Comments on: Jazzy electronic music recommendations?

Question: Jazzy electronic music recommendations?

electric_counterpoint — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:48:24 -0800

Jazzy electronic music recommendations? I'm thinking of Squarepusher, some Tortoise, etc. I realize asking for "jazzy" music can mean a lot of things, many of them not at all what I'm looking for. So what I'm after is good quality music with small, jazz-style acoustic drums (or at least small, jazz-style acoustic drum loops ;) ) and an overall electronic feel. An electric bass and/or keys (e.g. organ, Rhodes) is a plus.

I was listening to Squarepusher's latest this weekend, and found myself really digging some of the stuff he's done in this vein. I don't have the album in front of me now, so I hope it's clear which tracks I'm talking about. Tortoise also approaches this sound occasionally from the other direction, when they've added a lot of swashes and what have you.

Anyway, obviously these are two examples of very good artists, but I wonder if there's anything else out there with a similar feel. I'm trying to avoid simple, reductive downtempo/lounge stuff, because I'm looking for music with more of a concise song structure that would fit on an LP rather than in a SomaFM mix (simply because I can usually fill my appetite for that sort of stuff with SomaFM...).

By: marionnette en chaussette

marionnette en chaussette — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:59:04 -0800

I too love this stuff. Check out The Cinematic Orchestra.

By: thirteenkiller

thirteenkiller — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:01:05 -0800

Mr. Scruff?

By: Acey

Acey — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:04:39 -0800

I listen to a lot of Tortoise, and I also love the Cinematic Orchestra, along with Amon Tobin, Boards of Canada, Do Make Say Think & St. Germain... maybe worth a try. I don't know any Squarepusher, but I find Last.fm comes very much in handy for finding similar stuff based on what other fans enjoy. There is a list of artists on the left of that link. Good luck!

on preview: Mr Scruff is awesome!

By: distrakted

distrakted — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:05:54 -0800

shameless self promotion:

me?
see the merge and kirs eps.

also:
mu-ziq

and maybe Plain and Mum.

By: distrakted

distrakted — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:07:58 -0800

oops: Plaid, not Plain

By: Acey

Acey — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:09:02 -0800

On a related note: Pandora as a tool might be more suited to your needs - they choose similar tracks based on what the music specifically sounds like, not who likes it. Just give thumbs up to the tracks with the qualities you like and you'll be on to winners before long.

By: ambulance blues

ambulance blues — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:09:13 -0800

Squarepusher's track "Iambic 5 Poetry" off of the otherwise lukewarm Budakhan Mindphone EP is unbelievably good, if you haven't checked it out. I also remember his album Music Is Rotted One Note being very jazzy.
Also, try Andrew Coleman's Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt.

By: nasreddin

nasreddin — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:09:15 -0800

DJ Spooky, Optometry?
Gotan Project.
Thievery Corporation (natch). "Mirror Conspiracy" is my favorite.

By: aparrish

aparrish — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:14:58 -0800

Four Tet's Rounds is a good bet. The album is very free jazz-inspired (there's even a track on the album called As Serious As Your Life) and I get the impression that a lot of the drum samples come straight from jazz records. (Keiran Hebden - the real name of the guy behind Four Tet - has recently performed with Steve Reid.)

By: electric_counterpoint

electric_counterpoint — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:17:46 -0800

Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions so far! I'll be checking all this stuff out, but I can confirm my existing love for �Ziq, Múm, DJ Spooky, and Thievery Corporation, though I've been meaning to check out more Spooky and Thievery, especially.

By: mds35

mds35 — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:18:17 -0800

Yes! Four-motha-f-ing-Tet!

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:19:15 -0800

Bonobo
Truby Trio
Nightmares on Wax
Quantic
Royskopp

Also 2nding Mr Scruff, Plaid, Boards of Canada, Thievery Corp.

Lamb too, if you can stand heavier drum n' bass.

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:24:31 -0800

Just can't say enough about Bonobo. Been listening to Thievery for a decade and can't shut up about Bonobo now.

RJD2 too.

Ghod this is all fantastic music.

By: JeremiahBritt

JeremiahBritt — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:25:30 -0800

Koop. (Waltz for Koop is a good album).

