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Our good friend Jonesy aims to put us in the perfect, relaxed summer mood with this installment of his radio show. It features some of his favorite love tunes from the 60’s through the 80’s from the likes of Rose Royce, Rotary Connection, and Diana Ross.
When we first heard SBTRKT at his US debut during the SXSW Music Festival this March, we knew we were on to something. Just a few days ago, the London-based producer released his self-titled debut on Young Turks. The 11-track album blends a palatable mix of house, electronic, dubstep, and garage while keeping a soulful undertone throughout. According to Billboard, the project was recorded over the span of two years with most of the guest vocalists (Little Dragon, Sampha and Jessie Ware) recording on SBTRKT’s living room couch.
The low-key artist prefers to conceal his identity, keeping his real name to himself and wearing an African mask to his live performances. So, you’d imagine his surprise when he found that Drake chose to re-make his “Wildfire” single featuring Little Dragon. Go figure. Check out the original track for “Wildfire” above – we’ve already looped it about ten times. Also, don’t miss his only four US tour dates slated for this year.
Listen to “Pharaohs” ft. Roses Gabor + US tour dates after the jump
The Park – “Excuses” from John Coyne on Vimeo.
The Bay Area holds a hidden arsenal of musicians that often tend to remain behind the scenes. Amongst them is The Park, with a rhythm section consisting of Derek Taylor (drums), Josh Lippi (bass), Ben Schwier (keyboard), and Nate Mercereau (guitar). Having spent the last several years backing the likes of Alice Russell, Darondo, Freddie Gibbs, and Big KRIT, the group has been meticulously crafting their debut alongside their very busy schedule.
This week, The Park finally released The Process EP and we are super juiced. The first single, “Excuses,” is a funky, jazzed out soul groove that’ll have you body rolling in no time – check out the video above!
While The Black Opera has been secretive about its membership, its mission is displayed in plain sight: to be a “counter-cultural musical movement” of performing artists and musicians. On June 21st, the collective issued its first project, dubbed Overture. The 7-track release is available to stream in full via an interactive YouTube playlist. Above, we’ve cued up the playlist to one of our favorite tracks, “Legendary Scrolls.”
Purchase Overture on iTunes
Hailing from Chelmsford, Essex, Gold Panda has been stirring a steady buzz for the last couple years with his hard-hitting live shows and catchy, trancey hip-hop production. Per his admitted affinity for and study of Japanese culture, his tracks also often hold an air of Eastern instrumentation. His most recent single, “MPB,” premiered on The Fader about a week ago and showcases a fantastical blend of bright tropical sounds. Stream and download below! Look out for his US tour in October, too.
RH Loft Party: Mia Doi Todd + José González from Red Hot on Vimeo.
Red Hot + Rio 2 is out today! This modern tribute to the late 60’s Brazilian Tropicália movement sheds new light on the songs of this influential, politically charged era, which changed the culture of the country forever. Featuring an impressive 33 original collaborations between Brazilian legends and international indie artists alike, the album features: John Legend, Alice Smith, Aloe Blacc, Cults, Angelique Kidjo, Os Mutantes, Devendra Banhart, Caetano Veloso, Seu Jorge, Beck, Bebel Gilberto, José González, Beirut, Tom Zé, Javelin, Of Montreal, Marisa Monte, Madlib, and others. Red Hot + Rio 2 is the Red Hot Organization’s most recent project aimed raising money for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.
Mia Doi Todd + José González – “Um Girassol da Cor do Seu Cabelo” [MP3]
There were trees, there was sun, there was music and gosh darn it was fun! Our annual party in the park is an NYC tradition that we all really look forward to and we want to thank all of you who came out this year to get down with us. Enjoy some photos from the Saturday, June 25th show, courtesy of Seher Sikandar, as we start plotting next year’s installment.
The first single from Björk’s forthcoming Biophilia is here! Sounding something like a lullaby in space, “Crystalline” sends you into a drowsy meditative state and then yanks you right out with its dramatic alien invasion closing. Aliens with machine guns, though. Biophilia is rumored to release on September 26th and will take the form of 10 iPad apps, one for each track. Sounds like it’s going to be one for the books, and of course, we’d expect nothing less.
Purchase “Crystalline” on iTunes
frank ocean [novacane] from christopher francis ocean on Vimeo.
Frank Ocean stars in the hazy video for his addictive track, “Novacane,” featuring impressively minimal facial and mouth movement. Directed by none other than the amazing Nabil Elderkin, the simple video does without too many frills while still remaining visually interesting. Some may know Nabil from his work with Kanye West on a photo book for the famed ‘Glow in the Dark’ Tour.
Want more Frank? Def Jam will be re-releasing Frank’s popular mixtape as the Nostalgia, Ultra EP on July 26th.
