This is the lead off single from Aloe Blacc's forth coming album Good Things, produced by Truth & Soul, and featuring the backing band known as Expressions and El Michel's Affair. The A-Side “I Need A Dollar†has just debuted as the theme song to the HBO series How To Make It In America. The 12-inch "I Need A Dollar" will be in at Conch, April 2010, to pre-order contact us at info@conch.co.nz
It's been 4 Years since Aloe Blacc released his debut full-length (Shine Through) which drew comparisons to everyone from John Legend to R.Kelly, but the wait has been well worth it. Aloe's back bigger & better than ever before with one of the most complete albums I've heard in years. The follow-up album was produced by Brooklyn's own Truth & Soul / El Michels Affair and is as proper of a soul album as there ever was drawing early comparisons to Bobby Womack & Bill Withers. The first single is not even out yet and has already been licensed as the ‘theme song’ for the new HBO Series ‘How To Make It In America’ from the producers of Entourage
Known as Los Angeles' "Ambassador of Boogie Funk," Dãm-Funk represents the citizens of the Funkmosphere. Headquartered in the Leimert Park section of L.A., Dãm (pronounced: 'Dame' as in Damon) spent the last few years cultivating a musical renaissance rooted in the early-'80s styles known as Boogie, Modern Soul and Electro-Funk.
As a DJ/selector, Dãm attracts the most discerning Boogie Funk afficionados within driving distance of his storied Monday-night Funkmosphere parties. But it's not just collectors at the bar toasting to the melodic sounds. Anyone who grooves to the likes of Slave, Aurra, early Prince, Prelude Records and the like, will get a dose of those groups' unknown contemporaries – more obscure but equally Funk-worthy.
The next phase of the Ambassador's mission is his debut album Toeachizown: continuing the classic West Coast tradition into today's scene with Dãm's own original "Modern-Funk" compositions. By plugging in his arsenal of vintage synths and drum machines, Dãm channels the galactic harmonies of his inspiration into his own brand of new boogie. Stones Throw Records' like-minded honcho Peanut Butter Wolf brought Dãm on to the team to glide into the future with his unique, synth and bass-driven vibe. It's a promising new chapter for Southern Cali space funk.
For many this will be one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Mayer Hawthorne's album "A Strange Arrangement" is due to drop in the next few weeks. Avoid any disappointment by letting us know at Conch you want to reserve a preorder - contact us at info@conch.co.nz
Mayer Hawthorne grew up just outside of Detroit, and vividly remembers, as a child, driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the rich soul and jazz history the region provided. “Most of the best music ever made came out of Detroit,†claims the singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, who counts Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson, Mike Terry, legendary songwriting and production trio of Dozier, Holland, and Holland Jr. The “retro†tag is added to almost any contemporary work that sounds like it was originally recorded between 1966 and 1974, and Hawthorne, among the newest contributors to the genre, is aware of how trends come and go. After being introduced to Stones Throw label head Peanut Butter Wolf, even the label boss was skeptical. “He showed me two songs and I didn’t understand what I was listening to,†Wolf recalls. “I asked him if they were old songs that he did re-edits of – I couldn’t believe they were new songs and that he played all the instruments.â€
And after meeting in person, it was even harder for Wolf to believe that Hawthorne was also the lead vocalist. Few expect such heartfelt sentiment to come from a 29-year-old white kid from Ann Arbor, but he has caught the ear of his family at Stones Throw, as well as BBC Radio 1 host Gilles Peterson and producer/DJ Mark Ronson. Expectations are high for the admitted vinyl junkie who never planned on taking his crooning public. Hawthorne’s hanging-by-a-string falsetto and breakbeat production on his first recorded effort, the tender “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,†are simultaneously Smokey and J Dilla – equal parts “The Tracks of My Tears†and “Fall in Love.†“It’s soul,†he explains, “But it’s new.â€
Hawthorne has produced and played instruments for much of his life, but never intended to become a singer. He isn’t formally trained, and never sang in the church choir or in any of the bands he was in before founding the County (formerly the County Commissioners). But here he is, new school soul sensation, who has taken the Motown assembly-line production model and eliminated nearly every element but himself and a few hired hands. “I think Mayer is the only artist in the history of the label that I’ve signed after hearing only two songs,†says Peanut Butter Wolf. “Sometimes, you just know it’s the right thing to do.â€And for those willing to believe anything is possible, be grateful to have Mayer Hawthorne on the scene. It’s not just throwback music anymore – this revival is all about progression.
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