Air Adam Podcast
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:50:05 +0000
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:50:05 +0000
Libsyn RSSgen 1.0
24105
2025-11-07T14:46:08Z
en
Air Adam Podcast
Air Adam
true
Adam Braimah
podcast@airadam.com
episodic
no
Episode 208 : Grinding Through
Episode 208 : Grinding Through
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:40:00 +0000
"Taking selfies while the world burns..." - Konny Kon The title is the only way to describe putting this episode together! The headphone monitoring on my mixer is broken, and I can't get any service centres to respond to my emails (are they scared of money?), and then the machine where I usually run my Serato DJ software decided we weren't friends anymore. I've hopefully delivered an episode not too rough around the edges, with a good number of brand new/very recent releases alongside some album cuts and remixes you can now flex about knowing 😁 Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk Twitch : @airadam13 Playlist/Notes Mega Ran ft. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien : Box And One "Live '95" is the kind of basketball-themed release that was perfect for a Hip-Hop and hoops head like me. Philadelphia (Mega Ran) and California (Del) come together for a real bar exam, no hook, with references piled upon references like a librarian's book trolley. DJ DN3 provides the beat, as he does on most of the album, and it'll have your shoulders moving and your head nodding! Oh, and for those that don't know, a "box and one" is a specific (some say gimmicky) defensive strategy in basketball intended to slow down an opposing star and force their teammates to score instead #KnowBall Exile : Heavens Gates Just so you know, the apostrophe is missing in the original title 😁 Anyway, the Los Angeles MPC master Exile released this instrumental on his 2019 contribution to the "Baker's Dozen" series, and it's a standout. Gospel provides the sample source and he turns the sample inside out in an unsettling way with a skittering hi-hat line running alongside an organic-feeling kick and snare. This beat was originally released back in 2006 as the music for "Pearly Gates" by Mobb Deep - very dope track, but if you have delicate religious sensibilities, do not listen to Prodigy's closing verse! Children Of Zeus : As The World Burns We kick the first mix off with the title track from the big release of the month, the latest LP from Children of Zeus! While Tyler Daley's smooth tones build the hook, the meat of the song has both he and Konny Kon in full MC mode, running down the state of the Zeus nation over a chunky beat produced by Cre8, Styles Davis, Forestxfire and Orenji Soul. The world might well be burning down, but at least we have a quality soundtrack to watch the bonfire! Sway : On My Own It was a real shock to hear of the passing of Sway (Derek Dasafo) this month, an artist who blazed a trail independently in UK Hip-Hop and truly deserved his flowers. This track is taken from his debut LP "This Is My Demo", and he tells the tale of his struggle - from childhood, through to choosing music as his career path and trying to make his mark. With vocalist Nate James adding the sung chorus as a breather between two serious verses, this is a testament from an independent spirit. May he rest peacefully. Tall Black Guy : Believe In Me TBG is back with another collection of mind-bendind sample flips, the "Black Vandross Suite" project. This spacey, polished track gives you the rhythmic feel of something like Slum Village's "Tainted" while folding in samples from a classic Luther Vandross number, before elevating the combination even further with bass and I think extra keys too. Luther's voice haunts the proceedings, and this track stands out as a personal highlight of the album. Mary J. Blige ft. Mos Def & Talib Kweli : Beautiful (Blackstar Remix) A great extra track from the 12" of "More Than I Can Say", with Mos Def and Talib Kweli adding a bonus to the headline-worthy vocals of the great Mary J. Jam and Lewis are credited as the main producers, with Hi-Tek on the boards for the smooth grooves of the remix. Recording-wise though, there is a little distortion on this - and having had a go at digitising it twice, I think it's part of the pressing. If you can excuse that, the 1999 12" is currently available at very reasonable second-hand prices, so don't miss out on this. [Kev Brown] MindsOne : Equinox (Instrumental) Kev Brown, the bassline master, the groove specialist, the pride of Landover, Maryland. Here he is with an instrumental from the 2014 "Pillars" EP, a collaboration with the North Carolina crew MindsOne, building the track around a nicely-chopped piano sample, then adding a bassline that interplays with it, and a simple (sounding) but effective drum track. "Pillars" is one of those welcome releases where there's a full set of instrumentals included, so definitely one for the beat heads. Busta Rhymes & J Dilla : Back Pain, Chest Pain, Head Pain Not a meditation on life in your forties, but a straight thumper from the brand new "Dillagence II" album - the latest from Busta Rhymes, soundtracked by beats left to him personally by the late great J Dilla. That famous Mantronix siren sample is the little signature and warning, and then Busta stomps straight through on a track that showcases a different facet of Dilla's range to the chilled, loose-feel style that so many people have tried to take and run with. It's not Busta's most sharply lyrical