Silence Nogood » Jazz

Dave Greening & Dave McKeown · Bliss

Cory Zechmann — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:22:26 +0000

David & Dave’s “Bliss,” kinda makes me sad, ironically, but in a good way – one that lets you step back and appreciate the wonder in the ethereal.

Glad we got a sax in here ’cause otherwise I don’t know where I’d classify this, Jazz is still quite iffy. But I’d love to see more like it, it’s the only way we’ll keep modern music classy.

David Greening
Genre: Piano
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
David Greening on: SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Dave McKeown
Genre: Jazzzzz
Location: Exmouth, United Kingdom
Dave McKeown on: SoundCloud | DaveMcKeown.co.uk | Facebook

Metallica · Enter Sandman (Smooth Jazz Version)

Cory Zechmann — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:17:28 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wait until the vocals kick in and damn does it hit Sogood! Most wouldn’t think you could pull off a smooth jazz rendition of Metallica’s “Enter the Sandman,” but Andy Rehfeldt sure the hell did. Plus, the video on top makes it all the more clever.

I wonder if Lars Ulrich is trying to get his “fair cut” off this…

Metallica – Enter Sandman (Smooth Jazz Version)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

God, Lars looks like such a douche here. (sorry, pent up anger from the Napster days)

Andy Rehfeldt
Location: Los Angeles, California
Rehfeldt on: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | AndyRehfeldt.com

DJ Deckstream – Life is Good Remixes

Cory Zechmann — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:34:37 +0000

I was looking at my ‘tracks to post’ when I ran across Mos Def & Talib Kweli. For a second I was confused on why they were there, I haven’t heard anything new from the two in a while and didn’t think anything recently emerged. Then I saw who produced the tracks, DJ Deckstream, and realized why I need to post these up.

Deckstream is one of my favorite nu jazz producers from Japan. He’s got a shit load of good tunes to chill to, but up until recently lacked good rap support. In Deckstream Soundtrack 2.0, the producer steps up his rap game featuring some talented rhymers, including Mos Def on the original “Life is Good”. But on the two remixed versions that dropped last year, Mos Def gets some support by the other half of Black Star, Talib Kweli.

The Life is Good Remixes showcases why raps stars like these two need to expand their sound out East. Deckstream is one of the best producers from Japan and it’s fresh as hell to see him supported by two hip-hop greats. Reminds me of Nujabes in a way – may he rest in peace.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Download: Life Is Good Remix | Life Is Good Remix Part 2

DJ Deckstream:
Genre: Electronica
Styles: Hip-Hop, Jazz, Nu Jazz, Soul
Location: Japan
Alias: Monorisick
Label: Lastrum Japan
Albums: Deckstream Soundtracks | Soundtracks 2.0
Links: MySpace | Facebook | Last.fm

Illegal Cookin DJ – Paid in Full Tool (Edit) 104 BPM

Cory Zechmann — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:40:21 +0000

There’s nothing better than a sax leading a classic De La Soul number. Mix it with Stevie’s “Sign, Sealed, Delivered” & a little Beastie Boys and this is mashup perfection for that funkified crowd. Learn it, love it, get more of it.

Also, if ya know of anything else sampled here hit it up in the comments below. And for some reason that “Sign, Sealed, Delivered” beat reminds me of a Beatle’s song. hmm…

Get MP3

Illegal Cookin DJ:
Name: William Woodlock
Location: Alaior, Spain
Genres: Electronica
Styles: Freestyle, Funk, Turntablism
Links: SoundCloud | MySpace | MixCloud

Even Dirt Off Your Shoulder After All (KMT Mix)

Cory Zechmann — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:38:43 +0000

I’ve become a mashup madman, lately! I’ve found about a half dozen mashups in the last week and I’ll be throwin ‘em up on here for the next month.

Now before any of y’all start bitchin’ about how old this is, don’t worry, I’m well aware! But if you haven’t realized yet, I could give a shit how old a song is. If it’s good, I’m gonna post it. And this shit is gooood.

