Conch Records
Article: Brainfeeder Label by Martyn Pepperell
VIDEO: Eglo Records (UK)
VIDEOS: Redbull Music Academy London 2010
The 2010 edition of the Redbull Music Academy is currently happening in London. Part of the Academy features lectures from some of today's leading lights within the music scene. Check below for a selection of some of the lectures and check here for more.
Gabriel Roth - Daptone Records
Soul flows freely from the pores of producer/bandleader/composer Gabriel Roth – much like snot streams down the filtrum of a feverish child. Born in a log cabin in Twin Peaks, CA (absolutely true) some time in the ’70s, Roth survived traumatic brushes with record industry scumbags and near financial ruin before successfully launching his heralded soul/funk/afrobeat/gospel-centric record label, Daptone, with partner/sax maniac Neal Sugarman in the early ’00s. HQ-ed in scenic Bushwick, Brooklyn in a renovated two-story hovel in which Roth himself installed the plumbing with bleeding, blistered hands (at least partly true), Daptone’s “House of Soul†studios provide analog relief from the rest of the pop sphere’s relentless digital din. And it is under Roth’s leadership and guidance that the label’s dynamic roster of artists – e.g. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the Budos Band, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, Menahan Street Band et al – has epic-ly flourished, going from cult-followed curiosities to global soul ambassadors in just a few short years. Indeed, Gabriel Roth is the aglet to Daptone’s groove-imbued fibres. The resulting lace is ace.
Links:
Daptone Records Gabriel Roth in NY Times
Dam Funk - Stones Throw Records
Known as Los Angeles' "Ambassador of Boogie Funk," this man represents the citizens of the Funkmosphere to the fullest. Headquartered in the Culver City section of L.A., DâM (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, DâM attracts the most discerning boogie funk aficionados 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 and Prelude Records, will get a dose of those groups' unknown contemporaries more obscure but equally funk-worthy. By plugging in his arsenal of vintage synths and drum machines, DâM also channels the galactic harmonies of his inspiration into his own brand of modern funk: it comes as now surprise that Peanut Butter Wolf brought him on to the Stones Throw team to glide into the future with his unique, synth and bass-driven vibe. A new chapter for Southern Cali space funk? DâM right!
Links:
Stonesthrow Records Dam Funk's MySpace
Moodymann - Mahogani Music
Rollerball enigma and silhouetted man-on-the-mic Kenny Dixon Jr. aka Moodymann is one of the most enigmatic and charismatic figures that house music ever bred. Despite his refusal to give interviews and play the press-and-promo game, Kenny’s voice has been clearly amongst the loudest, when it comes to preserving the rich heritage of Afro-American music, while fighting the music industry powers that be. Blessed with an immaculate way of sampling, he takes stems from blues and soul, and respectfully takes them onto the next level – just check his Tribute (To The Soul We Lost) ode to Marvin Gaye for proof. From his dark and dusty deep house tunes on Peacefrog, Planet E and his own KDJ label, to his more recent outings on the R&B-drenched Mahogani Music imprint as well as his 2009 sure-fire anthem Freaky MF, Moodymann's fingerprint has stayed unmistakable. Even a so-called techno tune like Dem Young Sconies sounds like nothing and nobody else on this planet. You can't kick this feeling when it hits!
Links:
Moodymann's MySpace Mahogani Music
Jay Electronica
Jay Electronica swept onto the hip hop scene in a wave of enigma late last decade. The effect of his quirky, emotional sound was compounded by the erratic methods of their release, drifting out unannounced via the internet - the Myspace leak of Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), a fifteen minute opus laced with movie samples and beatless film soundtracks, represented the beginning of an astounding surge of interest in both the man and his music, back in 2007. Since then, the New Orleans-born MC and producer has garnered heavy support from everybody from Nas to Gilles Peterson, and has worked heavily with soulslinger Just Blaze, dropping two instant neo-backpack classics, Exhibit A and Exhibit C. Only recently he partnered with New York-based "idea studio" Decon, working on his debut album as well as a video project with label founder Jason Goldwatch. With more anticipation around his Act II track than the rest of hip hop's class of '10 combined, and another project with fellow supa emcees Mos Def and Curren$y in the making, the future couldn't look brighter for Jay. To paraphrase his recent collaboration with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek: he's only just begun.
