TO DOWNLOAD, CLICK HERE: https://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/track/completeness-feat-divine-brown

The Decoders latest offering, "Completeness feat. Divine Brown" is the 3rd single from the forthcoming LP, "Adventures From Paradise: A Tribute to Minnie Riperton". With this track, The Decoders have chosen to return to their Lovers Rock roots, combining it with elements of early seventies funk and soul.

Divine Brown (not to be confused with the one involved in the Hugh Grant scandal), is a Toronto based R&B vocalist with a 5-octave range (very fitting for a Minnie Riperton tribute). Divine is a Juno award recipient and is currently signed to Universal Music Canada. Born of Jamaican parents, Divine's roots are made evident with this Lovers version of a Minnie classic. 

Todd Simon's horn arrangements pay respect to Minnie Riperton's arranger Charles Stepney, Jamaican Rock Steady bandleader/arranger Byron Lee and Shuggie Otis. The rhythm section provided by Adam Berg and Itai Shapira (and Blake Colie on drums) also follows suit, providing a lush bed for Divine's vocals to soar on. 

Stay tuned for more upcoming releases from vol 3! The full length album is due in late Fall 2013.

Credits

Divine Brown 
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements 

Itai Shapira 
Guitars, Bass 

Adam Berg 
Keys, B3, Mellotron 

Todd M. Simon 
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Horn Arrangements 

Blake Colie 
Drums 

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Horns recorded by Todd Simon and Itai Shapira at Nu-Fi Studios 
Mixed by Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Additional mixing by Itai Shapira at Manifest Music 
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music 

Originally Performed and Recorded by Minnie Riperton on her solo LP Come To My Garden (1971) 

Ivan Otis: Photography • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design

Completeness feat. Divine Brown

DOWNLOAD HERE: https://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/album/revisited-reworked-vol-2

What Cha' Gonna Do For Me Feat. Alex Isley (Freeformer Toddy T's Smooth Dub Feat. Josh Aguilar)

DOWNLOAD: http://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/album/hey-there-lonely-boy-feat-coco-owino

Produced by Itai Shapira and Todd Simon 
Recorded by Itai Shapira and Todd Simon at Market Street, Sound Spot, Manifest and Nu Fi Studios 
Mixed by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music Productions.Mastered by Paul Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering 

Lead & Background Vocals: Coco Owino 
Synth Bass, Programming, Guitars: Itai Shapira 
Synth Bass, Trumpet, French Horn, Flugelhorn:Todd Simon 
Hammond B3, Wurlitzer: Quincy McCrary 
Drums: Blake Colie

released 13 December 2011 
Originally Recorded by Ruby & The Romantics (1963) 
Originally Written by Earl Shuman and Leon Carr 
Label: Universal

Hey There Lonely Boy feat. Coco Owino

DOWNLOAD: http://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/track/les-fleurs-feat-boston-fielder

Produced by Itai Shapira and Todd M. Simon
Written by Charles Stepney and Richard Rudolph


Boston Fielder
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements

Itai Shapira  
Bass, Synth Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano & Rhodes

Todd M. Simon  
Trumpet, Flugelhorn & Glockenspiel

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
Viola & Violin

Blake Colie
Drums

Recorded by Itai Shapira at Manifest Music
Mixed and Mastered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music

Originally Recorded by Minnie Riperton on the album Come To My Garden (1970)

Leon Dale:  Photography  •  Boston Fielder:  Cover Art Design

Les Fleurs feat. Boston Fielder

DOWNLOAD: www.thedecoders.bandcamp.com

Produced by Itai Shapira and Todd M. Simon 

Kevin Sandbloom 
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements 

Itai Shapira 
Bass, Electric Guitar, Additional Vocal Arrangements 

Todd M. Simon 
French Horn, Flugelhorn 

Quincy McCrary 
Hammond B3 

Adam Berg 
Rhodes 

Blake Colie 
Drums 

Recorded by Itai Shapira at Manifest Music 
Horns recorded by Todd M. Simon at Nu-Fi Studios 
Mixed and Mastered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music 

Originally Written & Recorded by Earth Wind & Fire on the album That's The Way Of The World (1975) 

Shane Evans: Photography • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design

That's The Way Of The World feat. Kevin Sandbloom

DOWNLOAD HERE: www.thedecoders.bandcamp.com/track/walk-on-by-feat-noelle-scaggs

We are pleased to announce the arrival of the first single from Vol. 2, featuring one of our favorite singers from Los Angeles,  Noelle Scaggs ( of the band FItz & The Tantrums).  

