I’ve said it before and I will say it again, do not underestimate the power of social media. Artists not only have to create music and perfect their art, they also have to personally do the leg work to promote their music – from cold-calling emails to pitching themselves to media, with fingers crossed that the recipient will take the time to listen to their music. That is exactly what happened here. Meemee Nelzy sent an email via Facebook, introducing herself and music. Everything was available after the first click to hear her music and I was blown away.

Born in Paris, France and a native French West Indian, Meemee Nelzy, brings her rich heritage into her music. Her debut album Âme Nouvelle, was independently released last December and she has been steadily working with various underground artists. In 2008, she sang the hook to Large Professor‘s “Chill,” a song which appeared on Dela‘s album, Changes of Atmosphere, and recently produced a song for Iman Williams.

Singing completely in French, her adlibs make you forget that English is not the language sung, which only highlights the dichotomy between music and culture. Meemee‘s music is âme nouvelle (nu soul), with a beautiful voice, and production to match. Watch Meemee’s video for “L’Essentiel” and listen to ”Soulagée” below. Nice vibe. Âme Nouvelle is available on here on eMusic.com.

“Soulagée”

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It’s finally here — the New Amerykah, Part Two: Return of the Ankh and it was worth the wait. Part One was riddled with heavy political messages, while Part Two stares love in the face, with mixed emotions, battles with commitment, honesty, freedom, and fright —phases in new love.

This album is a little more sample heavy than her previous releases—the favourite being the short but sweet, “Agitation” which uses David Sancious‘s 70s classic, ”Just As I Thought.” While Erykah’s cover of Sylvia Striplin‘s “Turn Me Away” is more to its original form with the wiry bassline and slapping drums, it plays like an ode to Notorious B.I.G. as she recounts his lyrics also. ”Fall in Love (Your Funeral)” uses former Temptation, Eddie Kendrick‘s “Intimate Friends” which was also used by Alicia Keys for “Unbreakable.” Despite that, Erykah still manages to make the tune sound brand new with her funkafied spin. We’ve heard about the hypnosis she bestows upon the chosen few, and “Fall in Love (Your Funeral)” acts like a deterrent, as she croons, “you don’t want to fall in love with me,” which could even mean her not wanting to fall in love either. The rotation track is “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long,” where she whispers, “Gone baby gone, don’t be long” to her lover, providing the understanding of giving your partner the freedom to be and do whatever they need, but not to be gone for too long.

Badu’s Return of the Ankh contains all that psychedelic funk and soul grooves we’ve grown to love her for. It’s a great time to be living in the world of New Amerykah; this is her world, and we live in it! Let’s take Erykah Badu to triple platinum. Go get your physical copy here!

“Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long”

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“Love”

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Amazing video! Turning objectification on its head, Ms. Erykah Badu clearly has given us something to think about. Can one evolve in objectification? Yes. But the choice is yours. I love this woman’s work! New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) hits stores 3.30.10. Get your copy; it’s mandatory.

Here’s the first tune off Paul White & the Purple Brain‘s sophomore album, “Ancient Treasures.” The South London producer, Paul White, largely known for his inventiveness when creating sounds, is pushing the envelop even further. Usually, his beats are more hip hop oriented, with Paul White & the Purple Brain, the sounds are futuristic and airy, taking from the intense sounds of the psychedelic era of the 60s, with the crazy penetrating guitar riffs and keyboard sounds, mixing it with a hip hop pulse. I’m excited to hear this album when it comes out this year.

Check out the tune below “Ancient Treasure” below, which is available for a free download from Paul White’s One-Handed Music Website.

“Ancient Treasures”

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Now if you’re familiar with Robert Glasper, you’ll know that his jazz works are outstanding; he has worked with practically all notable artists in hip hop—so it’s no surprise that French producer, Dela took on the challenge of refashioning Glasper’s hip hop infused jazz to some chilled out Dilla-esque beats. It’s beauty, pure beauty.

Dela used Robert Glasper’s 2007 release In My Element as the benchmark for the beat tape, after hearing it briefly in 2007, and then again after Glasper released his Double Booked (read review here). Dela said of In My Element, “Some of the interludes are basically hip-hop beats already… So… I was like, I can’t sample the whole album and get away with it, can I? Can I?? I felt guilty already, so I figured I might as well do it, but call it a remix album.” Listening to The Robert Glasper Beat Tape, it blows my mind that In My Element received lukewarm reviews, partly because jazz purist don’t welcome hip hop and jazz being one in the same when it comes to art forms. Remixing In My Element is a true testament of the two art form are a match made in heaven.

