Search - Mark Farina :: Mushroom Jazz 4

Terrific, Diverse, and with some KILLER Beats

bordersj2 | Boston | 02/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I actually got int Mark Farina's series with volume 4 and volume 3 at the same time. What's fascinating about the series to me is that from volumes 2 on to volume 4, you actually see an already terrific DJ get that much better in selection and pitch control. Amazing stuff really, and the tracks? Class. This is off of the Om Label, a label that provided the liks of the Om Lounge series and has released countless other deep house tracks in addition to some R&B releases. And of course, the Mushroom Jazz series has plenty of good instrumentals.



Pete Rock's "A Little Soul" gets this one started and you've immediately got a head boppin' vibe to it. Scienz of Life's "Hot Banana's" has an old school sample through-out. People Under the Stairs (PUTS) "Suite for Beaver Pt. 1" is such a tight track that you can't help but to be taken to the bliss of the song. Whenever I spin it off their terrific "O.S.T." album people always asks who it is. Maspyke's "Truth In Position" is vintage Mush Jazz - deep beat, bass, and that hint of off-key. Sweet. STill trying to remember the samples used in "Listen"... like the beats and effects in it but want to check the originals now. Other songs on this that stood out were "Chicago babe", DJ Slave's "Original Beats", Dubble-D's "Big Fish", Tek-9 (think 4-Hero) with "7 Dayz" and I dug the way "Shoplif" was mixed into "Wiggle and Giggle" and "Keep Your Head Up", all the while giving some quick flashbacks of Mush Jazz volume 3. Heck... half the fun of this album was sitting around with friends trying to remember where the originals came from.



I loved this volume. I think for anyone that's a fan of acid jazz, deep house and some beautiful aspects of hip-hop and underground beats, this is for you. And for anyone that's into spinning tunes and knows the pain of going to a hack club with terrible DJ's that could care less about the flow of the music they're spinning, timing & cross-fading or the music itself, volume 4 of Mushroom Jazz is like silk for your ears. If you like this, you may also like the DJ Kicks series - check out Thievery Corporation's and DJ Cam's. Or you might like the Trust The DJ series - Gilles Peterson, Dr. Bob Jones and a slew of others have great releases there. Especially Phil Asher's... DEFINITLY Phil Asher, aka "Restless Soul". If you like Mark Farina, you'll probably like Phil Asher and his "In the House" series - I think there's about 14 of them now. Also don't miss some of the Defected "In the House" series and finally, check out "Air Farina" or Miguel Mig's works... other Om sounds or Naked Music releases. Oh yeah, volume 5 was released in 2005 and pretty much all of these are available on vinyl too."

Waking up or winding down was never so sweet

Jennifer Warner | Raves.com, CA United States | 04/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Om is a label that lately can do no wrong. I've been listening to this and Kaskade every morning since I've gotten them, vibing off their low key but inspiring energy. Om's Winter Music party in Miami was packed wall to wall with the best vibe of the conference, a feeling that seems to flows right into their music. Mushroom Jazz actually started as a weekly club night in Chicago - perhaps getting a nod with "Chicago Babe" - then a mixtape series, finally finding a home at Om. This fourth installment with Mark Farina (he's done one, two and three too) is a smooth compilation of sweet earthy, jazzy mid to downtempo grooves. There's a sexy hip hop thing going on at the same time... you know what this music would be good for, right?? Opening up with Pete Rock "A Little Soul" a minimalist beat and high hat are punctuated with old instructional record samples, horns and claps. Standouts include DJ Spinna's remix of Tek 8 "Seven Days" and the soulful vocals on Laurnea "Keep Your Head Up." Waking up or winding down was never so sweet."

Farina has out done himself again

Jennifer Warner | 02/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just like the intro says "make sure you have your own personal copy to play again and again when you feel yourself getting off the track." Never before have I heard an album that can guide you through such a relaxing experience. No matter how horrible your day may have been or how bad you may be feeling, one spin of this cd and you will forget about all your troubles. With the smooth jazzy beats that seamlessly transition from tract to tract, Farina has produced another classic in the Mushroom Jazz series. If you are a fan or if you are just begining to discover the Mushroom Jazz series, this is must have in any collection."