It’s a monumental moment for any artist to make their debut on the legendary Jools Holland show – but when said artist is just 20 years old and is yet to release his debut album – this is especially true.
Last night, Ed Sheeran did just that. Mass introductions don’t get any better than this. Performing a beautiful rendition of ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ (a track he thanks Jamie Woon for introducing him to) Ed did what he always does – performs.
It is truly remarkable to see how far this young man has come – I can’t think of a more deserving artist. Sheeran has carved a career for himself the good ol’ fashion way – gigging at every opportunity and earning a fan base along the way. Now, signed to Atlantic Records he is currently recording his debut album.
Are two post adolescent teens from the depths of South London really going to be the motive to bring twenty-something year old’s back to the dancefloor? Looks like it.
Brotherly duo, Guy and Howard Lawrence, known as Disclosure have fluttered among our Indie/Pop blogger counterparts gaining favour in their respective realms with previous tracks. But now with this post 2-step, pre-dance vocal, reworked garage number – or shall we just simply term it ‘dance’ music – my ears have taken note, as will the alt-community, I imagine.
It has all the good ingredients of yesteryear. Soulfully looped female vocals, irregular snare patterns, quick paced pads and that skank out, screwface build up of – naturally.
Canada. Seriously. What is in the water over there?
This 5 track mini album from Toronto based producer, Sunclef is his official inaugural into the beatsmith forum. Having released a few earlier tracks sometime last year, it is good to finally hear a collection of Sunclef’s sounds.
This is good, real good. Elements of atomspheric hip hop nodding beats are found via ‘Catch a Drift’ and traces of Spanish/Latino guitar strings welcome in the ‘Samolero’. Or if you’re looking for something to elevate your soul a few notches within 3 minutes of energetic claps and crashes, then ‘Droski’ is your jam.
Sunclef produces a lil’ added value on each track, separating ’The Tesseract’ (if only slightly) from another quintuplet of electro, hip-soul instrumental hybrids floating around in the blogosphere.
After years of near-silence, the Jill Scott updates have been coming in thick and fast over the past few weeks. You won’t find me complaining. And despite not 100% loving her first single featuring Eve (and if I’m being fully honest, her second too featuring Anthony Hamilton) – I am still very much looking forward to the new long player. I mean, it’s Jilly!
Scott’s new album The Light of the Sun is due out June 28th – up top you can peep it’s official artwork and below, it’s tracklist. Alongside collaborations with Eve and Anthony Hamilton, Jilly from Philly has teamed up with Doug E. Fresh and (surprisingly?) Paul Wall on this, her fourth full length LP. Not entirely sure what to make of the latter collaboration, but S-Man reminds me to keep an open mind. I will.
1. “Blessed”
2. “So in Love” feat. Anthony Hamilton
3. “Shame” feat. Eve and The A Group
4. “All Cried Out Redux” feat. Doug E. Fresh
5. “Le BOOM Vent Suite”
6. “So Gone (What My Mind Says)” feat. Paul Wall
7. “Hear My Call”
8. “Some Other Time”
9. “Making You Wait”
10. “Until Then (I Imagine)”
11. “Missing You”
12. “When I Wake Up”
13. “Womanifesto”
14. “Rolling Hills”
15. “The Light of the Sun”
16. “Love Soul Bounce” (Bonus)
17. “Quick” (Bonus)
18. “I Love You” (Bonus)
… Truthfully speaking, I do hope Scott brings something a little different this time round. My main ‘issue’ with the first two leaks were that, in my opinion, they lacked progression. Don’t get me wrong – Jill could sing the phone book and I’d be happy, but four albums in – I do feel it’s time she expressed a sonic evolution. While the Erykah’s, Bilal’s and D’Angelo’s of this world have all flexed their creative apperceptions – I’m yet to fully feel that from Scott. Some may say that this is a good thing (folks who continue to cling to their Baduizm head wraps, still find Badu’s later works alien and confusing), but for me this is an essential step for any artist – especially one as important and special as Jill Scott.
