~Blend~

 Last summer, I lost arguably my closest childhood friend, Matthew "Blend" Rowley. Sometimes when you lose someone that close it doesn’t feel real and when you throw in the fact you can't do an in-person memorial, the tragedy feels even less real. 
 
Most people around me know I make music pretty much every day and I noticed the stuff I was making around that time started to “feel” like him in certain ways. I decided to put these 4 songs together that were inspired by him. I had some vocals from late-night freestyles we did years ago and worked them into the first and last track.

Matt was always full of positive vibes and jokes so instead of mourning his death, I had to celebrate his life. Skating, graffiti, the love for DC, and the ability to find the joke in anything. This would have been his birthday weekend so it felt like the right time to put this out. You can catch me back home in Maryland this weekend doing hoodrat stuff with my friends in honor of our guy.

I want to thank the homies who came through on this  (@parabellumraps, Garet Beane, Matty Yu) and give special thanks to Jim Rowley and Maggie Hamer for their blessing with this. I can only imagine how strange it is hearing Matt in this context but we can imagine how hyped he’d be for this. Then he’d threaten to hang me out a window for my publishing like Suge Knight.

Proceeds go to the Matthew Rowley Memorial Fund and so far we've supported some great causes like @goartivate @themusicianship and @dcmurals.
 
Although streams are rad, the best way you can support them is by buying the music or donating directly to the fund.
 
Love you, Matt. See you when I see you. 
 

♥️♥️♥️

Blend

Jarv Dee x Bad Colours for KEXP's Sound & Vision

From its humble beginnings in 2001, the Brooklyn label Bastard Jazz Recordings has trailblazed a unique path in the world of independent record labels. Appealing to both DJs and music fans from all walks of life, BJR has become known for its eclectic sound & community of global artists from Mumbai to Napoli, New York to Kinshasha, who touch on everything from funk to hip-hop, house music to forward thinking beats, soul to jazz and international sounds, along with its unrelenting commitment to the vinyl medium. This November, the label will be celebrating 20 years of operation in various incarnations and are releasing a special compilation and a DJ friendly 4xLP titled ’20 Years of Bastard Jazz’ filled with brand new cuts from its current roster, plus a selection of catalog material, some of it classic, some of it overlooked, and some of it unpressed. 

Highlights from the compilation include Australian outfit The Goods, who team up with Steve Spacek (famously of the eponymous British band) on the spacey future soul banger, “FEELS 4 U,” while label stalwarts Potatohead People (who recently teamed up with both De La Soul, Jazzy Jeff, and Kaidi Tatham as well as a host of others on their new album) deliver “Bonzai View,” with its live instrumentation & technical prowess fused with a head-nodding boom-bap beat the group has become known for. Pittsburgh producer Buscrates delivers “Spotlight,” a slinky modern funk / boogie production, while brand new signing POSY gives us “Amai,” a delicate beat construction with gorgeous strings, horns and live bass weaving in and out. 

Notable past catalog on the compilation include LA producer Captain Planet’s classic “Un Poquito Mas” featuring Chico Mann (Antibalas, Here Lies Man) which is still being sung along to in clubs worldwide from Mexico City to Berlin 7 years later, and the airy, indie dance vibes of Manatee Commune’s “Majestic Diver.” Los Angeles producer and talkbox wizard B. Bravo’s “Can’t Keep My Hands Off You” featuring Reva Devito goes into more sultry territory, while Rumtum’s “Tropic Air” gives us a fresh splash of wobbly tape synth and relaxed lo-fi drums. Of course, the club is not left out and the catalog includes dancefloor ready remixes from friends of the label like Jimpster, DJ Spinna, Jacques Renault, and the red hot up & coming Brooklyn duo musclecars. 

Bastard Jazz started early as so many nascent DJ-oriented imprints come into existence, as founder & president Aaron Schultz just barely out of his teenage years was beginning to find his footing as a DJ in Brooklyn, New York. Culling together a small group of artists early on, the label ran as a side project for many years, releasing a handful of records per year. Following a reorganization & renewed commitment in 2014, the label has experienced exponential growth while moving from a DJ oriented standpoint to an artist focused organization that thrives on signing and nurturing new talent and new sounds, while maintaining a concurrent sonic thread in its music. POC owned with a majority POC artist stable, Bastard Jazz’s story is the slow build of a real indie label with a diverse sound & roster from the ground up, through trial and error, listening, learning, and adapting to the times without becoming jaded or losing its original vision. 20 years on, it’s still here & stronger than ever.

