It’s a beautifully sunny day in London and one of the songs that dropped into our wooden inbox last night has put a swing in my step as I get ready to head to the nearest beer garden.

It’s incredibly polished (almost too much so) but Sugarcane by Chris Nathan has really nice soul roots and reminds me a little of Jamie Lidell.

Chris Nathan – Sugarcane - download

Download audio file (Chris Nathan – Sugarcane.mp3)

Heard a new song on the radio this afternoon that made my ears twitch up like a deer in the forest during hunting season.

Going to spend the next 30 minutes listening to more of the man. I hope it’s all like this.

ps -- the man in the picture IS NOT Aloe Blacc.

Aloe Blacc -- I Need A Dollar - 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR6oYX1D-0w

Bonobo’s latest album is the best back-to-back album I’ve heard this side of 2010 and is firmly positioned in the Best Albums of 2010 list for Mahogany.

I was at a party last Saturday and put Black Sands on at around 3am in an attempt to slow things down a bit but it acted in almost the opposite way.

There are the old school fundamental beats that Simon Green aka Bonobo sticks too but the modern urban-inspired elements are introduced to make almost perfect instrumental and vocal-led songs.

Our favourites are the songs featuring Andreya Triana which are most definitely the upcoming singles planned for the album. The Keeper was pre-released back in 2009 but I’ve got a feeling it might make a comeback this year.

This Warrior One remix is available for free on his website.

Bonobo -- Eyes Down (Warrior One Remix) -- download

Download audio file (Bonobo -- Eyes Down (Warrior One Remix).mp3)

Bonobo -- The Keeper ft. Andreya Triana

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wxJu-X0zVo

Bonobo -- Eyesdown ft. Andreya Triana

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOFQA3aNR3g

We like DYM aka Damn You Mongolians (he’s not a racist, it’s from South Park!). He’s a UK based producer with an original sound. The word dubstep has become so vast and a lot of shit gets slapped with the label.

We’re currently in the earlish stages of evolution for the genre and I like to think that DYM is one of the tadpoles spouting tiny legs. I’m not saying that all these little creatures will all survive. But it’s a start.

The Raheem one is definitely our favourite!

Raheem DeVaughn – I Don’t Care (DYM’s Dubjam Remix) – download via Mediafire

Download audio file (Raheem DeVaughn – I Dont Care (DYM’s Dubjam Remix).mp3)

Damn You Mongolians – All I See - download via Mediafire

Download audio file (Damn You Mongolians – All I See.mp3)

Damn You Mongolians – Each Day With You – download via Mediafire

Download audio file (Damn You Mongolians – Each Day With You.mp3)

Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love (DYM Remix) – download via Mediafire

Download audio file (Florence And The Machine – You’ve Got The Love (DYM Remix).mp3)

DOWNLOAD LINKS FIXED!

The 90′s backbeat and soulful vocals make for a song that never fails to get an atmosphere going. Be it in an office, bar or park in the summer.

Blue Boy aka Lex Blackmore sampled Marlena Shaw’s Women Of The Ghetto to produce the 90s hit.

Proper modern classic.

Blue Boy -- Remember Me --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXzt9pXwhJ0

Do you need a particular set of songs to help you drift off?

I almost always need my playlist to help me drift into the land of the nod. Last year our Sleep Assistance post garnered some great recommendations from all of you and many of which have since been added to my sleep playlist.

I’ve got a couple of new ones that I want to share with you and hopefully you can suggest some as well so we can all sleep a little better at night.

Here are three beautiful songs from three outstanding artists.

Jonathan Jeremiah – Happiness (Quiet Village Remix) - download

Download audio file (Jonathan Jeremiah – Happiness (Quiet Village Remix).mp3)

Mozez – Feel Free -

Download audio file (Mozez – Feel Free.mp3)

The Album Leaf – The Light –

Download audio file (The Album Leaf – The Light.mp3)

Polish duo El Barto & Liam B have put together an unsuspecting mash-up that I really, really like.

The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony and Marvin Gaye’s Ain’t That Peculiar make for a great pair. The vocals work so well with the strings and as the song builds and builds it really sounds like Marvin could have actually recorded it!

El Barto & Liam B -- Peculiar Symphony -- download

Download audio file (El Barto and Liam B -- Peculiar Symphony.mp3)

It’s just a shame it’s not slightly longer.

Marvin Gaye -- I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Live)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7dGdrP3pms

The weather’s played quite a big part in some of the blog posts recently – that’s because it’s been so shit recently!

At first thought, James Brown and Drum & Bass sound as compatible as smoked salmon and mince pies but Featurecast have ‘regrooved’ a classic track by warming it up with some light and fluffy warm D&B and it works so well.

It’s a shame the Godfather of Soul is no longer with us – he passed away on the Christmas morning of 2006 after performing thousands of shows across the world for decades. He really was The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.

It’s nice that Mr. Brown can live on in different musical forms – especially a bit of Drum & Bass!

James Brown – Sunny (Featurecast Remix)

As incredible as the music was back in the days of Sam Cooke – I’ve never once wished to have live through that era.

The prejudice and discrimination in the US at the time inspired Sam Cooke to write what would become the most important song during the Civil Rights Movement.

The song wasn’t a big hit in terms of chart success – but essentially it was never intended to be. After writing the song, Cooke was sceptical about recording it due to his large white fan base however an incident in 1963 where he and his band were wrongly arrested proved to be the catalyst for Sam and his manager to record and release the song.

Sam Cooke proved that songs don’t just have to be aimed at entertaining an audience but they can change the perspective of millions – something Bob Dylan did with ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ earlier in that same year.

Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come