H.I.S.D. The Weakend

Marking their 3 year anniversary, Houston's dynamic hiphop soul crew H.I.S.D (Hueston Independent Spit District) release their 2nd full length album & it's what the doctor ordered, soulful & funky with killer beats & flowing lyricism. You can purchase it below with a name your price option with $5 being the lowest. Also check out their new video.

Vlooper & Modlee "Analog Love"

Gritty & cosmic hiphop soul from Quebec beatmaker Vlooper with the voice of his wife Gabrielle Modlee. Heavy beats with a bit of head nod sometimes with a moody trippy atmosphere.

ISoul8 & Mark de Clive "Stop Bajon"

I often cringe at the idea of someone remixing or re-making classics or songs that are so stellar in their original form. Too many times have I seen or heard this go TERRIBLY wrong. Either the remake/remix totally disregard the original or the artist that created it didn't have what it took to create a refreshed version & just recreated the piece note for note with no real feeling or emotion. That is not the case with this KILLER remake of the Tullio de Piscopo CLASSIC! but of course it took 2 producers who are masters nujazz fusion to do it. Volcov aka ISoul8 & Mark de Clive Lowe made this arrangement their own. Nothing will ever top the original of course but this version is a refreshing reminder of what a modern remake should sound like. I am definitely gonna be burning this up in my sets. I also can't wait to hear Theo Parrish's treatment of it, which is gonna be on the flip of the 12".
  Stop Bajon - Isoul8 + Mark de Clive-Lowe by mashibeats

REISSUE OF THE MONTH! Jasmine "Tropical Breeze"

Rare album from this Brazilian inspired jazz pop from the New Orleans scene of 1980 led by Patrice Fisher. The instrumentation is particularly colorful featuring the leader's harp, violinist Sun Kim, Kent Jordan on flute, bassist Jim Markway, drummer James Black, percussionist Mark Sanders & colorful phrasing from a young 24 year old singer. Who knew that this would be the 1st recording & the beginning of a critically acclaimed career for that singer, Cassandra Wilson. As a unit, Jasmine crafted lovely soulful renditions of classic Brazilian jazz tunes from composers including Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, & Chico Buarque. Cassandra's colors changes throughout the project kind of a combination of Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter & Joni Mitchell (whom are 3 of her biggest influences). On the tune below she remind me of Flora Purim. The good people of Inner City Jazz has finally made this gem available to the world once again. Purchase it here.

Brownswood Bubblers Six

UK label Brownswood Recordings is gearing up for another outstanding edition to their series Brownswood Bubblers compiled by tastemaker #1 Gilles Peterson. Vol. 6, like the rest, showcases the latest and exciting new artist & unsung heroes from the underground worldwide including Quadron, Mark de Clive Lowe, Great Weekend (Twilite Tone), Nick Rosen, Taylor McFerrin, Grooveman Spot & more. Listen to snippets below & purchase the full project here.
   Brownswood Bubblers Six // Teaser by Brownswood

Beady Belle "At Welding Bridge"

Long awaited newness from the Norwegian group Beady Belle (yes it's a group). "At Welding Bridge" is the group's 5th album and is as the name suggest, a synthesis or "welding" between their 1st three albums which had electronic and symphonic elements & their 4th which had was more live instrumentation with more folk soul elements. The core of their sound is always warm, gentle & a little jazzy with a beauty that can only be expressed through the voice & phrasing of lead singer Beate S. Lech. Listen to the 1st track from the record below & cop it here.

AD Bourke "Mirage"

Great work from this up & coming Rome based producer AD Bourke. Killer 80's inspired cosmic electrofunk with hints of boogie & slow broken beat similar to contemporaries like Onra, Funkineven & Dam Funk. Check out a few of the tracks from the upcoming EP releasing on vinyl & mp3 soon as well as a few other goodies on his soundcloud page. 
   Latest tracks by ad bourke

