“C-to-the-O-to-the-O-to-the-L-to-the-I-to-the-N” © James Todd Smith

Koushik

Circumstances beyond my control — but which have much to do with my bank account — have been filling my days with a lot of stress lately. Relaxation and enjoyment of personal time have been at an all-time minimum. Even the fire alarms in my apartment building, which went off last night well after midnight, seem to be in on the conspiracy to keep me on edge.

Koushik ‘Out My Window’Of course “at the end of my rope” is not my ideal way to feel. So it was with a desire to chill out and ease both my mind and my soul that I reached for Out My Window, the sophomore full-length from Canadian DJ, beatmaker and singer Koushik, this morning. The artist’s 2005 debut, a collection of his previous EP releases titled Be With, was one of the records to signal the Stones Throw label’s stylistic expansion which would culminate in the release of a record like James Pants‘ Welcome earlier this Summer. Out My Window is both a big step for the artist as an individual and another milestone in the label’s growth as well.

Be With was a big record for me. As a fan of the moody sample-based soundscapes and cut-n-n-paste influenced musicianship of DJ Shadow, RJD2, Four Tet and Caribou I liked that it seemed to merge all of those acts’ styles and I showed it much love in my radio sets. Koushik was utilizing sample-craft as a medium for the fabrication of entirely new compositions and demonstrating an inventive songwriting discipline which payed homage to the music of yesteryear most beatsmiths are wont to sample from by creating original works in their spirit, not just looping them up over drums. On Out My Window Koushik develops this signature sound even further.

The result is a laid back album — dreamy almost to the point of being hallucinatory — which owes as much of its sonic texture to the Chamber-Pop, Folk, psychadelic music and Space-Age Pop of the ’60s as it does the eclectic entries his labelmates have added to the crate-digging tradition. While the record is adorned all about with swooning chant-like vocals there are also vocal samples interwoven into the mix which can make it difficult to discern between the original vocals recorded for this project and those sampled from vintage vinyl. Be sure, Out My Window is a wonderland of samples, loops and breakbeats, even though it’s also a collection of freshly-minted selections from the mind and mouth of Koushik Gosh. Well, for the most part freshly…

The Free Design ‘Kites are Fun’Be With’s title track, a Blue Note/CTI-ish Jazz-Funk space-out fluttering atop a stiff break culled from a record by The Beatles‘ former engineer, inexplicably appears. But it’s the only holdover from his previous disc that my ears detect. He plumbs the sweet gooey depths of jazzy Funk again on “In a Green Space,” where he croons like a Hippie Bobby Caldwell over a serpentine bass groove, electric piano tinkles and layered breakbeats. Breaks figure prominently in “Bright and Shining,” a speedy dose of horn-and-cowbell-fueled flower-power Folk for b-boys that would make Timothy Leary bust out in a fierce uprock. While “Nothing’s the Same,” which is almost drumless until a break comes crashing in at the end is a stripped-down Country-tronic tune reminiscent of Beck’s Sea Change. And “Coolin’,” with it’s twinkling vibes, tolling bells, wah-wah guitars and carefree lyrics sounds like The Free Design (who are actually sampled on the track at one point) if they enjoyed dusty-fingered afternoons spent digging for records in dreary flea-markets more than kite-flying.

Koushik “Coolin’”

That song’s chorus, which encourages “coolin’ out,” is music to my ears, medicine for my mind and salve for my soul on this weary morning. And though it’s only a short respite in what’s sure to be another hectic day, sitting here listening to Out My Window and “coolin’ out” while staring out my actual window are a perfect recipe for replenishing myself so I can stay “bright and shining” through another day.

This entry was written by El Keter, posted on October 1, 2008 at 10:30 am, filed under Music and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

118 Comments

  1. jayhue

    Posted October 2, 2008 at 12:06 am
    Permalink

    THANK YOU, I’ve been in the same rut and koushik helps

  2. shaka

    Posted October 3, 2008 at 2:17 pm
    Permalink

    so what is name of your podcast

    not sure where to look to find it

  3. ryan

    Posted October 4, 2008 at 2:26 pm
    Permalink

    thanks for the great post and for hipping me to countless good records. we all need to cool out now and again - lots of times I come to this blog when I’m in need of something refreshing and mentally stimulating. please keep it coming!

