TOTD Strictua - March 2015 TOTD

Knock Him Out Sugar Ray

from the mello music group album "Persona" coming out 3/10.
prod. Oddisee | vocals: Oddisee & Phonte hook: Tamisha Waden | art: Oliver Barrett

If the soul of hip-hop belongs to the culture, the skeleton belongs to the independent label. From Sugar Hill to Def Jam, Tommy Boy to Rawkus, Fondle Em to Def Jux, the genre’s best music has been birthed by imprints that brazenly defy the status quo, those who champion fearless artists and always prize quality over commerce.
 
For the last eight years, Mello Music Group has lived by that ethos. If you’re reading these words, you’re inevitably well aware of its ascendance and growing legacy. But more importantly, you know the artists—those singular voices channeling the spirits of the past and spitting premonitions of the future. Boom-bap at its best: evolving and expanding the art form, capturing stories of the struggle, upholding the tradition, and keeping the crooked honest.
 
Persona unveils the murderer’s row that is the Mello roster of 2015. Oddisee, Apollo Brown, yU, L'Orange, Red Pill, Open Mike Eagle, Rapper Big Pooh, Quelle Chris. The stars of the present teamed with timeless innovators like Phonte (Little Brother), Blockhead, Ras Kass, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Oh No, Masta Ace, and Bilal Salaam. The result is something that binds current greats with the pioneers who paved the asphalt. It’s both a historical moment and hard as hell.
 
If most compilations are nothing more than a loosely thrown together collection of songs, Persona boasts meticulous focus. These aren’t spare tracks, they’re potent messages and poisonous darts. “Requiem” finds Phonte and Oddisee indicting American racism and Xenophobia with fury and precision. On “Homicide,” yU and Nottz leave blood dripping all over the canvas. There’s “Celebrity Reduction Prayer,” where Open Mike Eagle lampoons fundamentalists and religious zealots over Oddisee’s warm Stevie Wonder keyboards.
 
But there’s ultimately no need to do the track-by-track breakdown. This is an anthology in the most traditional well-curated sense. Turn here if you want to find the best hip-hop artists of their generation in raw and unfiltered form. The bars are brimstone; the beats force your neck to swivel. Through all the discontent, rays of hope begin to emerge. If you remember the feeling you got when you first heard Soundbombing, stop searching. The slang has changed, the style remains indelible, the latest personas have emerged. The new sound is here.



Requiem (feat. Oddisee & Phonte)

Pre-order links below:

iTunes: smarturl.it/projectionsit
Ninjashop: smarturl.it/projections
Amazon: smarturl.it/projectionslp

Prison Blues

First single from forthcoming Outrospective album remixed by Inkswel

find out more www.bbemusic.com

Fae Simon is a soulful Jazz singer, a gifted song-writer and a vocal performance instructor with over 20 years of on-stage experience.
 
Formally trained in Opera and Jazz, Fae’s performance style fuses these traditional genres with Hip-hop, Rare Groove, Soul and Dub – a unique sound that electrifies audiences when she performs with her live band.

Her second album ‘Outrospective’  moves on from the theme of intensive relationships and personal reflection - and instead projects outwards to a critique on the tensions between art and industry, communities and authorities, past and present, balance and imbalance. It is scheduled for release in 2015 BBE Records

Twitter: @Afrofaerie Facebook: www.Facebook.com/faesimon YouTube: www.youtube.com/faesimon

Magic City

Fae Simon - Magic City (Inkswel Remix)

mr. layerface, i presume?

01 Oaktree & Avondlicht - Abyss

Projections

Work Song

Why Don't You Save Me  (NoMBe Remix)

Brownswood and Havana Cultura are delighted to announce this new EP from Cuban singer, composer, arranger, choir director, and band leader Daymé Arocena. At just 22 years old, Daymé is already a skillful, charismatic presence in Cuban music. 

