We don’t do this that much or enough over here at Under The Stars, but let’s make that first jump. This is a vibes edition. What does that mean? Each entry here has a certain je ne sais quoi, I don’t know, element to it. You just know it when you hear it.
Let this GENA record, a powerhouse of Black experimentalism, be your gateway to our first Vibes edition of Under The Stars. Let’s go!
GENA, THE PLEASURE IS YOURS (LEX RECORDS)
Drummer and producer Karriem Riggins has always been the man. Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Madlib—dude is, how can we say “versatile”? Add to it the magical smoky sauce of producer, musician, and divine feminine entity that is Liv.e, and you’ve got a fire burning.
Their collaborative debut as GENA (short for “God Energy, Naturally Amazing,” and loosely inspired by Gina from “Martin”) feels like a booster shot of Black Essence that the world is in desperate need of. And that’s just the start.
GENA is one of those projects that are made by people who love music, are not afraid to deviate from formulas, and seem to be inspired by everything musical. Rooted in jazz, soul, and hip-hop as an ever-giving life force, the Dallas-born Liv.e brings an uncut, outside-the-box approach to R&B, while Detroit native Riggins, known also for his work with Common, Erykah Badu, and The Roots, and a close kinship with the late J Dilla, keeps all that playing with the merits of abstract expression—heh, vibe. It’s a frequency that great jazz always cooks within.
Lots of folks over the past 15 years have been attempting to swim in the Madlib portion of the pool. That loose, fragmented, and for sure funky-mixtape-modernity. From Beyonce on down. Yep. Queen Bey herself still cannot be as impactful as the progenitor. But Riggins has the inside pitch to that perspective, throwing good-feeling wallop all over this record.
File under the “when you need to get your head right” section of your record collection; GENA is way past special, dope, different, fire, or any other colloquialism you want to put on it. Riggins and Liv.e swing hard and hit black gold, making something very new out of something very old.
Get it now!
KUZCO, “BE LOVED,” (ENERGY EXCHANGE RECORDS)
A couple of years ago, Kuzco, the Australian-Maori vocalist, keyboardist, and producer, released a debut EP filled with a highly tuned synth arrangement, snap-tick broken beat cadence, ’80s electro accents, and a tasty hint of jackin’ Detroit flavor that covered all the angles. Three years later, the emerging Naarm/Melbourne-based DJ and producer also known as Meg Christensen returns, with authentic ’90s nostalgia designed to make us all move and glide just a bit easier. “Be Loved,” equipped with strong piano looped lines, proper drum breaks, and a chewy-rubber bassline, creates that smooth, silky idealism that once roamed the earth.
Kuzco returns for the win. Again. Pick it up here.
MILD UNIVERSE AT CAFE DU NORD, FRI/27
There is a certain historical trajectory that some Bay Area bands adhere to; it’s the combo amalgam. That smattering of rock, funk, trippy-dippy shit, disco, jazz, and a chef’s kiss of foggy collectivism—a combined calling amongst adverse thinkers in song. San Francisco’s Mild Universe, the six-to-seven-piece combo outfit that formed in 2019, is comprised of musicians who opine with shine.
This SF band pushes those bumping tempos with lyrics concerning interconnectedness, divine energy, and most definitely a sunny side of the street perspective. It’s a self-produced stage show that bravely combines several different elements of dance tempos and halftime ballads under one giant bouncy umbrella. But the biggest upside to this group is that they are designed for live performance. In that cave-basement of fun at Cafe du Nord? Prepare for a fun night to turn into an all-night pleasure fest.
Arrive early for bands THEODOR and BOBBING.
Grab tix here.
DIRECTIONS IN STEREO AT 540 BAR: FOOD EDITION FRI/27
Join resident Resident DJ Circuit73 and special guest The Restaurant on the last Friday of the month at 540 Bar as the Directions In Stereo party cues up an eclectic, sonic backdrop for the evening focused on food. Still guaranteed to be an all-vinyl variety mix to the max. Expect songs about food and its adjacent topics: A smorgasbord of aromatic grooves and greasy licks. Expect deep-fried funk, simmering soul, sautéed jazz, seared rock, mashed pop, baked reggae, roasted disco, and everything in between, spanning all eras past and present, a Bon appétit buffet.
