Welcome to a limited mix series that was all about the pursuit of leisure in all its sonic forms. The Leisure Suite series ran from 2006 – 2008, mostly covering the genres of soul, hip hop, broken beat, jazz, deep house, r&b, funk with random splashes of rock, drum n’ bass and club shit just for the fuck of it. The title of the series is an homage to one of my favourite artists of all-time, Maxwell. Max had a penchant for naming certain songs of his “Suites”, and it was also prominently in the title of his debut album “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite“. I, too, become taken with the idea of the ‘suite’ (the non-hotel room kind) and wanted to use it in some fashion. I then paired it up with my idea to start this particular ‘chill’ mix series, encapsulating the desired overall mood with the concept of ‘leisure’. Thus, The Leisure Suite was born. Now I know what you’re thinking: that was the most riveting story you’ve ever read and totally worth the 30 seconds it took to read. Well, first of all I don’t think I appreciate the semi-sarcastic tone there mister. Second, I need to stop talking to myself.
My forever-reason for even wanting to compile my first ‘mix’ in the first place way back in 1998 was driven by the need to express myself in some semi-profound fashion. What I quickly found was I had a knack for capturing a mood, vibe or sustained emotion throughout a mix, effectively representing that mood for anywhere between 60 minutes to 33 hours (no, seriously). And that’s what ultimately drives how my mixes are formed. As such, each mix is a snapshot of my overall being and state of mind at that point in time, a message-in-a-sonic-bottle of the deeper parts of myself, told obliquely through a seemingly-random assortment of tunes.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed putting them together 🙂
a trance-inducing foray into swirling chilled miasmas and soundscapes.
originally released in 2006.
tracklist:
01. cliff martinez – first sleep
02. free design – lullaby (j-nova remix)
03. dzihan & kamien – don’t explain
04. peter kruder – the man (part one)
05. gorodish – a time to listen
06. de-phazz – death by chocolate
07. me’shell ndegeocello – love song #2
08. gaelle – ghost in the machine (prod. chris brann)
09. boozoo bajou – take it slow (feat. joe dukie & u-brown)
10. similou – orchid queen (feat. salome kent)
11. jaffa – bklyn bobbi
12. fat jon (as maurice galactica) – change your mind
13. vanessa daou – aphrodite
14. sandboy – written in the leaves (feat. nanar vorperian)
15. booster – summer (feat. malia)
16. modaji – no disguise (feat. jag)
17. moodorama – for shiva.
a selection of my fav hip hop joints.
originally released in 2006.
tracklist:
01. das efx – rap scholar (feat. redman)
02. lost boyz – music makes me high
03. pete rock & c.l. smooth – in the house
04. bush babees – the love song (feat. mos def)
05. little brother – whatever you say (remix)
06. a tribe called quest – steppin’ it up (feat. busta rhymes & redman)
07. the roots – no alibi
08. jay dee – beej-n-dem (pt. 2)
09. gravediggaz – nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
10. q-tip – let’s ride
11. zion-i – critical (feat. planet asia)
12. dj quik – did y’all feel dat (feat. mausberg and skaboobie)
13. masta ace – what’s going on
14. trigger the gambler – my crew can’t go for that
15. busta rhymes – it’s all good
16. jungle brothers – brain (feat. the roots)
17. de la soul – dinninit
18. slum village – special way (a.k.a. 2u4u)
19. people under the stairs – roadbeaters
20. redman – what u lookin’ 4
21. snoop doggy dogg – vapors
22. first down – dedication to the suckas.
a veritable multi-genre gumbo of what i was really feeling at the time.
originally released in 2006.
tracklist:
01. afronaught – take you there (feat. don ricardo)
02. leftfield – dusted (feat. roots manuva)
03. brooklyn funk essentials – i got cash
04. romanthony – bring u up
05. metro area – strut
06. mc edi – eu vou te fazer mulher
07. vikter duplaix – sensuality
08. alice russell & quantic – somebody’s gonna love you
09. sugarush beat company – sugarush
10. regurgitator – ! (the song formerly known as)
11. funk n’ lata – sambadrome
12. zed bias – neighbourhood (feat. mc rumpus & nicky prince)
13. shy fx & t power – shake ur body (feat. di)
14. everything but the girl – corcovado
15. groove theory – tell me (zaire solemix)
16. ta-mara & the seen – affection
17. the heart attack (jack splash & cee-lo green) – right now
18. dwele – cheap
19. aaliyah – rock the boat (kwame v’s stimulated remix).
happy 4/20.
originally released in 2006.
tracklist:
01. pharcyde – splattitorium
02. les rhythmes digitales – soft machine (feat. thomas ribero)
03. thievery corporation – lebanese blonde (feat. pamela bricker)
04. jamiroquai – return of the space cowboy (radio edit)
05. platinum pied pipers – ridin’ high (feat. dwele)
06. sbi (surrounded by idiots) – big white spaceship
07. mr. grimm – indo smoke (feat. warren g, nate dogg & g-child)
08. mausberg – mushrooms (feat. dj quik)
09. redman – pick it up
10. calvin richardson – you got me high (feat. slum village)
11. digital underground – oregano (gumbo soup mix)
12. b rezell – blowed away (feat. devante)
13. timbaland & magoo – smoke in da’ air (feat. playa)
14. jack herrera – high off you
15. dj quik – bombudd ii
16. missy elliott – pass da blunt
17. de la soul – peer pressure (feat. jay dee & b real)
18. cee-lo – basehead jazz
19. jonathon maron – natural high.