Waterproof London is a dogpile of good smashups. I’ve been simply amazed by some of the good rhymes laid over chill beats. I might end up featuring a couple more from here – there’s a few I like just as much as this – but I had to throw up Jay-Z’s first.

I don’t know how you could get a more fitting beat for Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” – ok, maybe the original – but KMT’s made one master mashup! I love me a chilled-out tunes for the fall, put it along side a Jay-Z classic and I’m floatin’ with the wind. It may take a minute to get use to the beat against this classic, but you will, I guarantee it.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Get MP3

Sweet Child O’ Mine by DJ Deckstream

Cory Zechmann — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 08:07:04 +0000

I’ve come across a few covers songs lately, so I thought I’d contribute a favorite of mine from DJ Deckstream’s Music Castle. Deckstream is a DJ/producer from Japan who could be classified in either hip-hop or jazz depending on the song/album. In Music Castle, Deckstream covers quite a few different oldies, all with a nu jazz style. Some famous songs include Tom’s Diner, Tripping Out, Just the Two of Us and my personal favorite, Sweet Child O’ Mine.

I chose Deckstream’s remix of Sweet Child O’ Mine because of its dreamy, relaxing take on a classic by Guns N’ Roses. One thing I would’ve loved to have seen on the track, along with a few others, is the original vocals included. It would’ve been interesting to hear Axl Rose’s voice over these instrumentals, but as this album is more intented as background music that may have been why Deckstream had chosen to leave him out.

This song actually brought up an interesting question in my mind: would you consider this a cover or remix? What are the differences? I think of a remix as cutting up a song, rearranging it, adding or removing parts and really making it your own. Compare this to covering a song where the song is relatively kept in its original form, but the performers put a little of their own style into it. As you can tell I marked this as a cover. What do you think?

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Download: Sweet Child O’ Mine

Sweet Child O’ Mine Information:
Originally by: Guns N’ Roses
Album: Music Castle
Release Date: March 30, 2009
Buy Links: ~~Juno Records~~ (too expensive, hit me up for a link)

European Comfort by Gota Yashiki

Cory Zechmann — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:56:20 +0000

Another goodie from Gota! One of my first posts was Gota’s All Alone, and now I come to you with his second, European Comfort. It may not be as good as All Alone (in my opinion), but it’s got a nice calming tune that’s perfect for an elevator… or better! I’ve gotta say, one of Gota’s best abilities is combing instrumentals in such a fluid way. He’s what really got me into this new style of jazz… well, him & DJ Okawari… and I guess you could throw Nujabes in there too.

I’m actually trying to get into more current jazz (like Gota), but it’s proving hard to find what I like (it’s always difficult getting into new genres). And I’m finding with nu jazz or acid jazz (or whatever you wanna call it) that a lot of it does remind me of elevator music, boring and repetitive (unlike Gota). So, if you have any suggestions, please oblige me. Also, tell me if you’d consider this elevator music, now that I’ve engrained it into your head…

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Track Information:
Album Title: It’s So Different Here
Release Date: February 11, 1997
Buy Links: Amazon | Amazon Mp3 | iTunes

Crescent Moon by DJ Okawari

Cory Zechmann — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:37:02 +0000

I’d say Crescent Moon is what first got me into DJ Okawari (right before Animal Forest). At the time (around a year ago), I became increasingly interested in Hip-Hop from Japan (the DJ’s not the MC’s), and came across Okawari’s second album, Diorama. Diorama is more of a Nu Jazz style with Hip-Hop influences, and doesn’t feature any MC’s (something Okawari should possibly reconsider for his next album?… I vote yes!). His music (this song in particular) for some reason brings me back to the song 3030 by Del with the quote, “while I float to Neo-Tokyo with Opio”. Probably because Okawari is from Tokyo, and his music reminds me of a night out in Tokyo, but most likely because I have nothing else to talk about, so I need a filler :)

I’ve been getting a lot of Japanese hits on my site lately (mostly looking at Okawari), and if any of you know of any similar music to Okawari then please post some of it on here! I need an expert to point me in the right direction… anyone? :D

One other thing, I also posted this on Animal Forest, but it’s also worth mentioning here – the cover artwork for this album is incredible! Check it out in it’s entirety here or just click the image at the top (the beautiful vector’d girl).

