Preservation Releases "龍鎮 Dragon Town" Feat. YoungQueenz from Upcoming Album Eastern Medicine, Western Illness (MonDieu Music)
Yasiin Bey FKA Mos Def once said, "Three key steps to leading a rewarding and enriched life: (1) Wake up, (2) be awesome, (3) LISTEN TO PRESERVATION." Preservation, otherwise known as Dj Preservation, Dj Jun, and Jun TME is/was part of Dr. Yen Lo with Brownsville emcee KA, Sonic Sum along with Rob Sonic, Fred Ones & Eric M.O. and TME PRO. Preservation has long operated as the touring DJ for both Yasiin Bey & KA and has produced music for Mach-Hommy, RZA, GZA, Raekwon, U-God, Sean Price, Roc Marciano, Ed O.G. KRS-One, Jean Grae, Aesop Rock, billy woods, and Your Old Droog. I can, personally, recall knowingly hearing Preservation's work across the official 2013 re-worked companion to Mos Def's The Ecstatic entitled The REcstatic; although, Preservation previously contributed production work to Mighty Mos' 2006 album, True Magic, as well as the original aforementioned project, his "last" album as Mos Def, The Ecstatic (2013.)
Following a string of critically-acclaimed solo projects and a self-imposed 5-year sabbatical, DJ Preservation returned in 2018 with a 2-song single, February 4th; consisting of Mach-Hommy-assisted "Daddy Love You" and a solo B-side entitled "Dedicated Voyage." February 2019 saw a newly-reinvigorated Preservation issue a nearly 9-minute single-track opus entitled "East Winds Calling" and then, radio silence for nearly nine consecutive months... until Preservation re-emerged once again just this past Tuesday with a new composition being billed as "龍鎮 Dragon Town." For the first single from his upcoming 2020 album, Eastern Medicine, Western Illness, Preservation recruited Hong Kong's own emcee, YoungQueenz. Eastern Medicine, Western Illness was produced and created while Preservation was living in Hong Kong for three years; "during this time, he was sourcing Chinese vinyl and began exporting beats back home to his collaborators."
The final product, Eastern Medicine, Western Illness features collaborations with collaborators both old and new including A.G. Brownsville KA, Mach-Hommy, MC Tree G, Roc Marciano, Your Old Droog, and more. While working on the album, Preservation introduced YoungQueenz to Mach-Hommy, who included YoungQueenz on his latest Alchemist-produced single, "Clout Dracula," alongside emcees Tvoy, Navy Blue AKA professional skateboarder and model Sage Elsesser, and Your Old Droog(?) Actually, the music video for Preservation's "Dragon Town" and Mach-Hommy's "Clout Dracula" have been released in tandem, as directed by Karma Cheng and an unknown director/photographer, respectively. Preservation's "Dragon Town" Feat. YoungQueenz is now available on digital streaming platforms and his new album, Eastern Medicine, Western Illness is expected to drop sometime in early 2020 on MonDieu Music.