Where Do We Go From Here: A Check In, A Round Up, A Start To Something New... ?

Last Fall I was honored to receive the opportunity to contribute to the fantastic publication issued quarterly by We Jazz Records, easily referred to as We Jazz Magazine. This was a full circle moment of sorts for me as I hadn’t thought about returning to music journalism since getting sober. But when presented with the chance to submit a review for the Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson & Carlos Niño Blue Note release Openness Trio I had to go for it and I’m so glad I did!

Here we are ~7 months later and I’ve just submitted my fifth and sixth “record essays” for the forthcoming Summer issue and while at work on them it struck me that I need to get into a more consistent writing practice rather than just diving into it when I have an assignment. What better place to practice than right here on The Musik Lounge blog where it all began for me 20 years ago while in college, full of hopes and dreams of what a career in music writing could be.

I don’t know what it will look like. I have some ideas but I’ve learned not to make promises and just let things unfold. So today it’s going to be something simple, just some sounds and visuals that were in my ear this week, these jumped out for innumerable reasons to be expanded upon. Thank you for checking in, listening, and being interested in my perspective.

Hollis “Subliminal”

I went to college with Hollis and it’s been amazing to watch her evolution. She has never let up on creating exactly what is truthful to her essence. Back then she was a young slam poet with the usual youthful naivety we all share in college, yet her intelligence lent itself to powerful words and inspired art. 

I have not listened to the album this song comes from but as the idea for this post was gestating the email announcement of the video came into the inbox and her words about its creation prompted me to give it a view:

“I wrote the song “Subliminal” as inspired by my nascent meditation practice in the depths of the pandemic, a recitation to self to stay present, breathing, attuned, and trusting in the deeper intelligence and intuition that flows through us all. The concept of the music video of “Subliminal” was particularly inspired by a powerful breath work experience I had - over zoom, during the pandemic - where we were guided to travel within and encounter our inner child. I wept and wept on the floor for the child within me, the lanky awkward anxious beautiful second gen eldest daughter I was and am, she who I had neglected to cradle and sing affirmations into for too long.” 

As someone who engages with meditation regularly it’s always exciting to hear people's stories of how it impacts them, connecting them to deeper places within the mind. There is a reason this ancient practice continues on regardless of the state of the world.

The video is fun. I shared it with the kiddo and she smiled at their dance and stared in awe at the sweeping shots of the desert. Beautiful setting indeed. The song itself captures a feeling that is familiar, the music sparkles and sways reminding me of the breath somehow. It’s a dichotomous song in that the beat feels like it could have easily been made into mindless fodder for pop consumption but as you sit with where Hollis took it you discover a depth and meaning within her words that is far from disposable. 

Step away from the screens, take some breathes, find magic in ritual. Let go of the thought that you can’t meditate, that you can’t break away from harmful cycles, trust that your mind wants to find stillness, peace and love within. This is heartfelt, honest music, let it sink in! Excited to hear the next full length album Hollis is nearing completion of, keep the ears tuned in.

monti (aka Chester Watson) “weatherman”

I’ve followed Chester off and on from the beginning, his monotone has at times bored me and at times enthused. But vocal tone aside, his bars have always been dense, expansive and intriguing. From the beginning there was a wisdom held within his bars and he didn’t seem to want to do anything that wasn’t exactly his path - no sell out attempts, no attention seeking behavior, just raw creativity shared for those tuned in. After over a decade of steady, deliberate action he has earned my ears whenever something is dropped off.

“weatherman” comes as an announcement of a name change, which he claims brings chaos but there is nothing chaotic here. An easy, breezy loop and trumpet sample ground the song and after a recording of his mom speaking her truth he comes in with his classic voice, speaking with a force and power that’s classic. 

We get a state of the union of sorts from him, addressing his crew, their connectedness regardless of any BS that has arisen - like any family love always prevails. He testifies with the openness of a man growing up, willing to stand by his words, grappling with where he is at, where he is going and the aspirations a creative is always balancing. He refers to himself as a “forbidden genius” which feels fitting given his presence and content in these strange times. Out of norm is standard for Watson and what this name change will mean for his music remains to be seen. If this track is any indication it’s not so much a musical shift as it is blossoming, an opening, a spreading of wings.

D’Monk & Frank Dasent ExRec010

At the end of 2025 I was compelled to revisit the Digital Mystikz catalog and then ventured into Mala’s label Deep Medi Muzik. Simultaneously I picked up on DeForrest Brown Jr.’s music and copped his phenomenal book Assembling A Black Counter Culture. Sonic rabbit holes are nothing new for me, I tend to venture through them frequently but this one seems to have stuck around as I have found myself connecting with more electronic music on a more consistent basis. 

Landing on Energy Exchange Records promo list was an exciting moment and only aids this walk. Finding them via Ziggy Zeitgeist’s drums I wasn’t expecting what this split EP had in store but I’m grateful I took the time to press play a couple weeks ago on the lead off single and opening track here “For Real” from D’Monk. It took a few plays to sink in just how hard it knocks but its mesmerizing groove finally got me and I closed the last radio show out with it.

