02 May 2025 13 min read what's good

What's Good - Bandcamp Friday Edition (Week of 4/27/25)

A new month is here, and another Bandcamp Friday is upon us. If you want to put a little more money in an artist's pocket today? I've got you, with new joints from:

New Albums

Asterisk
Chow
Chester Watson
Fielded
Jericho Jackson (eLZhi & Khrysis)
Jimmie D & Nicholas Craven
Sankofa & CVLT-45

New Singles

Aesop Rock
DEBBY FRIDAY
Five Steez & Son Raw
Grief Club (Esh & The Isolations and andrew)
Nilüfer Yanya
Rhys Langston
Show You Suck

And a ton more. As you'll note, I ceded the space above for artists that have Bandcamp links available, and they aren't the only ones. Be sure to peep the BNCMPR playlist down below for a convenient way to stream and buy.

Playlists
Bonus Beats
Music

Playlists

TIDAL

TIDAL: What's Good Playlist - Week of 4/27/25

BNDCMPR

BNCMPR: What's Good Playlist - Week of 4/27/25

YouTube

Now lets get into a few Bonus Beats from around the web. These'll have a few Bandcamp links in here too, so keep an eye peeled.

Bonus Beats

Jonwayne aka Nate is still at it on the Jon Makes Beats tip, this time sampling the Playstation classic Ape Escape to make a slapper.

Jack Riedy talked with percussionist Bill Summers of the Headhunters for Passion of the Weiss on his legendary career, travels, and study of the drum:

Jack Riedy: You mentioned you traveled the world over. Are there any particular venues or cities that you visited that stand out in your memory?

Bill Summers: Yeah, of course, every one of them. Hey man, look, here’s how I look at it. Paris is a room in my house. Tunisia is a room in my house. Nigeria is just a room in my house. It belongs to you, it belongs to us, it’s ours. It’s just one big-ass house with different rooms. Some of them need to be cleaned up, though. That’s how I really look at things. The Earth is not that big. I think people have got it wrong. If you look up at night, and you’re not in the city, you’re going to see a lot of stars.

Jack Riedy:I live not too far from Lake Michigan, and if you just go out on the right night and look straight up, it’s crazy what you can see.

Bill Summers: Yeah, exactly. It’s so crowded up here, it’s ridiculous. But the nearest thing is hundreds of thousands of miles away, so how do you get there? How do you travel through the universe? You can’t do it with some machine. It’s not gonna happen. It’s gonna be like that ceremony I go to where you’re playing some drums that are locked into the universe, and all of a sudden, clink, clink, clink, clink, you’re traveling. Look, I was doing this today, just listening to some batá drumming on the freeway, and I’m actually not even paying attention to the traffic, I’m just floating.

And I think that’s a very necessary thing for people to experience. To open up and to just absorb the energy of the universe itself. I couldn’t do that with classical music. I couldn’t do that with European music. I could enjoy it, Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, all that was good, it’s spiritual. But at the same time, you can’t really write shit down. It’s a guide to try to recreate what Chopin did. I don’t think the music is really protected by writing it down like that. You know? I think it’s better that you have Chopin teaching little Chopin how to play the shit. And then he passes it down to the next student, to the next one. It’s more accurate.

Japanese Breakfast came through the KCRW HQ for a live performance of four tracks from For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). Be sure to check Michelle Zauner's interview with Novena Carmel from the HQ as well.

Kamasi Washington talks working with Shinichiro Watanabe for the Lazarus soundtrack.

Was there a lot of back and forth between the two of you as you were crafting the songs?

There wasn’t, actually. We had a couple of really long talks where he broke down the concepts behind the series as a whole, the action-focused animation style, and then what he was looking for from me, musically. More so than other times when you’re doing a film score or something for a TV show, you’re really looking at the exact moment, and you’re trying to put music that feels like the perfect framing element.

Watanabe gave me a series of situations, like “there’s a guy breaking out of a prison,” or he’d say things like “the song should sound like a flashback of someone finding and going through a bunch of evidence.” But he wanted me to build the entire soundtrack with a focus on evoking feelings as opposed to writing songs meant to match or fit into a specifically planned-out scene. That’s how I write music instinctively, and Watanabe was really emphatic about wanting this to just sound like an album as opposed to music written for a film or show.

