The Plug’n Play: March (‘19)
March 31, 2019
You can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
March felt like a month that just kept on giving, musically. From the beginning - like March 1st, beginning - March came with some special releases, starting with Solange’s When I Get Home. Over the course of the month we saw releases from Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Ancestral Roll Call, Kari Faux - Cry 4 Help, a star studded lineup from Shafiq Husayn - The Loop, and countless others. March also featured a couple of promising singles from some upcoming albums by Anderson .Paak and Tame Impala, respectively.
Below are some of our favorite songs from the month and a bit about why we love them. Side A, songs 1-10, were selected by me, Stanley, and Side B, songs 11-19, were selected by Kevin. We hope that you enjoy the playlist, find a song you like, and dive into an entire album!
Kevin: Kiefer — Cute
Basically as soon as I found out about Kiefer and was trying to play my “I know underground music” card, he starts produces for big names like .Paak- so that was that. But who needs words! The beats that he produces/creates are some of the most well-fused jazz, hip-hop, R&B sounds out there. The EP drops this year with some new eyes and ears, let’s see how it propels him.
Stanley: Justus West — Control
I first found out about Justus West through Instagram while randomly scrolling through the music section of my explore page. It was obvious that Justus was a talented guitarist and musician, but what wasn’t as obvious was his songwriting and singing capabilities. Earlier this month Justus released his single, Control - a slow burning, introspective song that features a Justus’ compositional capabilities and melodic ear.
Kevin: Shafiq Husayn (Featuring Hiatus Kaiyote) — Cycles
Is your third eye open today? If it’s not, listen to Shafiq Husayn! Honestly this album has it all. Great features, incorporation of funk, soul, hip-hop and much more. This song is one of many that are well worth the listen. It does sound like a Hiatus Kaiyote leftover from their album “Choose Your Weapon” but that’s not a bad thing.
Stanley: Phonte (Featuring Devin Morrison) — Beverly Hills
If you’ve listened to Little Brother or The Foreign Exchange the you know Phonte is one of the most talented artists around. His latest offering, Pacific Time, a 4-song EP featuring BOSCO, Kaytranada, Lalah Hathaway, and Devin Morrison, is filled plenty of the things that make Phonte unique: quality bars, harmonically driven chord progressions, and soulful vocals. This song, in particular, Beverly Hills, is reminiscent of 80s R&B, with a LINN drum backed beat, and Devin Morrison’s stacked vocal harmonies.
Kevin: Gavin Turek — Elevator
I’ve never done much research on Ms. Gavin Turek but I think that’s about to change. The other day I found myself having a good amount of her songs saved. Her sound has a retro feel to it and almost makes me want to dance, it’s infectious lowkey. This is as far pop as I would go and not feel like the musical integrity is being comprised. Definitely waiting for the LP.
Stanley: Solange — Sound of Rain
When I did my first run through of Solange’s When I Get Home, Sound of Rain was the song that really stuck out to me. I honestly love everything about this song, the chord progression, Solange’s ad libs and harmonies, and of course Pharrell’s production.
