“I’m a systematic dude.” Solid Tallahassee representative SpliffJit finds a slick little pocket here. These T-Town kids know how to lock in. The beat, too—cruise ship sax buoyed by knocking Michigan drums—hits like a sweet, polluted Florida breeze. I will not be attending Basel.
Hardrive “Deep Inside (Puffys Pushin’ Jungle Mix)”
As we race to the end of 2023, I race to catch up on the year in jungle. A standout of my spotty search is this chugging, rolling refix of one of the objectively greatest house tunes of all time. It’s good, but if I were a drum and bass DJ, I would be rinsing it at +8. The track needs a little tempo!
Callahan & Witscher (Feat. Ana Roxanne) “Hate the Player”
Meta music duo Callahan & Witscher’s earlier recordings were social media musique concrète, or maybe the Jerky Boys doing institutional critique. Here, though, they are joined by Ana Roxanne and they present something approaching an actual pop song. It’s breakbeat indie made by two lifers stumbling through a fog of self-awareness. Trust me, I can relate. Probably too much. I would say that this video works double if you know the narrative. A unique and needed voice in The Wire Land, no doubt.
You wanna go a little funky punky? OK, let’s go a little funky punky. Collate is from Portland and trades in the kind of groovy shamble that will always sound fine. There’s a cowbell in the mix. I would like to see this live in an attic. Not a basement—an attic. This is attic rock. You know what I’m saying?
Here, Houston rapper Guapo melds the smooth musical edge of his hometown (the track has fretless bass) with a bleary-eyed rhyming approach that takes stylistic cues from some of those up in The Mitten. I just wish the song was a little longer. Speaking of H-Town, it’s been easy to love Paul Wall’s output over the past few years. His new one with Bun B and Carlie Boy is delightful.
Milford Graves, Arthur Doyle, Hugh Glover “March 11, 1976”
One of the best reissues of the year. Not much more I can say about it, though—my jazz turtleneck got lost at the cleaners. I had the pleasure of seeing the late Milford Graves live once, at a surreal party in Greenwich, CT. I wonder how Stephanie Seymour liked his set.
MIX OF THE WEEK: DJ Clue “Monday Night Mixtape Hot 97 3/22/2004”
Here is a snapshot of New York City almost two decades ago. Jadakiss is in the studio. Pharrell is in the studio. Fabolous raps over the “Nas Is Like” beat… Twice. The programming reflects the exhaustion and creeping confusion the city’s rap scene was feeling and would continue to feel for many years.