It's ironic that the same city that blessed the nation with some of the best hardcore and punk rock music on the planet is also home to the finest downtempo ever to grace a chillout room or upscale lounge club. Washington DC is where the Rhythm & Culture label puts its root down, and if you know your DC history, you know that the incomparable Eighteenth Street Lounge is also native to the area. Turns out the two have more in common that meets the eye. (Rhythm & Culture was founded by Thomas Blondet and Farid Nouri, who, alongside Eric Hilton, founded ESL.) Over half the tracks on this compilation come from either Farid or Blondet, with dub impresarios like Zeb, Second Sky and Nickodemus rounding out the remaining cast of characters. This isn't some run of the mill, Buddha Bar styled comp, full of faux world music and elevator lounge. This is authentic, real deal soul and sound system magic with big, maternal bass, hand played instrumentation and heady beats. A must for fans of the ESL catalog to be sure, but also recommended listening for the jet set crowd. Download a free MP3 from Blondet below, and read a great behind-the-scenes feature on the compilation from fellow Examiner Michelle Koeth here.
MP3 DOWNLOAD || Thomas Blondet - "Havana 2am"
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