The Beast & Nnenna Freelon present Freedom Suite

Earlier this month I posted a review of this killer hiphop jazz band from NC The Beast. This week OkayPlayer launched their new jazz site The Revivalist & with the launch they featured a new release from them as a free download. The Beast joined forces with Grammy Nominated singer Nnenna Freelon (who's the mother of frontman Pierce) to put together this killer project bridging the gap between jazz & hiphop. Very reminiscent of Guru' Jazzmatazz & hosted by 9th Wonder, Freedom Suite showcases the elite in the NC hiphop & soul scene with contributions from Yahzarah, Phonte, Geechi Sueade of Camp Lo, Apple Juice Kid, Carlitta Durand, Darien Brockington, Tyler Woods & more. The project features 6 original songs & remakings of modern classics "Umi Says" (Mos Def), "Doo Wop" (Laurn Hill) as well as jazz classics, Hoagy & Carmicheal's "Skylark" & Cole Porter's "Get Out Of Town"

Universal Puzzle

Making the latest mix on SOUNDROTATION podcast page was interesting. Initially I didn't know what I wanted the theme to be. I had a few tunes that I was digging, quite a few was featured on this blog, but I wasn't sure if they fit together or could make a complete thought. I soon discovered I was in my "own worst critic" mode & was making too much of a fuss over it. The best thing to do was to let it go & let the universe put things together & that's what I did. This mix is 21st Century eclectic-ness from every angle; afro inspired broken beat, electrofunk, jazzy soul with a little spoken word & a hint of hiphop.Check it & PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK!

http://soundrotation.podomatic.com/ 

                                  

1. Life Is So Strange / Akabu ft. Tony Momrelle

2. Destiny / Erik Rico & Marc Mac

3. Ease Back / Galaxy Group

4. Forgot The Steel Pans / 2000Black

5. Zen I (Black-Consumed-Any Questions) / IG Culture

6. Nelson / Teddy Rok

7. You Got A Hold On Me / Saunders Sermons ft. Yahzarah

8. Tell Me / JSoul ft. Carol Riddick

9. Just A Song / OlivierDaysoul

10. Love Is A Game / Yolanda Johnson

11. Free / Bilal

12. Respect / L.Elemen ft Jasmine 

13. Me & You / 1-O.A.K.

14. Change (Show Me How) / Phantom Lover ft. Nicholas Ryan Gant

15. Place In My Heart / Taylor McFerrin ft. Ryat

16. The Lie / Yahzarah

17. Everything In Its Right Place / Osunlade ft. Erro

18. A Sheep's Plea / Wes Felton ft. Marshall Keys

Cosmopolyphonic Compilation

Sauce 81, RLP & Kez YM of Tokyo's Cosmopolyphonic Radio put together this KILLER compilation dedicated to the next generation of beatmakers from Japan & beyond. Soulful, sometimes abstract & all around funky electric grooves from some recognizable names like Onra, TOKiMONSTA, Kay Suzuki & Devonwho as well as some up & coming beatmakers that you will DEFINITELY want to hear more from after hearing this comp. including Kan Sano who's been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now. Listen to his track below & cop the compilation on iTunes or get a physical cd here.

Chris Turner "Liquid Love"

I first heard Chris Turner singing on the project of the NY band Erimaj whom I posted to the blog last month. Now the Oakland born NY based singer is gearing up for his debut ep LOVEchild with the release of this 1st single. "Liquid Love" sees him channeling his inner Marvin Gaye backed by the great production of the BK dynamic duo The Stuyvesants. Definitely can't wait to hear what the rest of the project is gonna sound like. Until get the FREE DOWNLOAD and enjoy.

Wes Felton "Land Of Sheep, Ran By Pigs, Ruled By Wolves"

10 days ago I posted Wes Felton's new single ft. Sy Smith. The full length "Land Of Sheep, Ran By Pigs, Ruled By Wolves" was released today (which is also his birthday) & is down right groovy with contributions from of his friends & DMV's finest artist including K'Alyn, Lysette TiTi, Marshall Keys, X.O., Don Davis, Bilal Salaam, Dre King & of course Sy. Check his website for the full story behind each song & get the FREE DOWNLOAD below.

Levitical "Mixtape 9.0"

Funky bit of electromagnetic hiphop from a duo hailing from Detroit. This 13 track mixtape from Levitical blends a bit of synth-pop, electrosoul, drum & bass with the gritty hiphop that the D is known for. The mixtape is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD! Check it out.