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Download Song!

Track Information:
Album: Diorama
Release Date: May 28, 2008
Buy Links: ~~Amazon~~ | iTunes

Music Castle by DJ Deckstream

Cory Zechmann — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:07:23 +0000

DJ Deckstream is a well established producer in Japan that has worked with several well-known emcees including Moka Only, Pep Love, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. His album, “Music Castle”, is a stretch from his usual upbeat, hip-hop style to a jazzy, chilled-out set of covers. The album covers such classics as Tom’s Diner, Just the Two of Us, Sweet Child o’ Mine and a few others from genres in classic rock to rap.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Push play while reading the track summaries… or else!

What I am: A beautifully done remix originally by Edie Brickwell & New Bohemians. The instrumentals are phenomenal, but the vocals are overshadowed by Deckstream’s rich remix.

Just the Two of Us: The first thirty seconds of the song have some pitches that seem off, but is all good after that. The rest of the song goes into a nice melody that doesn’t deviate too far from the original sound. By the way, this song still reminds me of Mini-Me and Doctor Evil’s duet in Austin Powers.

To Be With You: What stands out in To Be With You is Heart Evangelista’s pure & graceful voice. This, along with Deckstream’s lovely instrumentals, makes this song a joy to listen to. Deckstream has a talent for turning rock music into jazzy, laid back tunes. This is done exceptionally well in the next song, Sweet Child o’ Mine.
Note: I am not completely certain that this is Evangelista’s voice, but from my research, it’s my best guess. The only information listed was the original composers, Mr. Big, and not who the actual vocals are from this song.

Sweet Child o’ Mine* does a very nice job of remixing Guns N’ Roses original song. I can’t get this damn song out of my head! Like I mentioned before, Deckstream can take a rock classic and turn it into a chilled-out, smoke-worthy song. One thing I wish Deckstream would have tried (maybe he did) was putting in some vocals, maybe from Axl Rose?… maybe not. :P

* Favorite track.
Also featuring Get on Down and Tripping Out.

Later in 2009, Deckstream came out with with another album, “Soundracks 2.0″, which was a follow up to “Deckstream Soundtracks”. I’ve checked it out, and it features some fairly well known artists, but “Music Castle” still tops it all.

If you know of any other albums similar to “Music Castle”, please put post ‘em in the comments below! Thanks :)

Album Information:
Genre: Jazz, Nu Jazz, Acid Jazz
Release Date: 2009
Note: I found barely any information on this album; and only one buy link at Juno Records, which was a little overpriced (unless you really want it on disc). Otherwise, send me an email and i’ll hook you up with a link to the album.

All Alone by Gota Yashiki

Cory Zechmann — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:00:04 +0000

I’ve recently started to get into jazz. After searching a popular music forum, I found their “Staff Picks”, and thought I would try out their recommendations. I found Gota as a popular pick, so I gave him a listen. I enjoyed the first track quite a bit, which happened to be All Alone. What impressed me so much was the saxophone, played by Ian Kirkham, and the guitar, played by Kenji Jammer. Both played well off each other, and showed a real elegance in their style. Just give this one a listen, if you enjoy it enough then check out the rest of the album, It’s So Different Here. I decided not to review the entire album because of personal preferences, but if you like this song, you’ll most likely appreciate the rest of it.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Artist Information:
Genre: Jazz, Nu Jazz, Acid Jazz
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Label: Instinct Records
Similar Artists: DJ Okawari
Links: Gota.com | Myspace | Wikipedia | Last.fm | Discogs

Track Information:
Album Title: It’s So Different Here
Composers: Gota Yashiki, J. Templeman
Release Date: February 11, 1997
Buy Links: Amazon | Amazon Mp3 | iTunes