Funky DL - Blackcurrent Jazz 2 (2011) / underground jazzy hip-hop

The initial thought that came to mind in the process of making “Blackcurrent Jazz 2” was to create a landscape of ideas that capture the truest essence of Jazz but that also embodied the purest and most authentic hip-hop feel. The original Blackcurrent Jazz album (released in 2001) was a great piece of work but for me was more a mesh of beats and breaks and sometimes with tracks that didn’t even lend to Jazz at all. This time around I wanted every single song to scream JAZZ!!! But still using a combination of Jazz breaks that give off varying vibes.



I wanted this album to be more polished, more distinguished and more discernable than 10 years ago. Smoother, more intricate and ultimately more of a thought through process to it. So I set about the production process which I knew would be huge, because I wanted to use additional beats for 20 second interludes to be used in between each main track, which then ultimately doubled my production load. I also knew that the main selections all had to musically jump out at me and I wasn’t going to start writing until I had found all the right beats that made me feel as if I have the right ingredients for a classic album.

And then it started. Hours of sampling, cutting, chopping, filtering, and pitch shifting, mixing and then mixing again. Then came the writing, recording and editing, which for me is a very lengthy and meticulous process. And finally after over 6 months work came “Blackcurrent Jazz 2: The Gold Reflection” subtitled to pay dues and respect to the golden era of hip-hop (the 90’s).