By: Acey

Acey — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:28:38 -0800

David Holmes is a modern jazz hero... think Oceans Eleven soundtrack

By: Acey

Acey — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:29:28 -0800

cowbell... if you like Bonobo, Amon Tobin is a must. Jus' sayin.

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:33:39 -0800

Skalpel.
Actually, as in evidence by the other recommendations here, much of the ninjatunes label as a whole fits the bill.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:35:06 -0800

Four Tet is pretty good and in the vein you are after.

By: epimorph

epimorph — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:35:46 -0800

This might be a little too jazzy, but check out Medeski, Martin, and Wood, especially the album "End of the World Party."

By: SBMike

SBMike — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:36:16 -0800

Trans Am?

By: Mmothra

Mmothra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:38:18 -0800

Kammerflimmer Kollektief...awesome stuff.

By: nasreddin

nasreddin — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:42:40 -0800

Oh, yes, seconding Bonobo and Nightmares on Wax.

On the DnB angle, try Kruder & Dorfmeister.

By: Eringatang

Eringatang — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:44:04 -0800

Herbert's Bodily Functions. Also, the band Battles reminds me a lot of Tortoise, though maybe in the opposite direction of what you like.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:51:04 -0800

Nightmares on Wax is more dub than jazz.

By: ga$money

ga$money — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:03:40 -0800

LTJ Bukem has a similar sound.

By: ga$money

ga$money — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:07:42 -0800

Oh, and on a more obscure front, KJ Sawka (a Seattle local) has been doing some really cool stuff lately. Slightly heavier, fuzzier sound... Amazing live drummer. You'd never be able to tell from his recordings because he's so fast, but he does all his drumwork live.

By: strangeleftydoublethink

strangeleftydoublethink — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:09:45 -0800

Naomi, Tosca, Landslide

By: inoculatedcities

inoculatedcities — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:11:51 -0800

Definitely Amon Tobin. Get Supermodified. Also, maybe not exactly jazzy but Prefuse 73 is one of my favorites.

By: softlord

softlord — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:14:18 -0800

Nookie, if you like jazzy drum+bass.

An artist i work with, Eldar, comes at your question from the opposite side, as he is a jazz artist with electronic flourishes. He's also a heck of a piano player.

By: DarkForest

DarkForest — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:18:33 -0800

Maybe Zappa's "Jazz From Hell"?

By: bwilms

bwilms — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:34:08 -0800

DJ Cam Mad Blunted Jazz might be up your alley. I also give a nod to Amon Tobin.

By: dihutenosa

dihutenosa — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:55:25 -0800

Goldie's Timeless album. Inner City Life is a given if you're a dnb person, but the other cuts on that album (Sea of Tears, etc) could satisfy your needs.

And of course if we're on jungle you can try LTJ Bukem, Klute, London Elektricity (liveish drums), High Contrast.

You can also try Tino - which is apparently this strange fictional Cuban guy who plays drums. Pretty much nothing but drum tracks.

By: four panels

four panels — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:00:19 -0800

Here's a few tracks to sample:

on the lake - triosk meets jan jelinek
All Around (Telefon Tel Aviv Mix) - Bebel Gilberto
Gemini Dub - J Boogie's Dubtronic Science
Easy Muffin - Amon Tobin
Dreams - Jeff Bennett's Lounge Experience
Sparks - Röyksopp
Gone (The Kruder & Dorfmeister Sessions) - David Holmes & Sarah Cracknell
Forest Crunk - Aesop Rock
Shonny - Chris Clark
reference - CiM
do tell featuring dose one - prefuse 73
personal discourse - Venetian Snares

By: pfafflin

pfafflin — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:07:09 -0800

Jaga Jazzist (Check out this video: "Animal Chin")

By: kepano

kepano — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:20:48 -0800

All my best suggestions have been taken! I'll second/third St. Germain, Bonobo, Mr Scruff, Quantic, Skalpel, Koop...

Also try Bobby Hughes Combination and Nicola Conte.

By: Benjy

Benjy — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:24:26 -0800

An electric bass and/or keys (e.g. organ, Rhodes) is a plus.

Medeski Martin and Wood's Combustication instantly sprang to mind, to sorta-second epimorph.

