By Sandeep Chauhan
I love summer. Absolutely love it. Backyard parties, cool breezes, tropical drinks, and summer jams. My boy P-Love says it’s all about the summer jams. No one sits around and says ‘Remember so and so’s track? That made my winter yo!’
He’s right, there’s an almost undefinable quality to what makes a summer jam. Maybe it’s that giddy mix of alcohol, warm weather, and UV rays. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone’s wearing less, or maybe it’s just the birds and bees making whoopee. Again, I don’t know.
Whatever it is, over the next few weeks we’re going to create a summer playlist. I’ll post a few songs up here and then sometime in September podcast them.
Ever since I bought Shuggie Otis’s Inspiration Information I’ve been looking for albums like it: a seamless mix of mellow California soul and drum machines. Sadly, it’s a sound in short supply. Benny Sings’ latest effort Benny at Home is the closet I’ve found. Check the single Let me in for further proof, it’s a cool mix of cosmic keys, snapping drums and funky sax.
I’m always giving up on Kanye — I decide his sound is too pop
for me and take his records to the used shop. Of course, he then has to come out with a hotter-than-hell single. With Stronger, West proves that you don’t have to alter a sample too much to make a dope jawn. The song’s content is no different than any other Kanye verse: it’s about getting laid, but when it sounds this good who cares? Plus it samples my favorite Daft Punk song Harder Faster Stronger. The video features a cameo from the French duo too.
Swedish indie rockers the Shout Out Louds get remixed by Studio. The cats in Studio take the righteously hip Impossible and make it even better, going from indie rock to 80’s era disco. (Thanks to Discobelle for showing love)
Along with Massive Attack’s Protection, Portishead’s Dummy, and A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, AIR’s Moon Safari defined an era for me. All four have held special places in my life but specifically during the late ’90’s and early 2000’s. In fact all of them are still relevant to my life.
With Moon Safari, AIR concocted a heady mix that’s equal parts disco, film soundtracks, and AM radio hits. Le Voyage de Penelope and All I Need are perfect for back yard late night tales.
Check back here later in the summer for Part II of our so-hot-you’ll-need-sunblock playlist.