Listen to “Get Busy” below then head over to Dela’s Bandcamp site for the free download of The Robert Glasper Beat Tape. You might as well make a trip to iTunes and get yourself a copy of In My Element while you are at it.

What can be said about Phraim? He’s a unique soul who approaches music with an eclecticism that transforms into something sweet. Hailing from the South Side of Chicago, spending most of his life as a music fan first, then delving into the world of poetry as an emcee, his content brings in elements one gets from being a world sojourner. Being a Chicago native, a city that is a musical haven of all sorts, Phraim affirms that the city “is filled with savvy sometimes confused schizophrenic music makers, self included.”

Silver Lined, released through Phraim’s Gritty Groat label, is a”unique sonic exploration,” combining temporal sounds which flow through space. Although there are no real vocalists on this album (other than the occasional loop), the production contains a tonal arrangement likening to someone singing a melody. The influences stem from classic soul, R&B, electronica, and hip hop, with hard hitting pulsating drums. Silver Lined is a relaxing piece of work, especially for a season all about renewal.

Check out a couple of songs below, and get a free download of Silver Lined by Phraim.

“Blessing of Life”

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“Code Read”

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Bonobo (a.k.a. Simon Green), producer and DJ, released his debut album Animal Magic (2001, Tru Thoughts), in the category of trip-hop and quickly garnered the title of “new downtempo pioneer.”  Since then he has released Dial M for Monkey (2003, Ninja Tune) and Days to Come (2006, Ninja Tune) receiving a lot of attention from labels and critics alike.  Now with his latest release, and a ton of notoriety attached to his name, is Black Sands. Bonobo brings elements of jazz, hip hop, and electronica into his works, creating these chilled medleys of music which fall softly like fresh, fluffy snow. The instrumentals are full, where each composition unfolds like a crescendo of emotion. His music has appeared in many popular TV shows such as Lost, Californication, The L Word, and CSI, to name a few.

Last month, we mentioned Bonobo currently working with Andreya Triana on her solo album, which is scheduled to release this spring; definitely something to be on the look out for. Below is the new video for “Eyesdown” from Black Sands, featuring the dreamy vocals of Andreya Triana. Black Sands hits stores March 29th, and pre-orders will receive a limited edition 5-inch blue vinyl record containing the track “Kiara.” Check out the video below, a couple of cuts off the album, and go to Bonobo’s website for a free download of “Eyesdown” (Warrior One Remix). Enjoy!

“1009″

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“Eyesdown” feat. Andreya Triana (Warrior One Remix)

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Firstly, we have to commend the Ty team in having a clear road map for this release. The journey is filled with anticipation and build ups, and everything seems to be going according to plan.

Now we have the actual release of “Emotions,” the single. What is very apparent with the teasers received thus far is, there are no digging in the crates Dilla bites, no far-reaching eclecticism of Sa-Ra track –  it’s simply, Ty! Calling upon some of UK’s renowned producers for these remixes — Daz-I-Kue, Dego and Akwasi, and Waajeed — who all bring something unique to “Emotions.” This year is definitely turning into what I predicted—The Year of the Eargasm. It’s seldom when you buy a single and every mix, including the original, is rock solid. Emotions is that! Check out the Waajeed mix below and head over to iTunes to get yourself a copy. The album, Special Kind of Fool hits in April 19th. Mark your calendars; you won’t want to feel the shame of having a late pass in your hand with this one!

“Emotions” by Ty (Waajeed Remix)

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Editorial Addition: DJ Bounce put together a “Something Big! Mixtape, available for free download and features the broad range of collaborations Ty has recorded with friends all over the world. Download links for “Something Big! Mixtape” are Usershare or MediaFire

Full Tracklist
01    Skit – Intro
02    Break The Lock – TY
03    Dont Watch That – TY
04    Worldwide – Funky DL (ft TY) Hot Mix
05    Down For The Count – Reflection Eternal (ft TY & Blak Twang) UK version
06    Skit (Ghetto Yout)
07    Hey There – 2000 Black aka Dego & Kaidi Tatham (ft TY)
08    Skit (Space Monkey)
09    Phantom Of The Opera – TY (ft Anthony Mills)
10    Me – TY (ft Erik Rico)
11    Pick It Up – Nathan Haines (ft TY) Submariner remix
12    Dont Push Me – Tettory Bad (ft TY)
13    Groovement – TY
14    Emotions – TY (ft Sarina Leah & Shaun Escoffery) Album version
15    Heart Full Of You – Robert Mitchell (ft TY & Deborah Jordan)
16    Keep On – Bone Idols (ft TY & Aphletik)
17    Woman To Man – Tony Allen (ft TY)
18    Can’t Help Myself – The Bamboo’s (ft TY)
19    Legacy – Zion I (ft TY & Jennifer Johns)
20    When Robots Go To War – TY (ft Motet) Daz I Kue remix
21    Wait A Minute – TY (Dwele remix)
22    Emotions – TY (Waajeed remix)
23    Style & Pattern – John Arnold (ft TY)
24    The Way We Like It – Natalie Williams (ft TY & Eska)
25    The Idea – TY (ft De La Soul’s Pos & Dave)
26    Outro

