh for the first time and loving the feel good reggae sounds, discovering a Paul Simon album that I do enjoy (No Graceland) as well as turning up to Blacks & P Money’s anthem from years ago and being pleasantly surprised by having the instrumental that is a perfect amalgamation of Butterz grime meets house aesthetic. 


My vinyl collection is always an excellent trip down memory lane, but I’m excited by the recent investment I’ve been making in adding current sounds to it, participating in Bandcamp Friday for three months running and copping (mostly) modern gems in Hashfinger’s Miles Beyond, Mo Kolour’s Texture’s Like Sun and Ras G’s Stargate Music this past week.


Speaking of the mighty Ras G, his fellows in astral sonic travels have been pumping out gems. Kutmah is four volumes deep in his Isolation Tapes series and also just dropped his tribute to his transitioned comrade in beats. Gaslamp Killer also blessed us with a new journey in Heart Math and I can’t get enough of it. An incredible project that may never be fully digested, it’s perfect for a period of reflection, meditation and prayer. Or just for pleasant sounds unlike anything being made today. It’s as if he distilled his beat making brethren’s ideas into a gypsies folk show. Just put it on.


And just so you know I’m not always one to get lost in the esoteric and critically acclaimed, I’ve maxed out my Apple Music library again (finally Spotify has something over Apple - better get on it Mr. Cook) so I’m listening to albums to decide if I should delete them and clear up space for more random sounds. Teyana Taylor’s K.T.S.E. is still a silky smooth seductive listen that emerged out of Kanye’s Wyoming sessions. It is filled with a late 90s Bad Boy R&B era vibes that should be channeled more. Keep. And I still can’t stand anything new from Eminem. I was surprised to see Kamikaze in my library to begin with so I gave it another listen and aside from “Greatest” and Joyner’s verse it’s unbearable to my ears. Go ahead and rap about my distaste Marshall. It’s boring, trite, and the definition of technical for the sake of being technical. Sure you can cram crazy rhyme schemes and so many syllables into a bar it’s impressive, but it’s also soulless and unexciting. Perhaps I’ve been brainwashed, or lost my mind but I won’t be tuning in again.


No shortage of good music to sift through and what better time than now? I’m enjoying unemployment and the opportunity to relax in the sun, or AC, and enjoy life. Create. Conversate. Grow. Explore. Just be. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ahmad Jamal "At The Top: Poinciana Revisited"

Image
The first time I heard Ahmad Jamal I didn’t know I was listening to him. Thanks to the Soul Brother Pete Rock I was first privy to the sounds comin’ from Jamal’s piano thanks to “The World is Yours” from Nas’ first classic, Illmatic . As I learned about samples and started diggin in the crates I began to see this piano player pop up regularly. They were cheap and I copped one. It was cool, nothin’ spectacular, no Pete Rock sample, but I new I would find it one day! In that time I have since picked up a few more Jamal LP’s (five to be exact) and the one thing to know about this man is when he is on, it’s some of the best Jazz one could listen to! At The Top: Poinciana Revisited is a perfect demonstration of why he deserves more respect and listening time from music fans all over the world. What has always inspired me in Jazz is the musician’s use of his instrument in combination with silence. The piano is one of the best ways to express this. Jamal will play and play and then disappear...
Read more

Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa "How Fly" Review

Image
Two of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets found each other, seemingly through a thick haze of weed smoke – stoners do tend to unite. While Curren$y did enjoy a brief moment of semi fame rolling with Lil' Wayne, he left for potentially greener pastures (addressed splendidly on “S.D.L”) and has been steadily on his grind with the Fly Society behind him. Wiz Khalifa on the other hand has been making a name for himself on both the blog scene and the tour circuit, although he hasn’t made it out to the North West yet. His hustle never did seem appreciated by Warner Brothers who saw a star years ago when they signed him, but sit on the shelf he did until finally gaining his freedom just over 2 weeks ago. Independent is the way to roll and these two obviously share more in common than a fetish for the greenery, fresh kicks, and designer labels. The album gives you much of what you would expect and some of what you might not have. The beats are rocking almost all the way through, some however le...
Read more

Heatrocks of June

Image
Half way through 2010. I'm another year older. Time is flying and life is exciting. Apologies for the lack of updates around these parts, the sun coming out and my own lack of direction have been on my mind lately. I'm ready to make a move and find a home, it's been a long run since coming back to Seattle in October of last year. But let's dispense with the personal stuff, that ain't why you come to The Musik Lounge! Download June Heatrocks here. Kicking off this month's edition of the Heatrocks is "Think 4 Yourself" by La Finne Equipe & Mattic. I know nothing. The name is eloquent. The song is fun. Truth couldn't be realer. Get down with it. I need to go back into my Ani DiFranco archieves and see if this really is her voice they flipped for the sample in the hook. One of the last records I rocked at my old job in the Bistro on Seattle University's campus was Long Distance from Onra. As I remember it, it's great. "Wonderland...
Read more