Jai Paul "BTSTU"

A funky bit of electrosoul from up & coming UK producer Jai Paul. A mixture of Hudson Mohawke kind of lo-fi, hiphop & dubstep. Definitely for synth lovers. No more info is available at this time about a full project. Check his myspace page for updates.

Beatmaking Housewife "Messenger Of The Sun" ft. Xei

Lovely mellow tune from UK producer, label exec, radio dj Miss Laidlaw who's also the founder of Female BeatMakers.com. It's the 1st but hopefully not the last collaboration between her & UK singer Xei who also is a producer. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from both of them.

BackPackers Anonymous "Soul Train Dancer (A Tribute To Rosie Perez)"

Boom Bap is alive & kicking with this release from NC mc Cy Yung & Chicago producer J Slikk. Straight up Back To The Future. Ode to Hiphop vibe with classic samples & true lyricism with killer appearances including Thaione Davis, Melatone, The Primeridian, Rashid Hadee & Wordsmith. NECK BRACE REQUIRED!

Jack Freeman "Dark Liquor"

One of the reasons I'm enjoying Bandcamp is discovering artist like this. Singer Jack Freeman hails from Houston. "Dark Liquor" is his 6 track debut & it is SOLID!! The pen game & production is on point. I can't wait to hear more from him.

Anthony Valadez "Audio/Visual: Reworked, Recycled & Remixed"

After releasing the highly successful debut album Audio / Visual from artist, club & radio dj Anthony Valadez, feedback, accolades, requests and drafts of remixes from producers around the globe flooded the office at Record Breakin' Music. The response was so overwhelming that they decided put together this KILLER  project Reworked, Recycled & Remixed. Producers including Sonny James, DJ Destroyer, Sir Froderick, Dotmatic, Lil Dave & Spinnerty add different textures & soundscapes offering a fresh perspective without totally discarding the original. There's also 3 bonus track (including the song below) that have never been released until now. The project releases Oct. 26th. You can pre-order it here

Rising Love ft. Vivian Perez & Samiyam

2000Black "Forget The Steel Pans"

Unreleased HOTNESS from 2000Black aka Dego & Kaidi: "something we made back in 07 that never saw a release. We will be dropping more of these in the coming months." Get the FREE DOWNLOAD by clicking below.

 

 

Cuba After Market 2

DMV producer, dj Roddy Rod return with the latest installment in his latin inspired electro broken beat brand Cuba After Market & it's as dope as the 1st one. DC soul singer Wayna return on 2 joints as well as Phonte & Zo! of The Foreign Exchange, Carlitta Durand, Eric Krasno of Soulive & Nicholas Ryan Gant who KILL on the track Let The Rain Fall. It's available exclusively on iTunes.

Olivier Daysoul "Labor"

New HOTNESS from the great musical marriage of singer Olivier Daysoul & producer Oddisee. "Labor" is a 60's inspired groove. It's the 1st glimpse into "The Mr. Saint Louis EP" releasing soon. The free download will be available Oct. 15th.

As Is Above, So Below Haiti Tribute

 

As Is Above, So Below  is a wonderful eclectic mix of deep house, afrobeat & global grooves compiled by Montreal producer/dj Don Ray . The mix contains a lot of remixes by him of world renown artist like Fertile Ground, Wunmi, Lady Alma, Replife & Tortured Soul who all donated their music to support the rebuilding effort in the Haitian Republic. You can help in this effort by purchasing the mix / comp at http://www.traxsource.com/index.php?act=search&ss=Marauder&sc=labels&cf=all&gf=0

REPLIFE & DON RAY "OUT OF SOUL"

The Beast "Silence Fiction"

Killer new project from this North Carolina jazz hiphop band The Beast. Comprised by 3 classically trained jazz musicians Eric Hirsh, Pete Kimosh, Stephen Coffman and lyrically diversed mc Pierce Freelon who's the son of acclaimed jazz singer Nnenna Freelon. The quartet met as students at UNC at Chapel Hill & began taking the Durham area by storm with their progressive sound & killer live show."Silence Fiction"  is their latest release. It seamlessly bridge the gap between jazz & hiphop. Make the purchase below & get ready for another project from them "Freedom Suite" featuring Nnenna releasing Oct. 26th.