performance by any means, but his aggressive energy matches the instrumental. Clear Soul Forces : Blow Ya Mind This doesn't sample the track I'm thinking of, but it feels very much like the banquet theme from "Enter The Dragon", chopped and blended with highly-fortified drums - a level of ruggedness required to balance out the lyrical onsalught of CSF! Nameless on the beat, and the whole crew on the mic, this is a banger from their 2015 "Fab 5ive" album that represents that era of Detroit in fine style. Semi Six : Luxuries Back-to-back Detroit, with the title track from the brand new "Luxuries" EP by my man Semi Six. How much do you value luxuries? How far would you go to get and keep them? It's all here in this heavy track, produced by Nigerian boardsmith Buharee Black, who handles the beats for the whole project. Buharee brings in a dramatic, piano-laden boom-bap track and Semi brings the heat - no hook, just a stream of bars upon bars. Organized Konfusion : Thirteen An old favourite, and not just because of the title! This killer from 1994's "Stress : The Extinction Agenda" sees Pharoahe Monch going solo on the mic for three strong verses. Elite level bars, with lots of playing with flows and tone as well, and the Buckwild beat makes this an album cut classic. This was the second LP from OK, and one that laughed in the face of the dreaded sophomore jinx - seek it out for a listen if you've never heard it. DJ Epik : Criminology (DJ Epik Remix Instrumental) Philosophical question - if you remix a track with an all-new beat and then drop the vocals, do you just call it something new? In all seriousness though, dope work from Sacramento's DJ Epik, whose Bandcamp is well worth following for some great singles and remixes! Blu & Sndtrak : Jesus You're probably more familiar with the combination of Blu and Exile, who have done incredibly strong work together, but this release was a welcome surprise! Sndtrak is an absolute beast of a young producer who, while best known for his exceptional sample-flipping work presented in instrumental form, shows here that he can take an MC to the next level. The ten-track "LA" is exactly what the name suggests, an unapologetically Los Angeles album in all ways, with some beats we've heard on flip tapes before while others sound brand new - I think this is one. This church-music-sampling closer thumps at a menacing low tempo while Blu's vision of Jesus coming to Earth in modern day Cali is reminiscent of the "Black Jesus" series, but goes deeper. The Joe Biden reference possibly indicates that these lyrics might have been written a while ago; if they were more contemporaneous, we might be talking about the current situation bringing on wrecked markets, chasing with whips, and the rest... Dilated Peoples : Back Again Before the era of the drumless beats, The Alchemist was providing beats with this kind of sharp-edged sonic character to some of the best artists in the culture, and he hit Dilated with a good one here! This specific recording is from a 12" single release but the track was a single from the 20/20 album - one which kind of passed me by at the time of release in 2006 but really should get a proper listen twenty years later... The MCing is quality as always, and of course the third member of the group, DJ Babu (who invented the word "turntablist") seasons it up nicely with his cuts. One extra touch which will always make this track memorable for me is the pull-up and rewind off the back of Evidence's first two bars - great execution to emphasise his reversal of a famous Diddy line. Ghostface Killah ft. Raekwon, Method Man, and GZA : The Trial With roughly 50% of the Wu on this cut, you know you're in for a treat! "Supreme Clientele 2" was a welcome surprise as part of the recent "Legend Has It" series of releases, and this deep album cut was one of the best tracks. Method Man is the judge in this case, with the other MCs giving testimony and filling out the courtroom scene with their verses, GZA's uninterrupted closing verse (statement?) being the highlight. RoadsArt comes with a heavy, somewhat gloomy beat to carry the gravity, rounding out a track that demonstrates once again that actual writing is still important. Da Flyy Hooligan : SAAB '98 I do wish I'd bought a Saab before they went out of the car business! Nevertheless, Hooli gives us some precision vibes on this track from his second release of the year, the eleven-track, luxury-flavoured "Today's Agenda" album. The bars are delivered in a package of smooth instrumentation and crisp, tight drum programming with some nice rolls to add a little extra flourish. If you're not already on board, this North London representative is an artist to check if you want lyrics for the headphones and beats for the ride. Mitch Murder : Bayshore Connect I became aware of Mitch Murder through his bread and butter, the synthwave/80s vibe that he's a leader in, but he's got a very nice recent sideline in this kind of clean, airy drum & bass. I don't know if the vocals were recorded for this track, or imported and manipulated here, but the processing of the vocalist and the added effects make for interesting extra feel. Pick up this smooth, beautiful track from last year's "Hurricane" single/EP - or treat yourself and buy the whole thing! 4am Kru : High Time We end the show with more D&B, this time leaning on a sample/interpolation of a classic I won't mention here, just in case... 4am Kru was a new name to me who I assumed was an artist with a much longer history, but is actually a duo from the modern day influenced by the old-school jungle flavours! Forming in 2019, this London duo have by all accounts being coming with heat, including one album and a raft of singles and EPs - as well as energetic live shows. This track blends the classic sped-up break jungle style with a vocal sample from Memphis' Gangsta Pat's 1995 track "I Wanna Smoke", not an obvious choice but a great one. Even if, like me, you're not a smoker, you might find yourself humming along to this one as you go about your day... Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!]]>
