The time has come and the mighty Shaolin Jazz has dropped their Wu-Tang tribute to the great Donald Byrd. Shaolin Jazz consists of Gerald Watson and DJ 2-Tone Jones, and these guys put effort into each track and project. This isn’t your typical mash-up, these guys put in effort to make sure that songs sound as if they were recorded together. Go cop this album here
One of my favourite things about French Hiphop is how smooth it is, the language and wordplay just flows effortlessly and it is gentle on the ears. Espiiem, the Parisian emcee, is the personification of smooth French Hiphop, he just released his new album Noblesse Oblige and it is a real gem. The new album is one of the most complete albums I have heard in a long time, it has it all from RnB hooks, jazzy samples to hard bangin beats. Espiiem’s talent shines on every track with his unbelievable mic control, in seconds he can rapidly deliver a few verses and then on a dime automatically slow it down while fluidly flowing over different arrangements. Noblesse Oblige is in my top ten albums of the year, don’t sleep and cop this album!
The wait is over, Szjerdene has the dropped her new EP Paragon. The ultra talented soulstress has gotten some big names in the electronic game to provide the production on this EP. The airy ghostly type soundscapes fits incredibly well with Szjerdene’s vocals. It is a perfect balance between the arrangements and the vocals, listening to each track allows you to explore the musical journey with the various components. Highly Recommended!!!
Courtnie, the New York based LA resident, doesn’t have too many tracks to her name but makes up for it with her shear vocal talent. She is one of the smoothest vocalists in the game, her voice flows effortlessly over different production arrangements. Courtnie just dropped the first single off her new EP Nebula and the anticipation for the other tracks to drop is building. In the meantime, keep listening to the tracks she has. Highly Recommended!
I am a little late finding this gem, it is perfect for a late night. There is no need to mention anything about J Dilla productions, but Claire Reneé’s cover of Slum Village’s Climax adds another layer to the dope beat. Claire’s smooth vocals really makes the case that this collabo should’ve been on the album. It has been on heavy rotation, go check her soundcloud page here
Better late than never, the illustrious Damu the Fudgemunk dropped the next three volumes of his How It Should Sound Series on the ReDefinition imprint. He continues where he left off with his signature boom bap, jazzy arrangements, layered with some dope cuts. Damu is probably one of the most underrated producers in the game, his attention to detail of the arrangements is unbelievable. Each time you listen to the album you hear another layer that you intricately placed. Don’t sleep and cop this album!!!
Continuing on the sunday jazz fest, FloFilz drops the single Basement Jazz off his new album Speak Thru on the Jakarta Records imprint. If you haven’t heard of FloFilz, get caught up, the german producer is probably my favourite jazz hop beatmaker. He has the ear for slicing and chopping jazz samples over some dope drum patterns. Basement Jazz features the ill talented emcee Blu, his delivery over the beat gives another layer to already sick track. The new album drops December 4, 2015, Cop it!!
MA Doom: Son of Yvonne, the Master Ace album, dropped in 2012 the instrumentals sourced from MF Doom’s Special Herbs. The German producer Melodiesinfonie dropped a remix of the the track Think I Am, the smooth chilled beat does justice to both Masta Ace and MF Doom’s flow and delivery. At the end of the song, you are left with one thing to do, hit repeat!
What do you get when take Wu-Tang and mix it together with some heavyweight jazz artists, you get Shaolin Jazz. It is the brain child of brainchild of Gerald Watson and DJ 2-Tone Jones, they combine sampled Jazz instrumentals over Wu-tang lyrics. Shaolin Jazz’s newest project is a tribute EP to the late Donald Byrd. The second single is The Shimmy Roll which combines Old Dirty Bastard’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya and Byrd’s Jelly Roll. The new single is dope, I love their creativity and various arrangements which gives props to both artists. Highly Recommended!
The Ultra talented Szjerdene just dropped a new single Abode off her EP Paragon which should be dropping sometime in November. Abode, produced by Lapalux, starts off with Szjerdene’s vocals over this eerie minimalist production but then switches to this epic grand type beat. While I prefer the first portion because Szjerdene’s voice is showcased, the second portion is more of your typical layered sound. It is the complete with vocals and production packaged perfectly together. Check out the single and look for the EP in November!
ModulatorSoul 