Once upon a time, in a galaxy not far away, there lived two kings. Each was the ruler of his own deliciously glorious planet. The first king, Manchildblack, was well known throughout the cosmos for his ethereal vocals, celestial sonics and earthy musical messages. The other king, Monstah Black, was a star in the solar system for his gravity defying performances, gender​ bending fashions and spacey disposition. One magical night, an inexplicable ultra​magnetic pull forced the two planets to collide. A technicolored explosion occurred, turning night into day, with a feast of aural and visual delights. It was then that the universe was changed forever. Manchildblack and Monstah Black united and became The Illustrious Blacks.

With inspiration from extra terrestrials like Prince, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Boy George and George Clinton, The Illustrious Blacks have arrived with a mission to fuse futuristic funk, hypnotic house and cosmic pop into pulsating positivity for the planet. The real life married couple are not only co​-pilots on their artistic voyage, but are united in their fantastical journey through life.

In 2017, The Illustrious Blacks released their highly anticipated debut EP, NeoAfroFuturisticPsychedelicSurrealisticHippy, on Concierge Records. The EP features the high energy single "Blast Off," the seductive "Red Light," the thought provoking "Delusions of Grandeur" and the anthemic "Black Like Jesus." In the same year, the dynamic duo also found time to work with producer Nickodemus on a remake of the 90s dance floor classic "Funk That!," which spawned a popular music video. 

The acclaimed duo found even more praise for their epic live shows, which fuse music, dance, theater & fashion as the ingredients to expand minds, shake bootys and save the world one beat at a time. Toward the end of summer 2017, The Illustrious Blacks landed their electrifying live show, Hyperbolic, for a three month residency at the legendary Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. 

If their music and live shows are meant to elevate you into the stratosphere, then The Illustrious Blacks radio show, "On Air w/The Blacks," is an opportunity to experience their inner space. The entertaining and often hilarious weekly series invites listeners onto the mothership of the charismatic couple, where they discuss the latest happenings in global pop culture on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York.

Individually, Monstah Black and Manchildblack illuminate the galaxy with equal magnitude. Together, as The Illustrious Blacks, they have combined their powers and metamorphosed into supernovas, blazing through the Milky Way like a comet, with their own unique brand of cosmic freak nobility.

Booking Info:
Asia and Australia to Marc@FMLY.asia  // +62 (0) 812 36549786 
All other inquires to Abby at theillustriousblacks@gmail.com

Bookings: ashleyyounnia@gmail.com

Ashley Younniä is a DJ, music curator, and sonic architect rooted in the Black American tradition of house and dance music. Jersey born and based in Los Angeles, she moves dance floors worldwide with soulful sets blending gospel, RnB, and electronic sounds from Black and Brown queer culture.

Ashley has played globally—from Tokyo to Mexico City, Australia, Korea, and Europe—and has shared and appeared on stages with Kelela, Lion Babe, The Broad Museum, MOCA, Hillman Grad, and The Whitney Museum. Her sound has helped soundscape queer-led LA dance parties like Stardust, TheyHouseLA, and the viral Black House Radio, as featured in the Los Angeles Times. Her own dance floor and visual curations, Feelin’ Feelin’ and Children of the Sound is a showcase of the sonic roots to which she comes from.  

Experiencing Ashley’s sets is like being dropped into a full-length power ballad love song at a BPM that invites your body into movement and deeper connection.

An artist’s greatest superpower is freedom. Liberation is both the modus operandi and main ingredient of the fearless five-man band Phony Ppl. Comprised of the cream of Brooklyn’s young musician crop, each classically trained member is a product of musical parents who gifted their children exceptional DNA, exposure to the greats, and most importantly, wings for exploration and self-discovery. The result is a collective that’s as limitless as its music; one that has received praise from the likes of Tyler The Creator and Childish Gambino, performed with Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and The Roots, and killed festivals, late night television and their own residency at New York City’s legendary Blue Note. 					
The warmth of lyrics are mainly credited to lead vocalist Elbee Thrie, a former Manhattan School of Music student whose vocals possess a disarming charm and lyrics glow by advanced perspective and retrospection. Trained composer, Aja Grant provides co-writing, the keys and much of the band’s arrangements. Strings are manned by guitarist Elijah Rawk and Bari Bass, PHONY PPL’s visual artist and bass player. The crew’s heartbeat is percussionist and former Music Conservatory student Mathew Byas (whose father is DJ Jazzy Jay of the legendary Zulu Nation). 
After several jam sessions throughout high school, different iterations of the band, and honing in on their sonic cornucopia – the band has taken pride in their genre-less sound. Throughout the years, their music offerings have dabbled in experimental splashes of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, soul, rock and many more sub-genres. Their first official full-length offering Yesterday’s Tomorrow (2015) which houses discography gem “Why iii Love The Moon”, received critical acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone and more. Their next album titled mō'zā-ik (Mozaik) would be released in 2019 via 300 Entertainment. The album earned its name because each of its songs is a singular piece of art possessing shapes and colors separate from the others, while adjoining to make symmetrical magic. Songs like “Way Too Far” and “Before You Get A Boyfriend” represent the dynamic nature of the album and solidify it as a body of work that transcends classification and time. 
The band’s new album Euphonyus is set to release this fall. An interpolation of the band’s name and the word “euphonious”, the album’s namesake comes from the duality represented by their connection to the people (You – Phony – Us) and the most literal definition of the word “pleasing to the ear”. The band’s sonic approach to the album is to connect the dots between the different feelings each song provides; housing tracks that are danceable, vibrant, and joyful under the same roof as songs that are laced with sadness, sorrow, and lust. The long journey to Euphonyus started in 2019 when the band embarked on their headlining tour with sold out dates across the country. Things caught on fire in 2020 during their set on Megan Thee Stallion’s “NPR Tiny Desk” where the artists previewed their collaboration “Fkn Around” which ultimately went viral. Shortly after marked the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the band’s album plans but saw the release of “On My Shit” ft. Joey Bada$$. During that time, the band learned how to make music as a unit without being physically together, a skill that birthed their song “Nowhere But Up” which was made on Zoom through screen sharing. In 2021, as the world started to open back up, the band went on tour again setting the stage for 2022. While the album release took longer than expected due to the pandemic, over the last three years the band was able to record songs across the country and worldwide ranging from their individual homes in NYC to Los Angeles, Philly, Japan, and Germany; building and reinventing each track over time.
In the words of the band, Euphonyus encourages listeners “don’t think, just feel”. With the help of an eclectic roster of features from the likes of JoJo, Kaytranada, Leon Thomas, Domo Genesis, and more, Phony Ppl are ready to step into this new era.

DJ Carlito is one of the best kept secrets from the Amsterdam underground dance music scene today. With a remarkable list of clubs, countries, events, parties and festivals both national and international he's been sharing his dj skills for over 30 years now and through his dj career Carlito played alongside DJs like Afrika Bambata, Alton Miller, Armand van Helden, AtJazz, Derek Carter, Ian Pooley, Karizma, MJ Cole, Osunlade, Raphael Morais, Ricky Montenari to name a few...

Grammy Award Winner, Producer, Remixer, DJ

Dj Bookings: jennifer.hammel@caa.com
Management: info@yorubasoul.coom

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