2024 Music Enjoyer Pt. 5

Unwinding at the Late Nite Mind Spa

Slowly spiraling out from the first note in warm waves of gentle sensory massage, these are all albums that invite you to relax your mind for a spell, and just float a while with your thoughts. No audio-wallpaper stereotypes here, though — these are all releases that pulse with shifting colors, rippling textures, and evolving moods. Unrestricted by constraints of genre, flowing easily between shades of nocturnal jazz, synthesizer mysticism, dreaming guitars, and hazy tropical sound-memories…welcome to the Late Nite Mind Spa.

Greg Foat - The Glass Frog

From the first track (“Sea of Tranquility”), you can feel every knotted muscle beginning to unclench itself as Greg Foat’s group of world class jazz masseuses give your troubled mind and body a full-spectrum sensory realignment. I have no idea how Greg Foat keeps such an incredibly high level of quality while maintaining a frankly astonishing release schedule—he’s got four (4) fantastic albums out this year alone, each one totally unique, and there’d be a fifth if last year’s astoundingly good album with Ayo Salawu (Interstellar Fantasy) hadn’t snuck in right at the end of December last year. If you haven’t been paying attention to Greg Foat’s musical adventures, do yourself a long-lasting favor and dive into the ever-expanding discography of one of the best musicians of modern times.

Aura Safari & Jimi Tenor - Sensory Blending

I’ve mentioned Jimi Tenor’s other fantastic collaboration album this year, but this one he’s done with Italian supergroup Aura Safari is a whole other vibe. Music for seaside sunsets and Mediterranean mind-melds, flute gods playing in the surf with saxophone naiads while mythic Neptunian bassline currents give structure to cloud-columned vocal temples. “Lunar Wind” in particular has got to be one of my favorite songs of the year.

Gianni Brezzo - Filigrani

Released back in early January 2024, this was one of the first releases I knew would wind up on my favorites of the year. Gianni Brezzo is one of those artists that has done nothing but put out absolutely stellar music for quite a while now, and everything he does is well worth checking out. One of the finest, most sensitive guitarists out working today, his compositions seem to breathe like wind moving through a forest, subtly rustling every little leaf and flower along the way. Just wondrously beautiful instrumental music that never gets old. If you like this, go check out literally everything else he’s done— “Soundscapes Vol 1 - Music for Harlequin" is a great place to start.

Gi Gi - Dreamliner

I got the opportunity to see fellow Texan Gi Gi perform an exquisitely leftfield DJ set back in the spring this year at a local music festival organized by a friend of mine (the flawlessly named Jackie O Body’s School of Dance Vol 2 Electric Boogaloo, a 3-day extravaganza takeover of Rubber Gloves Studio in Denton, TX). But Gi Gi’s original compositions are, amazingly, even more impressive than his skills as a selector. That win-streak continues here on his latest release, Dreamliner, released on NYC label Quiet Time (who also put out another excellent album from them a few years ago, Lumino Pleco). Inquire within for a journey through dream-hazed instrumental microcosms of liminal wonder.

Delta Rain Dance (Glenn Astro) - Music For Autumn

I’ve been a fan of Glenn Astro for a while now, but this new project of theirs (Delta Rain Dance) is really on a whole other wavelength. Absolutely soaking in layers of Fourth World rainforest vibes, cloud-cruising dub basslines, and smoky autumnal guitar mysticism. There’s even a few tracks that will honestly slap in any system (play “X Evolvez” or “Healing Vibe” in any car with the windows down on a nice day and you might accidentally engage the hidden hovercraft mode). Album closer “Mmmh, Nice” even invites some comparisons to another recent favorite of mine, Michael Colson.

Keith Berry - Tropical Modernism

I’m gonna be honest here y’all: I wish the album art was more evocative of the actual sounds on this album. As much as it looks like some kind of MS Paint nightmare, this is another fantastic album from Keith Berry, and one which really stands out from the rest of his already strong discography. Throw on “Forbidden Fruit” and you’re suddenly lost, woozily wandering through smudged tropical dream islands while vaguely recalling past memories. Deeper within lurks luscious, latently menacing, David Lynchian vibes (“The Pinkish Room”, “Exile from the Kingdom”) and, below that, vibes chill enough to stop a shark’s heart.

Tegu - Forest Hills

Moving on from the tropics to the lush green woodlands, we have Tegu’s exquisitely overgrown “Forest Hills”, brought to our ears by the magicians at Not Not Fun Records (one of the best labels in the world, full stop). Twelve perfect little sun-dappled leafy-green glades of peaceful reverie for your weary mind to wander within for a spell.

Inkarose - A Love Letter to Water

If you’re a fan of the ever-expanding musical multiverse of Carlos Nino, you’re gonna want to check out this absolute gem from Colombian-born, LA-based artist Alicia Ramirez, aka Inkarose. Bubbling synths, frolicsome flutes, sylvan saxophone and softly breathing garden soundscapes that create a little oasis of calm wherever they’re played.

Total Blue - Total Blue

This one might be my favorite of the whole bunch folks. Another instant classic from the masterminds at one of the best labels on the planet, Music From Memory, the self-titled debut from Total Blue is an absolute delight. I think we’re well past Fourth World territory here, deep into the Fifth—somewhere beyond the bluest depths of Spenser Nilsen’s classic Ecco the Dolphin OSTs for Sega Genesis / Sega CD. Freewheeling flocks of wind-synths dance around the invisible breezes with the swooning swells of perfumed guitar and swirling siroccos of fretless bass in an ultra-widescreen dream-quest. Even more surprising is that this group features none other than boogie synth house maestro Benedek, who’s generally better known for his dancefloor heaters, but honestly this is now my favorite thing he’s in.

Ok that’s it for today, y’all take care and I’ll be back soon with more fantastic music from 2024 <3.