Experimental/Downtempo Soul musician Bilal Salaam should have been more exposed than he is.
First heard one of this Washington natives jawns back in ’07 and he’s released an all too intermittent stream of stuff since – albeit some abstract, ear-swirling work. Did he miss the Electro-Soul boat that was expected to ride the high seas three or four years ago? Maybe…
But now he’s definitely moved forward to the beat of his own metronome, returning unscathed with this fascinating take on Brazilian educator and theorist Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, available here as a 7 track project.
View, listen, read above. Underneath the prose & polyrhythms, you can tell there lies a rather esoteric mind.
Here’s a brand new song from London born singer/songwriter Neon Hitch, produced by Benny Blanco (Spank Rock).
Put simply, ‘Silly Girl’ goes in… Hard. From it’s ‘A Milli’-esque introduction, to the Pop-tastic, Dubstep/Bashment infused production – this is a sure fire (blogosphere) hit. Couple this with Neon’s near-Rap flow and catchy melodic tendency and you have a perfect (summer jam) storm. Not too sweet, not too sour – come like Goldilocks.
‘Silly Girl’ is taken off Hitch’s forthcoming album Beg Borrow & Steal – due out later this year.
He was amongst a new generation of Leftcoast trailblazers at the end of the last decade who genuinely gave the West it’s first glimpses of revival. Fellow champions of LA lyricist Blu – how bloody long have we been waiting for this?
Tracklisting for his debut solo set leaked via a mysterious tumblr earlier that had the heads murmuring (clickworthy, some brilliant photography on there). Considering long anticipated NoYork is on a major (Warner), he’s managed to seize a crazy, off-beat feature list: Theophilus London, U-God, Edan, J* Davey, Pac Div, U-N-I, Tiron, Ayomari, Co$$, Tiombe Lockhart, Suzi Analogue with production from Madlib, Flying Lotus, Shafiq Husayn, Knxledge, Exile, Samiyam, Daedalus & Dibia$e. Wet!
It’s endearing for genuine fans how he’s developed lyrically and stylistically since his breakthrough project Below the Heavens with Exile in ’07, where he’d shown that immense promise at a relatively young age. Last year, I would actually say the verses he exhibited on The Roots outstanding tenth effort How I Got Over were amongst some of the dopest, deepest bars to grace wax amongst his peerage. Maybe, finally, this is his time. Don’t let us down Blu.
1. Doin’ Nothin Feat. U-God)
2. Everything Ok Feat. Jack Davey)
3. Super Dooper U
4. A Bove Crenshaw feat. Cashus King)
5. Every Body Nose
6. SLNGBNGrs
7. Ta G’s feat. Exile
8. Hours
9. Annie Hall
10. Spring Winter Summer Fall feat. Jimetta Rose)
11. Down To Earth feat. The Donel Smokes, Double O, Definite
12. My Sunshine
13. Ronald Morgan feat. Edan
14. Jazmine
15. And The Jazzmen
16. Keep
17. Doin Something
Not exactly new if you’re a bloggofreak – been floating around for the last year in unrefined, straight-out-the-DAW form. Final mix-down is now ready, still lo-fi, but why debase it’s underdog charm right?
Remember initially, this song severely inflamed my inner-snob. Production-wise it’s nothing new that hasn’t been done by the Hudson Mohawke’s of this world (like, 3 years ago, where have you been?) and some easy-listening latecomers blared on like they’d just fallen upon some futuristic stool music (songs sung, whilst sat, on stools, you know what I’m referring to). Saw others clambering to categorize ‘BTSU’ for their benighted sanity, calling it Dubstep (wtf?). Pretty sure those are the same heads who only discovered ‘R&B’ by way of ambient electronica last year…
In my opinion, BTSU’s strengths in fact lie in 22 year old North Londoner Paul’s subtle, pining falsetto, sitting on the right side of sweet with a satirical edge that make it feel like a more quixotic synthesis than it really is. Still curious to hear more from him as both producer and harmonizer. Readers, see what you think for yourself.
