Picture a lush green rainforest in the Guyana range of South America. Pan over to a grey landscape of a romantic Dutch Harbor in the fall. Those scenes provide the backdrop for the influences gathered over the lifetime of DJ SUN and what has translated into The Monday Drive EP. Born in Rotterdam, DJ SUN spent half his childhood in Suriname (South America) before settling in Houston's eclectic art-center of Montrose. A prolific award winning DJ and radio show host since 1995 (Soular Grooves, KPFT 90.1), DJ SUN debuts as a recording artist with Monday Drive. The EP is reflective of his varied background, blending styles and nostalgic aesthetics into a down to midtempo reprieve from the ordinary. Warm, immediate and slightly scuffed, DJ SUN produces songs which retain the flavor of vintage vinyl. He primarily uses the Akai MPC 2000 as his instrument of choice to lend his music its textured feel, while a '71 Wurlitzer and the Korg Trinity are thrown in for good measure.

"Monday Drive" is just that - a hazy, winding dreamscape of sparkling keyboards and dusty beats. The driving beat imagines you on a drive through some of the winding dirt roads of Suriname, while nodding heavily to the American music influences which permeated the airwaves of that tropical paradise. Presto (Concrete Grooves, LA; OM's Mushroom Jazz 4 and 5 contributor), a veteran of downtempo and hip hop production, lends an Asian touch in the "Monday Drive" remix. "Marksonthekeys" is a collaboration with Mark Sound (session musician at Matthew Knowles' Music World Entertainment) featuring lush keyboard and guitar work contrasted by a pushing drum track, coming in at a comfortably paced 90+ beats per minute. Nappy G (former Groove Collective and current Turntables On The Hudson member) contributes a lively backbone of percussion to the haunting grooves of "Hello," while emerging artists Karina Nistal and Jawwaad (known for his ongoing collaborations with Jneiro Jarel) lend their vocals to this unorthodox duet. "Ten" is a nod to Massive Attack, which has been hugely influential to DJ SUN, and features Jessica Zweback (SkyBlue 72) and Mark Sound on keyboards. The track was selected as one of 18 (out of 82) submissions to be included on the Scion CD11 compilation Label-Less Lifestyles, released last year. Exploring new terrain as well as old, the five tracks on the Monday Drive EP are guaranteed to keep you moving.