"Taking selfies while the world burns..." - Konny Kon The title is the only way to describe putting this episode together! The headphone monitoring on my mixer is broken, and I can't get any service centres to respond to my emails (are they scared of money?), and then the machine where I usually run my Serato DJ software decided we weren't friends anymore. I've hopefully delivered an episode not too rough around the edges, with a good number of brand new/very recent releases alongside some album cuts and remixes you can now flex about knowing 😁 Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk Twitch : @airadam13 Playlist/Notes Mega Ran ft. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien : Box And One "Live '95" is the kind of basketball-themed release that was perfect for a Hip-Hop and hoops head like me. Philadelphia (Mega Ran) and California (Del) come together for a real bar exam, no hook, with references piled upon references like a librarian's book trolley. DJ DN3 provides the beat, as he does on most of the album, and it'll have your shoulders moving and your head nodding! Oh, and for those that don't know, a "box and one" is a specific (some say gimmicky) defensive strategy in basketball intended to slow down an opposing star and force their teammates to score instead #KnowBall Exile : Heavens Gates Just so you know, the apostrophe is missing in the original title 😁 Anyway, the Los Angeles MPC master Exile released this instrumental on his 2019 contribution to the "Baker's Dozen" series, and it's a standout. Gospel provides the sample source and he turns the sample inside out in an unsettling way with a skittering hi-hat line running alongside an organic-feeling kick and snare. This beat was originally released back in 2006 as the music for "Pearly Gates" by Mobb Deep - very dope track, but if you have delicate religious sensibilities, do not listen to Prodigy's closing verse! Children Of Zeus : As The World Burns We kick the first mix off with the title track from the big release of the month, the latest LP from Children of Zeus! While Tyler Daley's smooth tones build the hook, the meat of the song has both he and Konny Kon in full MC mode, running down the state of the Zeus nation over a chunky beat produced by Cre8, Styles Davis, Forestxfire and Orenji Soul. The world might well be burning down, but at least we have a quality soundtrack to watch the bonfire! Sway : On My Own It was a real shock to hear of the passing of Sway (Derek Dasafo) this month, an artist who blazed a trail independently in UK Hip-Hop and truly deserved his flowers. This track is taken from his debut LP "This Is My Demo", and he tells the tale of his struggle - from childhood, through to choosing music as his career path and trying to make his mark. With vocalist Nate James adding the sung chorus as a breather between two serious verses, this is a testament from an independent spirit. May he rest peacefully. Tall Black Guy : Believe In Me TBG is back with another collection of mind-bendind sample flips, the "Black Vandross Suite" project. This spacey, polished track gives you the rhythmic feel of something like Slum Village's "Tainted" while folding in samples from a classic Luther Vandross number, before elevating the combination even further with bass and I think extra keys too. Luther's voice haunts the proceedings, and this track stands out as a personal highlight of the album. Mary J. Blige ft. Mos Def & Talib Kweli : Beautiful (Blackstar Remix) A great extra track from the 12" of "More Than I Can Say", with Mos Def and Talib Kweli adding a bonus to the headline-worthy vocals of the great Mary J. Jam and Lewis are credited as the main producers, with Hi-Tek on the boards for the smooth grooves of the remix. Recording-wise though, there is a little distortion on this - and having had a go at digitising it twice, I think it's part of the pressing. If you can excuse that, the 1999 12" is currently available at very reasonable second-hand prices, so don't miss out on this. [Kev Brown] MindsOne : Equinox (Instrumental) Kev Brown, the bassline master, the groove specialist, the pride of Landover, Maryland. Here he is with an instrumental from the 2014 "Pillars" EP, a collaboration with the North Carolina crew MindsOne, building the track around a nicely-chopped piano sample, then adding a bassline that interplays with it, and a simple (sounding) but effective drum track. "Pillars" is one of those welcome releases where there's a full set of instrumentals included, so definitely one for the beat heads. Busta Rhymes & J Dilla : Back Pain, Chest Pain, Head Pain Not a meditation on life in your forties, but a straight thumper from the brand new "Dillagence II" album - the latest from Busta Rhymes, soundtracked by beats left to him personally by the late great J Dilla. That famous Mantronix siren sample is the little signature and warning, and then Busta stomps straight