Madison McFerrin stopped by NPR's Tiny Desk for a selection of joints, including a couple of from her upcoming LP SCORPIO (like the recent What's Good featured "I Don't")

KEXP featured a couple of What's Good alums during this year's Noise Pop festivites, recording at 25th Street Recording in Oakland. First up, Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn performed a few selections from Quiet in a World Full of Noise with the Magik*Magik Orchestra.

Then on the next day SPELLLING performed a few joints from her March release Portrait of My Heart.

Jonny Auping profiled EZ Eddie D, host of KNON's long-running (and possibly longest running ever) Hip Hop radio show, 'Knowledge Dropped, Lessons Taught':

By the time Eddie arrived in Oak Cliff in 1984 from Cincinnati, he was primed for what would become his life calling. As a teen, he had his mind blown hearing Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express” (the core sample used in Afrika Bambaataa’s foundational “Planet Rock”) for the first time. Earlier, he’d clocked the way kids at roller discos reacted to the DJ playing One Nation Under A Groove records and thought, “Alright, I want that.”

He didn’t have much reason to stay in Dallas when he stopped in to visit his cousin, but when he heard a live radio broadcast of local tastemaker DJ Ushy doing a set at Club Pizzazz in Oak Cliff, he thought, “OK, I’m here. I’m home.”

The Dallas hip hop scene has taken plenty of twists and turns since Eddie arrived, often flirting with an identity or defined sound but rarely breaking through on a national level the way Houston hip hop did in the ‘90s and early 2000s.

That’s not to say Dallas hasn’t left its mark. In the mid-80s, Eddie credits the group Nemesis, who debuted with the single “Oak Cliff” as the first from the city to achieve state-level success. In those years, Eddie had his own hip hop group, The Fresh Ones, signed to the local Black Lion Records and managed by a man who went by Mr. Williams. Also managed by Mr. Williams was a 16-year-old female MC named Apples, who would later sell millions of records as Erykah Badu. In 1986, a 45-inch record was put out with The Fresh Ones on one side and Apples on the other side.

Speaking of KNON, they're currently running a pledge drive and they're also the home of friend of the blog Natalie Weiner's show 'Nothin' But North Texas', so if you'd like to support community radio, head over and shoot them a donation. Select Natalie - NOW from the pull down for your chosen pledge and tell 'em I sent you.

Music

Anna Wise - Arrogant feat. MAE.SUN and Daru Jones (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

AJ Suede - Silverhand (From The Duke of Downtempo, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Nilüfer Yanya - Cold Heart (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Ninja Tune, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Surprise Chef - Websites (From Superb, out on 5/16/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Big Crown Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Luna Li - Minnie Says(Would You Be My) w/tg.blk (From When A Thought Grows Wings (Reimagined), out on 6/15/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Physicals and merch via Hello Merch, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Maxo - Human? (From Mars Is Electric, out on 6/20/25. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

BADBADNOTGOOD & V.C.R - Found A Light (Beale Street) (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Flying Lotus - It's Out There (From the ASH Original Motion Picture Sountrack, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

MIKE & Tony Seltzer - WYC4 (From Pinball II, out on 5/7/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | 10k Global, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Jabee - No Love (From The Spirit Is Willing, But The Flesh Is Weak, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Mello Music Group, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Aesop Rock - Send Help (From Black Hole Superette, out on 5/30/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Aesop Rock Official, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Video Dave - foundational assessment (From Old Chicago Stadium, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Genevieve Artadi with Norrbotten Big Band - Another Leaf (From Another Leaf, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Brainfeeder, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Frak - Smash Mouth feat. Blimes & Gab (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

ILL-Sugi - Beyond True (From TEARS TAPE, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Thanya Iyer - I am a mountain (make sure you don't move) (From TIDE/TIED, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Topshelf Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

ScienZe & NappyHIGH - Magic feat. Mick Jenkins (From PRAISES, out on 5/16/25. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Crystal Sting - HD Umbrella (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

CHOW - Marching to the Drum (From Seeker of Knowledge, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Slick Devious - Steve Irwin feat. Saige Wolley (From Industrial Beige, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

