Fresh Squeezed: Diego Bernal

jason - Posted on 06 February 2009

"A love letter to music" is how For Corners by Deigo Bernal is being described, and as we approach the day designed for love I thought I would take a moment to talk about For Corners. Of all the albums that I have received in the last month this one has been played the most. What immediately draws you in is Deigo's strong sense for the groove, but what is makes you listen again and again is mixture of genres and influences and samples that is this love letter. Although Bernal claims San Antonio as his home town, he spent much of his childhood traversing from home to Texas' Rio Grande Valley to California's Bay Area. Along the way Bernal soaked up the sounds- from the Latin harmonies of Trio Los Panchos and the R&B of Bill Withers and Joe Bataan to the jazz of Charlie Mingus and McCoy Tyner. It was also the golden era of hip-hop and Bernal soon found himself infatuated with beats and production.

To say this was simply a instrumental hip-hop album would limited the true scope of the project. To give some points of reference I would compare parts of the album to The Go! Team while still giving a nod to J Dilla, Madlib, and even a slight reference to Flying Lotus. The album is based in electronic music, but filled with all of the textures and flavors of life. The temperature are on the rise in Chicago, and this album would be perfect to blast as you roll down the windows and watch the snow melt.