After 10 years, Testiculo y Uno are back with a new album Two. The duo consisting of Twit One and Hulk Hodn continued where they left off with chilled jazz rhythms laced with dope drums. If you aren’t familiar with the two the Cologne , Germany producers, I highly recommend checking out their discography. They both have some real bangers, so go grab a coffee, press play and enjoy the sounds.
Oh man Christmas is coming early!!! There are some folks who are against screwing around with classic albums, I am of the opposite viewpoint. Go mess around and chop it up, and if it is done well, the same essence and vibe will come through. Abstract Orchestra, the dope live band out of the UK, has done it with their first release of Fantastic 2020 Vol. 1. They have reinterpreted some classics songs with the live instrumentation. There layering and arrangement gives a new dimension to each song. J Dilla would be proud for sure and the best part is there is a Vol. 2 coming out.
It’s been a long minute but the mini hiatus is over, the sounds and rhythms are back!!! The first post back is a heater with Kamaal Williams dropping his DJ-KICKS mix. The mixing is flawless, the track selection is on point, and it flows perfectly like you are on this epic journey of sound. You begin the adventure at Soul move through Jazz then off to Hip-hop and then get lost going in circles stopping at different sounds. It is one of the freshest mixes I heard in a long time. If you haven’t heard of Kamaal Williams, step up your game and check out one the dopest producers in the UK. Secondly, this album is dope, go cop it!
The dope producer Mecca:83 just dropped a new EP the Journey and it is fire!!! I am an addict for horns and he provides the hit. Throughout the EP, Mecca:83 arranges and orchestrates some dope beats, you feel like you should be traveling in some uncharted lands. The track New Hues is truly a journey in the land of the horns. It has been on a repeat for the last few days. Go cop this free EP!!
Summer is upon us, the warm winds and long days bring positive vibes and bright outlooks. One of my favorite parts of summer is the new music that comes out, and this summer starting off with a bang. The acclaimed Amerigo Gazaway just dropped a new mash-up album with the collaboration of two musical legends, Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill. The album Miseducation of Eunice Waymon is more than just a regular mash-up album, Amerigo’s orchestration and arrangements elevate the album to almost original collaboration. It was like Lauryn Hill and Nina Simone were in the studio together recording the album. Amerigo Gazaway always comes correct with his collaborations and this album is no different, go cop the album.
Whoa!!! March 20 can’t come any quicker. The illustrious beatmaker Medline will be dropping his new tribute album A Quest Called Tribe and the first few singles are bangers. Medline has made a career of recreating and transforming classic hip-hop tracks in these new modern fused songs. He adds this layered approach to each song which gives the track a more complicated rhythm and arrangement. However, Medline never loses the original song in the productions. The listener can always hear the original orchestration. Go cop this album in March, and make sure you check out Medline.
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great restful holiday filled with joy, laughter, and most of all music. Let’s get the year started quick and right. Jakarta Records is probably one of the most consistent music labels always releasing top quality music. They have a wide range of artists from Jazz to Hip-hop including the illustrious songstress Nanna.B. After the success of her two highly acclaimed EPs, the Danish singer released her full-length album Solen. It is a heater, her voice is so dope! It is hard to categorize her sound, it is a mix of hip-hop, RnB and soul sprinkled with some jazz and electronic. The production on the album is tight never overwhelming Nanna.B’s voice. Go cop the album!
It has been a few years since the changing of the global album release day changing from Tuesday to Friday but I think this probably the most excited I have been for Friday releases. Two Jazz heavyweights, Jose James and Cecile Mclorin Salvant, are dropping their albums today. Jose James’ new album is a tribute to the late great Bill Withers and man it is a heater!! Jose puts his own style on all Bill’s hit songs, my favorite is the duet with Lalah Hathaway on Lovely Day. Go check it out!
Madame Salvant’s fifth studio album The Window is also full of tributes to some RnB greats such as Stevie Wonder and the late Aretha Franklin. The cover of One Step Ahead is amazing, it is really different from the original but still so smooth. Cecile’s voice is still on point!
Don’t hesitate and take a listen!
Christmas is coming early this year, Nov 2nd exactly!! The dope all-star hip-hop band Abstract Orchestra will be dropping their second length full-length album Madvillain that day. Following their debut album, which was an ode to J Dilla, Abstract Orchestra commemorates the influential collaboration of Madlib and MF Doom and the album Madvillainy. The first single Fancy Clown dropped a couple of days ago, and from just listening to it, I had to pre-ordered the vinyl. The production and arrangements create another layer for you to explore while always staying true to the original. Madlib and MF Doom would definitely approve, go cop this album!!
Let’s get back to the jazziness and the hip-hop! I am pumped to introduce the next group, the trio consists of Summer Sons and C Tappin. Summer Sons are a brotherly group out of Bristol via London with Turt on the lyrics and Slim on the beats. C Tappin is a multi-talented pianist and lyricist provided support to the brothers. The group’s debut album Uhuru, which was inspired by the people and places of Tanzania, is probably one of the smoothest jazz hop albums I have listened to in the last few years. I listened to the album on repeat for two days straight!! The rhymes just float effortlessly over the fluid jazz samples. Go cop this album!
Check out their EP Undertones
ModulatorSoul 