Nathan's Small Delights: SD_012

Ayup, what’s good?

The first month of the year has passed by as if it were the second month - that is to say, it felt short. I have been writing this newsletter for about a year, so I thought it would be a good idea to get everyone up to speed on the whelming meter. Every day feels like a barrage of gaslighting & emotional abuse from the current administration, & the only way I have managed to make it this far has been to zoom in on the small things throughout the day that delight me. It’s a sliding scale, but the goal is to be whelmed. Less desirable, but perfectly acceptable, is being underwhelmed. Unacceptable, but sometimes inevitable, is being overwhelmed.

Whelmed is the sweet spot & as of this evening, I am perfectly whelmed. Let’s get down to business.

The Delights

Throughout the past year, I have developed many unique & heretofore unknown strategies that have become instrumental in my end-of-the-month writing workflow. Top of the list is scribbling little notes for my future self to reference & since I am now my future self, I say let’s have a looksee at the list!

Apparently, past me did a terrible job of documentation, so it’s time to get back to my roots & look to what has brought me endless joy for the past two and a half decades - new records!

Whenever I am in a creative funk & I need to get out of the trappings of my house, I have gotten into the habit of popping over to Breakaway Records for quick digs through their bins. The odds are generally stacked in my favor that I will find something interesting & at worst, I just get to spend a little time flipping my fingers across a ton of album jackets (which I find very soothing). During a recent visit, I was doing the thing where I felt like I was finished digging but continued to casually flip through sections as I meandered by. I’m glad I did, because one of the last bins had this totally fresh downtempo/jazzy hip-hop compilation on Etymology Records by the name of Botanicalia. The cover illustration is by Muhammad Fatchurofi & it is GORGEOUS. Highly recommend scooping this up if you come across it.

Quick shout out to the SA homie Rick Lara for inviting me out to Marlow to throw a set for the Ya Dig? show. It’s always a treat to play records alongside him & Mike C. Sets were great all around (props to Quickweave for dropping some stellar tracks) & it was A+ getting to catch up with friends I have not seen in a hot minute. Also met some new faces (to me) in the local scene, which potentially means some new studio collabs - Fresh! Big thanks to everyone who found time to roll through.

As most of you already know, Waterloo Records moved to a new location (just a hop, skip, & a jump from their old location). My maiden visit has been consistently delayed, mostly on account of having already burned through my monthly record budget every time I remember I still need to check it out. Well, I finally managed to make my way out there & I have to say that the new location feels like a good fit. It feels a bit more spacious & things feel more organized. I usually don’t have much luck finding gems at Waterloo, but I guess first time’s a charm (that’s how the saying goes, methinks) because I found a copy of the 1991 Billboard chartbuster & certified 5-time platinum album Heart in Motion by Amy Grant. *faints

What a delight!

Vinyl Jockey on the web

With the Marlow gig freshly wrapped, I decided that I needed to capitalize on the time spent pulling records for the show & use what was in the bag to get a long overdue mix recorded. After much delay, I am happy to say that Digging Thru the Wall 05 has been uploaded to Soundcloud & is ready for listening. This installment clocks in at a little over an hour & is mostly in the Funky Deep House zone. Take it out for a spin when you have some time to kill. As usual, hit me up if you need track IDs.

My original plan for the Amy Grant record was to snag a few drum cuts for the sample library, so I rushed home and tossed it on the studio deck. As I was listening through the album, the intro of one of the tracks caught my ear & the sampling session turned into a full-blown studio session. The idea is still pretty raw, but I think it has some legs. If you have two minutes free & want to give it a whirl, you can have a listen here - Just Ask.

Vinyl Jockey in the wild

No gigs on the books for February. Next confirmed dates are in March - tune in next month for the details.

That’s a wrap for now!

-Nathan Stewart