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Hate CD But Love Digital? Steve Lacy Says We Can Have Both

It seems even at the slight age of 21, Steve Lacy has already come into his own. Remarkably, he doesn’t share the same popular esteem in R&B as peers like Frank Ocean, SZA, or The Weeknd- an aspect that confounds my sense of decent music taste while also making me question whether I’m deluded in believing he has transcended his indie bona fides to a greater regard. Maybe his lo-fi leanings make him not quite right for the spotlight –...

Mix Master Bestor: Tunnelgazing Into Lo-Fi Soul

    How did we get to this point? In 2019 the derivations of R&B spread like a great sycamore tree. However, the prominence and preeminence of R&B is nothing new, nevertheless, the character of it in today’s day and age is something pretty remarkable. Trace back to the late 70’s with the rise of Disco and you’ll see one of the first times the world of popular music was ensconced in the groove and melody of R&B. The chart-topping...

One Man’s Opinion on 2018: The Year’s 20 Best LPs

  I was laser-focused on navigating through as many albums from 2018 as physically possible. It was a willful endeavor to pour over the dozens of albums mentioned on some list or other, as well as scroll through all the playlists and musical libraries I created in the past year. For me, the end of 2018 was this whirlwind binge of music from disparate genres and corners of popular music. After the countless hours of listening intently while openly scrutinizing,...

Borrowing For The Game: Classic Samples Making Classic Tracks

Venturing into the endless tunnel that is music sampling only makes you a better music aficionado. I learned that on my recent journey into the unknown, sparked by a friend giving me one song: Betty Wright’s phenomenal “Clean Up Woman”, to begin this whole thing. Ironically, the only song I couldn’t get on the playlist was the song that sampled “Clean Up Woman”, Chance the Rapper’s “Favorite Song” featuring Childish Gambino. Chance can have all his principles about music ownership...

Mix Master Bestor’s Modern Soulness Vol. IX

Yes, there are nine of these things, but this is the first one I have posted. These mixes, all falling under the umbrella theme of “Modern Soulness” have been some of my favorite to make lately because the world of Soul/R&B is constantly becoming more complex and intriguing. New talents like Jorja Smith, Kali Uchis, and Daniel Caesar continue to emerge and integrate themselves into the community that is modern R&B. The greatest proof of this “community” is that all...

Sonikseek: The Magnolia and Something Called Scandinavian Soul

Once upon a time it took months to get anywhere. We use to meet people from different countries and cultures only by travel, to see them physically by either coming to them or foreigners coming to you, and this usually only transpired through the necessity of trade. Travel was harrowing and long voyages were not cut and dry experiences, but rather extended tours of survival. Dirty port cities and crossroads towns were a heady mix of suspicion, curiosity, and opportunism....