I don’t remember how I stumbled on this virtual tour of Jimmy Doyle’s Country Club, the honky-tonk off I-40 in North Little Rock, but I think you should see it. Especially note the surreal interview with Doyle himself that starts about a minute in. The camera gets bizarrely close to his face, often just hovering around his mouth, and the red lights make it feel like the Black Lodge in “Twin Peaks.” After awhile it devolves into a strange slideshow backed by Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar.” It’s an important document.  

1. Desi Doom, Hector $lash and Wolfymane – “Seppuku Cypher”

This is something from the new Hector $lash tape, “Cocaine Demon,” $lash being one of the guys in the Little Rock rap group Vile Pack. The beat (by Warren Gesu$) gives it kind of an early Mobb Deep vibe, which is generally a good thing and especially so here. 

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2. Amyjo Savannah – “Drunken Confessions”

Amyjo Savannah is from Hot Springs and sings like Robbie Basho — her voice is husky and expressive and sounds somehow old-fashioned. I heard her the other week on Shoog Radio, the local music show on KABF, though this song appeared three days ago.

3. KaYocee – “Neva Turn Around”

Little Rock’s KaYocee is part of a group called Savage Productions, along with Lil Futa, Endoe Nova, Manic The 17th and others. This song is a few days old and one of the best things I’ve heard from him, right up there with the time he made the Little Rock version of “Ova Da Wudz.”

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4. Derek Jenkins – “Gentle Daps IV”

This is technically a mix, but it’s a really good one — a guest entry in a New Age series curated by Fayetteville DJ Baby Armie, of Ants In My Trance. This one, released yesterday, was put together by Derek Jenkins, the film writer/scholar and former Arkansas Times sport columnist, and is just a really excellent and riveting set of ambient synth-scapes and immersive `80s pop.

5. Nick Ward and BLACK PARTY – “Swangin”

Listen to this in traffic. Also check out “Cognac,” the last thing I heard from both of these guys together. 

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