Welcome back to ElecSoul.

This is Combinations & Inspirational Ideas Show Two, the second part of a couple of shows where, rather than following a particular genre, era or scene, I’ve been thinking about the connections between things.
 
 

Tracks:

The LOX — Terminator LOX — SoundCloud

The LOX — Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch — are a legendary Yonkers, New York hip-hop trio whose gritty lyricism emerged from the city's underground before they signed to Bad Boy Records. They later moved to Ruff Ryders and became central figures in East Coast hardcore rap, with their influence continuing through D-Block and their individual careers.

The Misled Children & Odean Pope — Dadadun

The Misled Children are an experimental hip-hop collective whose work explores the space between beat-making, sampling, jazz and electronic music. Their collaboration with Philadelphia saxophonist Odean Pope is a particularly strong example of their interest in bringing improvisational jazz into a contemporary beat-based setting.

Odean Pope is a Philadelphia-born tenor saxophonist, composer and bandleader with deep roots in the city's jazz tradition and a career stretching back to the 1960s. His work with artists including Max Roach and his own adventurous ensembles established him as an important figure in avant-garde and creative jazz.

Yosi Horikawa — Letter

Yosi Horikawa is a Japanese musician, producer and sound designer renowned for turning everyday and natural sounds into intricate musical compositions. His work draws equally from hip-hop, jazz, electronic music and field recording, creating a highly tactile style in which the sound itself becomes part of the rhythm.

BosPianii feat. Zanda Zakuza & Dr Duda — Emadongeni — Apple Music 

BosPianii feat. Zanda Zakuza & Dr Duda — Emadongeni — Spotify

BosPianii is a South African producer working within the contemporary amapiano and house continuum, with a sound rooted in rhythmic, soulful dance music. His work brings together the groove-led traditions of South African house with the newer, globally influential amapiano movement.

Zanda Zakuza is a South African singer and songwriter whose powerful, soulful vocals have made her an important voice in the country's contemporary dance scene. She has worked across house, amapiano and Afro-pop, including collaborations with artists such as Master KG and DJ Maphorisa.

Dr Duda

Dr Duda is a South African DJ and producer associated with the country's vibrant house-music culture, particularly the soulful and Afro-house side of the scene. His production and DJ work have helped connect South African house traditions with the international dance floor.

Daughters & Sons — Gipsy (Prins Thomas Remix)

Daughters & Sons are an Italian electronic duo whose work draws on house, techno, disco and the broader history of Detroit electronic music. Their Detroit Stories project was built around interviews with Detroit residents, using their stories and experiences as inspiration for the music.

Prins Thomas is one of Norway's most influential electronic producers and DJs, closely associated with the cosmic discoand leftfield dance movement that emerged from Scandinavia in the 2000s. His productions and remixes are known for stretching disco, house, funk and psychedelic electronic music into long-form, exploratory

Coleman Roland — Hidden Similarities (Original Mix)

Coleman Roland is a contemporary electronic producer whose work sits around the deeper, more experimental edges of house and dance music. Tracks such as “Hidden Similarities” reflect an approach where groove, atmosphere and subtle production details are more important than fitting neatly into a single genre.

Phoelix, theMIND & Ben Hixon — 7am Germany (Original Mix)

Phoelix is a Chicago-born singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose music moves between soul, hip-hop, R&B and electronic music. His warm vocals and musicianship place him firmly within Chicago's continuing tradition of artists who blur the boundaries between beat culture and live soul music.

Ben Hixon is a Chicago producer and artist whose work crosses hip-hop, house, jazz and electronic music. His productions often demonstrate the musical fluidity of the modern Chicago scene, where the distinction between rapper, producer, beatmaker and electronic musician has become increasingly blurred.

Dee Dee Brave — My My Lover (Kaoz Again Mix)

Dee Dee Brave was a New Jersey house vocalist whose “My My Lover” became part of the rich vocal-house tradition emerging from the New York/New Jersey club scene. The record is particularly significant because of its connection with Kerri Chandler and the Movin' Records sound, linking soulful songwriting with the deep, bass-heavy foundations of New Jersey house.

2Sleep — Love And Happiness (Original Mix)

2Sleep is a contemporary soulful-house producer whose work draws on the enduring relationship between soul, funk and the four-to-the-floor house groove. “Love And Happiness” is a good example of how those classic ingredients continue to be reinterpreted by a new generation of producers.

Ben — Bagota (Original Mix)

Ben is an electronic/house producer whose work explores the deeper and more melodic side of contemporary dance music. “Bagota” fits naturally into this ElecSoul selection because of its understated groove and emphasis on atmosphere rather than obvious dance-floor formulas.

NSM — DJ Power (Use It)

NSM is a British electronic producer whose music sits within the wider West London tradition of broken beat, jazz, soul, funk and house. “DJ Power (Use It)” was included on Breaking The Beats: A Personal Selection of West London Sounds, connecting the track to a particularly important strand of London's post-acid-jazz dance culture.

Otto — Por Que

Otto is an electronic producer whose work explores house and groove-led dance music with an emphasis on rhythm and atmosphere. “Por Que” is a fitting final selection because it leaves the set in that open-ended space between soulful house, Latin influence and contemporary electronic production.