Classic Chill Out and a Soul Injection

Straight into the tips today, time is of the essence. (written around 5.15am with the intention of recommending 4 LPs)

23.03pm update: Only two tips today I’m afraid as I’m screwed for time, tomorrow is going to be hectic as well and I need some sleep soon. Expect a bumper Sunday update. Hopefully.

Earthen Sea - Recollection (Kranky)

Although he’s been playing in bands and home producing for thirty odd years, Earthen Sea has only started seeping into the public consciousness with some consistently great deeper than deep house and downtempo electronic music since 2014, and he’s been gradually reducing the tempo and energy levels since.

His latest LP, released once again on the ever great Kranky label, is currently my daughter’s post bath/pre-bed soundtrack of choice and chill out recommendations don’t get any better than that. She knows her tunes.

There’s a familiarity to what Earthen Sea does and he’s certainly not alone there, not that that’s even a bad thing, I guess I’m just fussier and more musically restless than most. What sets him apart from most downtempo electronic producers though is his purity of purpose and ability to distill multiple-facets of post-80s electronic music into his own brand of late night, meticulously looped, low lit listening.

“Present Day” provides the perfect gateway to the new LP with its surprisingly soft edged, almost summery vibe before “Another Space” sets off on an opiated kosmische voyage, gliding nonchalantly past Space X rockets as it searches for deeper meaning, paving the way for “Sunlit Leaving” and its spliced and diced jazz beats that have been bathed in the sort of dub echoes that early K&D used to dream of.

And so the LP continues, weaving its path through (unusually) cosier and classic chill out nodding sounds, whilst not forgetting the more discerning, dub tickled density that he’s better known for. It’s beautifully produced, and as usual he’s twisted those classic downtempo beats into the perfect rhythmic skeleton for his lazy looping and soundscapery, but this time it feels like he’s finally turned up the heating in the studio and decided not to repair the latest rip in the studio’s long serving black out blinds. I’ll even play this one in the mornings.

The Mighty Tiny & The Many Few - Be The Good People (Ånd&)

I’ve said this before, but most modern jazz and soul music suffers in comparison to the 60s and 70s heyday, those guys dug deeper and often had, if not god, then at least gospel roots on their side, not to mention some serious golden age musicians around the corner. Nine times out of ten if I need a classic soul injection I’m going to dip into my vinyl rather than hit play on Tidal, although I do have a soft spot for certain nu-soul artists who are at least taking things in new directions. Somehow The Mighty Tiny & The Many Few have managed to scratch both itches.

The project is a huge collective effort, uniting fifteen musicians from three continents with 4-6 composers and 3-5 producers on each track, so quite how a cohesive release emerged I’m not quite sure? Oddly, a lot of the musicians come from Denmark, hardly known for its soul scene, so kudos to Steven Jess Borth II and Walshy Fire - the main driving forces behind the project, and their wise choice in songwriters, composers and musicians.

Several of the main players either live or have roots in Jamaica which certainly has left its mark, not least with the island soul twang of Randy Valentine, who previously was better known for his reggae and mainstream urban endeavour, the boy’s got a voice and a distinctive vibe, I like him. And those Danes deliver, it seems Copenhagen might be the new Detroit?

Impressively as well for such a large collective the overall sound is pretty stripped back. The guitars, horns, keys drums, backing vocals and bass are all there but there is a distinctly less is more approach, everyone seemingly in no hurry to do there part, preferring to hang back and make it count when they do. Classic sounds, albeit with a refreshingly unpolished, slightly distant sound abound on the first four cuts. The LP kicks off with three quality slower jams before the deep disco, and tonight’s family dance tune of choice, “Young World“.

From there some modern studio trickery creeps in with “The Reward” going a smoother nu-soul route, even containing a spoken word meets spiritual dancehall verse. I’m not quite sure how you’d describe, “A Life Called River”, soul opera perhaps? It eschews groove for an uplifting, theatrical vibe and is the last uptempo hurrah before the sweet lover’s soul of “Revolutionary Love” closes the LP out nicely.

If you liked Sault then you’ll like this crew, personally I prefer them.

Dont’ Forget the TSMM Playists.

I’ve added 200+ tracks to the playlists in the last six weeks. From ambient sound baths and wellness imbuing new age vibes to ambient house via jazz, neoclassical, folk and dub; they cover a lot of ground.

They’re available on Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon, Youtube Music, Youtube, Deezer, Soundcloud and Spotify (if you don’t worry about them not paying most of the artists on the playlists). Just hit this link to connect to the various services and TSMM profiles.