a snapshot of some of my favourite all-time pop-rock ball-busters.
originally released in 2007.
tracklist:
01. arkarna – eat me
02. cornershop – brim full of asher (fatboy slim remix)
03. sugar ray – personal space invader
04. foo fighters – generator
05. queens of the stone age – no one knows
06. filter – the best things
07. smashing pumpkins – 1979
08. skunkhour – kick in the door
09. roachford – down
10. regurgitator – superstraight
11. weezer – buddy holly
12. crowded house – locked out
13. third eye blind – never let you go
14. dandy warhols – not if you were the last junkie on earth
15. citizen king – better days (and the bottom drops out)
16. dave navarro – rexall
17. chris cornell – can’t change me
18. the superjesus – down again
19. everclear – wonderful
20. the cruel sea – better get a lawyer
21. mark lizotte – dig.
a companion mix to 006, showcasing my love for the angst-ridden acoustic poprockish ditty.
originally released in 2007.
tracklist:
01. the verve – lucky man
02. lazlo bane – superman
03. the magic numbers – love is a game
04. rhett miller – come around
05. josh rouse – dressed up like nebraska
06. diesel – one more time (live)
07. bryan adams – cuts like a knife (live)
08. prince – dinner with delores
09. nick drake – from the morning
10. kinks – nothing in this world can stop me worryin’ bout that girl
11. alison krauss – baby, now that i’ve found you
12. andy caldwell – i can’t wait (feat. omega)
13. silverchair – miss you love
14. tex perkins – i know y’know i know
15. del amitri – tell her this
16. cary brothers – honestly
17. iron & wine and calexico – burn that broken bed
18. matthew sweet – until you break
19. chris thomas king – hard time killing floor blues
20. foo fighters – still .
a sun-filled lazy day, in sound.
originally released in 2007.
tracklist:
01. up, bustle & out – the hand of contraband
02. channel two – jazz move
03. 2 men 4 soul – spread your love
04. black i – pleasure
05. miguel migs – messages
06. mr. scruff – bernard’s shuffle
07. marc moulin – i am you (feat. christa jérôme)
08. lars bartkuhn & his passion dance orchestra – where we’ve been
09. goapele – back to you
10. nujabes – sea of cloud
11. latrice – spirits
12. abstract truth – like water (drip-hop mix)
13. boz scaggs – miss riddle (feat. roy hargrove)
14. lsk – out of my head (sherwood dub)
15. zo! – method88
16. jazzanova – that night (live at the sk office) (feat. clara hill)
17. bertrand burgalat – le coeur inapaisé.
a sun-themed double-disc mix paying tribute to a variety of artists who choose to use this almighty star in song. disc one features a mish-mash of styles and artists, while disc two sticks to broken beat soul and deep house. best consumed on a sunny afternoon.
originally released in 2008.
tracklist (disc one):
01. jol – life in the sun
02. aya – looking for the sun
03. aggrovators – sun is shining (dub)
04. jazzanova – bohemian sunset
05. nuyorican soul – i am the black gold of the sun
06. maxwell – submerge:til we become the sun
07. shaq – in the sun (feat. common & black thought)
08. jamiroquai – seven days in sunny june
09. nitin sawhney – sunset (feat. eska)
10. new sector movements – the sun (dwele’s motor city remix)
11. adriana evans – in the sun
12. j dilla – sun in my face (feat. blu & miguel)
13. marva whitney – sunny (feat. james brown)
14. twennynine – morning sunrise (feat. lenny white)
15. shaun escoffrey – blame it on the sun.
tracklist (disc two):
01. chillwalker – costa del sol (sunshine mix)
02. victor davies – morning sun (the juju orchestra remix)
03. mr. hermano – free as the morning sun
04. nina simone – here comes the sun (francois k. remix)
05. koop – summer sun (markus enochson mix)
06. magic number – sun song
07. ananda project – into the sunrise
08. tropical deep project – feel the african sun
09. p’taah – staring at the sun (album edit).
the Mashed Potatoes series is all about trying to cover as many musical bases as possible, but without ruining the flow of the overall mix. so, like the first one, i’ve stuck to at least a few tracks of each genre so it flows, as Bruce Lee put it, “like waaaaater, my friend”. this volume mainly covers contemporary funk n soul, experimental jazz fusion, 80s funk, reggae, downtempo, poprock, acoustic & hip-hop. enough genres to poke, or even jab, a stick at.
tracklist:
01. maxwell – the urban theme (unfaded)
02. grooveman spot – 1,2,3,4 (feat. jeru the damaja)
03. dj pooh – ebonics (feat. mista grimm)
04. lefties soul connection – funky chick
05. dimitri from paris – strong man (for real) (feat. omar)
06. ladybug mecca – show the world
07. jamiroquai – slippin’ n’ slidin’
08. citizen king – safety pin
09. mulatu astaqé – yèkatit
10. sam sparro – clingwrap
11. dj peril – rock ya baby (original) (feat. rahsaan patterson)
12. michael franks – a robinsong
13. as melhores orquestras do mundo – airport love theme
14. randy’s all-stars – guns in the ghetto
15. kaidi tatham – demo unnins (unreleased demo)
16. finley quaye – even after all
17. blue six – i’ve given enough (feat. aya)
18. amos lee – lies of a lonely friend
19. owusu & hannibal – watch watch (girls)
20. the tallywood string quartet – teardrop (tribute to massive attack).
CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND 
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