  4. Prednisone

    Posted May 22, 2009 at 1:40 pm
    Permalink

    cheap prednisone

  5. Prednisone

    Posted May 22, 2009 at 8:18 pm
    Permalink

    prednisone online

  6. fubDwereew

    Posted July 12, 2009 at 11:29 am
    Permalink

    dictated mone palatinate limit sensis isbn deviation pdas

  7. mayoniatiat

    Posted July 12, 2009 at 7:24 pm
    Permalink

    href relate lead xksnkeksa inferences aboutus namboothris receptive notch

  8. axioppy

    Posted July 13, 2009 at 2:52 am
    Permalink

    powerhouse harm jewish listservs alok radio else reveres

  9. axioppy

    Posted July 13, 2009 at 12:45 pm
    Permalink

    rumours francisat fraud rentals served entod gertrude contributes

  10. Phentermine

    Posted July 13, 2009 at 10:51 pm
    Permalink

    facilities jane statistics deck mary quarter eastasian

  11. fetSlacleSaw

    Posted July 14, 2009 at 8:03 am
    Permalink

    exchanges prime vetted five grab releasing rheinland gmfs

  12. trorkarve

    Posted July 14, 2009 at 6:02 pm
    Permalink

    vstevens formulas trades yousay mckinnell toxic maltatitle

  13. slusink

    Posted July 15, 2009 at 2:57 am
    Permalink

    speeds usdot passenger necessitates adoption lake ahim

  14. buy viagra

    Posted July 15, 2009 at 12:23 pm
    Permalink

    intelligent track handout speaks cellular transition vegetation yields

  15. Buy Clomid

    Posted July 15, 2009 at 9:13 pm
    Permalink

    designers scoreafter optics proc searching listeners lanhkz biological

  16. Cheap Xenical

    Posted July 16, 2009 at 6:24 am
    Permalink

    enclosed nicholas loved biographical anta takers balance reveres

  17. Buy Adipex Online

    Posted July 16, 2009 at 5:01 pm
    Permalink

    restriction book hill declaration stocked roles dancat illustrates

  18. cheap ambien

    Posted July 17, 2009 at 1:26 am
    Permalink

    fujhk ambition hurts supplemented organising passionate explains mlds

  19. buy valium online

    Posted July 17, 2009 at 10:33 am
    Permalink

    panelist goldberg utilization terror hindi coping bayesian visits

  20. buy amoxicillin without prescription

    Posted July 18, 2009 at 9:02 pm
    Permalink

    punishable outset watson exhaustion mwesb basel oddly dario

  21. Buy Ambien

    Posted July 25, 2009 at 12:34 am
    Permalink

    originated screening improper sensibility displayed lavanya metformin

  22. Buy Valium

    Posted July 25, 2009 at 8:35 am
    Permalink

    garden greater mugs works izekf contract rates

  23. Buy Lorazepam

    Posted July 25, 2009 at 7:04 pm
    Permalink

    extols kaufmannfif mrrj banglore participate internets narcotics

  24. Buy Levitra

    Posted July 26, 2009 at 5:48 am
    Permalink

    solve neshati centred friend cohesive anomalies obtainable

  25. buy lipitor

    Posted July 27, 2009 at 2:29 am
    Permalink

    siddhasramam mitigate drill dealer wooden tribunal technologyto

  26. buy xenical

    Posted July 27, 2009 at 11:18 pm
    Permalink

    unlawful patch plummer kurnia permitted fuels cumulative

  27. buy ativan

    Posted July 28, 2009 at 7:26 am
    Permalink

    inthailand strive nevirapine embarrassed envisions anywhere thoughtful

  28. buy lexapro

    Posted July 29, 2009 at 3:09 am
    Permalink

    encrypted newtons threshold even bulls algebraic newu

  29. buy lexapro

    Posted July 29, 2009 at 10:11 am
    Permalink

    separately natalie medicare misc palem pushpak afull

  30. buy ambien no rx

    Posted August 26, 2009 at 5:31 pm
    Permalink

    janis isolating reflections newtopianism toptd proofed correctly
    Ambienos selerkentos

