Movement

ReARTiculations

Bird's Eye View

Midnight Ride

Reunion

Legend

Vortex

Tranquillity

Submarine

Solstice

Good Morning

Miso Fins

Galt MacDermot. Your music has always been a cornerstone of hip-hop production and an inspiration to musicians everywhere! Thank you!

In 2011, we made a cover of the legendary “Coffee Cold”, because the song was always so dope to us. After picking a drum beat and laying the basic chords, Greg Spero learned the song in 20 minutes and laid down the piano on Steinway. Later we composed a string arrangement with Savoire Faire and Khari Lemuel to give the tune a new flavor. 

Years later, Midas realized the vocal version with Fergus MacRoy fit the cover perfectly.  It was serendipity.  We figured to share this in tribute to the late great composer, free download.

Galt Tribute Free D/L

Coffee Cold (Tribute)

Upon popular request, Tokyo Dawn presents the instrumentals and re-edits of Tensei&#39;s
&#39;Constellate&#39; release, an uplifting collection of modern soul fusion.
Tensei (meaning &quot;Heaven Star&quot; in Japanese) is the Chicago based producer tandem of Midas
Wells and Chris Kramer. The music represents a soulful, electronic and hip hop infused
perspective to Chicago&#39;s growing spiritual jazz movement. Tensei’s instrumentals on
constellate all start out electronically composed tracks without samples by either Midas or
Kramer. The tandem then improvises and loops on top of the tracks. On Constellate, Tensei
additionally recorded improvisations by Makaya McCraven, Brandee Younger, Greg Spero,
Junius Paul, Khari Lemuel, Kevin Mitchell, &amp; Paul Curtis among others to incorporate into the
compositions.
The vocal versions of these songs are also available via Tokyo Dawn featuring Jimetta Rose,
Yaw, Sam Trump, Sulaiman, A. Billi Free, Kiara Lanier, ADaD and Liv Warfield from Prince&#39;s
New Power Generation among others.

Constellate (Instrumentals)

Buy/stream/vinyl

40000 Harpedelic feat. Brandee Younger

Buy/playlist/vinyl

Spero Alone feat. Greg Spero

Baby Blast Off

Curtis Kuti feat. Makaya McCraven

Telemetry (Instrumental)

In a time where there is so much division among people due to politics, deep rooted hate, and social injustice, Tensei choose to 'Constellate', drawing on the power of postive vibrations to provide an uplifting collection of modern soul fusion.

Tensei (meaning "Heaven Star" in Japanese) is the Chicago based producer tandem of Midas Wells and Chris Kramer. Spearheading a soulful, electronic and hip hop infused perspective to Chicago's growing spiritual jazz movement, the tandem has enlisted the likes of Makaya McCraven, Greg Spero and Junius Paul among others for these compositions.

Fela Kuti-mentored Najite Agindotan joins in with Yaw from “Where Will You Be” acclaim on the grooves, followed by Liv Warfield from Prince's New Power Generation, A. Billi Free, Sam Trump, Sulaiman, Jimetta Rose and long-time collaborator ADaD.

Highlights include the harp-infused 'Liquid Tongues', the soul pop of 'Never Alone', the Fela meets Curtis vibes on 'Ask Them', the classic R&B of 'What If' and more to discover.

"Their effervescent combination of spiritual jazz, soul, psych rock, electronic & boom-bap is a clinic in quality music"
-Okayplayer

Constellate

Telemetry feat. Kiara Lanier & Kafele

Telemetry (Midas Mix) feat. Kiara Lanier & Kafele

Baby feat. ADaD & Jimetta Rose

Never Alone feat. Sulaiman

What if feat. Liv Warfield

What If feat. Liv Warfield

Tensei

Liquid Tongues feat. A. Billi Free

Info Sheet

Album Title 
I Luma


Social Media
A Billi Free
WEB: www.abillifree.com
SPOT:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/0GImVCVfiBNJ6r7K6DpT1D
IG: www.instagram.com/abillifree
FB: www.facebook.com/abillifree
TW: www.twitter.com/abillifree
BC: www.abillifree.bandcamp.com

Tensei
WEB: www.realtensei.com
SPOT: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6onUZZgfzULweV6ogVcCHl
IG: www.instagram.com/realtensei
FB: www.facebook.com/realtensei
TW: www.twitter.com/realtensei

Composed and  written by a billi free, and chris kramer.
Track list
Flourish  featuring Angel Bat Dawid
Feel It Coming
Enchanted
Alright With Me
Rushing In
Against The Wall
Bold Heart
Movement
Frontier
Erosion

we want unity of all people via music.


Write up
I Luma is the brainchild of singer, songwriter A. Billi Free, and composer producer tandem Tensei. The pulsating grooves, sprinkled with electronic jazz & soul elements combined with the angelic & meaningful vocal stylings give the music a fun, cosmic, adventurous vibe. Entirely created over the internet, the album is set off by Sun Ra-influenced spiritual jazz sensation  Angel Bat Dawid (the only featured artist on the album) on “Flourish”, who sets the tone with her clarinet incantations.  For both A. Billi Free and Tensei, this marks the first full length album to date.