This guy also lives down the road from my Dad’s house. Self-indulgent trivia.
New visuals from Stones Throws’ MED, produced by J.Rocc and off his Bang Ya Head 3 (Special Edition) project. Not my favourite MED release, but definitely worthy of a spin. Check it out…
One of my favourite artists on the Ninja Tunes imprint. Singer/songwriter Fink’s new longplayer has been described as “a smouldering, pulsating, and purposeful book of songs”. Perfect Darkness bristles with tense passion and hypnotic charm. It is, in two words, bewitching and addictive. Judging by this new record he is set to emerge into the bright lights of long-deserved mass recognition. Enjoy the title track from the new album and download below…if you don’t already know…get to know!!
Perfect Darkness will be released June 13th on Ninja Tune… Cop that.
This dropped over the weekend courtesy of those good peoples @Bamalovesoul. Really dope funky remix of this absolute classic courtesy of Dj Needles aka Nodzilla whose mixtape I posted back in Feb which is an essential!! This is going to be a summer jam
Here is what happens when you put the G that is Aloe Blacc in Radio 1′s Live Lounge! Awesome version of the Jay-Z classic you have to be brave to touch. I for one am so excited about seeing Aloe at Sommerset House as part of the summer series in July and then again at the Big Chill festival…what a talent. Real vibes.
Ikebe Shakedown is a Brooklyn-based band that plays with elements of Cinematic Soul, Afro-funk, Deep Disco, and Boogaloo in all the right ways. Named after a favorite Nigerian boogie record the group delivers a driving set of tunes featuring a mighty horn section anchored by tight, deep-pocketed grooves. Their debut LP “S/T” is released on June 7th (Ubiquity). The 7” single, “Tujunga” will be available May 10th…enjoy!!!
Filmed on an estate in Brixton, producer Toddla T gets his Jazzie B stabs on for this 90s inspired dancefloor filler and video. ‘Take It Back’ features Shola Ama (where’s she been hiding?) and J2K.
Summer. London city. BBQs. Yard shoobz’s. Sweaty raves. Let’s go.
His new album Watch Me Dance debuting on Ninja Tune, released later in the year features Roisin Murphy, Skream, Wayne Marshall and Ms Dynamite among others.
Oh & here’s the Dillon Francis remix of the track, available for free download below…
Echoing my own personal sentiments exactly, Wolf Haley hits the front page of the Express with his finest Slick Rick wigpiece.
So, is everyone ready for OFWGKTA mania next week in our hometown’s Camden Crawl? You’ll be able to locate the PinBoard staff in the mosh pit, shanking wimps around us with broken Corona bottles. Standard.
Also read strong rumours that the gang may have been on paperwork power moves with a Red Distribution/Sony deal that could enable them the creative freedom they’ve been anchored on, with all members signing under one umbrella. Their manager Chris Clancey’s stated:
“It’s based on getting the distribution deal we’ve always envisioned that allows the group to “sign themselves” to their own company and keep their masters. They will have 100% creative control of all aspects of their music, art, and release schedule with no 3rd party participation in outside business. Freedom and ownership was the whole point. Red and Sony know that its in everyone’s best interest to maintain the group’s authenticity and control. They built it, they deserve it. There’s no cheesy hooks or fluorescent liquor product placements in the works.. It’s about to be fun.. and different.. “
Tyler later tweeted, “Odd Future…Records? Maybe.”
Prefer hearing this over hearsay of Roc Nation, Interscope and Diddy deals – all sounded so cliche and this group is their own stable, we as fans expect them to set their own standard with a distribution deal. The announcement of a flexible one album deal with XL Records was a genius move in itself given their liberal, power-to-the-artist stance. Let’s see how this unfolds.