This isn't our first collaboration with Noelle... 

Our very own Todd M. Simon inked a new Rock Steady arrangement of James Brown's "Think (About It)" for The Lions back in 2007, which featured Noelle on vocals.  Noelle has also graced many other collaborations on her own, including Quantic (aka Will Holland) and Dilated Peoples, as well as being the featured lead female vocalist in the L.A. funk and soul outift The Rebirth .

This version of "Walk On By" is an extrapolation of the original Dionne Warwick version, mutated with the stylings of Isaac Hayes rendition and finally given a "decoded" Lovers Rock backbeat.  This was quite the undertaking, and Noelle did a great job invoking the classic women of soul from the 60's era to give this version a refreshing-yet old school feel.

Burt Bacharach and Hal David (R.I.P) were a great composer team, penning many a classic hit including "I Say A Little Prayer For You" which is also slated for a Decoders vol. 2 release later this year.  We hope that we did justice to their vision with our version of "Walk On By".

The strings were recorded by San Diego native, Thomas Lea.  Thomas is the latest addition to the Decoders production team, and you can hear his lush string arrangements on upcoming releases from Rhye & Quadron.

The official release date for the single is tuesday, October 16th.  It will be made available on itunes, amazon and bandcamp for download.

We hope you enjoy it and please share if you feel it!

The Decoders


Also, in case you haven't seen it, please check out our new EPK, which is an introduction to the project and gives a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in the studio!  View it here on our new website (www.thedecodersmusic.com), where you can also purchase exclusive T-Shirts via our Insteegram store!

CREDITS:

Produced by The Decoders

Noelle Scaggs 
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements

Itai Shapira 
Bass, Guitars, Dub FX, Keys, Timpani, Additional Vocal Arrangements

Todd M. Simon 
Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Dub FX, Horn Arrangements

Adam Berg
Rhodes, B3, Additional Vocal Arrangements

Tracy Wannomae
Tenor, Alto Sax, Flute

Thomas Lea
Violin, Viola

Blake Colie 
Drums

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Additional engineering by David Burris at Manifest Music
Mixed by Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music

Originally Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David.  Originally recorded by Dionne Warwick (1964)

Farah Sosa: Photography • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design



BIOGRAPHY:

The Decoders are Los Angeles-based production team Itai Shapira (producer/engineer & studio/live musician) Todd M. Simon (trumpeter/arranger for Mayer Hawthorne, TV On The Radio, The Lions, Quantic, etc.) and Adam Berg (Grammy nominated producer/engineer), with heavy contributions from Quincy McCrary on keys (Mayer Hawthorne) and Blake Colie on drums (The Lions of Stones Throw Records) . They just released their first installment of modern-Jamaican Lovers Rock-inspired versions of soul classics they dug up from the vaults of the Music Sales publishing catalogue.

In this first batch, Shapira and Simon have deciphered some Earth, Wind and Fire, Minnie Riperton and even one from Ruby and the Romantics! The project is overseen by the songwriter and producer behind many of Minnie Riperton’s hits - Richard Rudolph.

The Decoders have enlisted the help of vocalists Sy Smith (Macy Gray, Foreign Exchange) original “Baby This Love I Have" songwriter and legendary producer Leon Ware (Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Maxwell), Coco Owino (of Quadron), Kevin Sandbloom and Boston Fielder (of Muthawit).  Miguel Atwood Ferguson (Suite For Ma Dukes, Brainfeeder) also makes a guest appearance on the new single "Les Fleurs"

Volume 2 features guest vocalists Noelle Scaggs (of Fitz & The Tantrums), Raul Midon, Alex Isley and many more... 


Walk On By featuring Noelle Scaggs

01 Walmir Borges - Totalmente Diferente (Part. Marco Mattoli)

06 Walmir Borges - Morada do Sol

08 Walmir Borges - Joia Rara

14 Walmir Borges - Teu Reflexo (Part. Paula Lima)

Planta e Raiz - Bora Viver Dub

Soul Shakers - Get Up, Stand Up/ No More Trouble /War

Soul Shakers - Rebel Music

New video for 'We Watch the Stars' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbpvEe1y92M
from the brand new album 'Love Letters and Other Missiles'.  