through on a track that showcases a different facet of Dilla's range to the chilled, loose-feel style that so many people have tried to take and run with. It's not Busta's most sharply lyrical performance by any means, but his aggressive energy matches the instrumental. Clear Soul Forces : Blow Ya Mind This doesn't sample the track I'm thinking of, but it feels very much like the banquet theme from "Enter The Dragon", chopped and blended with highly-fortified drums - a level of ruggedness required to balance out the lyrical onsalught of CSF! Nameless on the beat, and the whole crew on the mic, this is a banger from their 2015 "Fab 5ive" album that represents that era of Detroit in fine style. Semi Six : Luxuries Back-to-back Detroit, with the title track from the brand new "Luxuries" EP by my man Semi Six. How much do you value luxuries? How far would you go to get and keep them? It's all here in this heavy track, produced by Nigerian boardsmith Buharee Black, who handles the beats for the whole project. Buharee brings in a dramatic, piano-laden boom-bap track and Semi brings the heat - no hook, just a stream of bars upon bars. Organized Konfusion : Thirteen An old favourite, and not just because of the title! This killer from 1994's "Stress : The Extinction Agenda" sees Pharoahe Monch going solo on the mic for three strong verses. Elite level bars, with lots of playing with flows and tone as well, and the Buckwild beat makes this an album cut classic. This was the second LP from OK, and one that laughed in the face of the dreaded sophomore jinx - seek it out for a listen if you've never heard it. DJ Epik : Criminology (DJ Epik Remix Instrumental) Philosophical question - if you remix a track with an all-new beat and then drop the vocals, do you just call it something new? In all seriousness though, dope work from Sacramento's DJ Epik, whose Bandcamp is well worth following for some great singles and remixes! Blu & Sndtrak : Jesus You're probably more familiar with the combination of Blu and Exile, who have done incredibly strong work together, but this release was a welcome surprise! Sndtrak is an absolute beast of a young producer who, while best known for his exceptional sample-flipping work presented in instrumental form, shows here that he can take an MC to the next level. The ten-track "LA" is exactly what the name suggests, an unapologetically Los Angeles album in all ways, with some beats we've heard on flip tapes before while others sound brand new - I think this is one. This church-music-sampling closer thumps at a menacing low tempo while Blu's vision of Jesus coming to Earth in modern day Cali is reminiscent of the "Black Jesus" series, but goes deeper. The Joe Biden reference possibly indicates that these lyrics might have been written a while ago; if they were more contemporaneous, we might be talking about the current situation bringing on wrecked markets, chasing with whips, and the rest... Dilated Peoples : Back Again Before the era of the drumless beats, The Alchemist was providing beats with this kind of sharp-edged sonic character to some of the best artists in the culture, and he hit Dilated with a good one here! This specific recording is from a 12" single release but the track was a single from the 20/20 album - one which kind of passed me by at the time of release in 2006 but really should get a proper listen twenty years later... The MCing is quality as always, and of course the third member of the group, DJ Babu (who invented the word "turntablist") seasons it up nicely with his cuts. One extra touch which will always make this track memorable for me is the pull-up and rewind off the back of Evidence's first two bars - great execution to emphasise his reversal of a famous Diddy line. Ghostface Killah ft. Raekwon, Method Man, and GZA : The Trial With roughly 50% of the Wu on this cut, you know you're in for a treat! "Supreme Clientele 2" was a welcome surprise as part of the recent "Legend Has It" series of releases, and this deep album cut was one of the best tracks. Method Man is the judge in this case, with the other MCs giving testimony and filling out the courtroom scene with their verses, GZA's uninterrupted closing verse (statement?) being the highlight. RoadsArt comes with a heavy, somewhat gloomy beat to carry the gravity, rounding out a track that demonstrates once again that actual writing is still important. Da Flyy Hooligan : SAAB '98 I do wish I'd bought a Saab before they went out of the car business! Nevertheless, Hooli gives us some precision vibes on this track from his second release of the year, the eleven-track, luxury-flavoured "Today's Agenda" album. The bars are delivered in a package of smooth instrumentation and crisp, tight drum programming with some nice rolls to add a little extra flourish. If you're not already on board, this North London representative is an artist to check if you want lyrics for the headphones and beats for the ride. Mitch Murder : Bayshore Connect I became aware of Mitch Murder through his bread and butter, the synthwave/80s vibe that he's a leader in, but he's got a very nice recent sideline in this kind of clean, airy drum & bass. I don't know if the vocals were recorded for this track, or imported and manipulated here, but the processing of the vocalist and the added effects make for interesting extra feel. Pick up this smooth, beautiful track from last year's "Hurricane" single/EP - or treat yourself and buy the whole thing! 4am Kru : High Time We end the show with more D&B, this time leaning on a sample/interpolation of a classic I won't mention here, just in case... 4am Kru was a new name to me who I assumed was an artist with a much longer history, but is actually a duo from the modern day influenced by the old-school jungle flavours! Forming in 2019, this London duo have by all accounts being coming with heat, including one album and a raft of singles and EPs - as well as energetic live shows. This track blends the classic sped-up break jungle style with a vocal sample from Memphis' Gangsta Pat's 1995 track "I Wanna Smoke", not an obvious choice but a great one. Even if, like me, you're not a smoker, you might find yourself humming along to this one as you go about your day... Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!]]>
