Intoxicated Crows Soul Drama Magnetic Emotions

What is the power in wordless music? Instrumental gems that capture a vibe, uplift our spirits, tug on our heartstrings, set a mood or just play in the background to any number of activities? As a person who pretty much wants to have music playing 24/7/365 I have an affinity for this style. Of course there's a vast array of “instrumental” music to be heard. From stoner and doom rock to ambient soundscapes, jazz to hiphop beats, collaged and sample-delica trip hop and electronic leaning grooves, this list is infinite.

When I first was diving into the art of diggin in the crates there was always talk of library records amongst the heads schooling me but they never seemed to materialize. The reality is that by the time I was getting dusty fingers looking for records these elusive joints had already been snatched, sampled and stashed away by a generation or two before me.

Created as easy groove fodder for commercials, TV shows and perhaps even movies, library records have a distinct place in the canon of hiphop sampling specifically as well as in the broader musical diaspora. I can’t sit here and claim to be an expert on the style, but I can elaborate to say that these were often filled with seemingly simplistic but beautiful creations. Open drums, stunning potential for a perfect loop and just enough experimentation to keep people hooked for the next scene or track, depending on where you might hear it.

Lost to time, this is a niche market of instrumental music few have ever heard of, let alone sat down and devoured. Enter the Madlib Invazion Music Library Series.

Billed as the brainchild of Madlib and Egon during the pandemic as an opportunity to give their “creative friends a chance to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted.” The first email I saw announcing the series had me hyped, stating that a new volume would be delivered the first Friday of every month for the next year. When I saw the list of “creative friends” that would be issuing volumes I knew what I would be playing on the first Friday of every month for the next year.

Six months in and the series is going strong. We have seen entries from JJ Whitefield (Ethio Meditations/Drama Al Dente), Jake Ferguson & Malcolm Catto (Emotions Run Dry), J-Zone (Intoxicated Skull), Dan Ubick (Magnetic Fields), Dan Hastie & Terin Ector (Crows Height) and Gabriel Rowland (Gente Soul). Amongst the names still to deliver their entry in the series are DJ Muggs, Karriem Riggins, Mario Luciano, Henkel and Joe Harrison. Each project has arrived with little fanfare and virtually no attention which is what prompted me to want to write this piece. This music is deserving of your time and ears.

Filled with so many styles, sounds, instruments and grooves you can't go wrong with any of the so far released joints. They span a multitude of styles, from up beat and funky, to deeply meditative and calm, hard and aggressive, sparse and quick. Press play and be ready for a journey.

If you are familiar with the artists you will not be surprised by what they deliver. JJ Whitefield does his usual African influenced grooves, Jake Ferguson & Malcolm Catto produce fuzzed out space rock, J-Zone shows up with his recent Du-Rites style of funk and breakbeats, Dan Ubick produces an awesome heavy soul vibe, Dan Hastie & Terin Ector pack a punch of funk rhythms and Gabriel Rowland channels latin infused sounds.

So you might be thinking, six records, who the hell are you? I don't have time for all this. Well that is the wonderful thing about these albums, and instrumental projects in general. Let them soundtrack your day, your next dinner party, your next book, road trip, work out, whatever. These albums are perfect for it all. They play quick, they energize and intrigue. The tag line that has been delivered with all of them has been “listen, ponder and repeat.”

As I’ve been sitting with them on their own and in a playlist on shuffle in preparation for this article I’ve found tunes perfect for meditation, driving, cooking, dancing and reading. But I’ve also felt at ease just sitting back and letting these sounds wash over me in deep contemplation. Nothing is intrusive here. At times the drums might shake you out of a trance, other times the steady pluck of a guitar string might put you in a trance. There is a healing element deeper than initially meets the ear when you first press play.

The quandary of the idea of a library record - backing music for something else, most likely visual, yet on their own these sonic templates create their own visuals. I can see a house party on the Eastside of LA popping to Gabriel Rowlands compositions, picture a beat digger getting geeked as they drop a needle to one of J-Zone’s open drum solo’s, imagine a blaxploitation style car chase transpiring to Dan Ubick’s tunes, feel the spirits move within me to the power of Jake Ferguson & Malcolm Catto’s jams, get deeply in tune with my mind to one of JJ Whitefield's meditations and roam along the Mediterranean coast with some gypsies to Dan Hastie and Terin Ector’s creations.

Leave it to Madlib to select only the best for something he is associated with. The talent held within these projects is astounding. All parties have storied careers, perhaps not stardom and household name recognition, but the respect of their peers and the ability to tap into a well of talent and inspiration and put forth music that can’t be denied. Some projects are handled by the artist entirely, some are filled with their friends and associates just adding to the depth and energy.

Songs come and go, transition quickly or play out just long enough for the scene to finish. They leave you wanting more, yet not unsettled. Upon revisiting new elements capture the imagination and spark new trains of thought. The diversity held within these albums is unlike much of what you will hear this year or any other year anywhere else. They pull from such a vast source of creation, checking in with times long forgotten but also yet to come.

Source is an interesting thing to consider while pondering what this music offers. For me music is the source, it’s where all the love and energy of the world connects and expands. I truly believe in the healing powers of sound. There is ethereal movement transpiring within these projects. Inspired beyond comprehension, produced and delivered to us, so we can carry them forward into the universe, share them with friends and family, allow them to seep out into the cosmos and do the work necessary to calm these wild days we are living through.

I might just be typing a bunch of rhetoric, but it’s all meant to try and capture a slice of what is in store for you when you take the time to digest these projects and the next batch to come. I can only echo what has been presented from the beginning, creatives with free reign concocting what they feel in a moment of time. Don’t sleep. Listen, ponder, repeat.