A year ago, when Muphoric Sounds was born, I did a feature on the “Wave of Girl Power“, where I mentioned three amazing women who were clearly bringing sexy back with their own personal style and attitude. YahZarah was one of these young ladies. It was announced last year that The Foreign Exchange‘s Nicolay and Phonte had taken YahZarah under their wings and the internet world roared with cheers!

“Why Dontcha Call Me No More” is the first single from the forthcoming album entitled, The Ballad of Purple Saint James, scheduled to release May 4th, which is sure to be pure eargasm. This woman has worked with the best in the music world—a former backing singer for Erykah Badu, and has performed with Prince, Chaka Khan, R.Kelly, Bilal, The Roots, Talib Kweli, and J*Davey. Her vocal range is outstanding, not only can she funk it out (as she does on this single “Why Dontcha Call Me No More“), but she can also sing the hell out a ballad with her impeccable, pristine voice.

Listen to “Why Dontcha Call Me No More,” and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to hear it on repeat. So get the free download pack, which includes the single, cover art, and an avatar you can use on Twitter to promote the album’s release date.

“Why Dontcha Call Me No More” by YahZarah from The Ballad of Purple Saint James

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Tis the season for independent music artists to shine—SXSW is currently in full swing, and next week is the annual Winter Music Conference which takes place South Miami Beach. Most deejays who can’t attend, would just call a spade a spade and leave it at that. However, DJ Applejac, from Decatur, GA, unable to attend this year, put together an amazing soulful house mix to get those who are headed south in the mood for some endless nights of music and dancing. This mix is exactly what soulful house does to me, makes me want to get up, dance, and be free. Featuring a dynamic mix of artists from Lalah Hathaway, Sting, Jesse Boykins III, Dezaray Dawn, Ananda Project, Applejac puts his own personal spin on each remix. I especially like the playful and directness of Petula Caesar‘s “Sex Shoes” – apparently this song came out a year ago and wasn’t chosen as a Traxsource pick! The Sting remix took me by surprise—such a laid back, funky groove. This would definitely get Sting’s approval.

Listening to this entire mix leaves me with one question: Can we get this guy to play in our town?

Check one of my favourite cut off the mix and get your free download below.

“Fragile” by Sting (Applejac’s Sounds Of Mecca Remix)

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Download Applejac’s Pre-WMC Treats - GET IT!

The first time I heard “Must Be Something,” it was very reaffirming for me. I cannot call myself a revolutionary or a political activist but when I heard this song I felt that the work I was doing as a teacher and as an artist was validated, reaffirmed, and reenergized. That is the power in this song.

Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson teamed up to create this song on the Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day album in 1975. Scott-Heron, poet and vocalist was born in Chicago, but lived in Tennessee and the Bronx, began recording in 1970 with well-known producer Bob Thiele on the album Small Talk and went on to record the famous Pieces of a Man and is still recording today with the recent release of I’m New Here. Winter in America and Midnight Band weren’t the only collaborations between Scott-Heron and Jackson but they were some of the most powerful albums recorded by the artists.

Brian Jackson, keyboardist and vocalist, was born in Brooklyn, NY and began recording in 1971 with Scott-Heron on the LP Pieces of a Man.  He collaborated with Scott-Heron on many other LP’s; the song “Must Be Something,” was featured on the Midnight Band LP. Not many know that Jackson went on to work with some amazing musicians including Lady Bug Mecca (Digable Planets), Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayers, and Masauko. I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Jackson as I did an illustration based on “There Must Be Something” many years ago and had the opportunity to share it with him.

The song itself is slow and smooth. It is mostly comprised of the two singing in unison with words like, “We didn’t struggle all this time just to give up!” The keys on this song are melodic and progressive, moving forward, much like the point of this song, to keep on moving. Many times in our personal, artistic, professional, or political lives we hit barriers. This song helps me to see through the barriers and get past them. Check it out below and let me know how it moved you.