56:21
true
full
42931632
2026-09-30T15:50:04Z
Episode 207 : Kickin' Back
Episode 207 : Kickin' Back
Sun, 30 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000
"...we gon' act like we on vacation, with this on rotation." - Nas This episode was a challenge - I needed to get the audio recorded before going off on a beautiful honeymoon/anniversary trip with Dr. Lisa, which meant I had to work fast! Now that I'm back, I've been able to use a photo I took on the trip for some appropriate cover art for an episode that in the main is in that cruising/vibing/grooving lane. If any of these tracks are new to you, I get the feeling at least one will stick in your head over the coming weeks... Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk Twitch : @airadam13 Playlist/Notes Jak D, Craig G, Sean Price, and Large Pro : Why You Wanna Do That? You didn't bring in the late Sean P for your light and polished beats, he was someone who got the call for blessing the crunchier, more traditional production. This track falls between the two, and is from one of those super-underground 12"s that make up the distinctive parts of a DJ's collection. The unmistakable Large Pro is the first voice you hear among this set of respected NYC MCs, and he supplies the low-key bouncy production too. Ilajide : Nubian Lady Serious bassline action from Detroit's own Ilajide, taken from the "Latex" LP. This funk disciple was of course the producer for Clear Soul Forces, and has worked with artists like Semi Six, but I'd love to hear even more MCs taking on his beats! Kokane : Out Of My Mind We enter the first mix on a romantic tip, with a G-Funk lean, courtesy of Pomona's Kokane - a man you may have heard here and there alongside more mainstream rappers, but who has a long catalogue and storied career in his own right. Here he shows that his singing isn't limited to just the occasional hook, as he carries the whole track in his inimitable style and over his own production. This is the highlight of "Lady Kokane Presents Kokane Love Songs" for me, but far from the only quality track. Anthony Danza ft. B-Legit, J. Stalin, and Bosko : Nobody Mobbin Heading up the coast to the Pacific Northwest, we land in Seattle for an album cut from the brand new Anthony Danza release "Highway Lifestyle". Of course you recognise the hook, flipping a Chaka Khan classic, before the bright, grooving Church Santana beat even fully kicks in. Once we're up to speed, Danza slays the opening verse before yielding the floor to his guests - with foundational "mob music" MC B-Legit of The Click being an especially welcome inclusion. Plus, you can never go wrong with adding a bit of talkbox (not Autotune!) Kurupt, DJ Battlecat, and Butch Cassidy : West Coast Muzik Ain't that the truth? Quintessential Cali funk right here. Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound has just released a full album ("Tales From My Hood") with production legend DJ Battlecat, re-uniting a duo who have a history going back at least as far as Kurupt's solo debut back in 1995. With this being released on Death Row Records, we basically time travel back to the 90s for a few minutes, as Kurupt and then veteran MC/singer Butch Cassidy represent their side over a bouncy, sunny beat that, together with its underlying toughness, strongly reflects the place it comes from. Moon Riders : The Galaxy Who'd have thought Italy would be the home of a producer on a mission to keep that 80s synth-bassed, talkbox funk alive? Ivan Makvel, half of Moon Riders, is also the owner of The Sleepers Recordz, and a devotee of that sound. On "The Boogie Diaries" he combines with fellow astronaut Esko Boogie to take all those vintage influences and fold them into a collection of modern funk dopeness, with this track being a prime example. Heavy synth bass, talkbox lead vocal, handclaps in place of a snare, it's all there! Onra : Moving The Parisian Onra is a producer who was on the 80s/boogie tip way before most, and here he takes a nice 1983 record and keeps it recognisable while dropping the speed and putting his own swing on the added drums. The full track is only about two and a half minutes long, but absolutely earns its place on the 2010 "Long Distance" LP. The album is an expensive one these days, at least partially because it's not available for digital purchase or streaming - so if you see a copy for anything like a reasonable price, pick it up as it'll likely be a while, if ever, before you see another! AZ : Fresh Water Mr. Quiet Money returned this year with the third entry in his "Doe Or Die" series, that started way back in 1995. AZ gets outrageously fly over two strong verses here - I could have done without the interlude between the two, but then that's just