There’s that special time of night, well past sundown, with a few hours left ’til the sun goes and ruins everything. That time when the after after after party is in full swing. And if these are the hours you haunt, then you know damn well the perfect soundtrack is needed to stoke those remaining hours. Ambient won’t do it; you’ll just nod off. “Late Night Tales” offer a good solution in theory, but do you really want Franz Ferdinand to be responsible for your just-before-the-break-of-dawn DJ needs?
I have to admit, my go to for these late night groovery, my favorite sub-sub-genre of the beat scene, always has been Mecca: 83. Much to my great dismay, that daffy Manchester beat head that I love so bad recently announced his retirement by way of a “greatest hits” of sorts compilation that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Life goes on, and Danish producer J. Vibes looks to carry the torch forward on his Expansions debut, Late Night Soul. Jazz and hip-hop co-mingle into laid back grooves with heavily reverbed vocals, well selected samples and the right amount of wee hours perfection. Opener and titular track “Late Night Soul” is the audio equivalent of easing into a hot pool of water, relaxing and invigorating. The ride remains in mellow for the duration. “Flavor of Nature” is crackling static, subdued drums and an intoxicating guitar line over squiggly synths. All “CoffeeBreakin” is missing is the bump, and it’s ready for its Adult Swim debut. Closer “All I Need” gets a bit trickier, tweaking the vocals to play alongside woodwinds to downright hypnotic effect. The next time the clock strikes 4 a.m., and you wonder where your groove is, you’d do well to ask J.Vibes.