DEBBY FRIDAY - All I Wanna Do Is Party (From The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life, out on 8/1/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Sub Pop Mega Mart, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Harry The Nightgown - Falling Down That Hill (From Ugh, out on 6/6/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Leaving Records, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Chester Watson - jackal (From stargazer vol. 1, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Benny The Butcher - Duffle Bag Hottie's Revenge (From EXCELSIOR, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Fatboi Sharif & Driveby - Battlestar Galactica (From Let Me Out, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Deathbomb Arc, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Rhys Langston - When THe Orchestra Is Dreaming feat. Mike Ladd (From the upcoming Pale Black Negative. Purchase the single: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Lily Juniper - On and On (From After Party, out on 6/27/25. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

C-Red & Agent M - Work It Out (From 2nd Call, out on 5/16/25. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Sankofa & CVLT-45 - Old Soul Young feat. Stik Figa (From The Fire That Wouldn't Die, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Oliver the 2nd - typeish (From R+ vol.4, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Jorja Smith - The Way I Love You (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

James Krivchenia - Bracelets for Unicorns feat. Sam Wilkes & Joshua Abrams (From Performing Belief, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Planet Mu, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Marissa Nadler & Milky Burgess - The Bloody Gardener (From The Bloody Garderner, a selection of songs from the audio version of Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore by Katy Horan, which you can pick up from Libro.fm. Purchase/Stream the album: Bandcamp)

Jericho Jackson (eLZhi & Khrysis) - I Am Him (From the "I Am Him" maxi single, digital out now, physicals shipping on 6/10/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Nature Sounds, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Kenn Starr & Kev Brown - Hennessy Straight feat. DJ Jon Doe (From the upcoming album COLD. Purchase the single: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Jimmie D & Nicholas Craven - The Gout feat. Tha God Fahim (From Good Music Hypnotizes, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify | YouTube)

Boldy James & Real Bad Man - It Factor feat. El-P (From Conversational Pieces, out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Five Steez & Son Raw - Soul in the Music (From The Test of Time, out on 5/30/25. Purchase the single: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Fielded - Salome (From Chuckles Deluxe, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Onry Ozzborn aka The Ybor Ripper - Dream Warrior (From 𝑭𝒖𝒔𝒔 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒔 🌐, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp)

Jared Evan - I'm Good feat. Midian (From The Art of Whatever III, out now (available on DSPs 6/6/25). Purchase: Jared's site w/PayPal, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Garfunkle - Alligator Souffle feat. Marcus Pinn (From The Sun Is Not A Bell, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp)

Asterisk - Double Dream feat. Myka 9

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Asterisk - Double Dream feat. Myka 9 (From No School, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Azymuth - Arabutã (From Marco Passo, out 6/6/25. Preorder: Bandcamp | Merch and vinyl via Far Out Recordings, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Elaquent - If Not Now, When? (Out now. Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Grief Club (Esh & The Isolations and Andrew) - Out For Me feat. AJ Suede (From Good Mourning, out on 6/6/25. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

The Purist, Nick Bam & Budgie - Time's Up! (From Konnichiwa Bitches!, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Eli Keszler - III feat. Sam Gendel (From Eli Keszler, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | LUCKYME, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify | YouTube)

Brigid Mae Power - Soft Sun (From Silver Strand Tapes, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

DøøF - LimonTwiss (From ThaLabyrinth, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Braxton Cook - Not Everyone Can Go (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

Serengeti - palookarap (From universe + track, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

Show You Suck - TAKING NOTES (Out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)

14KT - Sugarcane feat. C-Red (From 14KT's upcoming iMAKE GOLD!. Purchase/Stream the single: Bandcamp)

RINGGO (Mndsgn) - COOKIN (From APERTIVO, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp)

Lana Del Rabies - Anne Boleyn (From Le Temps Viendra, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Spotify)

That'll do us for this week. If you dug anything that you heard in this go 'round, be sure to swing around to their Bandcamp pages and make a purchase before the clock chimes midnight. Other than that, as usual, be sure to subscribe to get this heat and anything else I publish on the blog sent directly to your inbox.

As always, take care of each other, and make good choices.