W

Wade Randolph Hampton, the mastermind responsible for Wish FM 98.1: Mixed Live at La Belle Epoque returns under the guise of W on this post-Acid Jazz project redheadedstepchild borne of the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco. Joined by Broun Fellinis’ saxophonist Black Edgar Kenyatta and drummer Professor Borris Karnaz, this earthy Ambient-based Funk fusion of downbeat styles mixes live musicianship with carefully considered electronic compositions that are almost aromatic. W combines the creamy essences of Deep House, Trip-Hop, and Acid Jazz into a fluid mass of warm futurism that resists categorization with the dependable grace of a Southern belle rebuffing an unwanted marriage proposal. Jazz reveries resonate over head-nodding beats with the pleasant ease of a sedative dissolving into your bloodstream while casually intoxicating rhythms slide across cascading melodies in slow motion like condensation off a mint julep in a tall, expensive glass. Delicately intelligent, these soothing tracks emit layers of emotional tones belonging to an Indian summer evening.