Daymé first came to the attention of François Renié, Communications Director at Cuban rum maker Havana Club and founder of the Havana Cultura platform (which co-produced the Havana Cultura album series with Brownswood Recordings) in 2008. He recalls: “Gilles and I met Dayme for the first time on Gilles' first trip to Cuba, with Edrey [from Grammy nominated Cuban project Ogguere] improvising a rumba session at a friend’s place. She started to sing and we were amazed. She was just a teenager." She already knew and listened to the singers, rappers and musicians involved in the Havana Cultura project, but was considered too young to join in. But, just a few years later, her time came with the Havana Cultura Mix project, which saw Gilles Peterson mentoring selected producers from around the world to make a record in Cuba with local musicians. She auditioned, prompting all the producers to decide they wanted to work with her. In the end, she sung on three tracks on the album, including the massive U Knew Before. Seeing huge potential in her, Gilles invited her to London to perform at the album launch event, where she enchanted the packed out audience, and it was decided she should record a solo project for Brownswood Recordings and Havana Cultura. The announcement brought out a loud, rich, infectious laugh instantly recognizable as Dayme’s deep and chocolaty voice. “My first record, here,” she squeals. “It’s a crazy dream.” 

Recorded in just a few days in London and Havana, The Havana Cultura Sessions EP is a great introduction to Daymé’s broad ranging musical talent. Drama showcases her trademark mix of jazz and Latin styles. El Ruso is what Dayme calls ‘a funny song.’  Its story covers her mother’s enforced study of Russian during the heyday of Cuba’s relationship with the Soviets. “Life never says it; does truth tell a lie?” she sings. On Sin Empezar Daymé glows with the range and use of tones in a superb song. Mellow and slow, its moving and stunning inclusion of the trumpet playing slowly with elongated notes. The sharp and crisp drumming and the piano’s impressively subtle phrasesall work in harmony with the chorus and Dayme’s unusually delicate voice in response to some lyrics. A deep ruumba re-imagining of the American torch song Cry Me a River completes the package. 

Daymé Arocena’s The Havana Cultura EP is released on Brownswood Recordings on the 30th May on CD and digital download.  

About Havana Cultura: 
Launched in 2007, Havana Cultura is Cuban rum maker Havana Club’s global platform for the promotion of contemporary Cuban creativity. Its main activities include showcasing the work of artists across various disciplines—including music, visual and performing arts, cinema and literature — through a rich multimedia website as well as the development of cultural projects. 


Daymé Arocena - Cry Me A River

Over the past 6 years WOLF Music have earned their stripes as stalwart purveyors of refined House and Disco. Now, in the follow up to Medlar and Greymatter’s debut LPs and EPs from the likes of Ishmael, Ossie and Casino Times they ready their 3rd LP from Dutchman Frits Wentink.

Now residing in Amsterdam, Frits has a glowing back catalogue of soulful, Lo Fi club material that’s touched Heist Recordings as well as WOLF in the form of his ‘Mouse’ and ‘Goose’ EPs. With an experimental approach to hardware and instrumentation, his work blooms naturally through jams and improv and in this - his debut LP: ‘Rarely Pure, Never Simple’ we see a development in this experimentation to enlivening effect.

Working with a meld of grubby samples, chunky percussion and the frequent vocal accompaniment of Utrecht based Loes Jongerling, Rarely Pure Never Simple is a journey through Frits’ influences forged into a cohesive pack of grooves and interludes tinged with a certain charming nostalgia.

wolfmusicrecords.com
www.facebook.com/wolfmusicrecordings
www.facebook.com/pages/Frits-Wentink

C1 Frits Wentink - The Circus (Soundcloud Clip)

B2 Frits Wentink - Glints (Soundcloud Clip)

'Rituals' 12" / Digital released 23rd March 2015 on @counter-records

Taken from our 'Rituals' 12" single, released 23rd March 2015

Buy the 'Rituals' 12":

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/msriit 
Ninjashop: http://smarturl.it/msrinj