“Must Be Something” from Gil Scott-Heron’s Midnight Band

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I know I haven’t been in a cave somewhere! So how did I miss these two?!! The sexy retro-soul duo, Nikki & Rich are about to take the world by storm with their forthcoming album. Nikki Leonti, a California native and daughter of a pastor, grew up singing in church and Rich Velonskis, is a Queens-NY born hip-hop and R&B producer. Rich was looking for a vocalist to take his music to the next level and voila!, in comes Nikki! With her sassy vocal style and strong song writing, you can’t help but think, “Where did that voice come from?!” Amazing sound. Very impressed with Nikki & Rich.

Listen to “Cat & Mouse” and “Next Best Thing” below from their forthcoming album which is expected to release later this year, then watch the Nikki & Rich Documentary Trailer. They clearly are having fun with it. It would be so cool if they were actually a couple. I suppose, time will reveal it.

Click on links below to hear songs:

“Cat & Mouse”

“Next Best Thing”

Check out their performance in NYC at the Ramscale Penthouse!

Electrolightz isn’t the kind of group I ordinarily listen to, but I surprisingly liked some of what I heard! Good music is simply good music. Hailing from LA, singer Rami Dearest, rapper Namebrand, drummer Barry Romance, and producer erOc are an electro-dance-hip hop group who formed overnight during a studio session. Their music is true LA dance, the kind of music you’d rock out to in your car, while you exercise, or if dance music is your thing, in a club. Each member brings something unique to Electrolightz — Rami Dearest (the son of renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman), fronted the band Something for Rockets, and whose second album was produced by Mark Hoppus (lead member of Blink 182); Namebrand was Rass Kass’ protégé and traveled the world along with him sharing the stage with Rakim; and erOc, with his production team, Da Riff, have produced video game scores for EA Sports as well as for rappers such as Young Buck, Chamillionaire, and Method Man. Most recently, Electrolightz remixed a few of Lady Gaga‘s tunes and have been getting a lot of attention on the West Coast. They will be taking their energy to SXSW and WMC this month, where they’ll be panelists for The Electro Wars documentary about electro dance music. They are featured artists in the movie alongside Spankrock, LMFAO, A-Trak, DJ Premier, Steve Aoki, and many more.

The Mixtape is a party, taking you through a carefree kind of nightlife of lost love and the complexities of relationships. Sponsored by Power 106 duo The LA Leakers, it includes Interscope endorsed remixes of Lady Gaga‘s “Bad Romance,” “Telephone,” and La Roux‘s “Bulletproof.” So get your Electrolightz on with this free download.

“Promises”

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We cannot deny the genius of the Gorillaz—the virtual animated band that can only exist on screen, has now become somewhat of a cult musical favourite. We have to give props where it’s due – Damon Albarn and visual artist Jamie Hewlett definitely struck gold with the Gorillaz concept.

Plastic Beach, Gorillaz’s third release, continues with their genre-bending sounds, and enlisting a large host of talent from legendary soul singer Bobby Womack, Little Dragon, Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys (of Super Furry Animals), The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music, to De La Soul to name a few.

Plastic Beach skillfully caters to everyone in some way or another, masterfully blending different cultures and genres together, but also giving the Gorillaz a level of maturity within all the gimmickry. The ultimate highs on Plastic Beach are “Empire Ants” featuring Little Dragon, which starts off with metaphorical, breezy lyrics, then launches into a bass-driven Euro-pop dance track where Yukimi’s vocal lullaby floats beautifully over the song. “Sweepstakes” comes with three musical changes, starting with futuristic repetitive chimes that build into a full clash of percussions, drums, bass, horns, and keys, then add Mos Def‘s matter-of-fact repeat of “You’re a winner,” is quite clever, because the tune is a winner. Putting The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music together with UK rappers Kano and Bushy on “White Flag” is an instantaneous head nod.

Overall, Plastic Beach is a happy listen, although Danger Mouse is missing on the production (Danger Mouse has been busy with his new band, Broken Bells, whose self-titled debut album comes out today as well), but to Albarn’s defense, he still managed to push the envelope in sounds and bought in a great mix of artists to assist in unfolding the story of our beloved 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel. Now, can we get Gorillaz: The Movie, please?

Check out the Little Dragon and Mos Def tunes below, then get yourself a copy; it’s available everywhere!

“Empire Ants” feat. Little Dragon

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“Sweepstakes” feat. Mos Def and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

In December, J*Davey released their Boudoir Synema: The Great Mistapes on their Bandcamp page for free download, and one of the songs which stuck out was “Get Together.” Glad to see a the video for it, directed by Dr. V-Chip. Always an interesting duo to watch.

Can I say, New York?! I need to see these guys live…