Cap D "PolyMath Mixtape"

Gearing up for his latest full length release "PolyMath" which releases Oct. 26th, Chicago mc Cap D of All Natural is offering this mixtape of unreleased material plus a few freestyle verses over some beats you may recognize. Check out the unreleased tune "Clean" & get the free download below.

DOWNLOAD
http://rcpt.yousendit.com/964625965/149cf30970b008a9af06bdccb99abd8f 

Colonel Red "Holla"

A fresh take on the Marvin Gaye classic done only the way UK singer, producer Colonel Red can. Pure cosmic soul. Click on below & get the free download of this & 2 other goodies.

Terrace Martin "Hear My Dear"

Terrace Martin is an LA musician, producer & mc that's been in the business for quite some time. He's played, produced & toured with some of the best in the game including Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z & Red Hot Chili Peppers. Stepping from behind the boards, he put out a couple of mixtapes & ep including the 808 & Sax Breaks. His latest offering "Hear My Dear" (of course inspired by the Marvin Gaye classic) is a 20 track affair that showcases the raw emotion of love in a hiphop form, blending live instrumentation with produced hiphop elements. There's a gang of features from some popular & lesser known artist including Snoop, Wiz Khalifa, Murs, Charlie Wilson, Tone Trezure, U-N-I & Kendrick Lamar. I really like the title track a lot. Listen to it below & get the download.

Download
http://usershare.net/f0eunycrk4as

V "Fantasy"

After 2 critically acclaimed albums & being on the road singing background for Jill Scott, Philly soul man simply known as V is back working on his 3rd album "Formation". This is the 1st single from the album, in the smooth R&B tradition that he's known for. Check it out below & click the DivShare link to download it.

Wes Felton ft. Sy Smith "Tell A Vision"

New single from DC's most important player, singer /mc /poet /video director Wes Felton featuring his longtime friend indie soul diva Sy Smith. This is the 1st leak from his upcoming project Land Of Sheep, Ran By Pigs, Ruled By Wolves which releases on his birthday Oct. 15th. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=K5WTV8J8

Aniba Hotep & The Sol Collective "The SOLution EP"

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The long awaited debut of Aniba Hotep & The Sol Collective. This is a talented group of Chicago musicians & singers that encompass everything that makes soul music great, headed by the great voice of Aniba which has been described as "Thunderous honey". ""The SOLution EP" draws heavily from the true roots of soul: jazz, blues, gospel. Rich in history, but also fresh & relevant. Their music is therapeutic & medicinal. Get the full ep at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/anibahotep

Erimaj "Memo To All"

Memo To All EP is a retro, progressive, cinematic piece of work brought to you by world renowned drummer Jamire Williams and his acclaimed band ERIMAJ. This is only a brief synopsis of what's to come with the full length album scheduled for release in the 1st quarter of 2011. This is the memo to all to keep your eyes and ears open for the force that is ERIMAJ. Press play & let the tape roll.............

Carlitta Durand New Leaks "Ruby Jewel + Rather Sleep"

NC singer Carlitta Durand is at it again with 2 more peaks into her musical journey.The 1st joint "Ruby Jewel" is a dope tune orchestrated by the malting of her vocals only. Everything on the tune is through her mouth, beat and all. The second joint "Rather Sleep" is a lovely acoustic piano led jazz ballad with synth strings adding beautiful texture. No clear information about her plans for a full length project so I'll just enjoy these tunes that pop up ever so often.

                         Ruby Jewel

                         Rather Sleep

Robert Mitchell's Panacea "The Cusp"

Robert Mitchell is the UK's best classically trained pianist of this generation. I 1st heard him on the 90's recording with the group J-Life which is also the same group that introduced the world to Julie Dexter. Since then Robert has been non stop working & performing with some of the world's greatest artist & heading his 3IO (which received  Best Jazz Album 2009 at the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Award) & his group Panacea. This is the group's 3rd release. Robert's playing & arranging is completely versatile from acoustic, electric, glockenspiel & other percussion. Futuristica recording artist Deborah Jordan is still on board as the group's vocalist adding her beautiful tones to the blend of rhythmic & sometimes melancholic jazz classical soul, in a song based setting that remind me of the recordings of Steve Coleman & the M-Base Collective of the 90's. I REALLY love this tune "Flawless" from the project. Check it out. The album is out now on iTunes & will be available worldwide sometime this month. Go to his website for more information.

