About three years ago I had an idea for a party that exclusively featured R&B music from the 1980s. The idea was to have a slow-jam happy hour early on, and then slowly transition into some uptempo stuff after 10pm. I made this mix for a couple bars to give them an idea of what it would sound like, but unfortunately, the party never ended up finding a home. I still like this mix, though, so I figure I’d put it up now. Better late than never, I suppose.

I’ve been revisiting this idea a little bit recently, so if you live in LA and you know about a spot that would be receptive to this sound/idea, definitely get in touch!

Tracklist:
1. Meli'sa Morgan - Fool's Paradise (Frankie Rodriquez Foolish Edit)
2. Womack & Womack - M.P.B. (Missing Person's Bureau) (Eli Escobar Edit)
3. George Benson - Turn Your Love Around
4. Colorblind - Crazy (Extended Mix)
5. Lukk - On The One (Feat. Felicia Collins)
6. Mike Francis - Survivor
7. New Edition - Once In A Lifetime Groove
8. Patrice Rushen - Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)
9. Vanessa Holmes & Chicago Night Life - Take My Love
10. Change - Change Of Heart
11. The Staple Singers - Slippery People (12" Version)
12. Donna Allen - Joy And Pain (Edited Dance Version)
13. Stevie Wonder - Love Light In Flight
14. Rene & Angela - I'll Be Good (Special Mix)
15. The Pointer Sisters - Automatic (Special Jellybean Remix)
16. Donald Byrd & The 125th St Band - Love Has Come Around (12" Version)
17. Black Ivory - I've Got My Eye On You
18. Spence - Get It On (Extended Version)
19. LJ Reynolds - Trust In Me (Extended Mix)
20. Larry Graham - Sooner Or Later (Vocal)
21. Larry Graham - Sooner Or Later (Dub)
22. The Pointer Sisters - Dare Me
23. Billy Ocean - Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)
24. Change - A Lover's Holiday (12" Version)
25. Cherelle - Saturday Love (Feat. Alexander O'Neal)
26. Oliver Cheatham - Get Down Saturday Night
27. Womack & Womack - Love Wars
28. Mtume - Juicy Fruit (Dub)
29. Mtume - Juicy Fruit (Vocal)
30. Levert - Casanova (12" Version)
31. Sade - When Am I Gonna Make A Living?
32. Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
33. Michael Jackson - Human Nature

Love Wars

If you don’t know the story of Donny & Joe Emerson, it’s a cool one. Basically, their dad built a full-fledged recording studio in a barn when they were kids, and they used it to record these vanity records during the late ‘70s. Fast forward 40 years, and a record digger pulls one of their LPs out of a dollar bin and “Baby” gets enough internet attention that the album is reissued by a great label called Light In The Attic. Later on the song ended up on the soundtrack to the film The Comedy. My buddy OJ liked the movie and the song so much he couldn’t get them out of his head, so he asked me to make a mix that’s based on “Baby.” I thought it was a fun idea, and I started brainstorming right away.

The thing about the song "Baby" is that it's vaguely sad (I've listened to it about 50 times in the last six months, but I still have no idea what dude is singing about), and then that sadness is filtered through a Southern California stoner's haze. For those reasons, "bummed out in paradise" was the vibe I tried to focus on. It should pair well with warm Sunday afternoons at home (which, not coincidentally, also describes the day it was recorded).

Tracklist:
1) Donnie & Joe Emerson - Baby
2) 10cc - I'm Not In Love (7" Version)
3) Hall & Oates - She's Gone (Live at the Troubadour, May 23rd, 2008)
4) Adan, Xavi Y Los Imanes - Luna
5) Mac DeMarco - Another One
6) Eagles - I Can't Tell You Why
7) Simply Red - Holding Back The Years
8) Fleetwood Mac - Over & Over
9) Black Sabbath - Planet Caravan
10) Talk Talk - The Rainbow (Edit)
11) Grizzly Bear - The Knife (Live on KEXP, February 16th, 2007)
12) The Association - Never My Love
13) Tame Impala - Yes I'm Changing
14) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - The World Is Crowded
15) Ricky Nelson - Lonesome Town
16) Bob Dylan - Wigwam

Chris Hires

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