68 hrs

https://68hours.tumblr.com/

follow me

Lonely Lovers Vol. 4

Guess who's back.
https://soundcloud.com/lonely-lovers/lonely-lovers-vol-4

Finally returning to this series after an extended absence. I spent way too much time away.
Forgot how much fun this shit is.

Volume 4 is about a girl who is travelling around the world. She has a boyfriend back home, but he was unable to join her.

He makes her a CD to keep her company when she starts to feel lonely during her trip.

I wanted to return with something different and not have the melancholy/relaxed vibes of the past releases. All the songs on the CD are upbeat, positive and dope af.
This was really tough, mixing and keeping the vibe going was really challenging.
Really rusty with mixing. Gotta get back in the habit.
The last thing he wants is his girlfriend to get miserable and homesick while listening to it. While that may naturally occur when listening and thinking of him, he doesn't want the CD to feed those feelings.

This is the most time I've spent creating the intro story. For a little 2 minute soundspace it took about 10+ hours to get everything flowing and sound like a real recording rather than a bunch of sounds thrown together.

The intro guitar is from Harvest Time by Pharoah Sanders. Thought it did a good job of setting the mood and the girls thoughtspace of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii63fKLTSuU

I had a completely different playlist and story in mind. I had the intention of making a very slow, relaxed mix with the familiar melancholy vibes, and when I went to put it through the test mix, it felt completely off. Forced.

The new set of songs, and different approach hit me when I was listening to Wilbert Longmire's album 'Sunny Side Up'
A really solid album, with a really good and positive vibe.
After that I went on a search for musicians that worked on the album and other albums that were released during, and around that year.

1978.

Seems to have been a pretty good year for Soul and Funk.
To name a few;
Chic - Le Freak
Chaka khan - I'm Every Woman
Teddy Pendergrass - Close The Door
George Benson - On Broadway
Bill Withers - Lovely Day
Player - Baby Come Back
Bee Gees - Stayn' Alive
Chic - Everybody Dance
Parliament - Flash Light

After doing that it lead me to a bunch of new artists and to take a completely different approach to how I was going to make this volume.
Ditch the slow and relaxed vibe and come back with something big and memorable.

Funk.

One of my favourite genres and probably the genre that I've listened to the most throughout my life.
Through many takes I finally set on a list that I think is unshakable and full of life and energy;


1.Down For A Third Time - Bobby Caldwell
The discovery of Bobby Caldwell while making this mix has been one of the highlights while making this volume.
"What You Won't Do For Love" is another album with great energy, also from 1978.
Stacked with really great instrumentation and melodies.
The title track has been sampled many times in Hip Hop and Rnb. 2pac, Aaliyah, Luniz, Da Brat are just a few who have used it.
Really recommend giving it a listen. You can find it here;
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoQESm4g5akV-lI4nmemPY6a76ZTqd9a

2. Starflight - Wilbert Longmire
I couldn't find too much info on Wilbert Longmire. From what I could find he released 6 albums between 1969-1980. He notably worked with Herbie Hancock and Jack McDuff, playing guitar for them on a few of their albums. I had first planned to use this song to open the mix;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mByuAdweglQ
Really chill and slow moving. Settled on 'Down For A Third Time' due to its killer melody.
"Tangerine" was the follow up album to "Sunny Side Up" and is also worth a listen.

3. Places and Spaces - Donald Byrd
I've had a different track lined up for the 3rd slot in the mix but it sucked the energy and dancability out of the first 10 minutes of the mix and was hard to reignite it after that. Donald Byrd you bad motherfucker. Someone who've I've listened to for a really long time and have wanted to use in one of these mixes since I started. "Places and Spaces" was perfect at continuing the energy of the first two songs and helping it flow effortlessly for the rest of the mix to follow.
"Black Byrd" "Stepping Into Tomorrow" and "Street Lady" are all great albums and worth a listen.

4. I'd Did It Again - 9th Creation
9th Creation were an outfit out of Stockton California that released 3 albums from 1975-1979
The track I used was "I'd Did It Again" of their 1979 album "Superheroes"
Also couldn't find too much info on them.

5. Feel Like Making Love - Bob James
"Feel Like Making Love" is one of my favourite tracks of all time. I first heard it on D'Angelo's "Voodoo"
Another one of my favourite albums.
I had to have one low-key, vibin, chill song in the mix and this was it.
Sooo smooth and sexy. The guitar with the Fender Rhodes and flutes is sooo chill. There's so much feeling in the song and a Fender Rhodes is the perfect instrument to highlight that.
Bob James most notable song is probably "Nautilus" which has been sampled countless time by Hip Hop producers.
A real legend and master on the keyboard. Funky af. Real feeling comes through when he plays.

6. Mellow, Mellow, Right On - Lowrell
Another one I couldn't find much info about was "Lowrell"
He released one album in 1979 and a couple singles in the following years.
Great voice and really great instrumentation on the album. Great Chicago funk sounding album.
Melodies are killer throughout. "You're Playing Dirty" is baaaad.

7. Night Cruiser - Deodato
I'd never heard of Deodato before making this mix. Seems like the guy is a pretty big deal.
An insanely gifted composer and musician from Brazil. I had 4 or 5 other Deodato songs that I had lined up for this spot. Was hard not to choose this after I heard it. Super great vibes and funky melodies that a present in all Deodato songs are present here. He wrote and arranged songs for Wes Montgomery, Astrud Gilberto and ended up doing a few Bossa Nova tracks with Frank Sinatra.
Decided to go for a song just out of the 70's as well. Love some good synths.