Von Pea's Gotta Have It

Von Pea, 1/3 of the highly lauded hiphop trio Tanya Morgan, is gearing up for his official solo debut album "Pea's Gotta Have It", an album that is inspired by an imaginary album he'd written about in an old journey notebook he found from his high school years. Get a free download of the single / sampler below. The full album releases October 12th.

Fayth Hope "Truly Deeply Madly"

I'd like to thank my good friends at BamaLoveSoul for turning me on to this Birmingham born, GA based singer. Fayth Hope is a talented trained singer, songwriter & poet that's keeping the jazzy hiphop soulfulness alive with this 1st single from her debut album that's releasing soon produced by Dose/[d] Music who's production I can wait to hear more of. Check it out below & purchase it on cd baby or iTunes.
Fayth Hope - Truly Deeply Madly by Sounds Familiar Records

The Lost Remnants of Tone Trezure

Tone Trezure is a force to be reckoned with, and soon the world will know it. From writing, producing & collaborating with some of the best in the hiphop & soul game over & underground including Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Pharoahe Monch, Xzibit, Little Brother, Erykah Badu & Bilal (whom vocally she's constantly compared to) she's hard at work on new material for her HIGHLY ANTICIPATED debut album. In the process she released an EP back in the summer & now these 7 songs from her production vault. 

"this was an era in my life when I was really getting into my own and just wanting to be heard so I wrote about everything. This was a wonderful growing period in my opening up more to the Hip-hop and soul side of R&B"

Laetitia Sadier "The Trip"

After 20 years of being the lead singer of the electro pop giants Stereolab & also the side band Monade, Laetitia Sadier finally steps out on her own with this solo debut. "The Trip" is not a far cry from her work with Stereolab. Still has that whimsical jazzy erotica pop feel but more stripped down putting her lyrics at the forefront adding just a hint of folk into the mix. One of the most consistent albums this year. Being that I'm a Stereolab fan, I can breathe a little easier at the news of the band going on a hiatus indefinitely, as long as Laetitia is creating albums like this. Listen to the opening track & go to your local retailers, Amazon & iTunes to purchase the complete album.

Proh Mic "Catch A Pisces"

A few weeks ago I posted the 1st leak from an upcoming project for producer, musician, mc Proh Mic which was the start of a Free Download A Month PROHmotion building up to his stunning album releasing in February on the All Natural Inc label. "Catch A Pisces" is the full length from which that track appears & is now available as the next FREE DOWNLOAD. The album is so BANGIN', I can't believe he chose to give it away. It features him in his raw essence with killer lyrics & beats mostly produced himself except for 2 tunes produced by veteran producer Vitamin D. Take a listen to the track "Life" featuring my homie MC Adad of Eulorhythmics & get the download of the album below.

DOWNLOAD
(HI-FI) 
DOWNLOAD
(LO-FI) 

Aloe Blacc "Femme Fatale" Official Video

After releasing his solo debut on Stones Throw in 06, a countless number of collabs & single, and having a his song featured as the theme for the HBO series "How To Make It in America", singer // mc Aloe Blacc  finally returned with his follow up full length "Good Things" this week. Here's the stunning video for the 1st official single "Femme Fatale" which is a cover of the Velvet Underground's cult classic.

I, Ced "Finale" Promo Version

Since moving to LA, playing keys for Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra, collaborating & teaming up with fellow St. Louis artist Black Spade & Coultrain, which resulted in them forming The Hawthorne Headhunters, it's been a busy & wild ride for I,Ced. He's now gearing up to release his full length with the Record Breakin' Music label with a three track 7" releasing Oct. 19th. To get you prepared, there's a bonus version of "The Finale" that's available for a FREE DOWNLOAD. This original version will not appear on the 7". Click on the DivShare link below to get the download. To get more info or to pre-order the 7", go to http://www.recordbreakin.com/rbm022.html.