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Some projects feel like releases. Others feel like a proper cultural excavation. Lush Grooves VOL#1, VOL#2 and VOL#3 sits firmly in that second category.
For DownJazz founder David Schwartz, this trilogy is not just about remixing old material for new DJ sets. It is about tracing a soulful line from late night jazz radio, gospel, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, P-Funk, Motown, deep house, broken beat, rare groove and nu-jazz, then asking what happens when all those worlds are brought back into the studio with care, respect and modern dancefloor intent.
That is exactly the kind of story we love at Dirty Disco. Music that carries history, but does not get stuck in nostalgia. Music that understands the warmth of a vintage Rhodes, the sweat of a soulful house night, and the timeless power of groove when it is handled by people who genuinely know where it comes from.
In this interview, David Schwartz talks about the roots of DownJazz, the emotional pull of soul-jazz, the responsibility of working with music connected to Roy Ayers and Lonnie Liston Smith, and why Lush Grooves became a three volume journey between generations, cities, studios, DJs and listeners.
When I was eight years old living in suburban NYC, I would listen to latenight WRVR jazz radio, which played everything from soul to funk to jazz and fusion. I heard a lot of Roy Ayers, Gil ScottHeron, PFunk, Lonnie Liston Smith, James Brown, Motown, and more. My mom was really into spiritual gospel singers, and both worlds led me down a soulful path.
We had previously remixed ParliamentFunkadelic musician tracks from our last project, Detroit Rising, so it was a natural fit to create dance tracks. NeoSoul music from the 1970s and 1980s leans into disco and dance culture. Many dance DJs and hiphop artists have sampled the original NeoSoul material and turned it into dance tracks, so it was a natural progression.
Take Roy Ayers’ “Don’t Stop the Feeling,” for example. Mark Adams and his band of former Roy musicians interpret and perform the song with an instinctive, fast, hardgrooving backbeat. Chris DeCarmine lays down strong beats and hihat grooves while Mark is very percussive on the Rhodes. The other musicians lean in and push as if it were already a disco track. When I saw it performed live, I thought: this would make a great dance track.
In my mind, the remix styles we chose are all related. At a soulful house night in the UK or France, you’ll hear broken beat, deep house, rare groove, and nujazz in one session. The same goes for the US, except broken beat is more UKcentric. There is a tribal African diaspora theme underpinning these genres, along with modern jazz and blues, which also originate from Africa. Groove is groovy.
This took a lot of care, attention, and thought. I was humbled to work with such highcalibre musicians and music from Roy Ayers and other NeoSoul artists like Lonnie Liston Smith. I chose only the best New York mix engineers, vintage studios, and mastering engineers. We spent three years recording slowly and artistically, fussing over details. The vintage Rhodes had its own speaker cabinet and was miked through vintage mics and tube amps. We wanted that 70s live sound.
There were guidelines for the remixers, but also a lot of artistic freedom. Because all the DJ/producers had strong backgrounds in jazz, soul, and soulful house, they naturally felt at home making these remixes.
There is a modern dancefloor energy that permeates the project. The remixers had freedom to create something that would resonate with modern audiences while still carrying a 70s vintage sound. Younger producers like EVM128, Matica, Don Surf, and Streeton brought youthful brokenbeat and dancehallhouse energy, while veterans like Jimpster, Kaidi, Spinna, and Kai Alcé created soulful Chicago, Detroit, and New York house.
New York is where I spent most of my time, so I’m familiar with its electronic, jazz, worldmusic, and gospel scenes. It’s a 24hour city with a constantly reinventing art culture. Detroit, which I first visited on a school trip to Movement Festival, is deeply musical, rooted in Motown and the Church. Everyone seems to play, DJ, or sing. There’s a spirit of possibility and resilience, music kept people sane during hard times, and now the city is creatively thriving again.
