Washington, D.C.'s Eighteenth Street Lounge has been a bastion of excellent taste-making music ever since its inception in 1995. The combination club and label's founders -- Farid Ali, Abdul Jewayni, and Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton -- envisioned a swinging, continental club inspired by the breezy jazz-funk of Europe and South America during the '70s. As the sound gained momentum during a late-'90s resurgence (thanks in no small part to ESL), the club found many contemporary artists with the same tastes, in the club ...
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Washington, D.C.'s Eighteenth Street Lounge has been a bastion of excellent taste-making music ever since its inception in 1995. The combination club and label's founders -- Farid Ali, Abdul Jewayni, and Thievery Corporation's Eric Hilton -- envisioned a swinging, continental club inspired by the breezy jazz-funk of Europe and South America during the '70s. As the sound gained momentum during a late-'90s resurgence (thanks in no small part to ESL), the club found many contemporary artists with the same tastes, in the club scene as well as disparate pop communities. The result is a groove-heavy collection that cycles through tracks irrespective of recording date or country of origin (France and Brazil are most represented, but Germany, Italy, and Norway also get props). The sound is a blend of Brazilian jazz, funk, and more recent acid jazz, very organic in texture and occasionally leavened with electronic beats. A perfect example of this mix of old and new is Grupo Batuque's "Brasileirose e Ingleses," a chunky breakbeat number that'd sound great in any electronica club in the world, even though it's still quite tied to the martial drumming of Brazil's decades-old carnival tradition. For those who can't fly over to the club itself, Jet Society is a solid remedy. ~ John Bush, Rovi
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