Mushroom Jazz 4

Mark Farina (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Om Records
• ASIN: B00006RHRI
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,063 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
For the fourth release in his acclaimed Mushroom Jazz series, DJ Mark Farina lets the urban dance and hip-hop roll while staying true to the downtempo, rainy-day-jazz mode that inspired the series title. Farina has left a trail of devoted jazz-house fans in his wake, from Chicago to San Francisco. Some might not follow the path he walks on this record, which even more than Jazz 3 finds inspiration in the DJ flava of rappers like Mr. Lif and Fat Jon. Others will appreciate the easy, smooth vibe of the record, not to mention Farina's always dependable taste in selections and contrasts. Benny Blanko's "Listen" empties into the funky din of Bernal Boogie's "Phone Tap" with nary a ripple, while tracks from Scienz of Life and People Under the Stairs hypnotize and pleasantly disorient the listener with a sweaty serenity. By cradling rougher styles in smooth trip textures, Farina successfully expands his palette and keeps the series crispy fresh. --Matthew Cooke

From URB Magazine
Well, the wait is over. Mark Farina, America’s favorite mid-tempo DJ, has finally compiled a new edition of his highly vaunted Mushroom Jazz series. Sure, he’s been squarely on the radar, dropping smooth house mixes and working the club circuit like a man possessed. But there is something kind of special about the Mushroom Jazz moniker.

Born at a Chicago club night of the same name, "Mushroom Jazz" was a name Farina gave his then-new sound, a cool but compelling combination of indie hip-hop instrumentals, icy European dance-floor jazz and other floor-oriented electronic beats too mellow for big-room bombast. It’s a blend that’s easy to love, as it works well in many of our favorite environments: cruising in the ride, smoking at backyard barbeques, the bedroom.

On this fourth mix, it’s obvious that Farina’s been doing his homework in the track selection department. For beats and rhymes, he brings URB favorites Pete Rock, Scienz of Life, People Under the Stairs and Next 100 head Fat Jon all to the party.

Altogether, Mushroom Jazz 4 delivers the same head-nodding timelessness of the first three, with an added emphasis on the hip-hop tip. We’re certainly not complaining.

Permanent Ink

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, Diverse, and with some KILLER Beats, February 2, 2006

By	bordersj2 (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I actually got int Mark Farina's series with volume 4 and volume 3 at the same time. What's fascinating about the series to me is that from volumes 2 on to volume 4, you actually see an already terrific DJ get that much better in selection and pitch control. Amazing stuff really, and the tracks? Class. This is off of the Om Label, a label that provided the liks of the Om Lounge series and has released countless other deep house tracks in addition to some R&B releases. And of course, the Mushroom Jazz series has plenty of good instrumentals.

Pete Rock's "A Little Soul" gets this one started and you've immediately got a head boppin' vibe to it. Scienz of Life's "Hot Banana's" has an old school sample through-out. People Under the Stairs (PUTS) "Suite for Beaver Pt. 1" is such a tight track that you can't help but to be taken to the bliss of the song. Whenever I spin it off their terrific "O.S.T." album people always asks who it is. Maspyke's "Truth In Position" is vintage Mush Jazz - deep beat, bass, and that hint of off-key. Sweet. STill trying to remember the samples used in "Listen"... like the beats and effects in it but want to check the originals now. Other songs on this that stood out were "Chicago babe", DJ Slave's "Original Beats", Dubble-D's "Big Fish", Tek-9 (think 4-Hero) with "7 Dayz" and I dug the way "Shoplif" was mixed into "Wiggle and Giggle" and "Keep Your Head Up", all the while giving some quick flashbacks of Mush Jazz volume 3. Heck... half the fun of this album was sitting around with friends trying to remember where the originals came from.

I loved this volume. I think for anyone that's a fan of acid jazz, deep house and some beautiful aspects of hip-hop and underground beats, this is for you. And for anyone that's into spinning tunes and knows the pain of going to a hack club with terrible DJ's that could care less about the flow of the music they're spinning, timing & cross-fading or the music itself, volume 4 of Mushroom Jazz is like silk for your ears. If you like this, you may also like the DJ Kicks series - check out Thievery Corporation's and DJ Cam's. Or you might like the Trust The DJ series - Gilles Peterson, Dr. Bob Jones and a slew of others have great releases there. Especially Phil Asher's... DEFINITLY Phil Asher, aka "Restless Soul". If you like Mark Farina, you'll probably like Phil Asher and his "In the House" series - I think there's about 14 of them now. Also don't miss some of the Defected "In the House" series and finally, check out "Air Farina" or Miguel Mig's works... other Om sounds or Naked Music releases. Oh yeah, volume 5 was released in 2005 and pretty much all of these are available on vinyl too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waking up or winding down was never so sweet, April 19, 2003

By	Jennifer Warner (Raves.com, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Om is a label that lately can do no wrong. I've been listening to this and Kaskade every morning since I've gotten them, vibing off their low key but inspiring energy. Om's Winter Music party in Miami was packed wall to wall with the best vibe of the conference, a feeling that seems to flows right into their music. Mushroom Jazz actually started as a weekly club night in Chicago - perhaps getting a nod with "Chicago Babe" - then a mixtape series, finally finding a home at Om. This fourth installment with Mark Farina (he's done one, two and three too) is a smooth compilation of sweet earthy, jazzy mid to downtempo grooves. There's a sexy hip hop thing going on at the same time... you know what this music would be good for, right?? Opening up with Pete Rock "A Little Soul" a minimalist beat and high hat are punctuated with old instructional record samples, horns and claps. Standouts include DJ Spinna's remix of Tek 8 "Seven Days" and the soulful vocals on Laurnea "Keep Your Head Up." Waking up or winding down was never so sweet.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Farina has out done himself again, February 1, 2004

By A Customer

Just like the intro says "make sure you have your own personal copy to play again and again when you feel yourself getting off the track." Never before have I heard an album that can guide you through such a relaxing experience. No matter how horrible your day may have been or how bad you may be feeling, one spin of this cd and you will forget about all your troubles. With the smooth jazzy beats that seamlessly transition from tract to tract, Farina has produced another classic in the Mushroom Jazz series. If you are a fan or if you are just begining to discover the Mushroom Jazz series, this is must have in any collection.