trog'low - Midnight Calisthenics (Cold Busted)

Cold Busted has reached into the funky depths to discover trog’low and his fantastic new album Midnight Calisthenics. Based in Toronto, trog’low has appeared on Cold Busted’s IWYMI series as well as his well-received debut album Mellow Feats. He’s gained attention with a deft combination of the old timey and fresh aesthetics, as boom-bap beats and deep jazz intermingle. trog’low’s refusal to follow production fads and trends gives his music a classic, timeless feel — with Midnight Calisthenics, he’s delivered an album that’ll linger.

The opening “Soul Vibes Summit” sets the scene. The time-warped sounds of an audience applauding a jazz combo are joined by phat old school rhythms and delicious vibraphone riffs. “Ballin' '72” keeps up the crucial jazz vibe, adding hardy horns and cool guitar chords. A sublime bossa nova feel is injected into “Hepcats In Heat,” imagining a surf-side retreat with classy jazzbos sipping martinis. And “Ossanha Flip” adds loungey latin elements, its low-slung groove and chopped piano ready to accompany sexy moves. That’s just a taste what Midnight Calisthenics has to offer within its 14 tracks. Give trog’low your ear and prepare to go way back — back into time.

DJ BMF (Eighth Dimension) – “Love it! Perfect blend of Boom Bap beats & Jazz.”
Michael Moebus (Meem) – “Nice Summery grooves.”
Kid Loco (Flor) – “Really well done and coherent from start to finish. Great release.”
Shantisan (Salted Soul) – “These tracks are so cool – I love them!”
Rusty / AGFA (Super Hi-Fi Recordings) – “Nice late night Jazzy grooves. Digging these a lot.”
Mister T. (Cold Busted) – “Amazing set of tracks. True Jazzy sounds here.”
Ket Shah (Mucho Soul) – “Really clever and well produced.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Nice Jazzistic Downtempo experience, as always.”
Salvo Borrelli (Garam Masala Radioshow) – “The great return of Acid Jazz.”
Floored Capri (Kane FM) – “Fine fine Jazzy Hip Hop goodness. The quality of these productions is outstanding.”

Out Now And Available From: Bandcamp, Juno Download, Beatport, And Spotify.

Boogie Belgique - Time For A Boogie (Remastered) [Cold Busted]

Boogie Belgique was formed in 2012 by Oswald Cromheecke, quickly growing into one of the top artists in European trip hop and electro-swing circles. A year later, the Belgian combo released Time For A Boogie, their debut for the Cold Busted label. The album made serious waves, exposing global audiences to Boogie Belgique’s unique fusion of old and new, vintage and modern. The band’s combination of nostalgic swing jazz samples, live instrumentation, and phat beats creates a sound that’s exciting to this day.

That’s why Cold Busted has reissued Time For A Boogie, remastered and, for the first time, on vinyl and cassette. New listeners can thrill to the punchy uptempo breakbeat swing of album opener “Love In Your Eyes,” the worldly trip hop excursion of “Broken Mountain,” “Swing Thing” and its familiar cut-ups mixed with hip hop attitude, and the infectious contemporary groove of the title track. And that’s just a taste of the album’s dozen phenomenal tracks. Time For A Boogie is an album that stands the test of time, reaching into the past to reveal sounds for future dance-floors.

Kid Loco (Flor / Tromolo) – “Just brilliant. Pure classic.”
DJ Love (Stellar Music) – “All of these tracks are insane. The beats are so hot.”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) – “Yeah! Back with some groovy, jazzy feeling funky downbeat.”
Morphosis (The Hong Kong Ping Pong Club) – “Fabulous to hear this remastered. Bravo!”
Brandon (Properly Chilled) – “Classic stuff! Nice to hear the remasters.”
Stelios Ktoras (DeeJay 93.5 Radio) – “I love the atmosphere of Darjeeling. Loving the music.”
Floored Capri (Kane FM) – “YES! Love the swing feeling to this. Interesting release.”
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show) – “Timeless indeed. Love it.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel) – “Beautiful Album. Right in the socket for the show here.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) – “Impossible to choose a favorite. Each is a winner, still sounding fresh. Love it!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Bandcamp, Juno Download, And Spotify.

Various Artists - The Content Label - Sampler 5 (The Content Label)

The Content Label is a Los Angeles project-based record label and worldwide collective. As the logo illustrates, over the years various elements have combined to produce works that have contributed to the lineage of sample-based music with an emphasis in electronic and hip-hop production. Curated by critically acclaimed recording artist Dday One, the LA-based boutique label’s exclusive catalog is exquisite and experiential.

