For full setlist visit yeahyal.substack.com
Episode 34, a mix for a world that feels sdrawkcaB. FULLY MIXED as a 45 song mixtape.
This episode’s highlighted track: Track 38
John Carroll Kirby - Mates*
Los Angeles based keyboardist, composer, and sideman to the stars (Solange, Frank Ocean, Harry Styles, etc.), John Carroll Kirby has steadily built a reputation and vibe all his own: part tropicalia, part jazz fusion, part video game cutscene. “Mates,” from his 2023 album Blowout, feels like a walk through that world’s sun-dappled village square, where everything is oddly pleasant and nothing particularly urgent.
With soft congas weaving in and out of flute stabs and a lazily wandering synth bass line, “Mates” feels like it could easily fit as a score to a mid-’90s educational CD-ROM game; it’s upbeat, catchy and somehow endearingly kitsch. Flecks of processed vibraphone glisten at the edges, evoking both Exotica-era Martin Denny and the smoother corners of Herbie Hancock’s 1970s output. But what makes “Mates” quietly arresting is its tonal attitude—it never rushes, never insists, simply vibes with charm and winking confidence. There’s no drop, no real hook, no urgency at all, just a mellow shimmer of groove and harmony that just glides… add in a few bell-like textures and you’re somewhere between Haruomi Hosono’s Paraiso, Mac DeMarco minus all the phaser delay, and a Miami Vice deep cut remixed for massage therapy.
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The setlist:
Artist / Song Name / Album / Year
Erykah Badu / Amerykahn Promise / New Amerykah, Pt. 1 (4th World War) / 2008
The Bar-Kays / (Busted) / Propositions / 1982
Edwin Birdsong / Cola Bottle Baby / Edwin Birdsong / 1979
U.S. Girls / Only Daedalus / Bless This Mess / 2023
Minako Yoshida / Chokkai / FLAPPER / 1976
Elton John / Honky Cat / Honky Château / 1972
Ratatat / Crips / Ratatat / 2004
Little Simz / Young / Lotus / 2025
Q-Tip / Let's Ride / Amplified / 1999
Christy Essien Igbokwe / Take Life Easy / One Understanding / 1979
Cold Crush Brothers & Fantastic Freaks / Basketball Throwdown / Wild Style (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) / 1983
Edan / Funky Voltron (featuring Insight) / Beauty And The Beat / 2005
Willie Mitchell / Groovin' / Solid Soul / 1969
Brick / Dazz (Dazz Disco Mix) / Good High / 1976
Parcels / IknowhowIfeel / Parcels / 2018
The Doobie Brothers / Minute By Minute / Minute By Minute / 1978
GZA / Liquid Swords (Instrumental) / Liquid Swords / 1995
The Hue / Slick (feat. Ladybug Mecca) / Aurora / 2016
Bob James / Take Me To the Mardi Gras / Two / 1975
Lloyd Charmers & The Aces / Reggae Recipe / The Original Reggae Hitsound of Desmond Dekker & the Aces / 1985
Frank-N-Dank / Ma Dukes (Instrumental) / 48 Hours Instrumentals / 2013
Dawn Penn / You Don't Love Me (No No No) / Come Again / 1996
Joe Cocker / Woman to Woman / Joe Cocker / 1972
Baxter Dury & JGrrey / Return Of The Sharp Heads / Return Of the Sharp Heads / 2025
Tame Impala / Let it Happen (Soulwax Remix) / Currents B-Sides & Remixes - EP / 2015
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band / We've Got Tonight / Stranger In Town / 1978
The Roots (feat. D’Angelo and Erykah Badu) / The 'Notic / Men In Black (The Album) / 1997
Kindness / Gee Up (Instrumental) / World, You Need a Change of Mind / 2012
Cedar Walton / Road Island Red / Mobius / 1975 /
Tyler, The Creator / HEAVEN TO ME / CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale / 2023
Okonski / Exitus / Trio Session Demos - EP / 2024
Mort Garson / Swingin' Spathiphyllums / Mother Earth's Plantasia / 1976
Lyn Collins / Think (About It) / Think (About It) / 1972
Ghost Town DJs / My Boo (Hitman's Club Mix) / My Boo (Hitman's Club Mix) / 1996
Blood Orange (feat. Caroline Polachek) / Chosen / Cupid Deluxe / 2013
DJ Shadow / This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way) / The Outsider / 2006
Donny Hathaway / A Song for You / Donny Hathaway / 1971
*John Carroll Kirby / Mates / Blowout / 2023
Laura Groves / Dream Story / Committed Language - EP / 2015
Tangerine Dream / Love On a Real Train (Risky Business) / Hyperborea / 1983
Cymande / Brothers On The Slide / Promised Heights / 1974
Cat Power / Love & Communication / The Greatest / 2006
Khruangbin / Summer Madness / Summer Madness - Single / 2020
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Mix also available on Soundcloud.
