M63: Coflo

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Californian producer Coflo has been frequently catching our attention over the last year or so with his soulful, organic house jams. Receiving major support from Osunlade and his Yoruba Records family, his knack for expansive melody and warm groove puts him among the lineage of great American deep/soulful/afro house producers, and we're very happy to have him share his vision on our podcast.

*How would you describe your sound?*

To be honest, I don't think I have a sound. I make whatever I feel like making and I collaborate with whomever I make friends with and wants to do some creative ish'. People always want a box to genre-fy things. I tell people that I make American house music. I am an American just doing my tiny part to keep the beautiful sounds and dance of house music culture going. I tend to be drawn to sounds and ideas that are of the African diaspora — be it Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban or Afro-American. The music I fell in love with, at its core, is black American music.  So that is what my sound is. I have a massive amount of pride in being raised in house music culture, and it feels good to share whatever "sound" comes out.

*What and who inspires you and influences your sound?* 

The influence on what I make can change like the wind. So many different types of art inspire me to make music. I draw a lot of inspiration from movement arts and visual arts. I almost never start with a blank slate. Something always enters my mind's eye visually and then turns into sound eventually. I can easily cite two people for the influence on me continuing to create music. Those two people would be Ron Trent and Osunlade. Both of them have carved a path that many should feel blessed to walk on. Their dedication and longevity to something that is ultimately about people and the art is incredibly inspiring. I study all of their tunes intensely. 

*Can you tell us a little about this mix and what it means to you?*

Not really sure it means something profound to me. As this series is about sharing the producer/artists work, I just picked songs in the moment. A lot of what I do in art is improvised, be it dance or music etc. I have a huge back catalog of music and just about every song means something fairly profound to me. I make a lot of music and there are no favourites. I tried to pick tunes that may flow nicely together and touch on a range of ideas. I could easily put together a mix of my songs that have extremes, but it didn't feel fitting for just an hour long mix. To be sentimental, this mix does end with my first 12" single, 'Easy' with my close friend Lady C.

Tracklist:

Coflo - Beija-Flor [Catch The Ghost Records]
Coflo - Playground Samba [Ocha Records]
Free Association - Polyrhythm Jizm (Coflo Edit) [BBE Music]
Po-lar-i-ty - Nawlins (Coflo remix) [Yoruba Records]
Evar After - Pocket (Coflo Deep Remix) [Merecumbe Records]
Coflo - Stress Relief (original Mix) [Ocha Records]
QVLN - Keepin On (Coflo & Tomahawk Bang Remix) [Ocha Records]
Coflo - Rescue Him [Ocha Records]
Coflo - Lux (Alternative Mix) [Local Talk]
Coflo & Lady C - Easy [Ocha Records]