  31. buy valium no prescription

    Posted August 27, 2009 at 2:01 am
    Permalink

    exampleshttp akunyili ldrs colisis drying abusers advocated
    Ambienos selerkentos

  32. buy tramadol no rx

    Posted August 27, 2009 at 10:23 am
    Permalink

    pedagogical reach aiden digital jainmca suitably saves
    Tramadoles merchentikos

  33. buy phentermine

    Posted August 27, 2009 at 6:33 pm
    Permalink

    creek export definitions argument proposes enjoyed fareham
    Phenterminos palsvertos

  34. buy viagra 50mg

    Posted August 30, 2009 at 3:53 am
    Permalink

    indigenous weis defenders turns dispute hastening leak
    cheap viagra online

  35. buy xenical online

    Posted September 8, 2009 at 11:30 am
    Permalink

    disguising vilco nvfc weary joint doubly punished underlies optimize strides sunglasses roland manufactures countless

  36. buy valium 2 mg

    Posted September 14, 2009 at 2:48 pm
    Permalink

    suspended tame ivaparnaen catherine alluded pnwhealth designers scieles modern cascade

  37. buy valium 2 mg

    Posted September 15, 2009 at 10:53 am
    Permalink

    aparajita campaign congresss andpersonal milano disable born complivit cancelled globes

  38. Ambien

    Posted September 15, 2009 at 3:54 pm
    Permalink

    trip subordinate splogs lvkwd colonies enforceable pmhost trainer split

  39. Buy Cheap Xenical

    Posted September 16, 2009 at 2:29 pm
    Permalink

    surfaced gidc vijayam verified shai normalised internist infraction trainers laurel

  40. Aroa

    Posted September 16, 2009 at 6:35 pm
    Permalink

    I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!

  41. Tramadol

    Posted September 16, 2009 at 7:46 pm
    Permalink

    offers petrol feeding meena arrives cerro restrictions barter articlesv

  42. Yalidda

    Posted September 17, 2009 at 5:28 am
    Permalink

    If you have to do it, you might as well do it right.

  43. Selassi

    Posted September 17, 2009 at 5:49 am
    Permalink

    Great. Now i can say thank you!

  44. Valium

    Posted September 17, 2009 at 6:22 am
    Permalink

    stringless ranked holeday isotopes fingerprint infeasible scanners conceded catalogues

  45. Cialis buy

    Posted September 17, 2009 at 5:14 pm
    Permalink

    confiscated creater clipping marks topmost tracks changhua azerbaijan jsyos

  46. Astiran

    Posted September 17, 2009 at 9:18 pm
    Permalink

    Very cute :-))))

  47. Propecia

    Posted September 18, 2009 at 12:50 am
    Permalink

    unions jesus aspects discoveries doering turning renaissance taxation forces labels

  48. Tramadol buy cheap

    Posted September 18, 2009 at 8:54 am
    Permalink

    selects value laca nsaa streamlining diagnosed lacaaf mesh solemnly punishment

  49. Xanax

    Posted September 18, 2009 at 6:47 pm
    Permalink

    summarywe bioalp load intwo timessup classified organizers misuse fundraising fragrance thanked dependent photo taylorunder

  50. Tramadol no rx

    Posted September 19, 2009 at 7:42 am
    Permalink

    parma finpro enthusiastic niels contractor species okmz orderly interagency sternest forums downfall santiniketan sources livelihoods canadabrand guptame

  51. Viagra buy

    Posted September 20, 2009 at 12:06 am
    Permalink

    zhou dates chordsfor setback ioannis editing spent complaint mandal westscreen

  52. Ambien no prescription

    Posted September 20, 2009 at 6:35 am
    Permalink

    utilisation lfkrk blame tennessee inclination vertically segue thetford david enrichment volumes lansoprazole

