ERRANT NIGHTS | 01

Soulful falsettos drift over luxury grooves and slow-burning R&B. Lower the lights as we raise the pitch.

"Intimate Friends (Shoes Slow Soul Flow Edit)" - Eddie Kendricks

"Beauty & Essex (Instrumental)" - Free Nationals

"I Forgot to Be Your Lover" - William Bell

"Carry On" - JaeGenius

"Time's A Wastin" - Erykah Badu

"One 4 Fredo (Bilal Flip)" - Malik Abdul-Rahmaan

"Have You Been Making Out O.K." - Al Green

"Nxworries For The Soul Soulful Boom Bap Lofi Beat" - Anderson Paak x Knxwledge

"A Place in the Sun (Kaoru Inoue Remix)" - Ysushi Ide

"Oh Honey (12" Version)" - Delegation

"A Long Walk" - Jill Scott

"Two Lovers History" - Mary Wells

"Sweet Thing" - Rufus & Chaka Khan

"Really Love" - D'Angelo And The Vanguard

"Make Me Say It Again Girl, Parts 1 & 2" - The Isley Brothers

"After The Storm" - Kali Uchis, Tyler, The Creator, Bootsy Collins

“Intimate Friends (Shoes Slow Soul Flow Edit)” — Eddie Kendricks
This edit’s backbone is Eddie Kendricks’ 1977 deep-soul lullaby “Intimate Friends,” from his Tamla LP Slick. This same cut was also sampled by Alicia Keys (“Unbreakable”), Common (“A Penny for My Thoughts”), and others. The original was produced by Motown veteran Leonard Caston, tracked at Detroit’s United Sound and The Sound Suite; the LP reached #47 on Billboard’s Soul Albums chart. The edit itself circulates as Shoes – Slow Soul Flow, a 12" that pops up periodically. Shops and Discogs sellers usually list it under the Shoes edits label rather than the artist.

“Beauty & Essex (Instrumental)” — Free Nationals
An instrumental that flips the group’s 2018 single featuring Daniel Caesar and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, released as the Free Nationals’ debut single ahead of their self-titled 2019 album. The band members José Ríos (guitar), Ron “T.Nava” Avant (keys/talkbox), Kelsey Gonzalez (bass), and Callum Connor (drums) came up as Anderson .Paak’s road-tested rhythm section before stepping out with their “future-retro” R&B/funk palette. The Free Nationals emphasized analog warmth, running parts to tape, then mixing in L.A. (Crying Panther) and mastering at The Mastering Palace in NYC. The “Beauty & Essex” instrumental is the band’s toneprint unadorned: creamy Rhodes, heavy bass, and unhurried pocket. 

“I Forgot to Be Your Lover” — William Bell
Stax royalty William Bell co-wrote this heartbreaker with Booker T. Jones and cut it at Stax’s McLemore Ave. studio. Issued as a single in ’68, it peaked at #10 on Billboard’s R&B chart and #45 Pop in early ’69. It’s since become a sample and cover magnet; David Porter/Johnnie Taylor lineage in the DNA, with Billy Idol turning it into “To Be a Lover” in 1986. Production-wise, it’s Stax through and through: restrained drums, organ pad, and Bell’s understated melody doing the heavy lifting. Over the decades it’s been re-cut by everyone from Robert Cray to Sam Dees; DJs prize original yellow-label Stax 45s, while modern heads chase clean reissues from Concord’s Stax imprint. 

“Carry On” — JaeGenius
UK beatmaker JaeGenius dropped “Carry On” on Bandcamp in 2014 as part of the Cherry Pie set, with dusty loops, synth smears, and short-form structures built for blends. It’s one of several micro-releases from his early 2010s period (archived on Bandcamp and the Internet Archive), sitting stylistically between boombap mood pieces and warm funk experiments. There isn’t a label trail here (DIY era, tiny runs), tracks like this spread via Bandcamp embeds and scene playlists.

“Time’s a Wastin’” — Erykah Badu
A deep-cut counsel piece from Mama’s Gun (2000), the Soulquarians’ Electric Lady period with Erykah Badu, Questlove, James Poyser, Roy Hargrove et al. “Time’s a Wastin’” floats on Rhodes, brushed drums, and Badu’s conversational alto; the album itself pushed neo-soul toward band-led studio craft, landing Top-10 on the Billboard 200 and aging into a classic. Not a single, but a selector staple for downshift moments.

“One 4 Fredo (Bilal Flip)” — Malik Abdul-Rahmaan
NYC crate-scientist Malik Abdul-Rahmaan (Paxico Records) flips Bilal’s honeyed phrasing over dusty drums, sitting in the smooth 70–80 BPM pocket. Malik’s discography stretches from travel-field recordings to small-run beat tapes like Field Research: Malaysia and Ethiopian Melodies. The Flip itself has circulated virally on SoundCloud; it’s not a commercial release.

