jay satellite - a record

in some ways, 'a record' is a debut. at least it is the first album jay friedman is putting out under the name jay satellite, having tired of his former MC handle 'satellite high' for various reasons (he also records ambient type stuff under the name jonathan livingston greyskull). it is somewhat of a change in direction, too, although the forward thinking, highly organic, experimental hip-hop to be found on 'a record' was foreshadowed by the last satellite high album.

the music of 'a record' is mostly live sounds made by jay, bedroom recording style, instead of sampled beats, with the exception of the variant produced banger 'my stuff', which is the most traditionally hip-hop song on the album, and a damn catchy one at that. while most of the songs retain the idea of 'rapping' over music, this is certainly a genre pushing album that presents a struggle with artistic identity in both the lyrics and the music. elements of jazz, drone, early ambient, minimalism, metal and prog make themselves heard throughout the album. the inclusion of a cover of the dave holland classic 'conference of the birds' is a bold choice, but if any avant-garde jazz song lends itself to a slight hip-hop style funkifying, that one does.



get it here. another one that falls into the recommended category. favorite tracks include the minimalist 'lord alfred hayes (featuring jesse dangerously)' and the dave holland cover.