04.07.04
Ghostride the hammock with one of LA’s best on the decks. Warm, soulful hip-hop grooves and cool, eclectic jazz-inflected beats mix it up on this 2004 set from crucial KCRW DJ and artist Anthony Valadez, a great friend to dublab since the early aughts. Valadez’ sets have always been a hub for diverse sounds, and are all held together by a certain feeling.
Before KCRW, Valadez came up as a regular DJ at the dublab-affiliated Temple Bar, had a show at Cal State Northridge, and caroused with the likes of Steve Ellison aka Flying Lotus at a time when the styles and record collections of Dilla, Soulquarians, Madlib, and the various Coltranes of the world were all wafting in the air. 2004 in particular was a peak year for the impact of neo-soul on the sound of indie hip-hop and R&B, when older soul jazz (shout out to the excellent label of the same name) and other latin/international/spiritual records would reach a wider audience and influence than ever, finding purchase in a new generation of creators.
FROM THE VAULTS is an ongoing curation project produced by Ben Sinclair, resurfacing rare live performances and DJ sets recorded during dublab’s first ten years.