This human-curated, sound-and-vision event is going down in the heart of the Inner Richmond at 540 Bar in San Francisco, purveyors of local craft beer, seasonal cocktails, quarterly art shows, and vintage pinball machines. 540’s inclusive nature and community vision are a perpetual favorite for both residents and tourists alike. See ya on Friday!
TANUKICHAN AND SPACE GHOST, “CIRCLES,” (CARPARK RECORDS)
Even though it’s “The Bay,” you never know exactly where allegiances intersect.
Oakland artist Tanukichan and electronic producer supreme Space Ghost get the atmospheric, time-traveling magic right on two songs inspired by ’90s and early ’00s drum and bass R&B.
They’re coming off last year’s stellar “Majestic Fantasies” project with vocalist Teddy Bryant, where arrangements leaned in on late ’80s and early ’90s sounds that swing through the prism of R&B, UK street soul, house, and g-funk. This two-tracker keeps the timeline succinct and gives space to the atmospheric side of things. “Circles” provides sweet Amen break reflectiveness while “In A Dream” pushes the R&B aspect of the genre, giving complexity to this breakbeat era, while co-signing fluidity in this new wing of electronic music.
I mean, just ask Goldie. Grab ’em here.
OCTO OCTA, SIGILS FOR SURVIVAL (T4T LUV NRG)
Maya Bouldry-Morrison, who releases music as Octo Octa, caught my ear with her “For Lovers EP” from 2019. Due to the way there was a relationship between all these genres of electronic music. It immediately reminded me of the days when many DJs doing a six-hour shift ($150 in a check or $300 in clothing) at the Diesel Store at 101 Post was the norm. I’ll still remind folks: The Diesel jean is not designed for the average African American backside.
You find these things out as you live life.
Most SF DJs who had that gig would just roll to the store with their DJ bags from Friday night and make this cohesive six-hour trip through house, hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass, dub, trip-hop, breakbeat, electro, and whatever else you still had packed in the bag from last night’s gig. But the goal was not six little mixes; it was one elongated journey through sounds and textures, in the hope that people would purchase those skinny-assed jeans.
Octo Octa’s new Sigils For Survival album will be released at the end of April, and it’s true to form, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but never in a repetitive manner. I have it on good word through a back channel that Octo Octa is a gearhead and a big fan of drum and bass. You can hear more of that collective love for all electronic music on this upcoming release. I don’t want to reveal any secrets, but for my money, “Keep Pressing On” is one of the most inspiring productions, an anthem we’re desperately in need of, breakbeat house with smoothed-out edges. I’ve heard Octo Octa get down to brass tacks on in recent years, and let’s face it, it’s a timely mantra. Pre-order this now; it will sell out, as it should. Pre-order here.
OUTSIDE LANDS, AUGUST 7-9, SAN FRANCISCO, GOLDEN GATE PARK
I have a confession to make. With artists such as Automatic, Wet Leg, Dijon, Night Tapes, and Clipse? The lineup this year for the three-day hell on traffic, San Francisco Music Festival, is looking kind of good, people. Call it my perspective, Dry January paying dividends, or a new lease on life after the great experience with Noise Pop this year. Listen, I had a blast at Outside Lands last year, something I have not been able to say for a while.
Floating Points absolutely put on a clinic at the outdoor Soma venue, and the open-air space for dance music, where soccer moms, who could be drum and bass ravers from another lifetime, reclaimed their sexiness, just shakin’ it. Sorry, Mrs. Jackson, you have not lost your moves. Juice box, please.
Points, aka Sam Shepherd, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and epigenetics, at least wheeled out some soulful tech-house tracks from his deep repertoire, and then, due to a younger demography feeling the onslaught effect of new school, let’s call them “medications.” Points (gonna keep calling him that; it has a certain directness to it)
moves on to those big ravey tunes with the washed-out acid lines and the grumbly bass lines for immediate disruption, and for about 45 minutes, he’s just dropping tune after tune with the full pulsating throb and discordant disruptions, wonking it up in nature and messing with the humans equally. That itself? Well worth the festival.
Keep checking in with us as we get more info, but it looks promising.
More info here.
