http://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/folamour-the-ransom-note-mix/
All posts by hoatie@hotmail.com
Jazz supergroup Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski & John Scofield’s new album ‘Hudson’. Their debut draws on the cultural legacy of Upstate New York, with takes on Dylan, Hendrix, and Joni Mitchell.
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hudson-hudson/
Click top left corner to see all the tracks
Zammuto, led by ex Books Nick Zammuto are classified as indie rock, but with their long meandering instrumentals and quirky melodies they clearly spend a lot of time under the jam band tent.
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16433-zammuto/
Click the Youtube icon at the bottom to expand the playlist
London based Swedish producer, song writer and DJ @blende returns to Eskimo Recordings with ‘Back To Summertime’, an outrageously funky slice of disco house featuring the stunning vocals of former The Rapture vocalist @mattiesafer.
Ethiopiques 10 – Ethiopian Blues and ballads (Full Album) HQ
One of my favourite underground psych-prog rock bands is Crippled Black Phoenix from UK, centred around the multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves. His music goes off in so many different directions album to album but heres a little sampler playlist I put together.. Click on the Youtube icon to see all the songs.
“The Day is Past and Gone” is from House and Lands self titled debut, available now on Thrill Jockey.
Often referred to as a jazz singer for the hip-hop generation, New York City-based vocalist José James combines jazz, soul, drum’n’bass, and spoken word into his own unique brand of vocal jazz. While he states his main influences as John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, and Billie Holiday, his sound on early 12″ singles and in live performances brought to mind such icons of ’70s jazz-soul as Terry Callier, and his music felt more like an update of the fluid crossover approach of Gil Scott-Heron, while also being distinctly his own. – Bluenote
http://www.bluenote.com/artists/jose-james
Here is a youtube playlist I made of some of my favourite tracks. Several live clips in here as well. Click top left corner to see the tracks.
Love in the time of Madness is his latest release. It is a flavourful fusion of nu soul, funk and a sprinkling of hip hop.
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22962-love-in-a-time-of-madness
The Dreamer is the first studio album by American jazz vocalist José James. It was released on Brownswood Recordings in 2008. John Fordham of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, “James sometimes suggests a 21st-century Leon Thomas (the 1970s singer who became an acid-jazz star), but he also exhibits a highly personal mix of Bobby McFerrin‘s tonal delicacy and the R&B and soul feel of D’Angelo – with the latter association sometimes reinforced by the way the vocal overdubs and harmonies work.” Adam Greenberg of AllMusic said: “He sings contemporary jazz with a strong sense of respect for the classics, but quietly puts hip-hop instrumentation behind his vocals, and multi-tracks himself for accentuation.
Omar Abdulkarim – Trumpet; Ryan Blum – Arranger, Composer, Keyboards; Luke Damrosch – Drums; Alexi David – Arranger, Double Bass, Bass Guitar; Steve Lyman – Drums; Junior Mance – Piano; Nori Ochiai – Piano; Gilles Peterson – Executive Producer
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “The Dreamer” | 7:05 |
| 2. | “Velvet” | 4:01 |
| 3. | “Blackeyedsusan” | 4:56 |
| 4. | “Park Bench People” | 6:03 |
| 5. | “Spirits Up Above” (Rahsaan Roland Kirk)” | 5:00 |
| 6. | “Nola” | 3:56 |
| 7. | “Red” | 5:15 |
| 8. | “Winter Wind” | 7:07 |
| 9. | “Desire” | 7:29 |
| 10. | “Love” | 5:24 |
New Zealand born, London based artist/producer/songwriter Jordan Rakei has quickly become one of the most respected and sought-after musicians in modern music. Debuting in September 2013, with the self-released 6-track EP titled “Franklin’s Room”, he has gone on to establish himself as one of the forerunners of today’s new soul music movement, earning the respect of his peers Hiatus Kaiyote, Tom Misch, Questlove, Gilles Peterson, Disclosure, Annie Mac and Mary Anne Hobbs. As well as now having three releases under his belt, Jordan has made a name for himself with some choice features throughout his tenure. Lending his vocals to upcoming and hip artists such as Tom Misch and REMI, to more established artists like Disclosure. He’s established an incredibly diverse live-show which sees him either performing with a full band at sold out venues, OR, performing at tastemaker festivals and nightclubs with his fresh and impressive solo electronic set.
Click top left corner to expand playlist.
