Stee Downes
All In a Day (
Sonar Kollektiv)
As an album, Stee Downes' "All In a Day" is the equivalent of a slow, unforgettable stroll in a sunny park, somewhere in your favorite city on the planet. I'm not saying this is unforgettable, sunny, perfect music, but it sure makes you feel that way. Stylistically it's focused on soft soul, but as you'll hear in songs like "What's Wrong With Groovin" and "I'm Telling You", it shifts effortlessly into and out of bossa nova and jazz. It's more than enough to bring a smile to your soul.
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Various (hfn music)
Harbour Boat Trips 01: Copenhagen (
hfn music)
It's not some obscure fact that Andreas Trentemoller is well known for his solid, thumping mininal house sounds, but anyone who has listened to his album The Last Resort, noticed it's pretty ambient stuff. Still, it isn't anywhere near the soft, folksy ambience of Trentemoller's commissioned compilation effort called Harbour Boat Trips 01: Copenhagen
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Various (Wax On)
Nightmares On Wax Presents Wax On Records Vol. 2 (
Wax On Records)
Wax On may sound like a prescriptive method for honing your karate skills. But, really, it should ring the sound of that Nightmares on Wax label delivering all the "honest music" of so many great talents. In case you are unfamiliar, the sounds of Wax On are now available on a second compilation, Nightmares on Wax Presents Wax On Records Vol. 2, just in time for your next Shotokan training session.
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Lodekka
The Get On EP (
Freshly Squeezed)
While dub and reggae were the strongest influences on Lodekka's self-titled, debut EP, this time around, Lodekka's The Get On EP explores his creative flows with an ear turned toward funk and soul. At the same time however, the island sounds aren't far from the surface of this music. Lodekka's alter-ego Stuart Dace is still rocking the ukulele and dub production techniques, a fact you'll experience throughout the EP.
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Various (Water Music)
Hotel Chill 2 (
Water Music Records)
Hotel Chill 2 is the second in the Hotel Chill series from Water Music Records. Water Music Records deals exclusively in lounge, chill out, and downtempo music, and produces a lot of quality compilations. This a 2-disc compilation of relaxing tracks running through a variety of styles, featuring along with some of the big names of chill out music, a lot of lesser known acts. There is definitely something for everyone, and it makes a really good introduction to the chill out scene.
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Mystikos Quintet
Wup Bup (
Independent (Artist Released))
Wup Bup, the latest and fourth album from Indiana-based Mystikos Quintet is one of those jazz-rooted albums that nourishes itself from the earth of its mood. Everything here depends on getting your head in a certain space, an unhurried, warm, and smoky space.
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