We asked the Roots drummer to make a new kind of seasonal mixtape.
“For those that have something north of middle-class luxury, they’ll be able to cope.
But for people in a hand-to-mouth situation, summer’s going to have a whole other meaning.
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The standard fare of what feel-good songs were won’t have the same association.
to something a bit more educational part high energy, part music history lesson.
“These are songs I really got great reactions to,” he says.
For me, that’s what these songs represent.
It puts you in a near-synesthesia experience of relaxation, which I feel is the most important thing.
This should calm people.”
That’s just how I see it.
Very just going outside the lines.
But just melodically was so good."
So this comes fromJourney Through the Secret Life of Plants.
Especially the pressure of him following up the record a few years later.
It’s like, ‘This is what you gave us?’
I think this album hit me during a period of a lot of touring summer festivals.
I always on our tour bus.
The live one came from Mongo Santamaria’s albumAnnouncing With A1.
I was charged a large amount for his debut.
I think the dealer wanted $5,000 for it…
It just feels like summer to me."
‘Lils Paradise’ is my Pee-wee morning song.
It’s just the happiest.
It works in any and every environment.
That’s the same for ‘High Up on the Hook,’ by Alice Russel.
The song feels like kids skipping down the street.
Half these songs have flute in them or some sort of soft-sounding horn at the beginning.
I think a flute’s a very disarming instrument, tonally.
It puts you at ease.
Again, similar to ‘Lil’s Paradise.’
It’s hard not to feel like summer in the vocals."
But for me, I just always associate this song with its 20-second intro.
It’s almost like a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway."
Especially in light of J Dilla passing.
I wonder who was going to fill that void for me.
Like the person who made me excited when I heard their work.
Riggins is like Dilla’s apprentice.
By day [Riggins] was a sought-after jazz drummer and then by night… For me, there’s always a gem on his records.
When I first heard it, [I thought it was] an afternoon song.
I hear songs, also the time periods.
Because at that point they had already sampled a Carpenters song.
They had already flipped ‘Steppin’ Out,' by Joe Jackson.
So they were looking for ironic songs that hip-hop artists should not be sampling.
But because they’re from Detroit, they’re just a whole new animal.
“So one of the members, Baatin, there was two songs he wanted to flip.
There was a Depeche Mode or New Order song.
And they never knew the name of ‘Route 101.’
It wasn’t like Shazam helped it.
And for like 10 years, we never knew what that song was.
It was like yacht rock poker.
“And I won with ‘Route 101.’
The whole place is like, ‘What’s the name of this song?’
It makes every playlist.
Any playlist that I have to make for somebody, I put it on there just to watch…
It’s almost like a wait for it moment where I wait for the text three hours later.
Like, ‘Why did you put that supermarket song on my playlist?'”
Rarely do keyboard patches speak to you.
That’s why I chose it.”
To me, ‘Lady Nina’ is powerful black yacht rock at its finest.
And again, yacht rock is often seen as the punchline.
And I’m like, ‘Damn right.’
“To me, [‘Lazy Nina’] is L.A. musicianship.
I don’t want to be like the music snob that chastises another territory.
It was literally ‘I think it’s so groovy now that people are finally getting together.’
Definitely don’t get together.
