20 Years of Bastard Jazz

From its humble beginnings in 2001, the Brooklyn label Bastard Jazz Recordings has trailblazed a unique path in the world of independent record labels. Appealing to both DJs and music fans from all walks of life, BJR has become known for its eclectic sound & community of global artists from Mumbai to Napoli, New York to Kinshasha, who touch on everything from funk to hip-hop, house music to forward thinking beats, soul to jazz and international sounds, along with its unrelenting commitment to the vinyl medium.ÍâÍ_

Highlights from the compilation include Australian outfit The Goods, who team up with Steve Spacek (famously of the eponymous British band) on the spacey future soul banger, _„Í_ÍFEELS 4 U,_„ã while label stalwarts Potatohead People (who recently teamed up with both De La Soul, Jazzy Jeff, and Kaidi Tatham as well as a host of others on their new album) deliver _„Í_ÍBonzai View,_„ã with its live instrumentation & technical prowess fused with a head-nodding boom-bap beat the group has become known for. Pittsburgh producer Buscrates delivers _„Í_ÍSpotlight,_„ã a slinky modern funk / boogie production, while brand new signing POSY gives us _„Í_ÍAmai,_„ã a delicate beat construction with gorgeous strings, horns and live bass weaving in and out.

Notable past catalog on the compilation include LA producer Captain Planet_„ã_s classic _„Í_ÍUn Poquito Mas_„ã featuring Chico Mann (Antibalas, Here Lies Man) which is still being sung along to in clubs worldwide from Mexico City to Berlin 7 years later, and the airy, indie dance vibes of Manatee Commune_„ã_s _„Í_ÍMajestic Diver._„ã Los Angeles producer and talkbox wizard B. Bravo_„ã_s _„Í_ÍCan_„ã_t Keep My Hands Off You_„ã featuring Reva Devito goes into more sultry territory, while Rumtum_„ã_s _„Í_ÍTropic Air_„ã gives us a fresh splash of wobbly tape synth and relaxed lo-fi drums. Of course, the club is not left out and the catalog includes dancefloor ready remixes from friends of the label like Jimpster, DJ Spinna, Jacques Renault, and the red hot up & coming Brooklyn duo musclecars.

Bastard Jazz started early as so many nascent DJ-oriented imprints come into existence, as founder & president Aaron Schultz just barely out of his teenage years was beginning to find his footing as a DJ in Brooklyn, New York. Culling together a small group of artists early on, the label ran as a side project for many years, releasing a handful of records per year. Following a reorganization & renewed commitment in 2014, the label has experienced exponential growth while moving from a DJ oriented standpoint to an artist focused organization that thrives on signing and nurturing new talent and new sounds, while maintaining a concurrent sonic thread in its music. POC owned with a majority POC artist stable, Bastard Jazz_„ã_s story is the slow build of a real indie label with a diverse sound & roster from the ground up, through trial and error, listening, learning, and adapting to the times without becoming jaded or losing its original vision. 20 years on, it_„ã_s still here & stronger than ever.ÍâÍ_