4hero & Nature’s Plan – Without Words (ft. Ed Motta)
I definitely stood without words, when I first heard this track! It’s featured on the amazing Brazilian Love Affair compilation starring legends like Azymuth & Marcos Valle. Really surprising for me to hear 4hero (who is mainly known for his pioneering in the jungle, drum ’n bass, and the broken beat scene) squeezing a Brazillian mark. The voice of the incredible Brazillian & fusion singer Ed Motta tops off the track. As he has done numerous times his vocals really give me goosebumps.
Honeysweet – I Put A Spell On You (Honeycomb & Vega mix)
Josh Milan & Louie Vega take on this track really carries me away. The keys, rhythmic elements and other instruments lay down a path for dancers to follow and go on a sonic journey. It gets even better when the voice of Cindy Mizelle comes through. She provides her very own touch to ‘I Put A Spell On You’, just like Nina Simone did. I hope everyone can dance to this track at a festival or in a club sometime soon.
Akufen – Theo’s Theory (To Theo Parrish)
So many things are happening in this tune! You keep getting surprised by all the elements that keep on going back and forth. It reminds me of what Theo Parrish said himself: “There are no genres, all good music is good music to me”. For me, this piece really exemplifies that.
Craft – Funk 140
No way that I wouldn’t play dubby sounds on Doka’s amazing sound system. Funk 140 is full of different exciting components, it’s basically a dubstep kind of beat with the funkiest baseline. Playing this track in Doka was a wonderful experience. The bass was hitting like a beast and the sound was so crisp that it felt like musicians were actually performing live while I was playing this one.
Herbie Hancock – The Essence (Ltj Bukem)
Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan & LTJ Bukem: three all-time heroes altogether! Considering the time that this record was released, it’s very progressive if you ask me. Herbie succeeded in bringing jazz and electronics together like no other. He was such a pioneer and his innovative ways opened a lot of paths. I finished my sit down session in Doka playing this piece, that was a true pleasure. I reminisce a lot about the time that I was able to share the bill with LTJ Bukem in 2019. If all goes well I’m hopefully sharing the lineup with Herbie Hancock this summer at Gent Jazz Festival. Fingers crossed. That would be really insane.
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