DownJazz Records has always lived at the crossroads of New York grit and Detroit soul, but with’ Lush Grooves – Vol. 1, 2, 3,’ founder David Schwartz pushes that lineage into a new era.
What began as a live soul-jazz album soon expanded into a sprawling, three-volume remix odyssey shaped by an intergenerational cast of musicians, producers, and visionaries. From Roy Ayers’ longtime collaborators to modern torchbearers like Jimpster, Kaidi Tatham, and DJ Spinna, the project captures a rare dialogue between past and future – a deep, soulful continuum reimagined for today’s global dancefloor.
He stops by for a chat about the remix compilation, the album that inspired it, fusing genres, and more!
WWD: What personal or musical experiences shaped your vision for founding a label rooted in the NYC–Detroit axis?
I grew up in NYC listening to WRVR jazz radio. I got to hear all the jazz greats, funk, soul, and rock fusion from NYC, Detroit, and Chicago. I was a drummer from a very early age with a deep interest in Brazilian music. Later, I became a drummer specializing in Brazilian percussion. A few years ago, I went back to DubSpot night school to study electronic music composition and production, and from there started a boutique label called DownJazz.
WWD: When you first heard ‘This Is Neo Soul,’ what convinced you that this album had the potential to evolve into a multi-volume remix series?
We designed the live album from the beginning as a soul-jazz album that would be remixed into dance tracks. We kept loving all the live band recordings and kept adding one more session or one more song. All the great musician friends from the camps of Roy Ayers and Lonnie Liston Smith wanted to be part of the album — and who can say no to that? In the end, it all came together as a really big project with a flavor and nod toward the neo-soul-jazz sound from Brooklyn and Harlem circa 1975.
WWD: How did you approach selecting producers like Jimpster, Kaidi Tatham, Kai Alcé, and DJ Spinna, and what qualities were you looking for in their reinterpretations?
On previous projects we worked with Jimpster and Kaidi Tatham, so they were a natural fit, as they are both jazz producers at heart and really understand this genre. I listen all the time to Rinse FM and really love UK broken beat (CoOp Presents) and nu-jazz, so EVM128 and his Dance Regular crew were called in to represent the younger, up-and-coming DJ sound. UK DJ producers Matica, Don Surf, and Streeton all represent a future sound of nu-jazz.
We then needed to add some US producers to give us the Detroit, Chicago, and NY sound. DJ Spinna from NY and Kai Alcé from Atlanta (by way of Chicago and NY) were called in, as they play regularly in Brooklyn and Detroit and are both so soulful in their sets.
Ralph Sessions, previously from NY and now in Barcelona, had been creating terrific disco dance tracks, and he joined the crew along with Bruk Rogers (UK). They both created very different sounds and added new flavors.
Later additions included Crackazat, who is a super-skilled jazz keyboardist and producer, and finally the dynamic duo MAKEZ from Amsterdam.
WWD: The original album pays homage to Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, and 70s spiritual soul jazz. How did you ensure the remix series honoured that lineage while still pushing into new territory?
First steps: We worked with all these super-skilled touring musicians from the original bands of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Mark Adams, the music director, has been Roy’s music director and lead keyboardist for over 25 years. The recording sessions were all tracked in Brooklyn at a vintage recording studio led by master engineer Chris Gilroy, who specializes in vintage recording. We then carefully picked DJ/producers with a history of playing funk, jazz, and soul, and who had the musical skills and ear to faithfully produce this genre. There were many mix and mastering sessions to get this just right.
WWD: DownJazz sits at the intersection of two major musical cities. How does that dual identity influence the label’s aesthetic and decision-making?
NYC has the jazz, rock, hip-hop history, and DJ disco sound from Paradise Garage to Studio 54, with new sounds coming out of Brooklyn and Queens. Detroit is legendary for Motown, soul, house, and techno, but is also brewing with ideas from young musicians — and of course the Movement festival. We love both of these worlds to pull ideas from.
