House of Cha Cha 2021 Year-in-Review

January 6, 2022

2021 was a shitty year overall for the world, but here at House of Cha Cha I still seem to have managed to get a whole lot done.

Among my year’s highlights (in chronological-ish order):

1 – My man Stripmall Ballads won a 2021 WAMMIE Award for his awesome record “Distant” (mixed by me)

  1. Don’t Mind Me *mixer* *americana* Stripmall Ballads 4:12

2 – Had some fantastic winter and spring producing and/or mixing releases from Dezron Douglas (mix), Caleb Wheeler Curtis (prod/mix), Queen Esther (prod/mix) and Nicki & Patrick Adams (mix), to name a few

  1. MEDITATIONS ON FAITH Dezron Douglas 6:22
  2. Ain’t No Storm Caleb Wheeler Curtis ft. Sarah Elizabeth Charles 4:39
  3. All That We Are Queen Esther 4:07
  4. E.S.P. Nicki & Patrick Adams 5:08

3 – Was featured with my Analog Players Society cohort Amon Drum in Jazziz Magazine’s “When Jazz met Hip-Hop” issue

4 – Published a Downbeat Magazine Master Class article entitled “Expanding Musical Storytelling via Modern Production Methods”

5 – Released the single “Home in America” featuring hip-hop legend Masta Ace and Analog Players Society (Donny McCaslin, Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas, Eric McPherson) on Ropeadope Records

  1. Home In America Analog Players Society x Masta Ace 4:23

6 – “Home in America” was featured in the final episode of Erika Alexander’s excellent podcast “Reparations: The Big Payback”

7 – Had some wonderful summer and fall producing and/or mixing or bass playing releases from James Maddock (upright bass), Shine and the Moonbeams (prod/mix), Jon Irabagon (mix) and Jon Dryden’s band Drifter (mix), to name a few.

  1. Under Milky Wood James Maddock 3:48
  2. High Frequency Shine and the Moonbeams 4:41
  3. Quasimodo Jon Irabagon 5:42
  4. Reno Girls Drifter ft. Moses Patrou 4:52

8 – Did my first livestreamed Master Class on “Producing and Mixing you own Music,” hosted by JazzHeaven.com

9 – Earned a Grammy Nomination for co-producing and mixing Shine and the Moonbeams’ track “I Believe,” which appeared on the 1Tribe Collective’s record “All One Tribe”

  1. I Believe Shine and the Moonbeams 3:12

Thanks for reading all the way down and hoping that 2022 is anywhere near as good. Maybe I’ll be working with YOU!

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  1. Home In America *producer/mixer* *hip-hop* Analog Players Society x Masta Ace 4:23
  2. Reckoning *producer/mixer/engineer* *jazz meets boom bap* Donny McCaslin 3:15
  3. Wicked *performer/co-writer/producer/mixer/engineer* *trip-hop* Mudville 4:27
  4. All That We Are *producer/mixer/performer* *black americana pop* Queen Esther 4:07
  5. Bigment *producer/mixer/engineer* *jazz movie* Walking Distance feat. Jason Moran 4:22
  6. I Believe *co-producer/mixer* *funk/soul* Shine and the Moonbeams 3:12
  7. All About Me *bassist/producer/mixer/engineer* *political rock* Lower Power 2:13
  8. Rock The Block (feat. Ben Rubin) *producer/mixer* *hip-hop* Analog Players Society (feat. Donny McCaslin & Orrin Evans) 2:28
  9. Manifest (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *bolly-hop* Karsh Kale 6:09
  10. Williamsburg Bridge *upright bass* *folk rock* James Maddock 4:14
  11. Ain't No Storm *co-producer/mixer* *avant-vocal-jazz* Caleb Wheeler Curtis ft. Sarah Elizabeth Charles 4:39
  12. Ghost Town *producer/mixer/performer* *space music* Buzzed Armstrong feat. Josh Lawrence & Anwar Marshall 4:19
  13. Simple Ghilnooorty *producer/mixer/performer/engineer* *jazz meets nine inch nails* Walking Distance feat. Jason Moran 3:20
  14. Deja Vu (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *hip-hop* Killah Priest 3:53
  15. We Know *co-producer/mixer* *pop* Shine and the Moonbeams 3:24
  16. Someone Else *performer/producer/mixer/engineer* *trip-hop* Mudville 4:12
  17. The Hero Of The World *performer/co-writer/producer/mixer/engineer* *trip-hop* Mudville 4:29
  18. "Long Distance" - End Credits *composer/producer/performer/mixer* *film score* Ben Rubin feat. Michael Blake 1:19
  19. My Favorite Waste of Time *producer/performer/mixer/engineer* *dance pop* Marshall Crenshaw feat. Keva Hargrove 3:10
  20. Businessman Of The Heart *bassist/producer/mixer/engineer* *political rock* Lower Power 3:07
  21. Today Means More *producer/bassist/mixer/engineer* *country* Stripmall Ballads feat. Jolie Holland & Sam Parton 3:19
  22. "Someone Else" - Opening Titles *composer/performerproducer/engineer/mixer* *film score* Ben Rubin 1:39
  23. Pussy (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *hip-hop* Brazilian Girls 5:41
  24. "7x6x2" - End Credits *composer/producer/perfomer/mixer/engineer* *space western rock film score* Ben Rubin 4:33
  25. Doggie and Cookie *bassist/mixer* *jazz* Dred Scott Trio 6:46
  26. When I'm Writing (Benny Cha Cha Remix) *hip-hop* Killah Priest 4:30
  27. Goodbye Blue Sky (Benny Cha Cha's Hee-House Remix) Luther Wright & The Wrongs 4:03
  28. That Lick I Invented *bassist/co-producer/mixer* *jazz* Dred Scott Trio 6:12