slow jams

  • For any musicians out there: aren’t those perfect, creative, moments the ones you find yourself while playing “in the pocket”? It’s when the groove that swung one way comes together on a beat (and whatever you’re doing is the exactly the right thing to be done). I say this because it reminds me of Suzy…

  • Once again, I’m back to my favorite kind of song: the love song. But not just any kind of love song. For this hour-long mix for LYL Radio I decided to explore songs that zero in on the range that (justifiably) make us the most anxious — it’s those imbued with feelings of lust, seduction,…

  • Next, in my continuing series of the redemptive power of house music, I take a look at EPO’s Fire & Snow. I’m half-joking, of course. However, EPO’s Fire & Snow is one of those hidden full album burners that sounds like an anomaly in someone’s discography but has that sound made for them. We had…

  • Some of my favorite albums are those like the one I’ll be sharing today by Bergamo’s own iconic Ivan Cattaneo. Il Cuore É Nudo… E I Pesci Cantano (or The Heart Is Naked… And The Fish Sing) proves again that some of our best work is done when we stop putting in front all sorts…

  • I’ll be completely honest. Lately, it’s been getting harder to carve out time to write for this blog. After a long moment in time, I’ve finally found a degree of it to do other things that vie just as much for my attention. Yet, I still feel the need to share things with you. Maybe…

  • When Yasuaki Shimizu’s Mariah split up their story appeared to end there. Marica’s Jellyfish 海月 proves that Mariah was just a small part of the bigger slice of Japanese Pop music these same members created, that still merits rediscovery. Produced by ex-Mariah members Masanori Sasaji, Jimmy Murakawa, and Morio Watanabe, Jellyfish 海月 finds vocal jazz…

  • Leave it to me to create a post that’s not “evergreen” for a record that positively radiates with fun. Imagine Parliament set their mothership to Japan, and along the way picked up Gang Of Four, then decided that they really like techno-kayo music. Well, The Voice & Rhythm, led by the late, great vocalist and…

  • There always come a point in your life when you just have to say: “fuck it”…and lead with your heart. The late great icon frequently seen in black and white, with smoky cigarette in hand, had lead the life of someone unmoored by her origins in Japan. Deeply tied and influenced by American Jazz and…

  • I was going to write about how much I appreciate all of you, the readers, who keep visiting this blog and give your precious time to discover music I feel passionate about. It’s been over a year since FOND/SOUND began. It’s because of your encouragement and support that this labor of love keeps going. With…

  • Can a single be so majestic and yet be so tragic at the same time? Well, DeBarges’ masterwork of “All This Love/I’m In Love with You” is both. This was released as the second single off the similarly titled album. This song took me a while to figure out. I remember listening to it as…

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