Jazz, jazz fusion, jazz punk, and more jazz in a new DJ mix by SF producer RAVEN
Brycon and The Architect team up on a split beat tape based on travel themes, and a trio of sonic experimentalists stretch out in a krautrock dub jam at Santo Recording
After years of following the enigmatic releases of RAVEN on their local imprint VAGUETRACKS—including everything from solo classical piano recordings to late night dub techno and funky juke—we were delighted to invite the SF producer onto the White Crate show on Lower Grand Radio this week. We spoke with RAVEN about his musical background and process, and then he shared a two-hour jazz mix.
Listen to the interview and recording with RAVEN on Lower Grand Radio.
P.S. Apologies to everyone for the confusion: We’re looking forward to inviting Louie Elser onto Lower Grand Radio next month, Tue Sep 10 at 8:30 PM PT.
— White Crate
FILM-WORTHY BEAT TAPE
“A cinema-worthy opus dedicated to fine luggage & the true costs of life on the road.”
Traveling alone is fine, but having a companion is always nice—even in the world of beatmaking. Brycon (who has been producing in SF for nearly two decades) and The Architect (co-founder of Homeliss Derilex in Milpitas in the early 1990s) connected a few years back, and now present to us their first collaborative full-length album The Samsonite Survivor. It’s also nice to have a thematic vibe on your beat tape, so here the producers aim for atmospheres evocative of classic and long-forgotten films: There’s the pleasant daydream of vintage piano and strings (“Sriracha Pizza”), vaporwave-affected 80s R&B (“Love Can Be Things”), the tidy loop of a lovelorn soprano (“The Drought Myth”), and a dozen more vivid scenes.
For more like this: Check out The Shape of Things That Went, a full album released by Brycon this past June, inspired by and recorded in tribute to Ornette Coleman’s 1959 free jazz album The Shape of Jazz to Come.
— Ronny Kerr
DARK ENYA OST
Thank you W.A.L.A for reminding me of this. On ep. 18 of LIGHT BEINGS RADIO, the SMARTBOMB selector slipped in “Dark Enya,” a track that just appeared last month on this fuzzy dubbed out new age jazz release: Volume 1 by OMW. Recorded at Santo in West Oakland and released on sixtyhurts, the album features Mark Oi, Izaak Mills, and Zachary James Watkins strolling the sands of some alien planet, riffing on synths and riddims, and playfully stretching out in the studio in a West Germany-meets-Kingston kinda style. It’s experimental music that delights instead of challenges, avoiding cliches by keeping it fun, carefree, and exploratory.
— Ronny Kerr
SHOW RECS
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[hip hop] NightLife ft. MURS, Z-Man — August 15 at California Academy of Sciences
[rock] Dog Eyes (album release), Freight Train Lady, Small Hoop — August 15 at Bottom of the Hill
[rock] The Umbrellas, The Frenchmen, RYLI — August 16 at the Golden Bull
[metal] Vile Rites (album release), Feral Season, Sepulchre, Tentacult — August 16 at Arlene Francis Center
[blues] Brontez Purnell performs J. J. Malone — August 16 at BAMPFA
[acid] Carlos Souffront, DJ Cira, grep, Nexus-6 — August 16 at F8
[fest] YBGF SEED FESTIVAL ft. Alleluia Panis, Mahealani Uchiyama, Vân-Ánh Võ , Esotérica Tropical, Rocky Rivera, Lalin St. Juste, Kev Choice, RyanNicole — August 17 at Yerba Buena Gardens
[rock] Al Harper, Arts & Crafts, Mister Baby — August 17 at the Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch Library, SF
[jazz] Chhoti Maa — August 17 at SFJAZZ
[punk] Smokers (record release), Wifey, Lazy Hawk — August 17 at the Golden Bull
[club] STRAPT ft. 40split, Discnogirl, DJ Ari B, DJ Buck, Quetzal — August 17 at Underground SF
SUPPORT BAY AREA MUSIC! Get access to our full Bay Area concert calendar, featuring specially curated recommendations for upcoming shows in SF and Oakland.