“Have You Been Making Out O.K.” — Al Green
A velvet album cut from Al Green’s Call Me (1973), tracked at Royal Studios with producer Willie Mitchell and the Hi Rhythm Section, Al’s confessional tenor over Willie Mitchell’s satin horns and the Hodges brothers’ hush-tight rhythm. It wasn’t a single, just one of those album moments that made Call Me a consensus classic and a Top-10 pop LP/No. 1 soul LP in ’73. Crate note: international 45s paired this cut with different B-sides.

“Nxworries For The Soul (Soulful Boom Bap Lofi Beat)” — Anderson .Paak x Knxwledge
Produced by the Stones Throw’s duo whose 2016 album Yes Lawd! set a template for buttery hooks over dusty SP-style drums. Think ’90s boom-bap attitude in silk pajamas. Variants of this title float around streaming sites, often repurposing NxWorries-adjacent beats and stems in an ecosystem that grew around the time of the Yes Lawd! release.

“A Place in the Sun (Kaoru Inoue Remix)” — Yasushi Ide
Tokyo polymath Yasushi Ide handed his serene original to Kaoru Inoue (Chari Chari), who turned it into a sunrise drift. New York’s Love Injection Records issued it in late 2023 on 7" (clear yellow) with a Dub Version and Walter Coelho remaster, while Japan’s Grand Gallery handled a domestic batch. The release notes highlight Ide’s four-decade web of collaborators (Masters at Work to Don Letts to DJ Krush). It’s a collector sleeper for sharing at sunrise sets.

“Oh Honey (12″ Version)” — Delegation
UK trio Delegation, produced/written by Ken Gold & Micky Denne, recorded their signature soft-focus heart-melter in 1977/78 in the U.S. It peaked #6 R&B / #45 Hot 100 (1979) and spread across multiple 12″ issues on State (UK) and Shadybrook/Mercury (US), which is why vinyl heads compare matrix/runouts for the mix they prefer. This classic continues it’s healthy afterlife in hip-hop/neo-soul cuts.

“A Long Walk” — Jill Scott
Co-written/produced by Dre & Vidal for Jill Scott’s 2000 debut Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (Hidden Beach), “A Long Walk” peaked at #9 R&B, becoming her breakout radio moment. It’s conversational neo-soul with an unhurried beat, executive-produced under Jazzy Jeff’s A Touch of Jazz umbrella. 

“Two Lovers History” — Mary Wells
Mary Wells cut this post-Motown heartbreaker with then-husband Cecil D. Womack; it’s the B-side to “The Doctor” (Jubilee, 1968) and later folded into her album Servin’ Up Some Soul. The label copy lists “Mary Wells Womack / Cecil D. Womack,” marking their studio partnership after her Motown exit. For today’s heads, this record lives a double life in hip-hop; Mos Def & Talib Kweli’s “History” flips “Two Lovers History” for its hook, and J Dilla drew from the well for “Motor City 9”.

“Sweet Thing” — Rufus & Chaka Khan
Co-written by Chaka Khan and Tony Maiden, this crown-jewel ballad from Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan topped Billboard’s R&B chart and hit #5 Hot 100 in early 1976; it was recorded with ’70s studio gloss at Kendun/Record Plant. The tune’s influence echoes loudly: Mary J. Blige re-introduced it to the ’90s, and Nile Rodgers has credited its feel as inspirational ear-candy en route to crafting ’80s Bowie.

“Really Love” — D’Angelo and The Vanguard
A Spanish-guitar and strings fever dream released as the lead single from Black Messiah (2014), “Really Love” was produced by D’Angelo with the string prelude arranged/conducted by Brent Fischer and its Spanish intro written/voiced by Gina Figueroa after a long crediting saga. It also samples Curtis Mayfield’s “We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue”. The track won the Grammy for Best R&B Song and helped Black Messiah take Best R&B Album, pushing D’Angelo back onto R&B radio and tour stages with his full Vanguard lineup.

“Make Me Say It Again Girl (Parts 1 & 2)” — The Isley Brothers
The Isley family’s 3+3 era at full melt: this slow-jam sits on side two of 1975’s The Heat Is On—the band’s first Billboard 100 #1 LP, certified multi-platinum album. The track is credited to the full Isley/Jasper writing unit, and like the rest of the album it was self-produced and tracked at Kendun Recorders. The cut retains the classic Isley ingredients: Ronald’s satin lead, Ernie’s liquid guitar, and Chris Jasper’s languid keys. 

“After the Storm” — Kali Uchis feat. Tyler, The Creator, Bootsy Collins

BADBADNOTGOOD produced the butter-smooth foundation while Bootsy sprinkled ad-libs and Tyler dropped a few wry bars. Issued in 2018 as a single from Isolation, it became a signature tune for Kali Uchis. It charted internationally and cemented Uchis as a new retro-soul vocalist of contemporary beatcraft.