These Days Presents • Tokens: A Compilation
Some time at the end of last year, I had the urge to curate yet another compilation album. If you're unfamiliar with my past work, I've organized and compiled instrumental albums, featuring both Chicago artists and beyond. The WindChill series honed in on Chicago artists, while Surf N Turf was a nation-wide instrumental album, and Seasick/Jetlag were two albums featuring producers from all over the world. With that being said, it seemed as though I had done all I could do with instrumental compilations. Yet I craved to do it again. So I reached out to ten producers within Chicago, with the initial idea of releasing a short and sweet instrumental album. Thankfully, producer BoatHouse gave me the idea of expanding the possibilities, allowing producers to do as they please, be it working with a singer, a rapper, or still keeping it instrumental.
The result of this idea is Tokens, an eight song album crafted in depths of the Windy City throughout the winter. Featuring three instrumental tracks as well as five songs with vocalists, the album is one that I couldn't be more proud of. The artists who arrived to help me with this are some of my favorites in the city and everyone turned in a crisp and concise product, one that fits nicely into my world of tokens.
With original artwork from Chicago native Darius Airo as well as slight mixing/mastering modifications by Walkingshoe (who appears on three songs on this project), Tokens is an album to take with you as you notice the sunshine outside for the first time in months. It's getting warm again and these 25 minutes will do nothing but enhance the brightness.