In My Earphones Right Now

Blue Note Records, the legendary jazz label, have announced their Blue Note Re:imagined collection. This will feature reworks of classic Blue Note tracks recorded by current and uprising UK talent. This version of the track originally released by St Germain in 2000 (and sampled from Marlena Shaw’s 1973 album), is the lead single for this upcoming collection.

Gorillaz have been collaborating with other artists over the past few months for their ‘Song Machine’ series. They have pretty much been dropping songs with accompanying videos randomly and unpredictably. You never know when they’ll surprise us with another one – a refreshing approach to releasing new music. This is the fourth song in the series, and took me a few listens to really get into. It’s chilled-out dreaminess combined with Octavian’s raspy vocals makes for a great listen.

Paak released this powerful reflection on Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the liberation of slaves on June 19th 1865. It centres around the recent Black Lives Matter protests, and their accompanied backdrop of the virus. The stripped-back yet funky instrumental puts the spotlight on the lyrics. In one poignant line he calls out the media’s focus on looting which distracts from the true important cause: “And won’t you tell me ’bout the lootin? What’s that really all about? ‘Cause they throw away black lives like paper towels.” The music video is a must-watch too – it authentically encompasses the experiences of many right now.

I think I found this single because of the Toro y Moi feature, and the full album was released last week. Starchild, A.K.A Bryndon Cook, was a touring guitarist with Solange, no less! It’s a moody, groovy, crossover between indie and R&B. I’m excited to listen to the newly released album and maybe exploring some of Starchild’s back catalogue too.

To throw in a slightly different recommendation, that may not be for everyone, here is a track I found in the middle of my deep essay-writing hole last month. It is from the 1997 album Lunatic Harness released by electronic producer Mike Paradinas under his stage name µ-Ziq. This song has so many intricacies, from the unpredictable drums to the soothing melodies – it’s a journey!