my preference. Bink does a great job on the boards, with what sounds like a sped-up soul sample being pounded into submission by big, booming drums that AZ simply glides over. This is the sound of an MC who hasn't lost a single step in over thirty years. Nas : You Wouldn't Understand "Life Is Good" seems like a relatively-recent release, but is actually a 2012 release - how the time has flown! Nas' tenth album was of course headlines by the mighty "The Don", but this smoothly-produced cut quietly holds down its spot. The Eighties-infused production from Buckwild of DITC provides the bedding for Nas to express the uniqueness of his life, while Victoria Monét provides the sweetly-sung hook that helps bring it all together. Go back and check the whole album sometime, the deluxe edition ideally. DJ.Fresh : Sugarfoot This track channels strong Ohio flavour via California, with Oakland/LA producer DJ.Fresh for a mostly-instrumental ride. The "Zapp & Roger Refreshed" project is a collection of tracks flipping and reworking the work of the late great Roger Troutman, and this samples something I didn't even know existed! Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner of the Ohio Players released a solo LP "Sugar Kiss" in 1985 which was produced by Roger, recorded at Troutman Sound Labs, and which needs to be chased down and added to my crates :) BusCrates ft. Lailah Reich : Gotta Get Back The Pittsburgh synth boss continues the funky thread, with the guitar licking crazy and the bassline warm and enveloping. Late-night lounge vibes from the "Altitude" album from last year, with Lailah Reich adding a cool, assured vocal performance. If you like this kind of music at all, I think it's impossible not to enjoy the LP. Nicolay : Players' Ball For those who don't know, Nicolay came onto the scene from The Netherlands in the early 2000s via his work with Little Brother, and Phonte in particular - the duo formed the much-loved duo The Foreign Exchange. While those releases were lauded and popular amongst those in the know, there was a lot of material that didn't see the light of day...until now! "Nice Chops - The Dutch Schultz Tapes 2004-2008" is pretty much what the name suggests - previously unreleased material from the 2004-2008 period, remastered for a 2020s release. A breezy beat like this one could easily have made a great album cut with vocalists on it, but here we have the mind of the producer in its undiluted form. LE$ : Nothin New LE$ continues to be one of the most prolific artists of the modern era, with the "Reset" LP that features this track being his fifth release of the year - and at the time of writing, he's released another! This is driving music, bonus if you're in a convertible, with a tempo and a smoothness that makes you want to cruise slow rather than put your foot down. The youngster Luka Burr holds it down on production, and LE$ continues to deliver his trademark style - staying in his lane, as it were, to give his fans what they came for! Dewey da Don & Novacain : Takes Two Gangsta meets player vibes on this new single, as the Kansas City (Missouri) rapper Dewey da Don, an MC new to me, connects with hometown comrade Novacain. Downtempo, clean, and funky in its execution, both MCs come with subdued flows to match, and the voice in the hook sounds almost ghostly - a result of how it was mixed as much as the delivery. If you're someone who insists on higher tempos or more animated deliveries, then this might not be for you, but for the rest of us...volume up! Mecca:83 : AllNite Mecca's 2024 "Quiet Storm" beat tape was a masterwork, a producer's love letter to 80s and 90s R&B/Quiet Storm music that spanned fifteen tracks of smooth goodness. The rhythm on this is chunkier and looser than the tune sampled for the melody, and makes for a satisfying union. Mya ft. Lloyd Banks : Why You Gotta Look So Good? The rhythm pounds and stalks while the keyboards bubble on this one! Rockwilder comes over to the R&B side to produce a track for the one and only Mya for her "Moodring" LP, which she takes on skilfully. Unlike Paul Cain on the remix of "Don't You Forget It", the guest MC here sounds like a piece of work because that's the picture the whole song is supposed to paint - rather than spectacularly missing the point. Either way, she definitely needs to leave this guy! Beatology Beatz (?) : Freaky Just a little instrumental breather from the "Beatology Beatz" collection with all the synth action that might remind you of that second-ish wave of G-Funk in the mid-90s - despite this being a 2006 release. The question mark is due to this also being credited to DJ Stealth on at least one version on iTunes - so I'm not sure if I've got the artist 100% correct here! Blak Twang : For The Summa Finishing back in the UK, we take it down to London for a selection from the fifth (and currently final) Blak Twang LP, "Speaking From Xperience". Silvastone Beats on production gives us a track which, when placed at the end of the show, makes for a nice wind-down. This feels like the British, more underground, slightly rougher-edged take on DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Summertime", and an appropriate one to end on - even if plenty of people have spent our summer dodging the intense heat! Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!]]>
