Download A Digital Single from Glenn Jackson

While we here at Easy Bay HQ continue to gather material for some new tape releases (they are coming, we promise), we first have another FREE digital single to share. This time around, we've got a pair of sweet-toothed house tracks from label co-founder Glenn Jackson. Clocking in at around seven minutes each, "More to Love" and "Trot" are extended voyages into sample-based fun that come topped with a few cheesy keyboard riffs for good measure. You can stream/download the third installment in the Easy Bay Digital Single series below. 

New Digital Single from North County

We have some tapes on the way very soon (we promise), but in the meantime the Easy Bay crew has cooked up another free pair of tunes for our ongoing Easy Bay Digital Singles Series. This time around Oakland's own North County delivers two slow-burning house endeavors in the form of the flute-heavy "Crusin' Grand" and piano-drenched "Del Dios." 

North County is a relatively new collaborative project between Oakland producers Matthew Tamariello (aka Shortcircles) and Glenn Jackson (who is also a co-founder of the Easy Bay effort). Heavily inspired by the music played at long-running Oakland party thePeople, the North County project ventures out into the dreamier ends of the Easy Bay spectrum. The two tracks offered on this new single blend new age/cosmic jazz vibes with stoney house music for a pair of tunes that are primed for those early moments in the night when the dancefloor is just starting to fill up with brave souls.

Say Hello to the Easy Bay Digital Single Series

Well, it's been a while since we had an official Easy Bay release, but we have a good excuse: Every day feels like the world just might end. Still, in the midst of all this craziness, we here at the Easy Bay remain as passionate as ever about bringing fun and creative bits of dance music into the world, and so as we continue to plot out our upcoming cassette releases (we have some good ones on the way, we promise), we've decided to get the music flowing again with the launch of the Easy Bay Digital Singles series. 

Starting us off is Knoxville's Persona La Ave (a.k.a. the talented Dylan Dawkins), who delivers two bubbly tracks that push the tempo up a bit higher than his usual brand of soupy, computer-rendered funk (if you're unfamiliar, we suggest you check out his recent record for Astro Nautico, Drift).  We have plenty more of good music set to come in both digital and cassette form in the months ahead, but until then, let Dawkins' "Gloria Miami" and "Gimme An A" take you—for a brief moment—to a tropical, happy place.

Easy Bay on Pitchfork

Pitchfork writer Kevin Lozano has put together a list of 10 recent cassette releases that have helped him "generate some moods" as he's sought to establish some clearer headspace amidst a new year and the current social and political climate here in the States. Included in the list is our very own House, Disco, Boogie, and Other Oddities tape which Lozano describes as "a lovingly curated mixtape that... collects tracks from 17 different artists, all unified by a goofy bounce that makes focusing impossible in the face of such undeniable grooves." Find it filed in the "Distraction" category of The Pitch's 10 Great New Tapes that Set a Mood list here.

Support the Oakland Fire Relief Effort

Like many, we are still stunned and absolutely heartbroken by the tragedy that devastated Oakland's creative community this past weekend. As we have experienced it, the Oakland music scene is one where many lives and paths cross, where any number of creative human beings have planted deep roots that reach beyond any single discipline, genre, or social circle to form a strong community of creative souls and a collection of just genuinely fun and beautiful people that we are proud to count ourselves among.

We love Oakland, and right now Oakland needs all of our help.

In that spirit, we have decided to give 100% of the proceeds collected from our Easy Bay tape and digital downloads to the Oakland Fire relief fund, for the rest of the year. You can also use the code 'OAKLAND' via Bandcamp to get 20% off. 

For those who may already have our music or would simply like to give directly to the cause, we suggest donating to the relief fund set up by the Grey Area Foundation of the Arts, which can be found here. Gray Area is a fantastic organization based in the Bay Area and can be trusted to collect and distribute the funds to those who need it.

In addition, for those who live near Oakland, we would like to help spread word of a flameless vigil being held on Monday, December 5 to honor those we lost. The vigil will be held at the Lake Merritt Pergola beginning at 8 pm. More info can be found here. 

Lastly, we'd like to say thank you to Chelsea Faith a.k.a. Cherushii. Chelsea was one of the sweetest souls we've ever encountered running around the Bay Area music scene. She was a tireless artist who DJ'd and performed more nights than we would have thought humanly possible, and she was one of the most prolific producers we have ever encountered. Chelsea was also kind and generous enough to offer us one of her tracks to use on the first tape from our little label, and we continue to be grateful to have had her trust us with a piece of her music. She, and all the other creative souls we lost at Ghost Ship, will be missed immensely. 

There are no words that can quite sum up what this tragedy has done to the Oakland community and likely the DiY community as a whole. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to those who lost close friends, family, and loved ones at Ghost Ship. We are heartbroken, we are devastated, we are still processing and grieving ourselves, but we are also a community and we will support each other in every way we can. If anyone has suggestions for other ways that the Easy Bay crew can help the relief effort, please don't hesitate to get in touch at easybaytapes@gmail.com.

Photo via The East Bay Express
 

'House, Disco, Boogie, and Other Oddities' Second Pressing Now Available

After selling out of the first run of our debut label comp, we've put together a second pressing of House, Disco, Boogie and Other Oddities. Still the same great cassette (featuring Buscrates, Ajukaja, Luante, Cherushii, and many others) now in a brand-new color: PINK! Grab it over on our Bandcamp.

On Deck Tape Swap in Oakland

Easy Bay will be in the house for the first ever edition of On Deck, a new tape swap/DJ night headed up by local Oakland cassette specialist Asonic Garcia (who is also behind the excellent monthly Smart Bomb party). We'll have copies of our debut label comp on hand as we sling tapes alongside a handful of other fantastic local cassette labels. And.. IT'S FREE! So come hang and listen to some sweet "tape slaps" in the small back room behind the bar at Oakland's Starline Social Club on Thursday, October 20.