Afrocentric
A mostly uptempo playlist of African influenced Beat, Rock, Funk and Dance Music. Click on the image below to expand in Soundcloud and access features like shuffle
Disco & Funk
A body movin’ playlist of new school disco and funk, ethnic funk and soul funk by modern artists, as well as a healthy serving of obscure rarities.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Jimi Bazzouka loves all sorts of music, and especially African and traditional music. For this 3rd episode of outstanding edits, Jimi goes Industrial + Synth Pop + Techno + African music
Suns of Dub is a label, group & performing dub-production team creating a unique sound experience driven by dub influenced genres, merging live instruments, and original Rockers Reggae Sounds with a new age dub style innovative ideas, Suns of Dub incorporates live melodica & dubbing, deejaying, and composition into one musical entity. The Team is lead by Ras Jammy and Addis Pablo (son of Melodica/Dub Legend Augustus Pablo) – Soundcloud
Amancio D’Silva (19 March 1936 – 17 July 1996) was an Indian jazz guitarist and composer, known for his own recordings and his collaborations with other musicians in Britain, notably Joe Harriott and Stan Tracey. Wikipedia
Coldcut
‘Divide and Rule feat. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Junior Reid and Elan’
‘Make Up Your Mind feat. Ce’Cile and Toddla T’
Ambient soundscapes from the Russian Federation.
https://www.tinymixtapes.com/chocolate-grinder/listen-xyr-dolphin-smile
Patti LaBelle, born Patricia Louise Holt-Edwards, is an American singer, author, and actress. Patti began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer of the band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. A decade later the group changed their name to Labelle and recorded the hit song “Lady Marmalade”. Patti became a solo artist in 1976 and her debut album was another success. During five decades she has sold more than 50 million records and also became an actress. Wikipedia
Electro & Indie Pop – My Soundcloud playlist containing all pop related music. It varies from laid back indie pop to high energy electro pop.
Taken from the new album ‘Shake The Shudder’, out 19 May on Warp.
Shango is the name for the Yoruba ‘Thunder God’ in Nigeria and Ojo Okeji, the leader of the Shango Dance Band was all about injecting military power and warlike energy in his own strain of Nigerian highlife and afrobeat.
Lussuria’s opiated atmospheres bring together dark and brooding Industrial signatures with augmented and re-purposed fragments of songs and spoken word that somehow create an uneasy ambience that lingers in the memory long after the music comes to a standstill. The album, “Industriale Illuminato” follows the fantastic “American Babylon”, a collection of tracks originally released on Hospital Productions as a cassette-only trilogy. The new album picks up where “American Babylon” left off, with a sullen, murky texture that leads the listener into a concrete catacomb of paranoia and despair. Total party time….- Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/farewell-forever/farewell-forever-lussuria
More of a library of strange arrangements than music, Felicia Atkinsons Hand in Hand combines experimental electronica with voice and spoken word.
Patrice Bäumel is an internationally renowned dj and producer currently living in Amsterdam
Swet Shop Boys are an Indian-American/British-Pakistani hip hop group, consisting of rappers Heems and Riz MC, with producer Redinho.- Wikipedia
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22391-cashmere
Click top left corner to expand playlist.
Fudge is a collaboration between producer Prefuse73 and emcee Michael Christmas.
Born in Mali, Baba Sissoko is the master of the Tamani (talking drum), that he has played since he was a child, thanks to the teaching of his grand-father Djeli Baba Sissoko. Baba Sissoko also plays ngoni, kamalengoni, guitar, balaphon, calebasse, sildrum and of course he sings. He is from a great and ancient dynasty of griots from Mali. Bandcamp
Click top left corner to expand track list.
The Comet Is Coming are a London-based band who incorporate elements of jazz, electronica, funk and psychedelic rock
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/01/the-comet-is-coming-psych-jazz-sun-ra-legacy
Heres a little Youtube playlist. Click top left corner to expand the list.
Belgian soul singer-songwriter Liz Aku
http://https://youtu.be/qCenHJnaLBA?
Some snippets from her latest.
In terms of being an afrobeat legend, Pasteur Lappe is Cameroon’s Fela Kuti, an unsung hero who was ahead of the game back in the 1970s and 1980s, and one whose been famous for burning the pockets of many diggers nowadays. Luckily, Africa Seven have compiled some of his best work onto a ten-track LP, ranging from the funky oddities of “More Sekele Movement” or “Na Real Seke Fo’ya”, to the future-zouk sound of “Sanaga Calypso”, and plenty of jazzy, popped-out, disgruntled soulfulness to satisfy anyone from Gilles Peterson to Cherrystones. Heavy and warmly recommended. Juno Records
Click top left corner to expand playlist.
