Adrian Younge: Artist You Should Know

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Self-taught musician and film editor, Adrian Younge has a cinematic soul. In Panavision.

A couple of years back, Younge edited the Blaxploitation homage/parody “Black Dynamite.” He additionally wrote the score for the film and assembled the Black Dynamite Orchestra to record the score which was released on the always reliable Wax Poetics label.

One listen to a Younge DJ set and his connection to/with Wax Poetics comes into focus. A crate digger, particularly of film scores of the brooding 70’s variety, Younge mixtapes weave together particularly emotive moments in scores by BarbieriMorricone to dizzying effect.

Interestingly, long before Younge scored an actual film, he’d released a score to an imaginary film back in 2000 titled, “Venice Dawn.” Late last year, Younge released a kind of follow-up or continuation of the Venice Dawn project titled, “Something About April.” Here’s a track KCRW’s own Garth Trinidad has been spinning from the collection:

“It’s Me” by Adrian Younge Presents Venice Dawn by Wax Poetics

As a teaser, Wax Poetics and Younge have also offered up the Venice Dawn project as a download via Soundcloud.

Adrian Younge Presents Venice Dawn (EP) by Wax Poetics

– Mario Cotto