1. Brand Nubian "Word Is Bond" (Buckwild Remix)
2. Nas "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix)
3. O.C. "Time's Up" (Eclipse Remix)
4. Group Home "Up Against The Wall" (Getaway Car Remix)
5. Common "Resurrection" (Extra P. Remix)
6. Busta Rhymes "Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check (The Jay Dee Bounce Remix)
7. Keith Murray "The Rhyme" (The Slum Village Remix)

90s Remixes

Yellow Couch Music debut for drummer and beat maker LHW. Inspired by the beats in-between the tracks from some of his favorite hip-hop albums, Interludes was recorded at his home studio in Brooklyn with Loisel Machín Rodriguez on bass.

01. Love Seeds
02. As If
03. Minted Floss
04. Junk Cereal
05. Parked On The Sidewalk
06. What Have You
07. Underneath Moonlight
08. The Day Is Hours

Layton H Weedeman - beats and samples
Loisel Machin Rodriguez - electric and upright bass

Produced by LHW
Associate Producer Roberto Poveda
Mixed by LHW and Omer Leibovitz
Recorded at Yellow Couch Music in Brooklyn, NY
Cover photo by Leyla Lacheri
Album design by LHW

03 June 2022

Parked On The Sidewalk

Junk Cereal

Minted Floss

As If

Love Seeds

Brooklyn's Yellow Couch Music is a collective that is willing to push the boundaries while simultaneously harnessing the soul of music. YCM is led by Layton Weedeman, a drummer/producer who has the utmost experience in multiple facets of the art form. Weedeman is a professional instrumentalist, with a whole tenure in drumming on top of learning the bass and keyboard. With Yellow Couch Music, Layton looks to bring all the elements and sounds of music together to create a full composition of art to fully engage the listener. By infusing sounds from the past and present, from different genres of all types, there’s something for everyone in Yellow Couch Music’s discography. Now in 2024, Yellow Couch Music is getting set to release their debut single spearheaded by Weedeman himself. “Fool Stop” is the new single from the team featuring two legendary greats in John Robinson and JSWISS.

“Fool Stop” is one of the first original compositions written by Layton Weedeman as a solo artist. Prior to this, Weedeman handled the majority of his production through sampled records to create lo-fi instrumentals and study beats. This new release marks a turning point for the collective’s leader as “Fool Stop” serves as the first song in a series of singles planned for release this year.

The single begins with an infectious, heavenly chorus from Brooklyn’s Estephanie who connects the verses and provides a voice of reason throughout. The track sees JSWISS & John Robinson each reflecting and dropping gems of wisdom that we all can relate to and apply to our lives, especially today. This all over the creative and calculated backdrop planned out by Weedeman who brings in an ensemble cast to tackle this with him. 

Trumpets by Eric Biondo (Antibalas, Massive Attack, Charlie Hunter), keys & synthesizers by Grady Tesch (Ira Coleman, Jerome Jennings, Huevito Lobaton) flute by Lars Haake (John Benitez, Hiram Bullock, George Burton), and Weedeman’s drumming flesh out this soulful, jazzy hip-hop track that provides a proper introduction to Spring. “Fool Stop” is just the beginning as Yellow Couch Music has plans to put out a full-length album later this year with the same lively & genre bending sounds you’re listening to here. Fans of A Tribe Called Quest, The Soulquarians, and Erykah Badu will agree.

Credits
Written by L. Weedeman, J. Caldwell, J. Robinson, G. Tesch
Produced by LHW
Mixed by Pat Van Dyke
Recorded by Layton Weedeman
Arranged by Layton Weedeman

Drums: Layton Weedeman
Keys & Synthesizers: Grady Tesch
Horns: Eric Biondo
Flutes: Lars Haake
Emcees: JSWISS & John Robinson
Chorus Vocals: Estephanie

Art Direction and Design by Layton Weedeman and Dovel Studio

Mastered by Pat Van Dyke

04 April 2024

Tidings In The Rough

Fool Stop

“Somewhere Along The Lines” is the latest hip-hop and jazz-infused single from drummer/producer Layton Weedeman of Yellow Couch Music, a collective of like-minded musicians from around the world. Taken from the forthcoming album Tidings In The Rough, the song embodies the power that can be conjured when serious jazz chops meet the inventiveness and attitude of hip-hop. Like all of the music released under Layton’s Yellow Couch Music, “Somewhere Along The Lines” started with Weedeman carving out a small gem of an idea to be elaborated on later. 

“I was in the studio just kind of jamming on a lot of these Latin rhythms that I’ve learned over the years.” Weedeman explains. “I recorded four or five minutes of me jamming to this drum groove, went home, and immediately laid down a bass track.” 

A willing and enthusiastic collaborator at heart, Weedeman tapped into his broad network of musician friends from around the world to bring “Somewhere Along The Lines” to life. German saxophone virtuoso Lars Haake (John Benitez, Hiram Bullock, George Burton) was the first to get the call to begin work on the tune. 

“I invited Lars over and he’s like a one-take wonder guy. I set up the microphone and he just gets it.” 