Jazz
This pushes the fabric of what some might expect when they think of jazz. On it you will find many moods; dubby jazz, atmospheric jazz drifting through an electronic mist, vintage acid jazz, soul jazz, ethnic flavours, upbeat 4/4 jazz house, but also a fair smattering of music that follows a more traditional flightpath.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records. Her music is vocal based and highly experimental. Wiki
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/nov/19/contemporary-music-guide-meredith-monk
Ambient
Photo credit: Yogic Relaxation - Ultimate Guide. My Ambient playlist is an excellent companion to your morning yoga session. May also be enjoyed when contemplatively looking out at the rain, taking a bath, or other cases when a sense of solitude or serenity is desired. :)
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23195-whatever-makes-u-happy/
Heres a sampler of some of his music click youtube icon bottom right to see full playlist 
Jimi Tenor is Finnish artist. His music is hard to pigeonhole, a strange blend of psychedelic pop, soul and jazz, plus his reggae and African collaborations. Just what you imagine when you think of Finland. That and Bjorks cousin. Click top left corner to expand the playlist.
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20064-clouds/
https://youtu.be/3SwDhfCUINU?list=PLFiatVftyT6GtyQ8EX7HtF016dDCAEu_m
Heres a playlist of his avante garde future jazz band, The Comet is Coming.
Before the Flood is a collaboration soundtrack album by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mogwai and Gustavo Santaolalla for Fisher Stevens‘s film of the same name. Wikipedia
Click top left corner to expand the playlist.
https://youtu.be/MMqDh-OYlNQ?list=PLzJGT4i35CF4IOPw4uP58D1FtLBKDqNAM
Because my playlists are getting so big Im breaking them down into sampler playlists of some of my favourite tracks. Heres the rock one. Under this post you will find the full rock playlist, 450 tracks compiled as of this writing!
Latin & South American
Keeping in line with the general Headstash theme, these playlists contains a lot of new artists that push the envelope of traditional Latin music. Much of the what you will hear reflects that in its marriage of latin vocals and instruments with electronica and digital post production.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
World Beat Playlist – For me ‘World Beat’ music has always been an odd definition of what outside of the Western World is just simply called music. There are literally hundreds of tempos, genres etc. to the point where trying to lump them into one category seems almost pretentious, and incorrect cataloging at the very least! Anyways the, ahem, ‘World Beat’ music on here ranges in tempo from slow folk to high energy dance beats, and covers many different styles, much of it Middle Eastern, African, Indian, or Asian. If you want to hear just the faster, dance friendly tracks on here check out my World Dance playlist.
Psych Rock & Heavy Rock
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Rock & Indie
This playlist covers many different styles and tempos of rock based music, from contemporary indie to psych rock and extended progressive-fusion jams. To see the full playlist, click on the Soundcloud icon in the right corner. When you get to Soundcloud, click Rock and Indie playlists. Be patient, this playlist is almost 3 days long and takes a few seconds to load!
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
This playlists contains many different types of music. Long noodling instrumentals overlapped with electronica, cosmic jams, drifting stoner rock, murky psycho swamp beats, psychedelic pop; they all inhabit a piece of real estate on this wild rambling desert rose of a playlist.
Deep House / Deep Techno
500 tracks of the deeper stuff from my house and techno playlists
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Hip Hop
No gangster rap here, these tunes are full of good energy, funky beats and positive hip hop vibes. Photo: complex.com
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Glitch/Hydro Funk
Glitch Playlist– A Playlist of Glitch Hop, Hydro Funk and Whomp. Photo of Sunsquabi by edmsauce.com
While I grew up listening to the greats like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Black Uhuru, one of my aims when creating Headstash Music was to shine a light on new musicians and their modern takes on traditional genres. This playlist definitely reflects that desire, but I have also mixed in a few lesser known old school artists from back in the day just to represent the genre, and break the pace of da bass heavy dub tracks! This is three and a half days of non stop music, so the page might take a few seconds to load, then it will be good to go.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Modern Classical & Piano
Other than what I heard on CBC radio I actually didn’t listen to much classical music growing up, but then around 2010 I started discovering artists like Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds, which completely changed my assumptions about classical music being stuffy and dated. Consistent with my general theme of Headsash Music, this playlist contains a lot of tracks by artists that are taking their genre in a whole new direction. They are still amazing composers, but are embracing technology by adding subtle effects to their instruments, using looping and incorporating minimalist electronica into the production, giving the music a more contemporary sound.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Soul / R&B
Soul/ R&B Playlist – 500 Tracks, 67 hours – Much of the music on this playlist is of the new school soul and r&b variety – treated vocals with modern production and beats – but there are also a lot of more classic sounds sprinkled throughout. As usual, my favourite sweet spot, a nod of respect in both directions. Our dreams are built on the bones and ashes that we pass. To expand the full 500 track playlist, and access features like shuffle, click on the Soundcloud icon in the top right corner and you will see playlist below the track. Give it a few seconds to load, this playlist is almost 3 days long!
Folk / Singer Songwriter
There is so much going on in the world of contemporary folk in terms of reconstructing the familiar into something fresh, yet recognizable. This playlist contains a lot of nu folk, neo folk and folktronica, but also plenty of music with a more traditional sound, some folk rock, as well as a bunch of obscure tracks by lesser known artists.
