Pigeondust - Way Back When

“For me, sampling is like a collaboration,” says DJ Yuta Yamaoka, better known to global beatheads as Pigeondust. Residing in Chiba, Japan, Pigeondust spends his days either vinyl-digging or sourcing samples — that is, creating sonic collaborations — from his discoveries. Pigeondust is also a member of the EN TOKYO crew, representing a new generation of Japanese beat-makers who draw from a large variety of genres. In 2015, Pigeondust joined Cold Busted with his fantastic album Moon, Wisdom & Slackness. He now follows up with an ambitious double album titled Way Back When. Way Back When explores a galaxy of hip hop styles throughout its whopping 36 cuts. The vibe is gritty and street-smart, samples from jazz, funk, world music, and other pathways poured into one groovable stew. “Chienowa” sets the tone with its tough beat, funk bass pops, and fly-by musical riffs. “Spiral Beat” is also notable for its arpeggiated jazz loop that shifts into gentle ‘70s piano soul. And the collaborations aren’t exclusive with samples — Turkish producer Ozoyo joins Pigeondust for the drum-twisting nature walk of “Magicnight,” and Swiss producer DRWN. appears on cut-up jazz jam “Intense.” There’s much to explore here. 1. Pigeondust - Intro (1:51) 2. Pigeondust - Chienowa (2:46) 3. Pigeondust - Class (2:29) 4. Pigeondust - Dummies (1:34) 5. Pigeondust - Kan-nana Street (2:52) 6. Pigeondust & Ozoyo - Magicnight (1:56) 7. Pigeondust - Cuttape (1:15) 8. Pigeondust - Spiral Beat (3:14) 9. Pigeondust - Skit (2:01) 10. Pigeondust - Intro 2 (1:21) 11. Pigeondust - Sky (1:50) 12. Pigeondust - Altona (2:12) 13. Pigeondust - Maze (2:04) 14. Pigeondust - Jazzloop A (1:33) 15. Pigeondust - M-v-g-i (1:52) 16. Pigeondust - Jazzloop B (1:08) 17. Pigeondust - Reminiscence (1:38) 18. Pigeondust - Home (3:00) 19. Pigeondust - Mektup (3:06) 20. Pigeondust & DRWN. - Intense (1:33) 21. Pigeondust - Nothing But Jazz Loops (1:51) 22. Pigeondust - Wave (2:57) 23. Pigeondust - Jazzloop C (0:28) 24. Pigeondust - Sunnyday (3:57) 25. Pigeondust - Jazzloop D (1:51) 26. Pigeondust - Rain (3:36) 27. Pigeondust - Jazzloop E (1:32) 28. Pigeondust - Jazzloop F (0:54) 29. Pigeondust - Struggle (1:06) 30. Pigeondust - Back In The Days (2:51) 31. Pigeondust - B-Boy Blue (Long Version) (4:34) 32. Pigeondust - Numero 3 (1:06) 33. Pigeondust - Skaters (1:48) 34. Pigeondust - Keep On (2:19) 35. Pigeondust - Fiesta (2:12) 36. Pigeondust - 1973 (5:03)