Free Download: Assorted Treats – Vol.1

Yes.

Finally made some time again to put together a quick mix. Eclectic groove-heavy funkiness across the board. Let me know what u think.

Listen (128kbps) / download (256Kbps):

Track list:

Scottish Retrofuturistic Beats Madness

If u’re up on ur cutting edge music, i’m not telling u anything new. I know!! However, if so far the name Hudson Mohawke or his music hasn’t reached u yet, please allow me to do the honours. This young guy from Glasgow dropped his debut Polyfolk Dance EP last year and just now released a full length album called Butter.

Enough facts.. DUDE IS CRAZY with the beats! C R A – H A Y – Z E E E E!!!
An indescribable (sic) mix of the wildest drums, reverby 80’s synths, stuttering samples and the odd cool ass vocal, all with a funky hip-hop beats overtone. Will induce wide-eyed head shaking (as in WTF?!!), grinning stupidly and manic repeat-button pressing. Be warned. And while he fits in partly with the underground LA experimental aquacrunkwonkyglitchhop whatchamacallit scene (Flying Lotus, Samiyam, Gaslamp Killer etc), Hudson Mohawke sounds more soulful and seems to not mind to also have sh*tloads of downright FUN or want be constricted by any label or uberhip subgenre. I think Dilla would’ve dug..

Hudson Mohawke (Warp Records):
1. Overnight (Polyfolk Dance EP, 2008)

2. Fuse (Butter, 2009)

3. Just Decided feat. Olivier Daysoul (Butter, 2009)

If you like what u hear, please buy his music (iTunes or elsewhere)

ps- shout to my man DJ Alan Shanyinde (Scotsman as well), first exposing me to Hudson’s tunes.

Update!

I’m still here. No worries.

What has kept me from posting? I dont know. No good excuses, really. But here’s what i HAVE been doing:

Made a remix for Amsterdam songstress and longtime friend Giovanca. My extremely laidback remake of her cool song “On My Way” will be included on the upcoming collector’s edition cd of her debut album Subway Silence (Out: 23 October).

DJ-ed in Singapore at end party of Spikes Asia, the first pan-Asian advertising awards festival

Made a tune for the new website of my girlfriend’s clothing brand Spoom as well as shot and edited two ‘making of’ videos for them

Working on a track for upcoming cd of Dutch comedian Howard Komproe “HowardFM”

Promoted a 5-song EP plus 2 remixes (Alif Tree & Aaron Jerome) by Mr.Windmill & me to labels, dj’s and radio. Lots of nice feedback. This EP will get a digital release soon.

Mixed all vocals for 9 songs on the upcoming album “Goddess” of California/Atlanta singer Nonameko (Sole Profit’s wife). Buy the cd or mp3s here

Re-doing a track with Swedish singer Cecilia Stalín (with whom Mr.Windmill & I previously recorded Summer Dresses)

I promise i’ll be back with a free download type post soon!

If u’re in Shanghai, catch me dj-ing @ Barbarossa every Tuesday and @ The Shelter this Friday, October 2.

peace

Blast from the Past: NineFifty – Tears

Just came across an old track from the vaults again and I thought i’d share it here. It’s called “Tears Inside” and is a really soulful, organic and funky tune I produced back in 2001 with singer Dee Ferguson (also: Rice, Krewcial, Heavenly Social, the Proov etc.). Together we formed the relatively successful nu-soul duo NineFifty; nice reviews, label interest, various Top-10 hits at then leading music site MP3.com and various songs have been licensed to films and tv shows.

I think it’s still a pretty strong song and I’m kinda proud we did this so long ago, with VERY basic equipment and without any outside musicians – Dee came up with the main bassline while i played, chopped, sampled and programmed the rest. What do u think? (caaaan youuuu dig iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit?)

NineFifty – Tears Inside:

Download high qual

Michael

Michael Jackson

Just finished watching the memorial service. Maybe MJ was more special than I had realized previous to his passing.

Yes, Thriller was the first LP I ever bought and I loved it. I still do. I also liked some of the Jacksons’ songs back then and yes, I rushed home after soccer practice in ‘87 to catch the premiere of the Bad video. But after that, his music didn’t really speak to me anymore and my perception of him got increasingly blurred by the drama, the weird incidents, his changing and deteriorating appearance etc. Hell, I usually can’t stand pop music, so why would I care about its King?

Mr.Windmill – Yan’an Xi Lu on Bagpak Compilation

Bagpak Music BPSS House vol.1

A recent track Mr.Windmill and I produced called Yan’An Xi Lu has been licensed to a compilation on Bagpak Music: ‘BPSS: House Vol. I’ – a solid collection of jazz, soul and funk infused house tracks.

Carefully selected by Bagpak’s A&R team, BPSS represents some of the finest unsigned talents from all continents covering a wide range of genres and styles.

Check it out exclusively at Beatport.com until 11 July and at all other major download stores after that.