WWD: At what point did you realise this project wasn’t just a remix EP but a three-volume body of work deserving a consolidated release?
We looked at the body of work and said, “Wow! There are over three albums’ worth of great material.” This had to be split up but linked, so that’s how volumes 1, 2, and 3 came about. A graffiti art theme from our local artist MAST became the visual thread behind them all.
WWD: ‘Lush Grooves’ spans deep house, broken beat, nu jazz, downtempo, and future soul. What does genre fluidity mean to you as a curator?
To me, these are all sides of the same cube. When you go to a great DJ show, the DJ usually pulls from many related genres to create an exciting journey on the dancefloor. Jazz, blues, and African heritage form the basis of all these dance styles, so we wanted to give a wide span but relate them in some way. And these are also some of my favorite genres, so I do get to put my spin on it.
WWD: Mark Adams’ history with Roy Ayers and his ensemble’s pedigree is remarkable. What was the collaborative dynamic like between DownJazz and the original musicians?
We work great together. I’ve known Mark for a while, and we took our time setting up and doing the recordings — actually three years and over ten recording sessions. Nothing was rushed, and everyone had input into the direction and composition. We all bring different skills to the table.
Young drummer Chris DeCarmine, for example, who worked as Roy’s drummer for many years, wrote the lyrics to the track “Open Letter,” while Mark reworked an older composition. Chris brought in his friend and vocalist Kimberly Davis from the band Chic, who luckily was in NY the week we tracked the vocals. She added so much soul to this and to the cover track “Vibrations.” A lot of heart and friendship made this album come together.
WWD: How do you see the global dancefloor functioning as a space for reimagining and renewing classic soul-jazz compositions?
Music styles keep coming back. You now see lots of young people jazz-dancing in modern DJ clubs to 1940s and 50s jazz classics. You also see hybrid mixtures of techno, soul, jazz, and house blending together to create future versions of these genres.
WWD: What guided your decisions when pairing specific remixers with specific tracks from the original album?
When we tracked the original live sessions, different DJs came to mind who could be a good fit for each track. We had good relationships with many of them, but in reality each DJ chose the tracks they wanted to remix, and we went with their gut on many choices.
WWD: If you had to describe the sonic identity of the trilogy in one or two sentences, what would it be?
Neo-soul-jazz circa 1970 from Brooklyn/Harlem via the UK.
WWD: What were the biggest creative or logistical challenges in bringing together such a diverse group of producers and musicians?
This is a big question. The project was very large in scope, with many musicians on different touring schedules — hence the three-year time frame. The world was challenging and changing in real time, from politics to supply-chain vinyl issues to global distribution. Many pivots, twists, and turns — but in the end it all flowed together.
WWD: How does this release signal where DownJazz is heading next, both musically and culturally?
This label is a collective or group-artist project, so we look into the worlds of music, art, and video to see what’s interesting and exciting. I have a lot of dreams and follow my gut, but it also boils down to fun relationships with the people we keep meeting along this crazy but exciting journey.
WWD: What do you hope listeners, DJs, and future artists take away from ‘Lush Grooves – VOL #1,2,3’ as a complete statement?
The whole project — which really begins with the live album This Is Neo-Soul and then flows into the dance tracks of the Lush Grooves trilogy — is one giant DJ set in the world of jazz-soul-house fusion. Listeners and DJs are hopefully inspired to mix and blend these tracks as they see fit. They are all part of a very big neo-soul jigsaw puzzle and intended to work together.
WWD: Are there other archival, collaborative, or cross-genre projects you’re hoping to explore under the DownJazz umbrella?
Well… there was this very cold night last winter when musicians from the band Parliament-Funkadelic suddenly dropped into a tiny jazz bar in Queens, NY. We recorded a lot of this material. Let’s see where this develops…
WWD: We’ll keep our ears open! Thanks for the chat 🙂
‘Lush Grooves Volume #2’ is available here