Welcome back y’all. Last week’s edition Broke The Net, in a really powerful way. The feeling of Enjoyment could be felt across the many different microclimates of North America; people were Enjoying Music in a way that hasn’t been felt in DECADES. MUSIC ENJOYMENT SHOCKWAVES were felt around the GLOBE.
ANYWAYS, of course I had to return to the stack to provide you with five more Truly, Madly, Deeply Enjoyable tunes! Plus, a BONUS GUEST ENJOY CHOICE from a Stack LEGEND. This one’s a big one. Enough hyperbole, let’s Enjoy baby!
Yuji Toriyama & Ken Morimura - Night Together (1982)
We’re a few years on from the City Pop Hype Bubble, right? I feel like the last time I was in Japan (2018, for those keeping track), the record store owners I was chatting with were saying they felt like it was peaking. I trust them! Did that stop me from spending 4500 Yen on a Hiroshi Sato reissue? NOPE.
Regardless of it’s popularity, The Music is still deeply Enjoyable, and there is a seemingly unending stream of Beautiful Grooves to discover. Yuji Toriyama’s “A Taste Of Paradise” (EDITOR’S NOTE: If a piece of Music involves the word paradise in some way, I’m in 100%) and “Yuji Toriyama” are standouts in his discography, no doubt, but this tune, from his “Aerobics” record with Ken Morimura is an all-timer. A truly sweet groove, and instant mood-improver. When you throw this one on, you’ll be Enjoying Music baby!
Herbie Hancock - I Thought It Was You (1978)
Okay, listen up, and remember this is said with Peace & Love: If I need to tell you about Herbie Hancock, you need to close this tab, open up whatever Streaming Platform you prefer and GET TO WORK.
Herbie is a LIVING LEGEND, and this song is proof. I could talk about this song for a long ass time. This version that plays in the MV above is a little shorter, so I really do recommend that you go check out the album cut for the full experience. Folks, I have put a lot of time and effort into just THINKING about the bassline in this song. I think it might be The Best Bassline. PLEASE, bass players, sound off in the comments. Actually nevermind, just Enjoy this tune and please, bass players, no arguing in my Comments.
Also, I created this way of orienting your life: Your sign is what Herbie record was released the year you were born. Mine’s Village Life, which speaks volumes. AGAIN, PLEASE kindly sound off in the comments: Which Herbie Record Are You?
Tony Esposito - Conga Radio (1989)
There’s like 100 things that rule about the entire situation here - Tony’s vibe is IMMACULATE in this album art. But we’re talkin’ tunes baby: that Wild West flute sample (EDITOR’S NOTE: someone for the love of GOD please source that patch for me. Is it a sound from a D50? DX7? MY BELOVED M1!?!?), the bouncing rhythm, the spoken word “CONGA”!? Tony knocked it out of the park on this one. HIGH LEVEL OF ENJOYMENT HERE.
BONUS ENJOY: Go watch Tony and the boys absolutely CRUISE through a live version of this one on Youtube. Tony’s shirt, the horizontal Conga, the fact that they’re playing in what looks like the COLOSSEUM??? Incredible on every level.
Joan Bibiloni - Sa Fosca (1989)
Alright, I feel like we’ve been keeping the v i b e s pretty high here, let’s Chill for a minute. Like a lot of you, I’m sure, I discovered Joan’s music through the Music From Memory compilation that came out in 2014. A truly pristine collection of tunes from across the Balearic Legend’s discography.
Quick side note: Let’s give MFM some flowers right now. I seriously can’t even count the number of Enjoyable Releases that label’s got under their belt. Go show them some love right now, send a quick DM to their IG and say THANK YOU for blessing us with such Enjoyable Curation.
Okay, back to Sa Fosca. A story regarding a time spent on the Balearic Isle of Mallorca: My wife and I were celebrating five years of Marital Bliss in Spain, and we spent a weekend SIMPLY CHILLING on the Island of Mallorca. A mountainside drive between the towns of Valldemossa and Soller resulted in this beautiful snap I took while hanging out the window:
So, with that image in your sight, throw on Sa Fosca, and let the warm winds of the Balearics flow through your imagination. That’s some Enjoyable S— right there!
Alex Kassian - Strings Of Eden (2022)
Okay, let’s wrap things up with my favourite tune of last year. Alex Kassian is on a huge run right now (like Enjoy Music All-Star, JCK), with three 12”s in three years, all of which are STUNNING (in their own ways too). This one leans into the mellow nature of things, with its soft percussion and gentle piano stabs. A perfect song for a Beautiful Sunset, something that we can all Enjoy. Go get Alex’s records, and start Enjoying!
BONUS GUEST ENJOY CHOICE: SAM VALENTI IV
I feel like an introduction to Sam isn’t entirely necessary, but JUST IN CASE you’re unfamiliar with SV4 (and remember, here at Enjoy Music! we don’t discriminate, we Enjoy baby!) here’s a quick quick bio: Sam founded Ghostly International and co-founded All Flowers Group. He has one of the best Stacks on the platform, Herb Sundays, where he invites Interesting People to submit a playlist, and it rules every time. I asked Sam if he wouldn’t minded selecting a tune that He Enjoys, and tell us a bit about it:
First Light (Paul Hardcastle & Derek Green) - Stop The Clock (1984)
“This Paul Hardcastle artifact from his 1st Light Project with Derek Green is what came to mind first. Shoehorned in at Side B, track 2 on a 12", it fights its way to the fore. This has no place in the world other than an Ibizan sunset. A true smooth-brainer, both inconceivably ersatz and immaculate, arpeggios sailing to distant shores.”
A HUGE thank you to Sam for his time, and contributing such a Deeply Enjoyable Tune. And a HUGE thank you to YOU for reading.
Some quick Teen Daze news: I dropped a new single this week, called Rainy Summer. It’s going to be on an EP that’s out in September! I’ve got a bunch of shows coming up, and if you’re in the Greater Vancouver Area, I’ll be playing at Field House Brewing in Chilliwack tonight (6 PM - get there early). Also, next weekend I’ll be bopping over to Winnipeg, Manitoba for a session at the Good Will Social Club. Grab a ticket for that one before they’re GONE!
Love yall, see ya soon!
Take this: Maidan Voyage! ;)
I don't have a precise Herbie Hancock sign (1990 baby) but the closest would be Perfect Machine. Tell me what it means!! Should this be the first HH album I get into?