Eric Biondo (Antibalas, Massive Attack, Charlie Hunter) handles trumpet duties on the track, an artist Layton has known for years and has always wanted to work with, but never had an opportunity to until now. Cuban singer/bassist, Jessica "NuLyra" Libertad was brought in to re-record and add some flavor to Weedeman’s rough bassline. Libertad currently lives and works in Mexico, but technology ensured that distance couldn’t stop her from contributing fully to the project.

“I've been sending her tracks and she's been sending me tracks via WhatsApp.” Weedeman says. “I love her style and her approach to playing is exactly what I would want to hear from a bass player. She just really adds some of that flavor that the tracks needed.”

Groovy, chill and full of color, “Somewhere Along The Lines” is the product of a handful of skilled musicians listening deeply and communicating openly. While every musician that appears on the track is deadly serious about their craft, the music is flush with playfulness and soul. Weedeman is overjoyed to play the role of leader and facilitator. 

“It’s like now I have this outlet where I can just invite players in. This was really fun. Everything's just been so fun.” 

For fans of: Madlib’s Yesterdays New Quintet, Yussef Dayes, GURU’s Jazzmatazz, Thievery Corporation

Somewhere Along The Lines

This song began as a simple drum exercise. As a drummer, I'm always eager to explore new styles, but I often find myself falling into repetitive grooves. To shake things up, I turned to YouTube and found a Drumeo video titled "5 Drumming Styles You've (Probably) Never Heard." One of the styles featured was "Poinciana," a rhythm I was already familiar with, but hadn’t spent much time focusing on before. This song was originally performed by drummer Vernel Fournier in the 1950s popularized by Ahmad Jamal - a jazz pianist I cherish.

Inspired, I recorded myself playing this groove and then layered a bassline to complement the rhythm. With that foundation in place, I reached out to my good friend and Yellow Couch comrade, Lars Haake, an accomplished saxophonist, asking him to add some color. I shared a few melodic ideas I’d written, and Lars took it from there, improvising and soloing over the track. The result was an abstract and unconventional piece I found to be undeniably fun and fascinating.

Desiring more experimentation, I thought of my middle school art teacher, H. Alonzo Jennings, who I’ve always referred to as Mr. Jennings. I had kept in touch with him over the years and remembered that, in addition to being an incredible visual artist and photographer, he also wrote poetry and performed spoken word. I reached out to see if he’d be interested in contributing one of his poems for the song.

Now, let’s rewind to the summer of 2021. Jonathan Glass, a fine artist/illustrator who specializes in drawing live concert sketches in real time, invited Lars and I to see the free jazz and avant-garde alto saxophonist Marshall Allen at Smalls in the West Village. Best known for his work in the Sun Ra Arkestra, Marshall Allen’s performance that night was one to remember as it was my introduction to his music and my first time at this legendary jazz club. Jonathan has also contributed a poem to Yellow Couch Music, which I’m planning to be included in my forthcoming full-length album. During the Marshall Allen set, I recorded a quick video on my phone and sent it to Mr. Jennings, who was in the hospital recovering from surgery at the time. I thought a little dose of Sun Ra might lift his spirits, and it did.

Fast forward to summer 2023. When I reached out to Mr. Jennings for a poem, he surprised me by sending a voice recording of him reciting his tribute piece to Sun Ra titled "Icarus On Locust Walk," a cappella without having heard the music I composed. His tone and cadence matched perfectly with the track when I imported his audio into my recording software. It felt very serendipitous. From a production point of view, this entire process of creating and composing was a bit unreal as it felt as though I was behind the wheel, but someone else was steering the ship.

Once I had everything recorded and ready to mix, Jonathan introduced me to Kevin Ramsay, the Lead Sound Engineer at Harvestworks in NYC. During a tour of the studio, Kevin shared its rich history, highlighting notable artists who recorded there, one of them being Sun Ra, which I took as a sign, leading me to ask him to mix my track. Kevin elevated the song to a new height and I was just about ready to be done with it, but something about my performance wasn’t sticking and I realized the groove wasn’t aligning with Mr. Jennings' raw energy. The rhythm section needed a stronger drum beat and a funkier bassline, so I decided to scrap it entirely and write new parts.

Feeling a heavier rock vibe, I reached out to Jeff Berner at Studio G and invited bassist Grant Zubritsky to re-record the rhythm section live in-studio with me. This time, we infused the track with fresh energy, leaning into my rock, funk, and hip-hop roots. The result was a hard-hitting sound that perfectly matched the intensity of Mr. Jennings' vocals—a unique rock/jazz/funk fusion unlike anything I’d created before.

Layton Weedeman, Yellow Couch Music

Locust Walk

LHW, also known as Laytonic, is a versatile musician who wears many hats as a drummer, producer, and DJ. With a unique ear for music and a deep love for a wide range of sounds, LHW seamlessly blends his extensive knowledge of various genres into his creations. From funk to jazz, hip-hop to afro-beat, bolero to blues, rock, and beyond, LHW’s music is a vibrant tapestry that reflects his diverse influences.

laytonic

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