"...we gon' act like we on vacation, with this on rotation." - Nas This episode was a challenge - I needed to get the audio recorded before going off on a beautiful honeymoon/anniversary trip with Dr. Lisa, which meant I had to work fast! Now that I'm back, I've been able to use a photo I took on the trip for some appropriate cover art for an episode that in the main is in that cruising/vibing/grooving lane. If any of these tracks are new to you, I get the feeling at least one will stick in your head over the coming weeks... Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk Twitch : @airadam13 Playlist/Notes Jak D, Craig G, Sean Price, and Large Pro : Why You Wanna Do That? You didn't bring in the late Sean P for your light and polished beats, he was someone who got the call for blessing the crunchier, more traditional production. This track falls between the two, and is from one of those super-underground 12"s that make up the distinctive parts of a DJ's collection. The unmistakable Large Pro is the first voice you hear among this set of respected NYC MCs, and he supplies the low-key bouncy production too. Ilajide : Nubian Lady Serious bassline action from Detroit's own Ilajide, taken from the "Latex" LP. This funk disciple was of course the producer for Clear Soul Forces, and has worked with artists like Semi Six, but I'd love to hear even more MCs taking on his beats! Kokane : Out Of My Mind We enter the first mix on a romantic tip, with a G-Funk lean, courtesy of Pomona's Kokane - a man you may have heard here and there alongside more mainstream rappers, but who has a long catalogue and storied career in his own right. Here he shows that his singing isn't limited to just the occasional hook, as he carries the whole track in his inimitable style and over his own production. This is the highlight of "Lady Kokane Presents Kokane Love Songs" for me, but far from the only quality track. Anthony Danza ft. B-Legit, J. Stalin, and Bosko : Nobody Mobbin Heading up the coast to the Pacific Northwest, we land in Seattle for an album cut from the brand new Anthony Danza release "Highway Lifestyle". Of course you recognise the hook, flipping a Chaka Khan classic, before the bright, grooving Church Santana beat even fully kicks in. Once we're up to speed, Danza slays the opening verse before yielding the floor to his guests - with foundational "mob music" MC B-Legit of The Click being an especially welcome inclusion. Plus, you can never go wrong with adding a bit of talkbox (not Autotune!) Kurupt, DJ Battlecat, and Butch Cassidy : West Coast Muzik Ain't that the truth? Quintessential Cali funk right here. Kurupt of Tha Dogg Pound has just released a full album ("Tales From My Hood") with production legend DJ Battlecat, re-uniting a duo who have a history going back at least as far as Kurupt's solo debut back in 1995. With this being released on Death Row Records, we basically time travel back to the 90s for a few minutes, as Kurupt and then veteran MC/singer Butch Cassidy represent their side over a bouncy, sunny beat that, together with its underlying toughness, strongly reflects the place it comes from. Moon Riders : The Galaxy Who'd have thought Italy would be the home of a producer on a mission to keep that 80s synth-bassed, talkbox funk alive? Ivan Makvel, half of Moon Riders, is also the owner of The Sleepers Recordz, and a devotee of that sound. On "The Boogie Diaries" he combines with fellow astronaut Esko Boogie to take all those vintage influences and fold them into a collection of modern funk dopeness, with this track being a prime example. Heavy synth bass, talkbox lead vocal, handclaps in place of a snare, it's all there! Onra : Moving The Parisian Onra is a producer who was on the 80s/boogie tip way before most, and here he takes a nice 1983 record and keeps it recognisable while dropping the speed and putting his own swing on the added drums. The full track is only about two and a half minutes long, but absolutely earns its place on the 2010 "Long Distance" LP. The album is an expensive one these days, at least partially because it's not available for digital purchase or streaming - so if you see a copy for anything like a reasonable price, pick it up as it'll likely be a while, if ever, before you see another! AZ : Fresh Water Mr. Quiet Money returned this year with the third entry in his "Doe Or Die" series, that started way back in 1995. AZ gets outrageously fly over two strong verses here - I could have done without the interlude between the two, but then that's just my preference. Bink does a great job on the boards, with what sounds like a sped-up soul sample being pounded into submission by big, booming drums that AZ simply glides over. This is the sound of an MC who hasn't lost a single step in over thirty years. Nas : You Wouldn't Understand "Life Is Good" seems like a relatively-recent release, but is actually a 2012 release - how the time has flown! Nas' tenth album was of course headlines by the mighty "The Don", but this smoothly-produced cut quietly holds down its spot. The Eighties-infused production from Buckwild of DITC provides the bedding for Nas to express the uniqueness of his life, while Victoria Monét provides the sweetly-sung hook that helps bring it all together. Go back and check the whole album sometime, the deluxe edition ideally. DJ.Fresh : Sugarfoot This track channels strong Ohio flavour via California, with Oakland/LA producer DJ.Fresh for a mostly-instrumental ride. The "Zapp & Roger Refreshed" project is a collection of tracks flipping and reworking the work of the late great Roger Troutman, and this samples something I didn't even know existed! Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner of the Ohio Players released a solo LP "Sugar Kiss" in 1985 which was produced by Roger, recorded at Troutman Sound Labs, and which needs to be chased down and added to my crates :) BusCrates ft. Lailah Reich : Gotta Get Back The Pittsburgh synth boss continues the funky thread, with the guitar licking crazy and the bassline warm and enveloping. Late-night lounge vibes from the "Altitude" album from last year, with Lailah Reich adding a cool, assured vocal performance. If you like this kind of music at all, I think it's impossible not to enjoy the LP. Nicolay : Players' Ball For those who don't know, Nicolay came onto the scene from The Netherlands in the early 2000s via his work with Little Brother, and Phonte in particular - the duo formed the much-loved duo The Foreign Exchange. While those releases were lauded and popular amongst those in the know, there was a lot of material that didn't see the light of day...until now! "Nice Chops - The Dutch Schultz Tapes 2004-2008" is pretty much what the name suggests - previously unreleased material from the 2004-2008 period, remastered for a 2020s release. A breezy beat like this one could easily have made a great album cut with vocalists on it, but here we have the mind of the producer in its undiluted form. LE$ : Nothin New LE$ continues to be one of the most prolific artists of the modern era, with the "Reset" LP that features this track being his fifth release of the year - and at the time of writing, he's released another! This is driving music, bonus if you're in a convertible, with a tempo and a smoothness that makes you want to cruise slow rather than put your foot down. The youngster Luka Burr holds it down on production, and LE$ continues to deliver his trademark style - staying in his lane, as it were, to give his fans what they came for! Dewey da Don & Novacain : Takes Two Gangsta meets player vibes on this new single, as the Kansas City (Missouri) rapper Dewey da Don, an MC new to me, connects with hometown comrade Novacain. Downtempo, clean, and funky in its execution, both MCs come with subdued flows to match, and the voice in the hook sounds almost ghostly - a result of how it was mixed as much as the delivery. If you're someone who insists on higher tempos or more animated deliveries, then this might not be for you, but for the rest of us...volume up! Mecca:83 : AllNite Mecca's 2024 "Quiet Storm" beat tape was a masterwork, a producer's love letter to 80s and 90s R&B/Quiet Storm music that spanned fifteen tracks of smooth goodness. The rhythm on this is chunkier and looser than the tune sampled for the melody, and makes for a satisfying union. Mya ft. Lloyd Banks : Why You Gotta Look So Good? The rhythm pounds and stalks while the keyboards bubble on this one! Rockwilder comes over to the R&B side to produce a track for the one and only Mya for her "Moodring" LP, which she takes on skilfully. Unlike Paul Cain on the remix of "Don't You Forget It", the guest MC here sounds like a piece of work because that's the picture the whole song is supposed to paint - rather than spectacularly missing the point. Either way, she definitely needs to leave this guy! Beatology Beatz (?) : Freaky Just a little instrumental breather from the "Beatology Beatz" collection with all the synth action that might remind you of that second-ish wave of G-Funk in the mid-90s - despite this being a 2006 release. The question mark is due to this also being credited to DJ Stealth on at least one version on iTunes - so I'm not sure if I've got the artist 100% correct here! Blak Twang : For The Summa Finishing back in the UK, we take it down to London for a selection from the fifth (and currently final) Blak Twang LP, "Speaking From Xperience". Silvastone Beats on production gives us a track which, when placed at the end of the show, makes for a nice wind-down. This feels like the British, more underground, slightly rougher-edged take on DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Summertime", and an appropriate one to end on - even if plenty of people have spent our summer dodging the intense heat! Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!]]>
51:01
true
full
42305865
2026-09-01T00:01:32Z
Episode 206 : Light Switches
Episode 206 : Light Switches
Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000
"Somewhere between unc and old head" - Agu We come to the end of a hot July with some equally hot selections, including new Children Of Zeus, a dancehall killer that'll stick in your head, and some tracks you'll never find on the streaming platforms! We begin with a tribute to classic gaming and end with a tribute to two classic records... Mastodon : @airadam@mastodon.me.uk Twitch : @airadam13 Playlist/Notes Mega Ran & Richie Branson : Super Nintendo Sega Genesis (Remix) One for the gamers to start things off, with a newly-released remix of a 2012 track from the deluxe version of the Richie Branson release "The Ghouls 'n Ghosts EP". With he and Mega Ran in combination, there's no-one better to take that sample from Biggie Smalls' "Juicy" and spin it out into a whole track about the magic of the 16-bit era. You can play a lot of the games on emulators now, but it was truly special to live through that time! Playing NBA Live 95, listening to Wu-Tang...memories. [Peanut Butter Wolf] Rasco : Hip-Hop Essentials (Instrumental) That crusty sound isn't a sign that my vinyl isn't well cared-for - it's part of the record itself! Stones Throw label head and veteran crate digger PBW is on the boa