New music in 2010 from Omar was on Muphoric Sounds‘s 2009 year end list, and boy do with a have a lovely one. “Special” is the first single from Maddslinky‘s (aka Zed Bias) upcoming album Make a Change, which is set to release on TruThoughts Records October 25, and features a host of UK’s finest independent artists including Tawiah and Skream. The official single hits stores September 13 and will feature remixes from MJ Cole, Toddla T, Chimpo, Atjazz, and Simbad.

“Special” is a sweet, soulful house tune with remnants of UK’s broken beat slaps, and coupled with Omar‘s silky vocals — it’s a winner! Personally, I’m looking forward to what Omar and Mark de Clive-Lowe are cooking up in the lab. But in the interim, enjoy the video below!

If you’re a product of the 60s and 70s, you’ll know all about the cassette tape, the Walkman, and making your own personal homegrown mixtape. If you were as fortunate as me with a mother who liked to blare her music on a banging sound system, which made me feel like a producer who could manipulate sound levels on a tape deck, I knew Shade Cobain‘s Cassette Theory: The Beat EP was going to bring it all back!

Hailing from the unlikely state of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home to many of Jazz’s great musicians, Shade Cobain is a member of a growing collective in hip hop producers rising from Pittsburgh, which includes BusCrates and Grand Ear.

Cassette Theory: The Beat EP is an ode to the cassette tape. As Shade says, “Audio cassettes take us back to a time of mixtapes, home dubbing and low fidelity.” Cassette Theory is a celebration of hip hop’s Golden Era, where music was inventive and original, bringing in sounds of jazz, classic hip hop, and soul, incorporating electronic elements to make it Shade Cobain. Each instrumental is dedicated to a tape brand, which perfectly hones in on the factor of low fidelity married with the hiss of vinyl. It’s pure beauty to listen to. Check out “Private Enemies (Scotch)” below and then head over to Shade’s Bandcamp page for the free download of this incredible beat tape! You can also hear more of this outstanding producer on Soundcloud.

Morcheeba proved themselves to be one of the premier architects of the trip hop movement with their 1996 debut album Who Can You Trust? They went on to multimillion copy sales with their CDs Big Calm (1998) and Charango (2002), which spawned the hits “Undress Me Now,” “Otherwise,” and “Why Beyond,” 2003 saw the departure of lead vocalist Skye Edwards, and brothers Paul Godfrey and Ross Godfrey used various singers on later projects to fill the void left by Skye’s departure. Now, back with their latest CD, “Blood Like Lemonade”, the Godfrey brothers have brought Skye Edwards back to give us the Morcheeba we know and love.

Blood Like Lemonade is smooth and smoky with tinges of dark drama, and complicated love blooming and falling to pieces. “Straight Ahead” is Skye leaving her man after giving him fair warning about what is waiting in the wings for him, and “I Am Spring” is new love emerging and has a little Kate Bush feel to it. You will be transported to a 1960’s subterranean after hours spot with “Easier Said Than Done.” Listening to Blood Like Lemonade several times, each song gives something different with each listen. We highly recommend this one to first time listeners of Morcheeba or long time fans. See the video for their first single “Even Though” below and get a free download of Belgium’s Surfing Leons the bassmud remix.

Blood Like Lemonade can be purchased on iTunes. (Download is in courtesy of RCRDLBL.com and photo by Steve Gullick.)

“Even Though” by Morcheeba (Surfing Leons Afternoon Remix- Download Here)

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I first heard Jackson, Missouri Mississippi native 7even:Thirty on the track “Get Up,” and was hooked, looking forward to hear more music from him. Swedish beat conductor, Erik L, teamed with 7even:Thirty for Rhyme Travelin (Soularp Records) — a great union as 7even:Thirty cannot do the run of the mill type rap. At times his style reminds me of cool cats from the 70s with a CampLo rattle, and ho, hum, flow. Rhyme Travelin also brings in some solid guest appearances from Swedish artists — Paul Mac Innes, Stray, French producer Fulgeance, then Philadelphia native, producer and MC Hezekiah. Erik L‘s dark and sinister, yet sleepy grooves overlaid with 7even‘s flow is a treat to the ear. Watch this space for more!

Check out “Time Travelin,” and let me know what you think! Rhyme Travelin can be purchased at JunoDownload or Amazon.

