What I Listened To This Week 2025-02-14
Slow Jam "Megamixes," D'Angelo's Voodoo turns 25, Kendrick Lamar remixes, Infinity Song, Brother Ali
Happy Friday to all, and happy whatever y’all celebrate today as long as you’re doing it with love. I’ve been in the emotional trenches this week. Here’s what got me through it.
DJ Opus - Heartbeats (Slow Jam Mix)
In preparation for a DJ gig today, I revisited a whole heap of slow jams this week. Mostly, but not exclusively, late 80s-mid 90s R&B and anything adjacent. The kind of music you’d hear in a mix like the mythical DJ Opus - Heartbeats mixtape, which originally came into my life on a dub of a dub of a dub on a cassette tape in the late 90s. Not just a mixtape, but a MEGAMIX, as we called it. It was the dusk of the tape era and the dawn of the mp3, and this one went as viral as you could possibly get on both fronts. There were many that came before and after this one, but this is The One that entered my orbit and has stayed ever since. Every once in a while I’ll still encounter it out in the wild, like at weddings when the DJ would take a long break.
When Roc Nation-backed Infinity Song went vertical-reel-viral in 2023 with “Haters Anthem,” I endured hearing it across the room, playing out of the kid’s phone, for weeks straight. As much as it invited me to hate it it, I couldn’t.
Earlier this week, the Algo fed me their video for “Sinking Boat,” which made the reel rounds late last year. Singing “the end of an age / the end of affection” in a folky, psychedelic soft rock vibe, this feels like an appropriate response and bookend to 5th Dimension’s “The Age of Aquarius.” Also, I read somewhere that the guy in the Oval Office is a fan of 5th Dimension and ABBA, which makes me wonder what bruh would think of this.
J.PERIOD Presents… REINCARNATED [Kendrick Remixed]
I listened to more yapping about Kendrick’s halftime show than I listened to Kendrick’s actual music, but this one slipped through in more than one group chat. Now that I think about it, J.PERIOD is a name I’ve consistently seen pop up in group chats for decades now. In a world saturated with so many unnecessary remixes/mashups, J.PERIOD’s never feel forced, and always sound like earnest homages that stay in conversation with the original.
Brother Ali - Satisfied Soul
Today, I host my first Live on KEXP taping with Brother Ali. His new album, Satisfied Soul, entirely produced by Ant, also just dropped today. I got a chance to run an advance copy this past week, and it’s some of his best work.
D’Angelo - Voodoo
Voodoo was released January 2000, which officially makes it 25 years old as of last month. On Feb 11, D’Angelo turned 51. So, Voodoo is as old as D’Angelo was when he made it. I read a handful of reflections on this over here, like this one, which makes me feel good about being here.
J period never disappoints
Infinity Song goes so hard!