So I bought Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz Six at the end of December and had an interim report in early January. I think there’s been enough listening. Time to render a final judgment.
Mushroom Jazz Six is good, but not great. The mix sustains some of the finest elements of the Mushroom Jazz series. Downtempo beats with echoes of house music combined with hip-hop and R&B vocals. As I said before Six incorporates many more jazz elements.
What deflates Six is the last 4 or 5 tracks. While quite jazzy, they also take all the energy out of the ride. The mix doesn’t generate any toe tappin’ after Mark Farina’s Life and never rises to another peak. Since this is the last quarter of the album the listener leaves the mix with a blah feeling. Contrast this with Mushroom Jazzs Three,Four, and Five, which all had a late peak then a gentle closing glide.
However, there are some stretches of Mushroom Jazz Six that I really do like. First up:
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Jamal: Jamal 141
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Colossus: Dopebeatz
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Brawdcast: Calm Down (Instrumental)
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J-Boogie’s Dubtronic Science, Feat. Crown City Rockers: Alive (Instrumental)
This run is classic Mushroom Jazz. Fat beats. Mellow atmospherics layered on top. A loop snatched from Tha Alkoholiks Likwit pulls it all together. Guaranteed head nodding.
Then a bit later we have:
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Rubberoom: Bodysnatchin’ (On The Isle) (Instrumental)
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Flash (13): Wasn’t Really Worth My Time
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Mark Farina: Life
Here the energy really picks up. The diva vocals of Wasn’t Really Worth My Time are a signature of the Mushroom Jazz mixes. The bass of Life is really thumpin.
After that though, Mushroom Jazz Six is sort of forgettable. For Mushroom Jazz completists like me, Six is definitely a get. Not a must get, but a get. Don’t feel bad if you waited or bought it used. For those new to the series, there are better places to start.
But you might want to check out some, other, more positive, opinions.