Over the past year, DJ and producer David Block (better known as The Human Experience) has brought together an innovative collection of artists and musicians—including visual artists Android Jones and David Hale and producers Random Rab, Bluetech, and more—under the banner “Slow Down,” with, as he notes, the intention to nurture “our greatest human resource—creativity . . . [and] to inspire others to unlock their creative potential.” At the end of June last year, Block released a mix honoring this collective, and in the months since, producers like Random Rab, Bluetech, CloZee, and Hakou have all created their own mixes for the Slow Down series. Today, the genre-defying producer saQi has released his own mix to join the others within the Slow Down mix series.
In the electronic music world, saQi has become known for his distinct sound, which combines tastes of blues, soul, funk, latin, hip-hop, dub, jazz, downtempo, and more. With his name coming from the Sufi title for “a mystic muse,” the producer creates deep and sophisticated tracks that still translate well to an energized live setting. Much like the purpose of the Slow Down collective, saQi consistently pushes the boundaries of his craft, having performed shows with the accompaniment of live musicians, vocalists, and dancers in addition to countless more traditional DJ sets. As saQi has noted about these collaborations, “I created the project as means to collaborate with and feature my fellow artists. I love to play music with other people and share the experience with the crowd. The project is not about me, it’s about connecting with other people through music.”
With a new release due out on November 10th via The Polish Ambassador’s record label, Jumpsuit Records, saQi is part of a community of beloved progressive artists, many of whom were born and bred on the West Coast, that have carved a niche for themselves within the live music scene. In addition to The Polish Ambassador himself, the producer has previously played with the likes March Fourth Marching Band, Beats Antique, Emancipator, Russ Liquid, edIT, Rising Appalachia, The Everyone Orchestra, and more, and has performed internationally as well as at premier festivals like Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle, Symbiosis, Envision, Burning Man, and more.
You can take a listen to saQi’s mix for the Slow Down series below. As the artists said about the mix, “I’m very excited to put this new mix out on the Slow Down series. With all the pressure to keep the dancefloors moving it’s nice to take a moment to sit with some of my slower more melodic music. I hope the mix encourages people in some way to slow down a bit and appreciate the moment. Enjoy.”
saQi Upcoming 2017 Tour Dates