8. Getaway - The Salsoul Orchestra
JESUS CHRIST WHAT A FUCKING SONG!
The power in this thing is insane. Those strings, my god man.
Pure Philadelphia funk. Killer basslines, horns and strings. Such a gem of a song.
An insanely talented group of session musicians from the Salsoul Recording Label out of New York.
The orchestra feature 50 members and released 11 albums from 1975 - 1982

9. Uhuru - Ramsey Lewis
Another prolific pianist and composer, Ramsey Lewis. I've listened to a more of his singles than complete albums, however "Another Voyage" is most definitely worth a listen.
The main melody for the song has been a favourite of mine for a while now and I'm glad I've finally been able to share it somehow. Such an incredible sound.

10. Never Let You Be Without Love - Willie Hutch
What can I say about this guy.
One of my all time favourite artists, Willie Hutch.
An incredibly important and influential figure in the funk/soul/disco/music scene from the late 60's running all the way through to the mid 80's
Sampled countless, countless times across many genres of music, Willie is truly one of the greatest to ever do it.
An incredible voice and had an incredible talent for expressing real feeling when he sung.
You can pick any single one of his albums and not be disappointed.

For Christs sake, listen to the strings at the start and end of this song! Phenomenal.

In my opinion his music is the bar at which excellence is set in the Soul genre. I truly love this mans music and the amount of joy and pure feeling it has brought to my life is unmatched.
"The Mack" "Foxy Brown" "Mark Of The Beast" "Fully Exposed" "Havin A House Party"
Man, I could name every single one of his albums, all of them have had a profound and beneficial impact on my life.
He was forgotten by the masses for quite a while, but with the internet, I've noticed it's tremendous help in reaching more people over the past few years.
So glad that other people are taking notice again and giving his music life again.
R.I.P Willie

Tracklist;

Bobby Caldwell - Down For A Third Time
Wilbert Longmire - Starflight
Donald Byrd - Places and Spaces
9th Creation - I Did It Again
Bob James - Feel Like Making Love
Lowrell - Mellow, Mellow, Right On
Deodato - Night Cruiser
The Salsoul Orchestra - Getaway
Ramsey Lewis - Uhuru
Willie Hutch - Never Let You Be Without Love

So glad to be back doing this. Expect a new Volume in a month!

Please enjoy :)
https://soundcloud.com/lonely-lovers/lonely-lovers-vol-4

Yoooo

Yooooo

Don't Forget

Gyeongju, South Korea

Hiroshima, Japan

Please, sit and listen

Lonley Lovers Volume 3

I have been listening to a lot of old movie soundtracks lately, mostly old Italian movies from the 60s. The work of Piero Piccioni especially, his work in Camille 2000 is really something special.
Also been focusing on strings and their arrangements. The layers of depth and feeling they bring to songs are unmatched. This mix I originally intended to be completely composed of 60s Italian composers. But things never seem to end the way I start them.

I had 11 songs, all by Italian composers, but as I listened to it over and over, it didn't flow correctly. There was no real personality to it, just a group of really great songs.

So I continued my search to find alternate tracks and stumbled upon a whole bunch of other tracks that I wasn't looking for. The more I listened and experimented, the better the mix became. I listened to a lot of music from KPM musichouse, a UK studio that produced "library music", music to be used in film, television, radio, etc.
I found myself listening to the work of Alan Hawksaw particularly. His approach to melody and complimentary instrumentation is incredible. Very inspiring.

So from there, I continued to discover musicians and labels that released some fantastic material. The work of Martin Böttcher, Brian Bennett, Mike Leander, Puccio Roelens, Cla*de Perra*din. So many great discoveries. I highly recommend listening to "It's Overotherness Time" by Mike Leander. The string arrangement and percussion is phenomenal. Incredibly emotional and powerful.

The story for this month went through many different phases, but I decided on going for an insane man who makes a CD for his "real doll" girlfriend.
The message he leaves at the start is indication enough that he's a little awkward. HE puts the CD on before leaving the house and acts as if she found it while going through his things when she was out. That's why he recorded the message, because she's a playful, sneaky type of woman.
Insane. Completely insane.
The music I think reflects the character more than any of the other mixes I've released. It does flow nicely, but can be a bit all over the place, as it jumps from genre to genre. The final track comes to a crazy conclusion that I think encapsulates what goes on in this guys mind on a daily basis.

The mix is a little late this month, but I wanted to make sure it was ready before pushing it out the door.

I hope you enjoy it, and any feedback is always welcomed.
https://soundcloud.com/lonely-lovers/lonely-lovers-vol-3

https://www.mixcloud.com/Taction/lonely-lovers-vol-3/

Tracklist;

John Cameron - Liquid Sunshine
Luce - Alessandro Alessandroni
Laura - Brian Bennett
Dream - Alessandro Alessandroni
Space Sirens - Thierry Durbet
Night Time - Paul Williams
Without You - Wim Overgaauw
Image - Brian Bennett
Easy Lovers - Piero Piccioni
Nostalgia - Piero Umiliani
Smooth and Manly - Puccio Roelens
Glistening - Alan Hawkshaw
Clouds - Graham de Wilde