That energy had me ready to tune in to the full project this week and I’d be copping the vinyl if European import shipping wasn’t so damn high (read: if you are in Europe you better get it before it sells out - and it’s real close!)

Fantastic grooves all around! D’Monk’s second tune here, “Janet” has some fantastic synth work and a bright, up beat groove that is guaranteed to spark movement, a smile, joy. I can see the dance floor slowly moving into the rhythm and steadily pulsating. It holds just the right balance of consistency and progressions to keep your attention and not get boring. And while the name might be why, I can’t help but feel like I need to hear Janet Jackson’s voice laced on top. Calling out all mash up masters, do your worst!

Frank Dasent holds down the flip side of this EP and keeps things moving right in line. He and D’Monk seem to be a perfect pairing - someone did their AR job well. “Haus Voxism” features a female vocal sample that the press release states is iconic, I’m not hip but if it aids in a nostalgia factor for others all the better. The beat stays knocking, the vibes remain cheery and the dance is certainly being summoned, preferably on a hot night, outside, maybe on a roof top?

“Inorganic Energetics” takes us out and is more of the same vibes and that isn’t a knock. It’s a little slower to build, the name feels apt as the drums channel a feeling of mechanical existence. He drops in some perfectly timed vocal samples, the tune does indeed make me feel. There are breakdowns, pauses to the energy and reconnections to an unnatural energetic state. 

An all around fantastic 12” right here, worth your time, your money and your sweat. Out here in the Pacific NW the sun has been shining bright and the temperatures are rising, plants are starting to pop and this music feels spectacularly on time for all of these vibes. I’ll be turning the speakers up and opening the doors and windows to let the whole neighborhood get on down with these grooves. In these end of days we need music like this to remind us that fear, hate and violence are not the norm, nor the answer to life. To these creators, thank you!

Fatboi Sharif & Child Actor “Night Terrors”

Fantastical, scary, haunting, chilling. Sharif is a master at scene setting, a modern day bard, concocting stories, sharing his demented visions for our minds to drift with, sit in. He paints pictures in his songs, they don’t need a music video, that’s too blatant a demonstration of what is being foretold. Press play and let your imagination run wild. There is a vividness held in his wordplay, a mystery being unraveled. He plays with his voice, unafraid to carry a note even if off tune, all in service of the song, the art. He has a vision, a plan, a presence that can’t be disturbed. He arrives at his place of creation fully dedicated to the execution. 

Partnering with Child Actor for his forthcoming second project via Backwoodz is full of promise. As witnessed on this and the lead single, they pair like wine and cheese. I’m listening to this on repeat as much for Actor’s beat as I am Sharif’s vibe. I can’t escape the drums on this tune, I know it’s all the rage in hiphop today to go drumless but these ones have a hollowness to them that provides an interesting sonic heft. It’s a mesmerizing beat, each element standing out, demonstrating a discipline in restraint, a unique approach to the classic boom bap style. This makes me want to revisit anything Child Actor has put his name on.

E L U C I D & Sebb Bash “Coonspeak”

Taking it out with a couple Backwoodz mashers, the only rap label I’m guaranteed to check for upon every drop. If I'm being honest I’m including this one as much for my own personal hype around the whole project it comes from as I am for the love and appreciation I have for this specific tune and the accompanying visuals.

ELUCID (can we please get some guidance on the proper display of your name?! All caps? Spaces? My OCD mind can’t handle the diverging presentations!) frequently gets overshadowed by his partner when it comes to coverage and fan love and I may be a perpetual underdog flag bearer - anyone ride with Big Pooh over Phonte?! So here we are, I Guess U Had To Be There has been out a few weeks now, after sitting with it for some time I pulled the trigger on the deluxe edition that comes with an extra EP of music. It is entirely worth your time and money if Armand Hammer, Backwoodz or just dope beats and rhymes are your thing.

With “Coonspeak” we are given a testimonial in his usual cryptic fashion which is exactly what I love about his style. He leaves a lot of room for personal interpretation. His bars are never straight forward, you can follow his words and allow them to take on new meanings upon every listen. It’s not easy work. It strikes me as a deeply contemplative mind that doesn’t want to give away anything easy. He flows with his spirit, allowing ideas to pop and drift. In the first verse he speaks of hate, speaks of the danger that is modern day living, speaks of our incessant need to witness nonsense all through a distorted voice. The second verse releases the voice we are familiar with and speaks of a different perspective, one with a little more hope, perhaps still tainted by the dark but imbued with the sense of peace that comes from raising a family and witnessing life’s beautiful moments. There is a sense of trust, a feeling of the reality that we are going to be ok.

And a note on Sebb Bash! Get this man more emcees, more solo beat tapes, more anything. Amazing work here, amazing work across the project. Just like damn! A pristine understanding of sound, samples, drums, grooves and vibes. I can’t say enough good things. The word is out that ELUCID got hip via Alchemist singing his praises and those praises are entirely justified. “Coonspeak” is a perfect example. Press play!