MIXTAPE 105 -THE NEW SOUL 5 – JIMMY JAM + TERRY LEWIS

Been a long time coming, surgeon but here we go with yet another installment of The New Soul (see whole series lineup here), hosted by Mixtape Show comrade Black TK. This time, TK introduces – or re-introduces, us to two of the true pioneers of this soultronica sound – Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. What they did with their drum programming and synthesizer lines was groundbreaking – and continues to influence producers of progressive music to this day.

For you old heads out there who remember these joints, take off those rose-tinted glasses and really listen to what these dudes are doing with their instrumentation, basslines, and production. Then compare with the next installment of the Soultronica Saga…coming quite soon. Or while you’re waiting, go listen to some of the old Soultronica episodes and hear whence people like Sa-Ra, J*Davey, and hell, Pharrell are taking their cues.

Tracklist:

Cherrelle - I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On. The bassline on this is mean!
Janet Jackson – Nasty. The clarity of the snares on this cut is brilliant. I remember hearing this as a young child and thinking Janet was talking about boys that played in the muddy part of the sandbox.
The S.O.S. Band – No One’s Gonna Love You. Check the processed 909 work and basslines on this one.
Janet Jackson – Making Love In The Rain. I’ve always dug the muted trumpet sound, regardless of the genre. I think I have a Suburb beatflip of this one, now that I listen to this again.

Note that this is also a continuation to the Origins Episode – highly recommended for some more early Soultronica sounds.

And on another note, I have some Black TK material that is going to absolutely blow your mind. I’m dead serious on this one. Blow your mind. Watch for that.