The first series of live studio recordings with musicians from Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Chaka Khan, and others were so funky and soulful that they surprised even the veterans. Under Mark Adams and Chris DeCarmine’s guidance, the songs took shape. Engineer Chris Gilroy captured everything with pristine vintage gear. An early version of “Sweet Tears” was so funky that everyone was highfiving. When superstar vocalist Kimberly Davis from Chic arrived and sang on several tracks, including “Vibrations,” the whole project jumped two levels.
What’s old is new again. NeoSoul from the 1970s was ahead of its time. Its storylines, grooves, and musicianship speak to both young and old today. Younger listeners are digging through vinyl crates for that magic older sound. Soul, jazz, and groove feel like a soothing balm in today’s fast digital world. On the DJ side, when dance tracks are crafted by jazztrained producers, they capture that magic while adding excitement. The album art by MAST also bridges eras, with handdrawn characters, DJs, and boom boxes across all three volumes.
Yes, we’re keeping the funk alive. In this case, soul, jazz, and groove. I wanted to share the music from my generation while reinterpreting it in a faster, more danceoriented modern form.
DownJazz is an artist collective. We’re reinventing older forms of music and art, funk, soul, groove, graffiti, for a modern generation. The roots remain so older listeners feel at home, while younger listeners hear it in a new way. We’re not afraid to sample ourselves, create our own remixes, or take risks. Not every song works, but we keep experimenting until something feels fresh.
I’ve always believed in legacy artists. They have wisdom and knowledge to share. Their time on tour and in studios has honed their craft, a contrast to the quick, disposable modern approach that sometimes sacrifices quality.
They’ll hear an arc of rare groove reworked for the dancefloor. Whether you’re into deep house or broken beat, you’ll enjoy listening and dancing, and hopefully be inspired to explore the original tracks with all their cracks and pops.
We’re running flatout. This summer and fall, the goal is to get the music out into the world, live events, popups, tours, DJs playing tracks. It takes marathonlevel energy to keep the sound alive and introduce it to new people globally. Next winter will be the next creative period, with new ideas already forming.
What makes this conversation interesting is that David Schwartz does not talk about the past as something frozen behind glass. He talks about it as raw material with a heartbeat. That matters.
In a time where so much music culture can feel fast, disposable and algorithmic, Lush Grooves VOL#1, VOL#2 and VOL#3 takes the opposite route. It goes slower at the source, deeper in the studio, and wider in the remix process. It lets musicianship, memory and dancefloor instinct sit in the same room.
For Dirty Disco listeners, that is where the project really connects. This is music for people who love the detail, but still want the body to move. It respects the sound of Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, soul-jazz, gospel, rare groove and Neo-Soul, while giving DJs fresh energy to work with in modern sets.
And maybe that is the real point here. The best remix projects do not simply update old music. They reopen the conversation. They remind us that groove is not tied to one decade, one city, one format or one generation. When handled with taste and knowledge, it keeps travelling.
Lush Grooves VOL#1, VOL#2 and VOL#3 feels like a statement of intent for DownJazz. It is soulful, historically aware and clearly built by people who understand the relationship between live musicianship and club culture.
David Schwartz frames the project as preservation, innovation and cultural translation at once. That balance is not easy. Too much nostalgia and the music becomes museum work. Too much reinvention and the roots disappear. The power of this trilogy sits in the middle: vintage warmth, modern rhythm, and a deep respect for the musicians who shaped the language in the first place.
For listeners who love deep house, broken beat, soulful house, rare groove, nu-jazz and the wider soul-jazz lineage, this is exactly the type of release that deserves time, not just a quick skip through. Put it on, follow the arc, listen for the Rhodes, the backbeat, the vocal energy, the remix choices and the original spirit underneath it all.
Because as David puts it best: groove is groovy. And honestly, sometimes that is all the philosophy we need.
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DJ | MUSIC CURATOR & SELECTOR | PODCAST MAKER | BLOGGER Professional online interpreneur. Coffee practitioner. Electronic music culture maven. Total music guru. Infuriatingly humble problem solver. Food & sports fanatic.
650 episodes. Let that sink in for a second. Dirty Disco 650 is not just another deep house mix. For me, this episode feels like a small milestone wrapped in […]
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