This fifth label sampler is an overview of The Content Label’s latest exploits and the variance of the artists involved. Parisian producer, visual artist, and MC Lex (de Kalhex) sets the scene with “Solstice,” transforming from a jazzy boom-bap experience to spacier realms partway through the cut. Salty, the accomplished Japanese beat-maker, delivers on “ADSL,” showcasing an introspective hip-hop terminology via phased electric piano vibes, timeless vocal drops, and shimmering atmospheres. Dday One, The Content Label’s guiding force, next drops “Cielo Azul.” The track features layers of intricately assembled sound for a melancholy, worldly take on the sampler’s overall vibe.

The next two artists hail from Russia, underscoring The Content Label as a global affair. With a deft, strings-laden soundscape, Fiji unveils his “Sketch,” a sonic imagining of moodier, distant climes. LTF then shows the funkier side of Moscow with “Soviet Groove Machine,” an upbeat stew of drum beats, plucked guitar rides, and dubbed-out horns. Returning the artist roster to the USA, but inspired by Soviet-era classical music, the duo of Gone Beyond & Mumbles exhibit their poetically constructed “Apropos For The Wet Snow.”

Enigmatic Los Angeles producer Marques Lafelt adds a dreamy four-on-the-floor flavor on “Love Unlimited,” complete with night-scape chord pads and an echoey, bass synth lead. The innovative electronics continue with audio/visual quartet Von Neumann Effect who close out the sampler. “A.I Assisted Climax” is descriptive of its sound, evoking possessed circuitry and sentient rhythm.

Dj Halabi (Reversion Records) “Solid stuff from Dday One on Vol.5 of this label sampler. For me, Lex really shines on this project. Top Stuff.
Mr. Bristow (Subtek) – “Heavy business. Nice work.”
Andrew Emil (Glenview Records) – “So damn good!”
DJ Friction (Bodymovin / Complex) – “Dope beats. Solstice and ADSL are my faves, but all of these are really good.”
Renegades of Jazz (Agogo Records) – “Absolutely love this.”
DJ Wash (Butter Music) - “Nice release, especially feeling the Soviet Groove Machine track.”
Rory Hoy (Howlin’ Records) – “ Absolutely stellar release.”
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show) – “Top notch work from all involved.”
Dr. Best (Radio Z, Nuremberg) – “A true 5 star deluxe package.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “A real box of musical goodness. They cover all the beats!”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Jenova 7 - Dusted Jazz Vol. 3 (Cold Busted)

Boston beat-maker Jenova 7 returns to Cold Busted for the crucial cut collection Dusted Jazz Vol. 3. A crate-digging vinyl junkie and film school graduate, inspired by the heyday of ‘90s trip-hop — and artists like DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, and Portishead — Jenova 7 forged his own sound, eventually ending up on DJ Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz 8. After taking a stylistic departure with the funky sci-fi themed album A Cosmic Safari, his collaboration with Russia’s Eddie Shinn, Jenova 7 issues the long-awaited third volume of Dusted Jazz, following the first two volumes on Dusted Wax Kingdom. He is also a member of trip-hop trio Wax Triptych (with Mononome and Mr. Moods).

The cuts transmit a hazy and jazzy flow throughout, featuring chalky mid-tempo breakbeats and funky beamed-in-from-the-70s atmospheres and flavors. You can almost see a sun-drenched, scratchy super-8 film accompanying “5 Pointz Theme,” an immensely cool cut paying homage to a city’s graffiti center. “You Dig?”, which originally appeared on IWYMI Volume Nine, continues the vibe, delivering squelchy vintage synth, chunky piano, and a lovely guitar interlude. And “Static,” featuring the lovely vocals of K8 Marcos, reveals Jenova 7’s range — it’s a delicious, breezy trip hop tune that wouldn’t be out of place alongside the likes of Zero 7.

Dusted Jazz Vol. 3 is a treasure from top to bottom, and Jenova 7 joins the ranks of his influences with this accomplished and multi-faceted release.

Kid Loco (Tromolo Records) – “I dig this! Back to the old school.”
ActRaiser (Fokuz) – “mellow vibes with a crunchy edge. Love it.”
Danny Massure (Spring Strut) - “Lay My Burden Down is my favorite track that has been sent to me in months.”
Rusty/All Good Funk Alliance (Super Hi-Fi) – “Cool stuff. Digging the Shadow vibes.”
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio) – “This has a mature acid jazz feel.”
Michael Moebus (Meem) – “Nice release. Smokey, jazzy beats that are well done.”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) – “Dope & dusty. Dirty drums.”
Mark Reynolds (Just Chillin Podcast) – “More stone cold classics than Easter Island.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “This is such a diamond of an album. I can’t choose a favorite!”
DJ Nartak (Nightflight & Klassik Lounge) – “Cool stuff. I love Jenova’s way of mixing styles and (cinematic) atmospheres.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.