Yung Bae - Groove Continental: Side A (2022) [Hi-Res]

If you’ve been following along over the course of his last six albums, you know a couple of things: One, Yung Bae, aka the LA-based, Portland-reared producer Dallas Cotton, doesn’t take himself too seriously. Two, while he was born in the ’90s, his sound is the product of bygone eras, imbibing everything from the Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan records his parents used to play to disco strings, brassy funk horns, ’80s R&B synths, and so much more. Groove Continental: Side A continues his deep dive into music history, with a more expanded guest list than he’s ever had before.

Strands of ’60s exotica permeate the opening (and aptly titled) “Exotica by Bae” and “60’s Spy Shit,” while features from Sam Fischer, Pink Sweat$, Marc E. Bassy, and The Ready Set bring poppy, feel-good vibes throughout. But he also turns his attention squarely to house music of the past (Parisian, usually): Check out the filter sweeps on “Disco Body Parts” (with AWOLNATION) and see if you can spot the references to Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” on “L.O.V.E.” with EARTHGANG, Jon Batiste, and Sherwyn.