Let’s chill with: sonderlands, Fernando Tanji, and Rob Blake #chill #HipHop #electronic #downtempo
The sun’s all hazy. There’s a residual night time freshness in the air that’s being burned away. The wind rustles the grasses. And the bloody snails have been at the plants again. But let’s relax with a triple chill breakfast from sonderlands, Fernando Tanji and Rob Blake.
sonderlands is from the USA. And if you think it’s an odd artist name it is explained thus:
“sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own — populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries — an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground.”
The track is bad poetry. But there’s nothing bad here. This is a gently chiming chill tune but with awkward creaky trap elements that make it so now. There’s a background set of samples but nothing really interferes with the delightfully mentronomic effect of the central refrain. Properly relaxing.
Next, from Brazil comes Fernando Tanji and Naomi, a track from his debut Yurei EP. This isn’t my usual thing being completely about a guitar instrumental (with nylon strings, apparently). The track is compressed into a little under two minutes. But manages the trick of feeling longer by deftly supending time. Riffs gently rise and fall in an almost jazz kind of way but with a hint of flamenco peeping out every so often. Lovely.
Whole EP here
And to set you up for the perfect brunch here’s Rob Blake from Brighton on the South Coast of England with the funk hip hop of Seven Keys. A track taken from his Soul Funk & Electric album. It’s got swing. It’s got a love of life. It’s shaking its rump at you. Trumpets blare, beats scratch away, piano key are rocked. Some acoustic guitar stops it getting too epic or forward leaning. The whole thing is about sunshine and unbridled optimism. Enjoy.
And the album