Follow Julia online:
https://www.facebook.com/juliabielmusic
https://www.twitter.com/juliabiel
http://instagram.com/juliabiel

See http://juliabiel.com for live dates and more info

We watch the stars

Soul Shakers - Could you be loved

Nice partners in crime...
Contains samples from THE MATRIX hehe
Pedro (https://soundcloud.com/pedrojds) from Sao Paolo / Brazil on guit and grand piano
Enoch - 7th ProPHet (https://soundcloud.com/enoch-7th-prophet)- El Shamesh from Washington DC /USA on vocals (rap, singing, adlibs)
Niclas (https://soundcloud.com/nics_escapades) on trp
Me on other instruments (bass, adlibs, elpiano, other instruments, arrangement)
Chords - Gm11, Gm11, Fm11, Ebm11

We righteously move (with Enoch 7th Prophet, Pedro and Niclas)

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE: http://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/track/reasons-feat-jimetta-rose

The debut single off of the forthcoming LP Adventures From Paradise : A Tribute To Minnie Riperton (vol. 3), Reasons is the Decoders latest offering, tackled beautifully by local LA native songstress Jimetta Rose and featuring a stellar cast of session players from Los Angeles to Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

The Decoders chose to take this classic Minnie track, and transform it into a celebratory, Jorge Ben inspired Afro-Brazilian samba. Featuring Brazilian trombonist Fabio Santana de Souza, and percussion by Te'Amir Sweeney and Steve Haney, this arrangement is yet another tribute to Minnie Riperton's depth of songwriting and musical prowess. 

Stay tuned for more upcoming releases from vol 3! The full length album is due in late Summer/early Fall.

Reasons feat. Jimetta Rose

revolution

Recorded live at the KCRW presents "An Evening with Gilles Peterson" live radio show at Sonos Studio on the evening of May 23rd, 2013.  It was hosted by Jason Bentley and featured special guest appearances by Om'Mas Keith and Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Egon, Seu Jorge, The Decoders and many others.  

During the Decoders set, Seu Jorge joined the band in an impromptu rendition of his previously recorded cover of Roy Ayers' classic hit "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" 

Here is a portion of the magic captured from that evening.  Enjoy! 

The Decoders:

Special Guest: SEU JORGE - Lead Vocals

Todd M. Simon - trumpet, flugelhorn
Itai Shapira - Bass
Adam Berg - Rhodes, Hammond B3
Blake Colie - Drums
Steve Haney - Percussion
Patrick Bailey - Guitar
Tracy Wannomae - Alto & Tenor Saxophone
Destani Wolf - Background Vocals
Love Logiq - Background Vocals
Jimetta Rose - Background Vocals




Everybody Loves The Sunshine feat. Seu Jorge

DOWNLOAD HERE: http://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/track/young-willing-able-feat-andr-e-belle 

The follow up 2nd single from Vol. 3. "Adventures From Paradise: A Tribute To Minnie Riperton, this rare disco classic "Young, Willing & Able" has been re-imagined and updated for a new generation of music heads and dance floors alike...featuring the legendary bassist and co-founder of Jamiroquai, Stuart Zender, vocals by the lovely Andrée Belle and strings by Thomas Lea (Rhye, Quadron, and many more), the Decoders have found a way to yet again humbly breathe new life into Minnie's incomparable sound...


Andrée Belle 
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements 

Itai Shapira 
Guitar, Additional Vocal Arrangements 

Stuart Zender 
Bass 

Adam Berg 
Rhodes 

Todd M. Simon 
Trumpet, Horn Arrangements 

Tracy Wannomae 
Tenor & Alto Sax 

Elizabeth Lea 
Trombone 

Thomas Lea 
viola, violin 

Steve Haney 
Percussion 


Blake Colie 
Drums 

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Mixed by Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Additional mixing by Itai Shapira
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music 

Originally Performed and Recorded by Minnie Riperton on her solo LP Stay In Love (1977) 

Alex Elena: Photography • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design

Dub

Leninha Peixoto