Samantha James
Friday, January 11th, 2008 by Kyledeep house // downtempo
Tropically warm, upbeat and blissful; exactly what I was looking for to start 2008. Teaming up with Sebastian Arocha Morton, aka ROCAsound, and San Francisco based OM Records, Samantha James‘ debut is a soulful unison that her honeyed voice must have been made for. Embracing any surrounding with its aura; whether in a bedroom, out for a drive, or steaming up a club, Rise will sustain its essence hovering all around and inside you. A bossa nova flare from Aurgasm alum Celso Fonseca adds a wonderful touch.
OM grooves lift spirits to continue onward.
Samantha James – Rise
Samantha James – I Found You ft Celso Fonseca
+ Purchase/Visit
Distant echoes return with a subdued haze, in an audible maze that approaches your ear. Matthias Grübel’s voice sparingly appears to direct and translate, through his Phon°noir dialect, as songs often build, unfold, surprise and sometimes delight with a scattered, spackled, mysterious transformation of blips, glitches, instrumental and skyward noises that become waves and bursts, then disappear. He credits Leonard Cohen and Four Tet as influences; I agree.
At 11 years old, Hervé Poudoulec begins hearing and feeling music over the radio. His mind collects fragments and wonders what to do; pondering from Rock to House, Dance and Jazz; amassing over 4000 samples before experiencing The Cinematic Orchestra’s ‘Motion‘ – helping to align hidden vibrations. Kira Neris graciously strides from downtempo and jazzy affairs to voluptuous dance vibes with an earnest underlining.
Sometimes, we need to slow down. When my days get too busy and nights are too short, a little bossa nova can work wonders. Ana Martins, daughter of Brazilian composers Nelson Ângelo and Joyce, provides exactly that with her debut album 
Breakdancing and graffiti roots converge with fashionable French writing and visual stimuli to create a contagious blend of soulful, jazzy good rhymes, laden with a hip-hop reverie that’s almost non-existent these days. Irfane Khan-Acito, Jay1 & Jerome Hadey from Strasbourg and Paris fuse an album of everyday messages people tend to share or ignore, but ultimately live through, with a positive, youthful expression.
If a few piano keys can give way to glitchy sounds swirled around to accompany a soulful, jazzy, bassline bop, then strutted with a parade of atmospheric keyboards, hi-hats, and 80’s movie charm, where a melodically-luscious, poignant voice plays freely atop a heartbeat’s skyline, than you’d be listening to Little Dragon. Yukimi Nagano, by way of Swell Session, 
Do you recall the beat of Busta Rhymes’ Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See? Now imagine a man and woman singing operatically over that beat in Italian, with a gently plucked classical guitar and accordion filling the air. If you’ve seen Volkswagen’s 
Cellos excitedly dance and play as subtle sounds find their way; like clouds taking shape in the sky, a vivacious harmony is perceived as 
Set adrift on an open sea of morning sunsets; wrapped in silk sheets with bubbly sounds permeating your skin’s pores; Marsen Jules’ 
Funky good times and flavorlicious rhymes from the Afro-beat legend Tony Allen. Hooking up with artists like Damon Albarn, Ty, and Unsung Heroes,