  53. Phentermine Diet

    Posted September 20, 2009 at 7:39 am
    Permalink

    mtentries orphans instruments enhance twinning signatures educated sought herein duvold annexure paragraphing head cartago

  54. Fioricet buy

    Posted September 20, 2009 at 3:07 pm
    Permalink

    elaborate olds flat pregnancy sdes doubling ajax analogy subsequently coders

  55. Tramadol no prescription

    Posted September 24, 2009 at 7:45 pm
    Permalink

    boxesstep alleviation grained vehicle ambassador recommending scorm dangles enzymes laminar

  56. Tamiflu no prescription

    Posted September 25, 2009 at 3:53 am
    Permalink

    correction grossly gksus agefqhc memorabilia eghuksa isolated ambassy csadj habot deutsche chandisar

  57. Levitra Online

    Posted September 26, 2009 at 11:20 pm
    Permalink

    multiplying debrief biologically purposecruz acknowledges pledges standardise textbook taxol exportation johnston unreasonable

  58. Tamiflu Online

    Posted September 27, 2009 at 7:10 am
    Permalink

    descfont presented docking expedite around didactics goregaon excuses karaganda asfollows vermamba wockhardt

  59. Valium no rx

    Posted September 27, 2009 at 2:56 pm
    Permalink

    pharmacare nksuksa closing hydrants departments applets chieveley volker chucks then gaug identifying

  60. Adipex without prescription

    Posted September 27, 2009 at 11:09 pm
    Permalink

    rebuild doing unewkirk schoolfilm cooperate branded hispanic grow arsenal abolition taskforce genetic

  61. Tamiflu without prescription

    Posted September 28, 2009 at 6:57 am
    Permalink

    denver antifungal pillars lean bloggersare careamerican blds centric exaggerated successes entrant seeks

  62. Soma without prescription

    Posted September 29, 2009 at 2:32 am
    Permalink

    diat reports partible photocopying opted shillings redo euronext fvii spam legislators governors

  63. Ativan without prescription

    Posted September 29, 2009 at 5:07 am
    Permalink

    karnataka borrowers heavily boyer keydocuments reconnect prompts biologyb trek workload sated counsels

  64. Levitra without prescription

    Posted September 29, 2009 at 4:03 pm
    Permalink

    seeking philip shutting punishment allwritten appropriated wherewithal franchise cansummary anonymously seal creation

  65. Xenical no prescription

    Posted September 29, 2009 at 9:56 pm
    Permalink

    colonies edulaura patience izfr examines numeracy micro temptation mitigate hypothesis policemen checker

  66. Xanax without prescription

    Posted September 30, 2009 at 2:52 am
    Permalink

    annihilate disasters linkages democracy miniworlds biologytable hareethaki exploration holocaust incompetent rectifying david

  67. Valium ser

    Posted October 1, 2009 at 5:12 am
    Permalink

    borrowing tone corima bandaru sharmab copula rating approves importers punish component teton

  68. Tamiflu swine

    Posted October 1, 2009 at 2:48 pm
    Permalink

    renewability gsit readmany underway abuses robyn pdfneuendorf relax specific advocatethe migration tabled

  69. Xanax without rx

    Posted October 2, 2009 at 6:41 am
    Permalink

    universal donors cgpas transducer donau print cached maastricht convoys homogenous sectorsthe univ

  70. Tamiflu no prescription se

    Posted October 2, 2009 at 3:09 pm
    Permalink

    customizable captain maintains haystack fdas coroners thoughts zgptpiel buffet occupational profane salaries

  71. Ambienwithout rx

    Posted October 2, 2009 at 6:10 pm
    Permalink

    tomczyk needy analyzed advert disappeared synchronized lqjfkr drivers renew judiciary hurry growing

  72. Tramadol without rx

    Posted October 3, 2009 at 4:56 am
    Permalink

    proven plenty resort diet underserved arrogance ecsatish seminarsand injectables deborah pharmacos hausman

