So it took me a while to compile these favorites, as this is the first installment. The majority of it revolves around what I’d listen to on the regular. I know there’s a lot of stuff missing, like the reissues, the remixes, the edits but yeah. Uh huh. Here’s the most that comes to mind. Boom!

Albums:

 

Hollie Cook s/t (Mr Bongo)
As is the case with my taste in music, the female voice is something to be worshipped and praised. Hollie Cook’s self-titled album brings that simple beauty I love in her debut album. There really isn’t anything better than some fresh originality to all things reggae and lover’s rock. #futurewife

 

The Greg Foat Group – Dark Is The Sky (Jazzman)
Maybe I’m not surrounded by enough people my age who listen to jazz but honestly, this album is ridiculously beautiful. The whole sound is totally on some ethereal Fantastic Planet steez and carries with it that timeless imaginative brightness that makes you relish your most lucid moments.

 

Samiyam – Sam Baker’s Album (Brainfeeder)
I’ve always fantasized about moving to Detroit because of the level of hard soul that exists there. It’s got a uniquely deep energy. Samiyam is just another example of how special Detroit is with the hard beat shit he’s made of himself for as a result. This album knocks.

EPs:

Shlohmo – Places EP (Friends of Friends)
The homegirl who runs the delectable music blog Feed Her Beats would always play a cut from this EP in her DJ sets and for the longest time, I was always like “daaamn!” when she’d play one since I never knew who it was. Eventually, I copped the EP myself because I couldn’t take it any longer. This music is magical.

 

Inkswel – Get To My Party EP (Boogie Bash)
I started a monthly party this year (that’s currently on hold) called Sweet Cheeks devoted to all things baby-makin’ in the future music sense. We played lots of classic R&B, hyper-soulful and sexualized beat music (that we dubbed “future wife”) and boogie-funk. We’d give out ring pops to people so they could propose to their future wives on the dancefloor. We even considered getting a condom sponsorship. But yeah, this record alone accounted for the sound aesthetic I envisioned. By the way, Reggie B is the troof!

 

KING – The Story EP (self-released)
If there’s one song that can make everything bad in my life go away, it’d be KING’s “Hey”. That song seriously taps some frequencies that the world’s leaders need to listen to in their sleep or when they’re making decisions. This whole EP was completely made out of love and I love it. I can’t wait to hear what’s to come from them since they collaborated with Robert Glasper! Oh yeah, as a side note, the first time Erykah Badu heard their demo, as she said in an interview, she listened to it on repeat and cried a lot because it’s just that amazing.

 

Débruit – Sis Surpriz EP (Civil Music)
The beats this dude makes are so fresh and out there. He’s got quite the ear for utilizing the most random sounds and building some of the most amazing productions. The last I heard, I think he was building a home studio somewhere in Africa, I think Ghana and buying records like a fiend. Godbless his ears.

 

Terrace Martin & Devi Dev – The Sex EP (released as a mixtape)
The first time I heard a cut off this, I thought it was cheesy. He initially sounded like Kenny G to me at first. Something eventually clicked in me when I heard “Cum Baby” played all loud at my homie Foniks’ spot. I realized much later that Terrace Martin is extremely talented and then I wondered the possibilities of him collaborating with someone like Dam-Funk. It’s already happened and I want more. Also to add, this EP is definitely something Sweet Cheeks approved.

 

Lovebirds feat. Stee Downes – Want You In My Soul EP (Winding Road)
The house head in me fell in love with this EP when I first heard it. While it just came out roughly a month or so ago, this is on some peak-time “girl, you have no idea what you just did to me” type shit. Honestly, I wish more house music in this day and age would hit this frequency.

 

B. Bravo – Kiss n Tell EP (Earnest Endeavors)
Modern funk is so much more alive when dudes like B. Bravo have their way with it. Last year, he definitely made a name for himself with “Computa Love” and to follow up with this EP makes his talent that much more golden. My favorite cut off this is “Substance” because if you’re as much of a house head as me, you’d probably recognize Lady Alma’s voice from her deep house days.