The Plug’n Play: August (‘24)
September 4, 2024
Illustration by Malaaya Adams
You can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
On the cover: Gabrielle B.
Each month, Kevin and I select some of our favorite songs from the month, searching high and low for something new (to us at least, and hopefully for you too!), compiling them into a monthly playlist. While our tastes overlap in a lot of ways, they also diverge. If you’re looking for new music, this is the place for you!
Songs 1 - 15 were selected by Kevin, and songs 16 - 31 were selected by me, Stanley. We hope you find a song you like and check out the larger body of work, whether it’s an EP or an album. Below are a few words on some of my favorite songs from the month:
Don’t Compare — Khemist
“I ain’t never shucked and jived, it’s beautiful ain’t it nigga?” — Khemist
What do major record labels provide artists? In the past decade or so, this question has been raised more frequently due to the rise of the internet. Artists can go directly to their fanbase with no mediator. Music, now more than ever, is no longer a physical product, which means the overhead costs of producing vinyl or compact-discs isn’t as much of a factor. Even still, music labels — and the industry writ large — provide artists with a broader reach to audiences, promotion, finances for recording, and so on. There are tradeoffs, of course: are the supposed benefits of signing with a major record label worth the cost of artistic control?
On Khemist’s latest single, Don’t Compare, the artist takes these questions to task. Produced by veteran drummer and producer, Anwar Marshall, Don’t Compare is a story of resilience and an independent artist’s determination; a story of being uncompromising in one’s vision. In each verse, Khemist offers his case for why others shouldn’t be compared to him — the type of bravado that’s commonplace in Hip-Hop, though oftentimes made on shaky (at best) claims. The consumption, and subsequent disposal of women; capitalist dreams of accumulation; ones ability to carry out violence of varying forms, and so on. But, for Khemist, the claims, and rationale are different: making art on his own terms, not accepting what others think they should give him, or compromising, are his guiding forces.
Don’t Compare features a stellar lineup of musicians including Larry Lambert on Piano, Kevin Hanson on guitar, Kyle Miles on bass, Anwar Marshall on drums, vocals and vocal arrangement by Elle Morris, and Khemist on acoustic guitar and vocals.
Les amis — The Offline
DeepMatter Records is an Independent record label based in London. Founded in 2017, the label specializes in Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, and Soul musics. The label boasts a talented roster of musicians whose music offers fresh perspectives on a diverse set of musical traditions. This month, the label introduced a slew of new singles and EPs. 4 songs from the label are featured on August’s playlist, with each highlighting the quality and range of the label’s artists.
The Hamburg-based composer, The Offline released Les amis — a patient and ever-building, guitar-led, Jazz Funk tune; Natty Reeves — the UK-based multi-instrumentalist and producer — released Bloom, a tender acoustic guitar-led tune featuring a stellar trumpet solo; and Quinn Olton — the South London-based artist and producer — released When You’re Near, a minimal, yet dynamic tune guided by acoustic guitars and piano. I’d highly recommend checking these artists out, as well as the other artists on the label!