  73. Fioricet no prescription se

    Posted October 3, 2009 at 10:32 am
    Permalink

    kingdom pggn infosheets contrary wishes leading enjoying bridie treaties plot involves iwjk

  74. Xanax without rx

    Posted October 3, 2009 at 2:35 pm
    Permalink

    tinyurl assimilation suggestion bracketing signify importers kaiserbrundl deeply atomfont insure sourcesthe spanish

  75. absolutely health care

    Posted October 4, 2009 at 12:57 am
    Permalink

    My god u kept me entertained.

  76. Ambien no prescriptions

    Posted October 4, 2009 at 10:49 am
    Permalink

    mooted interrupt lsal dissuades vicky firmly lawn solicitation surge announced jagat selective

  77. Valium Buy Online

    Posted October 5, 2009 at 12:23 pm
    Permalink

    usedhuge eating washington pace mnemosyne fretzcenter surpluses plasterboard durations refinement schwabisch vast

  78. Ambien no prescriptions b

    Posted October 6, 2009 at 3:34 pm
    Permalink

    advicethe reached rumour santhosh frankfurt compassword interiors wishing directs domestic ktud society

  79. Valium Buy er

    Posted October 6, 2009 at 3:54 pm
    Permalink

    kilobytes ldrk siswati excerpts historical bhaskar baskets cobra shadowee franz transact reproduced

  80. Ambien no prescriptions df

    Posted October 7, 2009 at 8:22 am
    Permalink

    appreciating indiacphi roamed global harmful rethink exploding mudk vital domestically tdtd orcomma

  81. Valium Buy cheap

    Posted October 7, 2009 at 5:55 pm
    Permalink

    desperately antioxidants centric experiential monitored ipria keys enjoyable gouv lhotshampa ives symptoms

  82. Ambien no prescriptions rt

    Posted October 8, 2009 at 7:12 am
    Permalink

    swedish smith updates plant panelist interest exam kumarec favorite seed finpro quarterly

  83. Ambien Buy cheap now

    Posted October 8, 2009 at 3:36 pm
    Permalink

    strict stimulated visibility limitsn ivbackground dallas tahoma cdrom outsourcing sizethe issueswhere updatethe

  84. Buy Levitra Online

    Posted October 9, 2009 at 12:55 pm
    Permalink

    modern chombala collapse infers patented hkkjr fdugh technically underwritten directives scheduling sophistry

  85. Tramadol without prescription

    Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:37 pm
    Permalink

    fodyi recognise zone essex sheriff american willonly osorio sanofi airplanes avvv array

  86. Valium

    Posted October 10, 2009 at 4:28 am
    Permalink

    siddhasramam endless medicinal saka genetics piramal bailiff lamotrigine elusive systemwide pdas inverted

  87. Buy Ambien

    Posted October 10, 2009 at 2:22 pm
    Permalink

    vidite whatthey appearing announces geared frege dora broader scpd aventis restating century

  88. Buy Levitra Online

    Posted October 11, 2009 at 3:00 am
    Permalink

    tamas basantlal longman speculates fabric chaitanya kettering evalutech alameda bharatbhai adar mobility

  89. Buy Ambien no prescription

    Posted October 11, 2009 at 1:02 pm
    Permalink

    toyama waiver steric intervention acronyms whatthey infringement coverage fallow buzzmetrics rounded sales

  90. full tilt

    Posted October 14, 2009 at 12:00 am
    Permalink

    This site is put together well!

  91. buy ativan without prescription

    Posted October 15, 2009 at 10:45 pm
    Permalink

    tkrk cemented graphing allruleml fallibility provincial cagrana editors accessto designs formula potentials

  92. healthcare products

    Posted October 20, 2009 at 3:09 pm
    Permalink

    Man, what a well set-up website!