Links:
Jay Electronica's MySpaceUpcoming: Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part 2: Return Of The Ankh (Universal)
UPDATE: CD available here, LP due Mid April, for pre-orders contact us at info@conch.co.nz
For more info check here
Erykah Badu will release her sixth studio album, ''New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh,'' on Feb. 23, 2010 on Universal Motown. The 38-year-old Dallas, Texas, born singer says the set is called ''Part II'' because unlike 2008's more conscious-driven ''New Amerykah Part I: 4th World War,'' she is ''more free and full of life'' this time around. ''I called it 'Part II: The Return of the Ankh' because this album is the sister of the left side of my brain -- it is the right side,'' Badu explained during a listening session this week at New York City's Chung King Studios. '''Part I was the left side of my thoughts -- it was more socially political and my thought process was more analytical. This time there wasn't anything to be concerned with -- the album is more emotional and flowy and talks about feelings. It reminds of the days of 'Baduizm' -- this is just about beats and rhymes in a cipher.'' Tracks like ''Window Seat,'' featuring The Roots' ?uestlove on the drums and James Poyser on piano, finds Badu requesting ''a window seat...I don't want nobody next to me,'' over drums and clasps. Meanwhile, she questions ''What did I do to make you fall so far from me?'' atop keyboard riffs on the 9th Wonder-produced ''20 Feet Tall.'' On the banjo-laden ''Don't Be Long,'' Badu pleads her lover to return soon although she understands ''you gotta get your hustle on.'' She taps into her inner B-girl and pays homage to the Notorious B.I.G. on tracks like ''Get Money,'' which features elements of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. feat. Notorious B.I.G. track of the same title, and ''Incense,'' on which she harmonizes the Biggie lyrics, ''there's gonna be a lot of slow singing and flower bringing if my burglar alarm starts ringing,'' over a beat reminiscent of Alicia Keys' ''Unbreakable.'' Some of the other stand-out tracks include ''Fall In Love'' which finds her candidly warning potential lovers, ''You're loving me and I'm driving your Benz / you're loving me and I'm fucking your friends,'' the harp-heavy '' Out of My Mind Just in Time (Part I) (Undercover Over-Lover),'' on which she pleads, ''I hate for you, when I hate you too, if you want me to,'' and '' Out of My Mind Just In Time (Part 2),'' on which she confesses, ''I am a recovering undercover over-lover / recovering from a love I can't get over / and now my lover thinks he wants another,'' over piano strokes. ''Jump In The Air'' was slated to appear on the album, but parts of it leaked on the internet earlier this week, and as a result Badu is unsure if she will include it on the set. ''If anything leaks, I won't put out this album,'' she said about potential future leaks. ''I worked too hard for that to happen. Let a bitch make some money some kind of way.'' The track is said to feature nine MCs including Lil Wayne and her son Seven's father, rapper Andre 3000. In the past six years, Badu, who has been working on this album since the release of ''Worldwide Underground'' in 2003, has recorded over 50 songs for ''Part II.'' She hopes to release an already-completed album titled ''Low Down'' shortly after this release. Tracklisting details: Track Listing for New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh: 1. 20 Feet Tall Produced by Erykah Badu and 9th Wonder 2. Window Seat Produced by Erykah Badu and James Poyser. Featuring Ahmir "?uestove" Thompson (drums), Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner (bass), James Poyser (keys), Kirsten Agnesta (harp) 3. Agitation Produced by Erykah Badu and Shafiq Husayn of SA-RA Creative Partners 4. Get Money Produced by Erykah Badu and Karieem Riggins (drums), Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner (bass), James Poyser (keys), Tommy Trajlio (guitar), Mike "Chav" Chavarria (mooger fooger). Contains an interpolation of "Can't Turn Me Away," by Sylvia Strippling 5. Don't Be Long Produced by Erykah Badu and Taarak 6. Love Produced by Erykah Badu and J Dilla 7. Umm Hmm Produced by Erykah Badu and Madlib 8. Fall in Love Produced by Erykah Badu and Karieem Riggins. Contains a sample of "Intimate Friends" by Eddie Kendricks 9. Incense (Instrumental) Produced by Erykah Badu and Madlib featuring Kirsten Agnesta (harp) 10. Out My Mind Just in Time (Part 1) (Undercover Over-Lover) Produced by Erykah Badu featuring James Poyser (keys) 11. Out My Mind Just in Time (Part 2) Produced by Erykah Badu and Georgia Ann Muldrow * Bonus Web-Only Track: Jump In The Air, featuring Lil Wayne and Bilal Produced by Erykah Badu, RC Williams and Jahborn. Contains an interpolation of "Hydraulic Pump" by Parliament Funkadelic
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