various artists - Stones Throw And Leaving Records Present: Dual Form

A tip from me to you, my dear reader: If'n you have an animal you mind, and you are planning on making a move to a new locale, I would highly recommend either sending your beloved dog/cat/parakeet off to a spa, or queuing up something mellow to soothe the savage beast.

So it was that I ended up putting this on while the missus and I packed away/threw away eight years' accumulated detritus. Madam Mummy wanted to know how I landed on this. I told her, "I trust Stones Throw, and it had Julia Holter on it." Then she asked me how I knew Julia Holter. My response was that I probably discovered her when I confused her with Jenny Holzer.

This one's available digitally through the Stones Throw website. I make no promise that you'll find it as relaxing as I do, but you'll feel good supporting L.A. area artists with a little dosh.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Rob Swift Presents Soulful Fruit

I don't typically hold onto physical copies that are missing pieces. Yet I've somehow managed to go a quarter century holding onto this bad boy. So I suppose it's time to kick it out there into the world.

That, and I still haven't found my fucking hard drive.

This was sitting in a long-departed Charles Street record store, missing its tray card, when I came across it in 1997. It was the golden age of turntablism, that time when the DJ was king. DJ Shadow, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Mix Master Mike: all masters of the 1s & 2s, turning disparate material into beautiful, beat-laden melange. It was music to my ears. Literally.

Rob Swift was a member of the X-Men, soon to become X-Ecutioners, one of New York City's finest DJ collectives. I'm fairly certain this was one of those "read about it in CMJ" artists who'd I'd otherwise not really come across. So his name stood out when I came across this. It was $5. Who was I to say no?

Other than the circumstances of acquiring it, and that it serves as a decent precursor to that first X-Ecutioners full-length on Asphodel, I don't remember a damned thing about this. I think the artwork is still very off-putting; like some dirty Smith graduate, scion of a publishing company, thought they'd get big ups by channelling a Haight/Ashbury vibe.

Discogs

Click here to download.