Aju, Dave - Black Frames Label: Circus Company

San Francisco's Dave Aju has been a guest on KZSU, and he completely lets loose on this incredible album featuring great beats. Plus he MC's over a variety of styles of music, from urban-soul-downtempo to tech-y house. The whole album makes you feel connected to the soul of inner-city dance music. Great stuff. The best dance-y cuts are #2 ("Nu Thread"), #3 ("Clean St"), and #5 ("Vins Noirs") but the slower tracks #1 ("Race on Haight"), #7 ("Law") and #9 ("When We Drift") are also excellent.

1. Race On Haight (4:16): Slow beats, acidic tones, Dave's deep & poetic musings
2. Nu Threads (5:41): Deep and funky groove here, soulful and thoughtful
3. Clean St. (8:56): Funky House, classic Chicago-style that's reminiscent of anything that Derrick Carter & Cajmere made
4. Nobody Knows (6:35): Dubby house w/ a simple vocal loop of the title, a bit of acid
5. Vins Noirs (8:59): Straight-up deep house w/ funky hooks, piano stabs, vocal loop
6. Psylica (8:15): Dark-wave meets jazz? Male/female vocal interplay & hand claps with a dark grinding acidic techno bassline. Gotta love it.
7. Law (4:45): Lazy & funky downtempo urban soul track - stylish & smooth
8. Bee's Birth (5:32): Dave's MC'ing shines on this uptempo funky drum & bass-y groove
9. When We Drift (5:28): Urban soul that meanders through a chill downtempo groove