The Musik Lounge

  When I'm not getting lost in my record crates I find myself digging through bandcamp just following rabbit holes and seeing what sounds stand out. Sometimes I find myself grooving to some new jazz, an as yet unnoticed rapper or perhaps something soulful and dance inducing. Such was the case when I stumbled upon Patchworks. In specific it was the recent Mr. President project One Night . Filled with amazing modern disco vibes, it's music decidedly not for social distancing but certainly uplifting art for these tough times. I was hooked in one listen and had to know more about the man behind it.  Turns out it's one of many projects a man by the name of Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart has his hands in and he alone has a discography one could spend days devouring. Running a gamut of styles within a broad spectrum of dance tunes you are bound to find something you can groove to and smile along with. The music is created out of love and passion, with no motives beyond experi...

  A few weeks ago I ran an interview with a young producer, Ezroh, who hailed from Australia. In response to my question about his soundtrack to 2020 he mentioned quite a few projects, one of which was All News Is Good News by his fellow countrymen Surprise Chef . Upon only a brief listen I knew I was interested and had the record on the way. After sitting with that album I was convinced that something is going on in that country that must be explored. Daylight Savings by Surprise Chef This band is so on point! Today they release their follow up full length Daylight Savings (also soon to be en route - I don’t even need to hear it to know it’s a must cop). If you grew up on the likes of RZA, Pete Rock & Q-Tip production or labels like Staxx, Hi, Daptone, Capitol (of a certain time frame) this is music for you. It’s gorgeous, soul warming sounds perfect for the shift in seasons we are currently transitioning with. Surprise Chef lay down thick grooves for you to nod along too, ...

Bastien Keb has been constructing his unique brand of digger inspired folk soul for a few years now. Across three albums ( The Killing of Eugene Peeps out today!) you will find a vast array of inspirations and auditory explorations.  Having spent years acquiring instruments and teaching himself the basics coupled with bill paying work as a TV advertisement and show scorer, his depth of musical ideas is exciting and leads to incredibly intriguing projects. I’m not sure if it was Gilles Peterson or a Bandcamp article that initially placed him in my ears, but the name was popping up and upon actually dedicating some time to both Drinking in the Shadow of Zizou and 22.02.85 I was hooked. He encapsulates much of the genreless ideas being explored by so many young musicians today. These projects will take you on a journey, inspired by intricate concepts he sets the scene for a world unto themselves and allows you to escape via the music. With The Killing of Eugene Peeps on the horiz...

As I’ve dove back into musical exploration (and specifically record collecting) it has been a focus to dig into the modern Jazz movements happening throughout the world. Today you can hear vast styles being created, evolved and examined from countless places. In this music you will hear influences from new and old sonic architects, young cats who grew up on hiphop and are incorporating reinvigorated rhythms, modern production techniques and elevating the ideas of swing and groove into a sound that is equally modern and classic. In this exploration I’ve come across scenes in cities I hadn’t been aware of prior. Paris has long been a space for expats from the Jazz scene to land and yet I generally associated it with haute couture rather than anything new musical. That was until I stumbled upon Favorite Recordings .  When I hit upon their discography it was ear opening. Styles upon styles abound if you dig into their catalog. The first one to catch my ear was a forthcoming release fro...

Sounds enter into our ears via so many directions these days, it can be hard to narrow them down, pick and choose which ones are worth more time. We can consume so much and still not even scratch the surface. But when you do catch something new and dive into it out of curiosity and piqued ears sometimes you are blessed with something new and worthy of the investment. Australian sounds have been floating into my ears recently via a multitude of sources, most of it lying closer to the jazz sounds flourishing worldwide at the moment, so when I read about Ezroh in an email from Alpha Pup I was instantly intrigued. Upon pressing play that intrigued turned into fascination. It was as if I had been transported back into time from the land down under. Here was a producer channeling those classic sounds that lured me into hiphop so many years ago and yet it wasn’t sounding like mimicry - just a digger chopping up old vinyl and hitting us with that boom bap. With only 2 projects to his (new) nam...