Mr.Windmill & Jay.Soul – Yan’an Xi Lu (128 kbps version)

DJ’s hit me up for a hi-qual digital promo

Bullion: The Beach Boys with an MPC

This is not my music, nor is it new. But would like to share it anyway. English producer/dj Bullion made this bootleg album in ‘07 and in one swift move not only skillfully pays tribute to J Dilla’s sampling collage masterpiece Donuts but does so while cutting up an album from an ENTIRELY different galaxy – harmonic vocal pop classic Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966). Real clever and funky. Matter of fact with all the Dilla inspired producers out there, I haven’t heard somebody come as close to the man himself as Bullion on this project.

For all open-minded music lovers and definitely for the beatheads and Jay Dee/Dilla fans (check J chilling with the B(each) Boys on the cover..)

This download is with permission of Bullion. Enjoy and spread it around like some good old flu: Pet Sounds In The Key Of Dee

Smile.

New Mr.Windmill track: Hong Zhong Lu

I know, it’s been exactly 2 weeks since my last post. That’s too long, you’re right. But fear not, my dear friend, we’re back. Here’s an exclusive preview of a new tune I’ve been concocting with the one dem call Mr.Windmill:

Let me know if you like it. Dj’s/labels pls get in touch for a high qual mp3. Oh, and that voice you hear belongs to Herbie Hancock. It’s off a 7″ vinyl instructional record from the 70s about the Fender Rhodes piano, as recently posted by NZ artist/dj Recloose

Underground Soul + Beats.. mini mix ‘08

Just a short mix i still had lying around. Made it for Dionne Pool’s radio show on Juize FM back home. For lovers of that independent now soul. Plan to do some more mixes soon. Don’t touch that dial..

download high qual: Jay.Soul Nu-Soul minimix ‘08

track listing:
joy denalane – change (ft. lupe fiasco) [germany/usa]
sy smith – aquarius rising (prod. by nicolay) [usa/netherlands]
zaki ibrahim – grow [canada]
platinum pied pipers – stay with me (ft. tiombé lockhart) [usa]

(picture is of joy denalane)

O.Boogie ft. Tableek (Jay.Soul Mean Green Remix)

And another exclusive track (well, it was until i just published this post and made it available to every single living, breathing, internet access having human being in this solar system from now til cyberspace eternity).

Anyway. O.Boogie is a cool producer/dj cat from Amsterdam who asked me some time ago to do a promo remix of this track Paperchaser he was gonna release with rapper Tableek from the group Maspyke. So i did. On some old nasty synthy rough drum sounds hip-hop vibe. Play loud.

Download high qual: O.Boogie ft. Tableek – Paperchaser (Jay.Soul Mean Green Remix)

23 April: Nu Kind of Blue ft. JZ School

Ni hao Shanghai ren! Come by The Shelter on Thursday April 23 for a night of all things jazzy and funky. Deep beats and grooves provided by dj’s Alan Shanyinde, V-Nutz, Drunk Monk and myself will blend with live performances by our dope-as-hell resident musicians Xiao Feng and Devious as well as talented students from the JZ School. Click flyer above for more info (and yes, that’s me hanging upside down, bottom left).

Sole Profit ft. Nonameko – FRESH!

Now for some much deserved bloglight on longtime collabo artist Sole Profit, who I’ve been making tracks with since hooking up through mp3.com (remember when that was THE music site?).

This Californian cat – currently living in Atlanta – is seriously one of the nicest mc’s you never heard. Hard hitting punchlines, story telling skills, versatile flows, a sense of humour and the ability to translate a wide variety of ideas and emotions into dope rhymes.

Alif Tree Remix Contest

A couple of weeks ago I saw on Soundcloud that German label Compost Records had a remix contest for the song Aurevoir by French DJ/producer Alif Tree. Extended deadline was yesterday, Friday April 10. Couldn’t get Mr.Windmill in the studio earlier, so we had to do the whole remix from start to finish in 1 day. The original is a really organic, melancholic jazz track over a slow housy groove, with mostly live instruments. We rearranged the track completely, took parts out, added new drums, percussion and bass and sped it up too. Shake something..

For fans of dubby, afrolatin percussion flavored, groovin’ deep jazz house.

enjoy and tell me what u think..

Inside Nicolay’s studio: It’s not the what, it’s the how

Whatsup? Here’s the first music equipment related post on my blog. Non-gear loving folks, please keep walking – there’s nothing to see here.. (Just walk up or down one post to where the free downloads are..)

For those that are interested in getting an inside look into well-known producers’ studios – what gear do they use, what software, how do they approach building a song, mixing techniques etc. etc. – check out Dutch soulful hip-hop producer Nicolay’s new blog series. In Part 1 he explains – to my suprise – that one of his main tools is a pretty old fashioned, free piece of step sequencing software called ModPlug. The backbone for most his tracks is made in it. Wow.

Sun is out.. Summer Dresses!

The sun has been (sort of) out in Shanghai the last couple of days. This calls for some laidback tunes to fit that mood.

Download high qual: Mr.Windmill & Jay.Soul ft. Cecilia Stalín “Summer Dresses”