Bad Colours - Evers' Jam

Bad Colours - Hit The Brakes

Bad Colours makes a big return with his new song “Maybe I Should Move to LA,” the first single off his upcoming sophomore album “Always With U.” The track sees the Brooklyn-based artist contemplate a move out West – an idea that came about following a trip to LA for the 20 Years of Bastard Jazz anniversary party (which he DJed) in November last year. Bright pads, a thumping four-on-the-floor beat, and a catchy vocal line make it the perfect accompaniment to a top-down joy-ride up PCH. However, the song closes with a spoken clip: “Na dude, you ain’t going nowhere. This is where we at; this is where we stay.” California dreaming aside, Bad Colours won’t be leaving Brooklyn anytime soon.

Bad Colours is the moniker of London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist Ibe Soliman. While his career has spanned nearly two decades - as both a DJ (alongside the likes of James Murphy, Mark Ronson, and Q-Tip) and producer (for Kendrick Lamar, Faith Evans, Keyshia Cole, and Rick Ross, among others) - the Bad Colours name only came into being in early 2020, with the debut LP, “PINK,” being released in February, 2021 on the Brooklyn tastemaker label Bastard Jazz. By tapping into his deep network of artist friends, Ibe compiled a treasure-trove of vocal samples, snippets, sketches, and fresh instrumental loops into a beautiful debut record that touches on hip-hop, house, and left-field electronic, while remaining irresistibly danceable.

Pre - Order LP Here

Bad Colours - Maybe I Should Move To LA

Bad Colours is back with another single following September’s “Maybe I Should Move to LA,” “You Don’t Know.” The second single from the upcoming “Always With U” album features frequent collaborator and PNW icon Jarv Dee, as well as KAS and JVDE who have both been making waves in the Brooklyn scene (KAS for his work with Grammy-nominated producer Harmony Samuels featured on BET, and JVDE as the lead-singer of alternative band Blind Benny). “You Don’t Know” turns up the heat with Jarv and KAS trading dense, rapid-fire verses over a high-tempo beat and detuned vocal; the kick cuts out for the bridge, replaced by syncopated keyboard stabs and JVDE’s stacked vocals. “You Don’t Know” is high-energy hip house at its finest: Super catchy and irresistibly dancey.

Bad Colours - You Don't Know (feat. KAS, Jarv Dee & JVDE)

An artist whose eclectic sound has taken him from the streets of Baltimore to cities the world over, Life On Planets joins this episode of Dirtybird Radio. And to mark Black History Month, the singer/songwriter/producer is here to shine a light on some up-and-coming black talents in today's dance music scene.

Dirtybird Radio 380 - Life On Planets

Bad Colours returns with a special VIP Mix of "Do Better" from his 2022's critically acclaimed "Always With U" LP. Rebuilding the tune around Toribio's soulful & aspirational vocals, BC ratchets up the drums and re sculpts the tune to knock for the dancefloor with an amped up Afrobeats inspired drums and staccato samples darting in and out of the mix. Another big tune from Bad Colours.

Buy Here

Bad Colours & Toribio - Do Better (VIP Mix)

“Sammy Bananas is back with “massave”, his second EP on Bastard Jazz. 3 syncopated, groove-heavy originals and a stellar remix from Bad Colours cover a range of moods and dance floor energies, laced with pianos, live bass, saxophone and a touch of nostalgia. Sammy cut his teeth in music busking with his sax on Mass Ave in Cambridge, and each track on the EP is named after a now-closed business on that street: a burrito spot, a video rental store, and the first club which gave this seasoned DJ a residency.”

Buy EP Here

Sammy Bananas - Enormous Room (Bad Colours Mix)

“Jeans” is the first single from producer Bad Colours and Grammy Winning vocalist / songwriter Cor.Ece. Kicking off with a deep Garage groove and BC’s signature arpeggiating synth bass, and guitar licks while Cor.Ece’s vocals oscillate between  smooth & soulful on the verses with an infectious staccato hook showcasing his vocal versatility.

Jeans - Single

Jeans

Cor.Ece & Bad Colours - Jeans

Cor.Ece & Bad Colours debut collaborative LP 'Been Here Before' to be released March 22, 2024 via Bastard Jazz Recordings.

Cor.Ece & Bad Colours - Mars (feat. Life On Planets)

Bad Colours is the moniker of London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist Ibe Soliman. The new project came about while isolating at home in Flatbush during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by some rough ideas and vocal samples that friends sent him, Ibe focussed his attention on music and had quickly compiled more than enough tracks for a full-length release. Known for his residencies at some of New York’s top venues, Ibe has been rocking crowds as a DJ for over a decade, and has shared the decks with the likes of James Murphy, Mark Ronson, and Q-Tip. He’s performed alongside Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and Young Thug, to name a few. In high demand as a private party curator, he’s helped set the tone for Jeff Koons, FKA Twigs, Justin Timberlake, Travis Scott, and Usher. When Ibe’s not behind the decks, he’s in the lab, where he’s produced for Kendrick Lamar, Faith Evans, Keyshia Cole, and Rick Ross, among others.
“Cookin’” is the first single from an upcoming full length project to be announced on Bastard Jazz Recordings.

Blend

Bad Colours

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