DJ Harrison
“Stay Ready (feat. Yaya Bey)”
Stones Throw Records (pre-order here)
Two cracks of the snare and you’re into DJ Harrison’s “Stay Ready,” featuring vocalist Yaya Bey.
He doesn’t waste any time introducing himself with a sharp single from his upcoming album, “ElectroSoul,” coming out on Stones Throw Records on Jan. 23.
In a sleek two minutes, he’s making a statement. With warm piano stabs, DJ Harrison is more focused on sonic depth and production than showing off technically. And damn – there’s that snare again, driving the whole song forward. It’s loud, cracking and varied. It’s a slick piece of production for a producer who clearly honors the master J Dilla. (You can hear a lot of that Detroit influence on this track – a woozy, drunken wobble throughout that I simply adore.)
He does that plenty of other places in his catalog, like his collaborations with Jack White, Natalie Prass and Kurt Elling, which earned Harrison two Grammy nominations. On top of that, he’s part of one of the hottest “garage punk jazz funk” bands around Butcher Brown, which also hail from Richmond, Virginia, DJ Harrison’s hometown.
Here on “Stay Ready,” it’s about Harrison’s ability to have restraint as a producer, showcasing the smoothness of Yaya Bey’s voice first and foremost as she unpacks a messy love sandwich.
“Why you standing ten toes down on the shit you said? / Can’t get it out of my head”
I felt that in my heart, Yaya!
I can’t wait to open my ears to the rest of DJ Harrison’s upcoming release if this is any indication of what we’ve got to look forward to.
