Jayda G
's first commercially released mix follows nearly a decade of standout sets for Boiler Room, Discwoman, Resident Advisor, and more -- not to mention a Grammy nomination for her single "Both of Us," a 2020 home stereo dance party staple. Like many of her sets, her
DJ-Kicks
volume warms up with post-disco and jazz-funk favorites, beginning with Britfunk group
Light of the World
's "London Town," in honor of the city she relocated to in 2019.
Aged in Harmony
's sublime "You're a Melody," a Detroit crate-digger classic from the late '70s, makes an appearance in front of funk and Afrobeat tracks by artists new (
Glass Beams
,
Kokoroko
) and old (
Atmosfear
Universal Togetherness Band
), as the blending becomes more fluid and continuous. The mix switches to purely electronic tracks with
Gerry Read
's "90's Prostitution Racket," a scuffed-up house version of
Fonda Rae
's "Touch Me (All Night Long)," and after a
Carl Craig
remix of a 1993 track by
Naomi Daniel
(
Jay
's mother), a stretch of the mix is devoted to previously unheard goodies by friends and associates.
DJ Boring
's "Gardenia" adds twitchy breakbeats to very early-'90s-sounding sax-driven house, and things get a bit more tense and dreamy with "In 10,000 Places" by
Jennifer Loveless
. A darkly psychedelic break-driven track by
HAAi
gives way to
Jayda
's own "All I Need," a gorgeous, wistful vocal house tune that instantly ranks among her best songs. Her frequent collaborator
Fred Again..
's "Diana (You Don't Even Know)" mixes tougher tribal house drums with smooth keyboards and sighing vocals, and the mix rides out with a stretch of soulful house tracks, including an early
FIT Siegel
single. Finally,
ends the set with a brief comedown, using a downtempo
DJ Koze
track with
Simon & Garfunkel
-esque harmonies by
Ada
before putting it to bed with
Benny Sings
' "Summerlude." Like all of her sets,
's
reflects her personality, emphasizing memorable tracks that can often be sung along to, and forming a bridge between highlights of the past and memories to come in the future. ~ Paul Simpson