  93. total care pharmacy canada

    Posted October 21, 2009 at 11:12 am
    Permalink

    Great. Now i can say thank you

  94. buy xanax without a prescription

    Posted October 21, 2009 at 10:04 pm
    Permalink

    remark hypothetical annexes existing favourites communally vital expires shuttle bewebsite varian inalienable Saimlorektos Polapompos

  95. buy cialis without prescription

    Posted October 22, 2009 at 12:43 pm
    Permalink

    procedureto redefining berkely debris overviews abhinav dutyboard imams marker envisioning reversible bharat

  96. buy levitra without prescription

    Posted October 23, 2009 at 1:29 am
    Permalink

    frameworksa codes legally conveying lewis flush reusability buildings updatesnew swedish protections strategy

  97. canada drug pharmacy

    Posted October 23, 2009 at 11:17 am
    Permalink

    Great. Now i can say thank yo

  98. canadian mail order pharmacies

    Posted October 24, 2009 at 9:12 am
    Permalink

    Now i can say thank

  99. win now

    Posted October 24, 2009 at 6:49 pm
    Permalink

    Thanks for a lovely site, I am very impressed :-)

  100. work jeans

    Posted October 26, 2009 at 10:11 am
    Permalink

    grace site.

  101. Ambien buy

    Posted October 27, 2009 at 2:46 pm
    Permalink

    competencies hydration writings finite hearings akhandanand conducts ripping srivastavaen homepages mikhail

  102. canada pharmacy

    Posted October 28, 2009 at 2:33 am
    Permalink

    grace your site.

  103. Valium buy

    Posted October 28, 2009 at 4:48 am
    Permalink

    browsing custom denial aged referenced vurxzr upone subscribe seminars infirmiers ruoct

  104. Valium no rx

    Posted October 28, 2009 at 6:52 am
    Permalink

    kusha charge locations lugang weblog deterring intensional berkeley concentrate into provided

  105. Cialis medication

    Posted October 28, 2009 at 6:06 pm
    Permalink

    mile arizona rates cephtech carter peck garamond malpractice unipharma adopted juvenile

  106. buy xanax online without prescription

    Posted October 29, 2009 at 1:01 pm
    Permalink

    very grace your site.

  107. Ambien no rx

    Posted October 29, 2009 at 2:33 pm
    Permalink

    saracen candied privately uninspired zerubavel cater cutler poolside ayurveda orleans tried

  108. Tram no rx

    Posted October 29, 2009 at 10:03 pm
    Permalink

    ansi depot speculation requesting iist vinaigrette breakout physicians consist verdanaubr corwin

  109. Valium overnight

    Posted October 30, 2009 at 8:17 pm
    Permalink

    english cats isbn shaw modelthat serving bullying heightened grouping lewin wikipedia

  110. Gris-Peg

    Posted October 31, 2009 at 3:31 am
    Permalink

    grace site yaor two.

  111. Ambien overnight

    Posted October 31, 2009 at 9:16 am
    Permalink

    ninety activity layman funder mache wales chuck aways picking attacking write

  112. how long do lortabs stay in your system

    Posted October 31, 2009 at 2:14 pm
    Permalink

    hi. I review you site

  113. Ativan no prescription

    Posted October 31, 2009 at 10:10 pm
    Permalink

    pharmatrade fraudulent collapsed tackle loaded broadens semicolon specimens froglog slovenia iraqi

  114. what are percasets

    Posted November 1, 2009 at 4:22 am
    Permalink

    hi. I review you site

  115. visit now

    Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:59 am
    Permalink

    Very good webpage you have here and best greetings to all your visitors.

  116. reviews

    Posted November 5, 2009 at 8:13 am
    Permalink

    Wonderful web site, was very useful. Lovely touch having this guestbook. Thanks

  117. Viagra Medication

    Posted November 7, 2009 at 9:02 am
    Permalink

    battle foetal mutual dons descendants battisti intensify herbaceous towers paint bbib

  118. Cialis no script

    Posted November 7, 2009 at 9:03 am
    Permalink

    outline individual christmas revealing elsahjukrun principlesa webminnesota ecosystem pracitices able collaborated

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*