Nas feat. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie & YG: YKTV
Triplet tension in chorus; lyric flows while never mechanically aligning with the beat's grid; bass triplets that happen a few times create a feeling of suspension; contrast between silence and full beat avoids monotony,
Bobby McFerrin: Circlesongs - Live in Budapest (2018)
Been appreciating lately how hard it is to sing in tune and so I enjoyed this on a higher level than normal.
27:17: wildly precise abstract tuning, singing, and gibberish without turning into a mess.
31:31: groovy bass-y beatboxing to support instrument-like vocal solos.
43:31: improvised speaking through music and singing, realistic voice-only drum groove; polyrhythmic breaking of Bobby's voice to create effects.
Camafeu de Oxóssi: Berimbaus da Bahia (1964)
Percussion layer with a few instruments becomes a solid rhythmic foundation for singing. Some tracks of chanting with what I call "vowels of African origin", followed by some classic songs from the Capoeira tradition.
Tagged: capoeira.
Adrian Holovaty: Melodic Guitar Music (2023)
Pure instrumental arrangements with guitar and bass. Tasteful improvising over django swing vibes.
Marta Gómez: Canciones de sol (2016)
Sweet simple melodies with complex rhythms and accompaniment, punctuated with a children's chorus.
Djavan: a voz e o violão (1976)
Perfect fusing of the Brazilian language's natural rhythm with samba's flow: 4. Para-raio reminds me of the 'perfect fit' between words and percussion I hear in João Donato's music; 9. Embola Bola (Cateretê) barely has words, almost pure voice percussion; 11. Magia feels like hip-hop; 12. Ventos do Norte like swing jazz.
PYRAMID PROJECT, Contours, Juma Tutu: DRIVER (LASTA's Afro Disco Remix)
Single-bar bass loop probably never changes or stops; contrasted with sections featuring a kind of flute, chorus vocal hook (no idea what language it is), abstract saxophone solo and interjections; bass on each beat, booty-shaking, makes you dance and feel good.
Guedra Guedra كدرة كدرة: Juke Lockstep
Middle eastern oboe/reed/clarinet head banger with body shaking beat.
Form of music played before Muay Thai matches. Never heard it before but reminds me of South Indian Carnatic music, bhuddist ceremonial percussion, and avante garde jazz saxophone; of course it’s not a great description as I have no references to understand it yet, but if you like any of those three things you might dig this.
DJ Vadim: Cappo Style (Instrumental)
From Vads Beats Nice! (Instrumentals, Vol. 1) (2019). Lots of ‘cliché’ in the crisp drum beat and simple melody, but with subtle variations to avoid feeling repetitive. Combining synth instruments with analog sounds.
Live performance from 1980. Catchy chorus with signature Boney M. sound.
From Vidhaata soundtrack (1982). One of the first Hindi songs I find catchy.
Caetano Veloso: Tonada De Luna Llena
From Fina Estampa (1994). The voice of Caetano Veloso singing Spanish in falsetto, surrounded and supported by flutes, clarinets, clapping, percussion, opening a portal to an alternative world of warmth and light.
From Ultrascores (2013). Someone in the comments explained that these are young trainees who are learning Sanskrit chants to become Hindu priests. Curious to see certain sounds linked to head positioning. Observe the focus and some kind of fire in the eyes of these children. Odd to mix electronic instruments and piano with this, I would love to see the original source video and hear the raw singing.
Jacob Collier: Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough (2018 single)
Overlays himself with a grand piano that can loop, re-creating the vibe of Michael Jackson’s original using purely acoustic sound. Wild funky solo and lush harmonies as always. During the halfway point he goes into a time signature that I can’t figure out; anyone know?
Michel Camilo, Anthony Jackson, Horacio (El Negro) Hernandez: Calle 54 (2000)
An excerpt from the documentary about Latin jazz featuring some ways of playing the piano I haven’t seen before. The beginning more resembles something you might hear elsewhere, but I’m starting at the mid-section which has some very intense improvising with Latin rhythms. Impossible to sit still as they have too much fun creating this from nothing.
At COLORSxSTUDIOS (2021). Massive sound in this body-shaker, both in the powerful voice and in the beat. The synthy flute about halfway in is a timbre I don’t hear often.
From A Song for You (1972). Caught me by surprise to hear this while looking for something in a local Asian supermarket—my mom used to sing it as a kind of showpiece and even recorded it once in a studio. Listening more closely, I hear for the first time that there’s electric piano everywhere, orchestral strings, and these cool IV-I cadences before the verses start.
From Currency (2017). Starts with delicate acoustic piano tones and chords. I usually find it interesting when to use blocky (predictable) patterns from techno music without the music feeling too repetitive; the constant contrast here makes it always dynamic and alive. Lots of triplets and dotted rhythms throughout, twice used in the melody to create this feeling of continuously moving, dropping (for example, around 57s). The lyrics and melody help evoke a sense of flying, soaring, falling.
From Live at Madison Square Garden (2019). Inspiring to hear a thousand-strong audience sing a complex line in three part harmony. Lots of beatboxing, music via voice and the body. Guitar shredding partially mirrored on voice. Surprising to clarinets at the end in this context. Good vibes, happy times, saudades for live music.