Buy 'Portraits' from:

iTunes: smarturl.it/mspoit
Ninjashop: smarturl.it/msponj

Follow us on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mariboustate
Twitter: twitter.com/mariboustate
Instagram: instagram.com/mariboustate
Spotify: bit.ly/1ITgYsF

Rituals

Rituals (MS Edit)

OUT NOW
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4FumQBQYCNV7GYp03FY4qI
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/liquid-spirit-claptone-remix/id1020668510
Deezer: http://www.deezer.com/album/10848326

CLAPTONE LINKS
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1ec0ZAm
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1zFz9Ou
Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/1dxbgHn
RA: http://bit.ly/1dxbgHn
Beatport: http://btprt.dj/1ESqCWY
Instagram: http://bit.ly/1B2cGbK
Full Tour Schedule: http://bit.ly/1DAKPQL

Berlin based enigma Claptone has just announced to the world that a new remix of Gregory Porter is coming out soon. The Grammy award winning Jazz vocalist is probably one of the coolest people walking the planet with his incredible presence and god given voice. Who else but Claptone could do this voice justice on the dance floor!?


Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit (Claptone Remix)

From the Negotiate EP on Ho_tep records, 

available on limited edition 12" + Digital https://hotep.bandcamp.com/



Henry Wu - Black Rigsby

@hnny
https://soundcloud.com/lphnyc

Part of the Swedish producer's follow up April Solsidan/Alby 12" for NYC label Let's Play House. 

HNNY - Solsidan

Buy 'Natureboy' Debut Album on 2LP Gatefold Vinyl (incl. Download Card), CD or Digital

Bleep goo.gl/7NDMyl
iTunes goo.gl/w2XWtR
Bandcamp goo.gl/lpfBtR

Natureboy

With Me Now Feat. Dirg Gerner

@Glenn-astro
@Wuesli
@WotNotmusic

Glenn Astro currently resides in Essen and has spent half his life producing and DJ'ing. He started out with Hip-Hop and later got into ultra soulful House music.

Glenn returns with another gang of grooves. His warm, soul-infused "Hologram" EP is  is forthcoming on WotNot Music and is set to be released on vinyl March 23rd and digitally early April.

None other than Henry Wu (22a) was called in for help to remix "Love Is Gone", which he does with a delightful, jazz-instilled flip. Since we have been following both closely for a while, we are stoked to exclusively premiere this particular track of the Hologram EP.

It goes without saying that you need to pick up this release if you love that love warm, jazzy, soulful sound. Check out this super limited pre-order (only 20 vinyl copies) and leave a nice comment or REPOST if you dig what you hear.

Read more: http://bit.ly/glennwuluv

BUY HERE

Premiere: Glenn Astro - Love Is Gone (Henry Wu Remix)

Cut and paste + new beat and some synth + additional voices
Happy to share this nu track with u, enjoy!

- original track from the "Soulstar" album _ 2003 _ Def Jam

Musiq Soulchild - Givemorelove (R-point rebounce Edit)

Download

Booty (On the Floor)

A joint project of RBMA alum Guillamino and 100% Silk / Hivern Discs affiliate JMII, @oldegods are a leftfield house duo you should have on your radar. Their 2014 debut on Minºr Plªnets was a tour de force of twisted house and quirky pop, and their new release "Shigatsu Kokonoka" sees them step out with their most euphoric effort to date.

We're proud to premiere this crafty, sensual tune today, along with the announcement that Olde Gods will be playing at the Red Bull Music Academy SonarDôme stage as part of this year's Sónar Festival. The festival takes place in beautiful Barcelona between June 18th and 20th.

"Shigatsu Kokonoka" drops March 30th via Minºr Plªnets on 10" vinyl, including edits by JMII and Benedikt Frey.

http://soundcloud.com/oldegods
http://sonar.es/en/2015/prg/ar/olde-gods_533
http://redbullmusicacademy.com

Olde Gods - Shigatsu Kokonoka

Strictly collecting good music
http://strictua.com/blog/

TOTD Strictua - March 2015 TOTD

Strictua / Blog