By: four panels

four panels — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:01:16 -0800

Oh, and
Heavy Petting - Red Snapper
Bussing - Red Snapper

By: distant figures

distant figures — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:18:04 -0800

Definitely check out Flanger (Templates, Midnight Sound, Inner Spacesuit). Very jazzy, quirky, live-drum/keyboard sound, yet filled with glitchy, wanky electronic noises.

By: lester's sock puppet

lester's sock puppet — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:38:18 -0800

i have totally been grooving on Laika (not Laika and the cosmonauts)--especially good looking blues and sounds of the satellites.

MC 900 ft jesus, especially his second two disks, has a strong jazz influence.

Amon Tobin is good ... but his best jazzy work was done under the name Cujo, called 'Adventures in Foam.'

I bought a Ninja Tune compilation via ebay a while ago called Earthrise. It has quite a few good tracks on it. the seller included a cdr of an Organic Records sampler called Psymediation. i was totally blown away by it's smooth jazzy electronica.

this shadow compilation, Blunted 2 is full of what you are asking for. hope you can find it for less then the suggested price of 45 pounds (!) the first one in the series is good, too, but not as jazzy electronic as the first. in fact, the whole shadow catalog has a lot of really good things in it.

Swoon's Milk is also a great example of this sound.

i second many other suggestions: especially tosca and the the dj cam disk mad blunted jazz. i would not recommend most Amon Tobin, other then the Cujo disk cited above, as that sound tends to be a bit busy. if there would be any other Amon I'd recommend, it would be Chomp Samba and Pharana Breaks.

By: intermod

intermod — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:05:49 -0800

You need to check out www.liveplasma.com .

By: Ness

Ness — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:02:37 -0800

In a similar vein to some of the artists others have suggested you might try:

Blue States

Air

By: zebra3

zebra3 — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:40:51 -0800

In case you don't have it already, Squarepusher's Hard Normal Daddy is very similar.

You might like DJ Logic too.

By: mike_bling

mike_bling — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:02:57 -0800

'70s Miles Davis? (check out He Loved Him Madly off of Get Up With It - pretty great track). Herbie Hancock? Might as well go with the originals, as far as I'm concerned.

By: feloniousmonk

feloniousmonk — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:13:53 -0800

If you end up digging Four Tet, check out Caribou (formerly Manitoba).

If you like Amon Tobin, check out his first album under the name Cujo, it's called Adventures in Foam.

If you like Plaid, check out Metamatics and Two Lone Swordsmen.

By: flutable

flutable — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:14:30 -0800

Try Huvafen Fushi Maldives, by Ravin. It's more in the Buddha Bar vein (sort of electro-middle-eastern/arabian with heavy bass), but it might float your boat.

You can listen here.

By: euphotic

euphotic — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:49:18 -0800

Jazzanova, Funki Porciini
Some jazz with electronics: Weather Report, Zawinul, M-base Collective

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:56:45 -0800

Try the Groove Salad feed at www.somafm.com

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:17:32 -0800

Yesterday's New Quintet is madlib pretending to sample classic soul/funk jazz albums while (for the most part) actually playing and composing the music himself. YNQ's latest, Yesterday's Universe, is pretty spectacular through and through. Angles Without Edges, Stevie (a tribute to Stevie Wonder's music), and Sound Directions: The Funky Side of Life are all excellent as well. While the drums are more along the lines of hip hop beats than jazz drumming, the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer are always in full effect. madlib also did an album under his 'madlib' persona called Shades of Blue. He was given access to the Blue Note archives and remixed a bunch of classic jazz tracks.

To swing in the opposite direction and recommend something that's serious about the jazz drumming (and jazz guitar), check out later Karate stuff and/or Geoff Farina side projects. Karate's Live at Barchessone Vecchio is sublime, if you can find it. The Farina, Dan Littleton, and Luther Gray project called New Salt is also very good, if closer to straight jazz than maybe you're looking for.

I also suggest you check out the rest of John McEntire's career. He's produced and recorded quite a bit of music, all of it at least tangentially related to his work with Tortoise. Also, if you manage to check out Jim O'Rourke as a result of poking around McEntire's work, all the better.

By: gen

gen — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:21:21 -0800

If you like LTJ Bukem, which is jazzy/atmospheric d'n'b, you may also like Makoto, who's on Bukem's label.