WARMER MIXTAPES #259 | by Zachary Shigeto Saginaw [Shigeto/Frank Omura]
I feel the music that inspires me the most is from the past and not the present.
The music I love in the now will usually appear on a mix or something of that nature.
The music that truly stays with me forever is almost always in context with a situation or period of my life.
I'm 27 years old right at the moment. I was raised on Jazz and Motown by father and Hip Hop by myself and peers.
I'm gonna leave the jazz and motown ones out cause there really is way too many of them.
These 10 tracks will be some of my favorites forever.
Got me through some hard times and good times of course.
I'll explain a bit about each of them.
The music I love in the now will usually appear on a mix or something of that nature.
The music that truly stays with me forever is almost always in context with a situation or period of my life.
I'm 27 years old right at the moment. I was raised on Jazz and Motown by father and Hip Hop by myself and peers.
I'm gonna leave the jazz and motown ones out cause there really is way too many of them.
These 10 tracks will be some of my favorites forever.
Got me through some hard times and good times of course.
I'll explain a bit about each of them.
1. Black Star | Respiration
This is classic, at least for me it is. Some of the best lyricism ever for sure. I could paint a picture of New York in my mind listening to it. Part of the reasons I wanted to move there in high school. You're on the wrong side of the track looking visibly shaken. I mean, we've all been there in New York, right? Love that Common drops a verse as well.
2. The Roots | Push Up Ya Lighter
Lunch break in the high school parking lot. Blazing it up. Good times y'all. Hahahaha.
3. Slum Village | Get Dis Money
Dilla. Nuff said but this track is so motivational for me. Not to make money, but just to get what you want out of life. It's like hey, what you gonna do today? and over that Herbie Hancock sample from Sun Light?? Can't go wrong. Another classic in my opinion. Remember y'all I'm only 27. A classic can be from like 98' haha.
The next two tracks changed my life. Flipped everything for me.
Made me see electronic music in a whole new way and opened me up to so much more...
Made me see electronic music in a whole new way and opened me up to so much more...
4. Dabrye | With A Professional
Oh, Lord. What is this?, I thought to myself. The beat so minimal, but full. The bass line so manic, but yet so tasteful and defined. The feel is so electronic, but human, organic and swinging. Hot shit. No doubt.
5. Prefuse 73 | Desks.Pencils.Bottles.
Had me from the intro. I probably listened to this album more than anything else at the time. Gave me so many ideas for my own music as well. I'm sure that was the case for many of us producers these days. Whether cats admit it or not. Prefuse is in all of us younger beat makers.
After high school I moved to New York in 2001.
An amazing life experience, but life was getting pretty dark, pretty fast for me and in 2003 I moved to London, England on a whim.
The next tracks are not ones that I discovered there. More like my soundtrack while I was there.
I had been crushed by New York. Loved and lost countless times.
I was changing and so was the music I was into.
An amazing life experience, but life was getting pretty dark, pretty fast for me and in 2003 I moved to London, England on a whim.
The next tracks are not ones that I discovered there. More like my soundtrack while I was there.
I had been crushed by New York. Loved and lost countless times.
I was changing and so was the music I was into.
6. Aphex Twin | Avril 14th
Makes me happy when I'm sad. Keeps me calm when I'm angry. Just a beautiful song when I'm in good spirits. Amazing. I know you all agree.
7. Burial | South London Boroughs
I would play this on the tube, buses and trains going from New Cross to Borough Market at 5am on my way to work. I had the opening shift in a cheese shop in Borough Market right on the other side of London Bridge. Now a tourist hot spot, it used to be a dark and eerie place at 5 in the morning. The twisted, bent buildings and cobble stone roads fit the music perfectly. What a way to start your day. Burial is everything I see, hear, love and hate about London. Burial is fucking brilliant.
8. Telefon Tel Aviv | Fahrenheit Fair Enough
I once walked in on my girlfriend screwing another man in our building right after I had made her dinner (she lived in the flat upstairs). I didn't say anything. I put this track on. Drank a bottle of whine. Ate the dinner by myself and passed out. Amazing this time of year as well. I friend told me fall is all about IDM and I would have to agree with him.
9. Manitoba | Paul's Birthday
This in a way is what I've been trying to make for sometime now. Something so organic and live but with an obvious electronic backbone. The drop on this track in insane. It has three very distinct parts to it as well. When I returned to the States I went on a month long road trip across America with one of my best friends. I remember blowing out my mom's vans speaker at 4 in the morning driving 90 through New Mexico listening to this track on repeat. Good times.
10. Flying Lotus | 1983
The first Flying Lotus track I ever heard. Probably in late 2006. I was still in London at the time. I know that for sure. My brother was visiting me and was like yo, this dude is making beats with Sam, you should check it out. Sam Baker (SAMIYAM) and I had gone to high school together. My mind was blown. For Flylo and Sam. Out of all the hundreds of Prefuse and Dabrye biters, these guys was doing it his own way. So good. It's also my birth year and still probably my favorite Flying Lotus track.