500 track Soundcloud Playlist. To expand, click on Soundcloud icon.
Youtube Playlist:
Finland’s Jimi Tenor, a musician, composer and arranger known to constantly reinvent himself, has finished work on his latest album 4th Dimension, which is set for release in early 2009. On 4th Dimension, Jimi Tenor continues his exploration of Afrobeat music. The album also sees him reunite with Kabu Kabu, a group of West African musicians based in Germany, who debuted on Tenor’s 2007 album Joystone. 4th Dimension’s Afrobeat is highlighted with Tenor’s jazzy, bohemian touches and ability to write irresistible tunes. Tenor’s catchy-yet-challenging arrangements are reminiscent of the legendary Fela Kuti, and perhaps one can also sense the influence of the likes of Lalo Schifrin, Charlie Mingus and Sun Ra. Tenor’s trademark high-pitched vocals are heard less this time around as the maestro concentrates on tooting his tenor sax, playing the flute and synth. The album’s first single Mystery Spot is uplifting and uptempo Afrobeat. Global Party starts out moody but builds into a frenzied Disco groove. Grind! and Me I Say Yes are perhaps the album’s most traditional Afro-inspired songs with their loping basslines and heavy percussion. Mogadishu Ave. is a surprise number of Goblin-esque psychedelic prog rock. Mega Roots and Fast Legs are lo-fi percussion jams similar to the African field recordings released by legendary labels Folkways and Ocora. Kudos Records
https://www.kudosrecords.co.uk/release/puu35cd/jimi-tenor-kabu-kabu-4th-dimension.html
Techno
Techno Playlist - Straight up Techno, Tech House and Deep Tech.
Global Bass covers a pretty wide range of sounds, combining traditional instruments of South and Central America with everything from Downtempo and Cumbia to the booty shaking beats of the favelas .
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Electronica
These days electronic based music encompasses a broad range of musical styles. For this playlist I have made it kind of a default for mid tempo electronic music that often doesn’t fit in any other of my categories.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Dubstep & Bass Music Playlist - A variety of bass related music, from liquid bass to jungle, drum and bass and dubstep.
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Experimental Music
Experimental Music Playlist – And down the rabbit hole we go…the title says it all. This is not the deep end of experimental, noise, drone etc. though. It may temporarily warp your cranium but its listenable enough to keep you from any permanent damage.
Youtube Playlist:
Starting his career as a DJ in the 1990s dance music scene in Washington, DC, Thomas Blondet has infused just about every type of beat-oriented genre such as deep house, speed garage, drum’n’bass, hip-hop, reggae, and dub with Arab, Latin, Indian, Balkan, Kurdish and Caribbean influences. This musical aptitude has served him well both in the studio and the DJ booth as today he maintains a Sunday night residency at DC’s headquarters of everything organic, Eighteenth Street Lounge.
Through his label Rhythm & Culture, Thomas Blondet has released the FutureWorld and numerous other eclectic sounds. He has since released several hand-crafted remixes of music by Thievery Corporation, Balkan Beat Box, Nickodemus, Sola Rosa, Mr. Confuse and Fort Knox Five to name a few. Soundcloud
House Music
All types of House Music. Funky Disco House, Jazz House, Ethnic, Deep House, Tech House. Image: redbubble.com
Soundcloud Playlist:
Youtube Playlist:
Chat Noir
Chat Noir are masters of the nu-jazz sound.
10 track Youtube playlist.
This release by Pablo Clements and the Evangelist, the men from U.N.K.L.E., is comprised of psych-pop and glam rock matched by exclusive re-edits. “The Evangelist mix tape is a collection of remixes and re-edits of some of our favourite tracks that have inspired us over the years”, says Pablo. “From the more obscure works of yesterday and today, to popular classics that have been reworked in the sound of the Evangelist.” As a production team, Pablo Clements and James Griffith (TOYDRUM) draw on a wide range of psychedelic pop, glam, folk, and vintage electronic influences. “Musically it has laid the foundation for our forthcoming project, The Evangelist, featuring long-time friend and collaborator Gavin Clark, whose vocals are featured on new tracks peppered throughout the mix.” Mixcoud
DJ MIX FEATURING TOYDRUM AND TIM GOLDSWORTHY THAT WAS CREATED FOR A KAI AND SUNNY SHOW WITH SHEPARD FAIRY – THE FIRST TIME WORKING TOGETHER SINCE THEIR EARLY DAYS OF UNKLE – THE MIX RANGES FROM PSYCH TO FOLK TO HIP HOP TO DISCO TO BOLLYWOOD TO THE STRANGE
To expand the playlist, click the top left corner.