79.5 + Valipala + Jachary

Far from the predictable center of the radio dial lies 79.5, a station that may or may not be entirely real. The soundtrack shifts smoothly, from ’70s underground disco to addictive adult contemporary to sugary sweet girl pop. At the controls is Kate Mattison, a singer-songwriter whose talents reach far beyond the typical picture generated by that generic job description. Skillfully using sophisticated jazz harmony to support addictive R&B hooks, Mattison’s songs are anything but
generic, drawing comparisons to maestros like Patrice Rushen and the Mizell brothers but ultimately resisting easy categorization. Soul and psychedelia, romance and passion, innocence and experience — it all swirls together to create
the unique sound of 79.5. Breaking onto the scene in 2012, a self-released 12-inch single named “Boogie/OOO” showed their hearts lay firmly in the dancefloor tradition, while live shows demonstrated they went a lot deeper than simple grooves. Not that they didn’t have groove in spades, with The New Yorker comparing them to such icons as ESG, the Jones Girls, and Donna Summer.
The band’s long-awaited followup single “Terrorize My Heart” dropped with a seismic boom in 2016, becoming a bonafide dancefloor filler and staple of DJ sets around the world. A firm favorite of tastemakers like Gilles Peterson, Q-Tip, and
Questlove, who added it to his 100 Essential Songs You Should Know playlist, it remains a sureshot whose stature as a modern classic is assured. Early 2019 saw the addition of singer and rapper Lola Adanna (Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens) to the lineup, and became a bright new chapter for founding member Mattison and longtime 79.5 saxophonist and flautist, Izaak Mills. The current lineup also includes Andrew Raposo (Midnight Magic, Hess is More) on bass and Caito Sanchez (Charles Bradley, Lee Fields) on drums. 79.5’s eponymous sophomore album was released in Spring of 2023, and with wide acclaim on Brooklyn label Razor-N-Tape. Aaron Frazer (Durand Jones & The Indications) and Mattison joined forces as co-producers on the project.

Brooklyn band Valipala perform remarkable feats of hybridized soul, melding a vast range of genres to produce a distinct signature sound. Funk, R&B, math rock, and jazz constructs are weaved together in a tight compendium of sound in Valipala’s recorded output, with their live shows even more full of dynamic variation and creative spontaneity. Valipala’s debut EP, Mango City, was released October 2017 to all major streaming platforms. Their upcoming EP, bubble, featuring Braxton Cook and Vulfpeck collaborator Richie Rodriguez, will be released in February 2020.

In 2017, the Boston-born artist/producer Jachary shared his debut album There’s A Virus Going On, which garnered praise from The Fader, Pigeons & Planes and Okayplayer among others. The collection stands as a thesis statement for his bold brand of funk, borrowing as much from Sly Stone as Dave Longstreth. He has become a respected and decorated producer in New York, working extensively with Chinese-born rap phenom Bohan Phoenix along with up-and-comers such as Akinyemi and Deem Spencer.

His sophomore effort, Loops of Life, showcases Jachary’s remarkable ability to marry acrobatics and accessibility. Recorded to 8-track tape in his LoveLove Studios, he and producer Will G. Radin capture both Levine-Caleb’s singular musicianship and songcraft as well the spirit of the community surrounding them. Loops of Life is out everywhere now.