CD: 4am Plum Mood

A recent upswing in travels due to increasing demand for his particular brand of hip-hop-meets-yoga sound inspired Drez to take a detour from his signature Jahta Beat series of recordings and re-explore those downtempo vibes. The ethereal, purple-lit glow of 4am: Plum Mood semi-ambient with traces of beats and the soft touch of Domonic Dean Breaux on flutes, sax and harmonica -- conjures the gauzy sensation of a late night lovemaking session, or early-hours walks through the near-empty but brightly-lit streets of Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as his native Los Angeles. In fact, one of the albums highlights is the track Lamazing, a tribute and love poem to LA, penned and sung by the warmly soulful, jazz-inspired Marti Nikko, Drezs wife.