Instrumental Vibes (Soundcloud Playlist)

I was in an instrumental mood earlier, so I put together a quick playlist of some instrumental vibes. I chose to go with some (mostly) mellow production for this playlist - a pattern I'm noticing more in the underground these days. It may be the case that some artists have found a lane that'll reach a larger market of casual fans who enjoy hip-hop. Certainly, I could argue that projects with more mellow production tend to focus on being album-based over single driven, and more content than braggadocio. There are plenty of exceptions, of course, but I'd sit with more albums if they were cohesive (sonically). The days of picking varied sounds to reach all the markets is hopefully dead, because those albums may reach many, but are liked by very few. Enjoy 20 tracks below.

Rahlou 'Pillows' (Instrumental Album)

'Pillows' is the debut instrumental album from Gummy Soul’s newest artist, Rahlou. While awaiting his first born child, the Brooklyn based DJ and producer created 'Pillows' after a chance encounter with Gummy Soul founder Wally Clark. “I met Rahlou on the street in Atlanta,” says Clark. “He came up to me because of this Carla Thomas record he saw me holding. We hit it off immediately, and a couple days later he called me, because he got a line on a collection his record dealer friend was giving away. When we showed up, this guy had 25 crates on his porch, that he just wanted gone. So we filled a Volvo station wagon up to the brim, and drove with stacks in our laps. And as we started going through the records, I began teaching him about how I made beats to help him transition from the MPC to the digital world." Pillows is a collection of beats that came from those first sessions, and is a warm introduction, that's sure to keep you cozy, as the days grow colder.' (GummySoul) The project was released 4 years ago today in 2013. Revisit this fine project below....