In creating this followup to the local music mix I made for 48 Hills way back in January, I couldn’t help but feel an uplifting love and strength from the sounds that Bay Area artists are making right now. If you don’t read John-Paul Shiver’s 48 Hills music coverage, you’re missing out on some really inspired finds, both local and international, that have opened up my mind as a DJ. This new mix, which was recorded live with no manipulated post-production, includes a number of recommendations from Shiver’s recent writings alongside my own current local picks — more information about the song selection and links to support the artists are below:
The JDs — “Proust (V1),” “Proust (V2),” “Proust (V3)”
Jack Dangers (aka Meat Beat Manifesto) and Jon Drukman (Bass Kittens) are the JDs, and they seem to have a thing for the late French novelist Marcel Proust, who is the subject of their latest EP. You’ll get a taste of the three versions of “Proust” in the mix. Fun fact: Drukman was the first person to teach me how to mix records together back in 1993 (thank you!).
Caroline Chung & Citizens Jazz — “Message to the Spirits”
Thank you also to 48 Hills writer Joanna Ladd for turning us all on to Sounds of Haejin, the latest album by bassist Caroline Chung & Citizens Jazz. “Message to the Spirits” features San Francisco’s new Poet Laureate, Tongo Eisen-Martin.
Nef the Pharaoh featuring Chris O’Bannon — “No Label”
Taken from Vallejo rapper Nef the Pharaoh’s new album SINsational, “No Label” also showcases a guest appearance from Compton’s Chris O’Bannon.
Sitka Sun — “Dauntless”
Shiver wrote that Oakland’s Sitka Sun (aka Patrick Murphy) is a jazz project that “corrals diverse inspiration from Americana, psychedelic prog arrangements, and rare groove IQ,” which piqued my curiosity for sure. How ‘bout you?
Lyrics Born & Cutso — “Anti”
Turn this one up loud — we are angry and tired of anti-Asian sentiment and violence being allowed to exist in this country. Lyrics Born always has the right words.
Dax Pierson — “For the Angels”
This is the lead single from Pierson’s new album, Nerve Bumps (A Queer Divine Dissatisfaction), which Shiver describes as blending “hip hop, jazz, John Carpenter-esque malaise, trap/anti-trap-influenced percussion, and musique concrete elements that overall paint a future with dynamic yet muted colors.”
Double Identity — “Have to Feel It” and “RU Ready”
A quick sampling of two songs from Double Identity’s new Have to Feel It EP, one of Shiver’s picks from late March. Double Identity is the production alias of Voltage Music creator Tomas Palermo, who is also a veteran music journalist, sonic curator and sharer of my initials.
40 Thieves and Gary Davis — “Spaghettified”
The bubbly new single from the now bicoastal dance music collective 40 Thieves (SF/Oakland and Florida) is a collaboration with Gary Davis (Chocolate Star), a producer’s producer with a deep discography whose roots go back to Seventies disco.
The JDs — “Kitty Litter (Bass Kittens Remix)”
A bit of feline electro funk, also taken from the JDs’ new Proust EP.
SLOPE114 — “Love Always Wins (Dub)”
Cat people Elise Gargalikis-Ponce and Dmitri Ponce recently left SF for quieter Northern California climes, but we’re still claiming them, for they brought life to their modular synth-powered house music in the city — and the Serge synthesizers they favor were created here, too. Yay Area!