The futuristic soundscapes are inspired by interpreting the complexities of modern society through an ethereal, ultramodern lens.  This theme carries the listener to space station Heaven Star, headquarters of the peace makers in the galaxy. I Luma (meaning “in front” in the Samoan language) is a flag ship on the HSSS vanguard commanded by A. Billi Free (ABF). The mission is to stop various species of intelligent life from destroying each other, and the universe, through the power of positive vibrations.

A. Billi Free is a Midwest-bred, Southwest-based vocalist, emcee, DJ and beat maker. Her sound is rooted in an eclectic blend of Hip Hop, soul and electronica. Free began her performance career in Chicago providing vocals for various Hip Hop and world music outfits but has spent the last decade in the desert fusing elements of both the city, the border, and now the cosmos, into her sound.  Recent releases include the single “Love, Music & Salad”; a rap ode to health, the “CNJR” EP as one half of the hip hop/soul duo BLK MGC on Machine Wash Music and a beat tape, “Room of Surfaces,” via ETC Records.  

Coming off their “Constellate” short play on Tokyo Dawn Records, Tensei consists of the forward thinking Chicago based composer / musician tandem of Midas Wells and Chris Kramer. Unlike the previous release that featured several elite jazz virtuosos accenting the compositions, I Luma displays Tensei as the primary musicians of the piece.   

Similar Vocalists
Sade, Lauryn Hill, Bjork, Mecca Butterfly, Yazmin Lacey, Jack Davey 

Similar Producers
Kaidi Tathlum,  Adrian Younge, Shafiq Husayn, Nicolay

**FOR DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION PURPOSES**

MAIN ARTIST 1: A Billi Free
MAIN ARTIST 2: Tensei
FEATURED ARTIST TRACK 1 “Flourish” Angel Bat Dawid


All Tracks (For Publishing)

Author: Billi Drakeford (ASCAP 544071275), Christopher Kramer (BMI 00643227167)
Composer: Christopher Kramer (BMI 00643227167), Roderick Jackson (BMI 00643239353)
Credits
All vocals & lyrics - A. Billi Free 
Composed, Produced, Arranged, & Mixed - Tensei
Guitar  - Kevin Mitchell (Track 3, 8)
Clarinet - Angel Bat Dawid (Track 1,2,8)
Trumpet - Sam Trump (Track 5), Kafele Bandele (Track 3)
Sax - Ryan Tedder (Track 10)
Strings - Arema Arega (Track 9)
Bass - Brandon Meeks (Track 10)

08 Movement MASTER

07 Bold Heart MASTER

To Be Released 5/20/2019 on all platforms. bandcamp/spotify 5/15

Fresh off the release of their acclaimed record Constellate on Tokyo Dawn Records, Chicago’s production powerhouse, Tensei joins forces with the soulful dynamo that is Georgia Anne Muldrow (Brainfeeder, Stones Throw, SomeOthaShip) to self-release the feel-good jam “Walk It Out.” 

The record features contributions from emerging spiritual jazz stalwarts Greg Spero (Halsey, Makaya McCraven), Brandon Meeks, and Kafele. Timed appropriately for the late spring, early summer flowering period in nature, Walk It Out is a danceable invitation to release your pent up energy, rather than letting it fester.

The single will be a Bandcamp feature from May 15, 2019 to May 20, 2019 (with corresponding editorial). On May 20, 2019, the song will be released ton all other platforms. Along with the main vocal version, Tensei is also releasing instrumental variation along with two exclusive remixes, one by Tokyo Dawn labelmate  Inkswel featuring John Robinson (Scienz of Life), and a second remix from the extraordinary Kenny Keys.

Mixed and Mastered by Benjamin Tierney.

For more on Tensei, we invite you to check out http://realtensei.com.

For more on Georgia Anne Muldrow. we encourage you to share her recent Tiny Desk Concert on NPR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Otlu-H_5to

Walk It Out

Walk It Out feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow (Original Version)

Remixes by Inkswell feature John Robinson, Kenny Keys, and the instrumental for the original tune for your listening pleasure.

Walk It Out Feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow & John Robinson (Inkswel Remix)

Tensei first appeared via LA Based indie label Plug Research, premiering a critically acclaimed remix to Bilal’s Robots on the LA Times. Later, they went on to release a series of Instrumental EP’s heavily influencedby Jazz, Soul, and Funk that was played by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs, Anthony Valadez, Le Mellotron, and other good music outlets.  Today they have switched focus to produce and write mostly music with vocalists, the first of these endeavors is the “Danger Us”project with fellow Chicago native ADaD.  New LP coming in 2018 and new projects in the works!

Tensei

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