“Time Travelin” feat. Paul Mac Innes

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Moving in a completely different direction, “Dear God 2.0” is positively hip hop, but definitely has that cross-over appeal that will draw in the indi-rock crowd. This is no surprise for legendary group, The Roots, the only true hip hop band who can take ownership of any musical form and make it their own. A beautifully shot video directed by Jason Goldwatch which compliments the “Dear God 2.0” perfectly. The Roots‘ new album, How I Got Over,  hits stores today! So head over to your local record store and pick it up or click over to iTunes and get yourself a copy!

At the beginning of the year, Muphoric Sounds shared with you a video of Bilal and Hezekiah in the studio making finishing touches to Bilal‘s third studio album, to be released on Plug Research Music — home to Om’Mas, Shafiq Husayn, Flying Lotus, Quadron, and Exile. It was announced a few days ago that Airtight’s Revenge now has a set release date — September 14th!

Airtight’s Revenge is co-produced by Steve McKie (Jill Scott, Estelle, Kindred, Vivian Green) with Bilal, and also features production by Nottz (Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Drake), 88 Keys (Mos Def, Macy Gray, Musiq Soulchild), Shafiq Husayn, and Tone Whitefield.

To get us excited and in the mood for the smooth sounds of Bilal, his label has made available for free download a track called “Free,” which is a cover of The Supreme‘s “Automatically Sunshine,” where Bilal brings his vocal prowess to the Motown classic, giving the musical arrangement a grittiness the originally did not possess. This song will not be on Airtight’s Revenge; so it’s suggested you get this download! Check it out below and ENJOY!

“Free” by Bilal (Download provided by InnaTV.com)

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On May 25th, Leela James released her first album on world renowned label, Stax Records, a division of Concord Music Group, the perfect home for soul and R&B artists who’s goal is to preserve the soul tradition.

The album entitled, My Soul, is what Leela recalls as “just want[ing] to go into the studio and do what moved me at the time, and not think about it too much or not allow it to be something that was too planned. That’s what great soul music has always been about from the very beginning – something very raw, very authentic and very true.” With a host of great producers on My Soul, it’s the kind of music you want to listen to solitarily, to bask in its sound.

Muphoric Sounds has got a copy of My Soul for giveaway! To win a copy, send an email to contests [at] muphoricsounds [dot] com, by midnight, June 26, 2010 for a random drawing. You will be notified via email, if you are the winner! (We dislike spam as much as you do; your contact information will never be sold or rented, in compliance with US Spam Laws.) So get yourself in it, to win it, and share the word with your friends.

Check out “Party All Night” below and then enter to win at contests [at] muphoricsounds [dot] com!

“Party All Night”

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I first heard “Kon Ek Pakhi” in a record store and immediately asked the clerk “Who’s that playing?!” It didn’t matter that I don’t speak the language; the song spoke to me. “Kon Ek Pakhi” is from a collaborative LP called Tana Tani (Push and Pull) produced by UK producer and DJ State of Bengal and Indian musician Paban Das Baul. The entire LP, recorded in 2004 on Real World Records, is a hybrid of old and new, infusing elements of traditional folk instruments and synthesized drums and bass lines.

After visiting Bangladesh in 1987 and being exposed to traditional folk musicians, State of Bengal returned to the UK and formed the group “State of Bengal,” which is a collective of UK rappers, DJs, and MCs. His past work includes Asian Dub Foundation, Bjork, Massive Attack, and Ananda Shankar, and five studio albums.

Indian singer, Paban Das Baul, whose name is associated to a religious sect that weaves music and theory into poetry, has great vocal phrasing on this song, which gives example to the theory into poetry synergy. Paban has worked with musicians such as Archie Shepp, Ravi Magnifique, Sam Mills, and Miguel Fernandez. He also makes his own instruments such as the Dubki (tambourine), and the Khamak (a plucking drum).

Every time Paban sings, you are captured by the story, and when he pauses or breaks for the chorus, it leaves you wanting more. The instrumentation is heavily layered with bells, drums, which sound like a guitar, and the hard-hitting bass line compliments Paban’s unique voice without overshadowing the instruments.

Check out the tune below and let me know your thoughts!

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Late last month, we brought to you Mark Ronson‘s “Bang Bang Bang“, which featured singer MNDR, aka Amanda Warner. I hadn’t heard much about her but I can safely say, after hearing “I Go Away,” MNDR is someone to watch out for. Her vocal style is very much like Santigold, with that electro-pop. She released her EP, entitled E.P.E., which consists of 4 songs, with “I Go Away” being the standout due to its slow tempo, a kind of Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” groove. I’m looking forward to hearing her full feature album when it drops. Will keep you posted.

“I Go Away” by MNDR (Download provided by Pitchfork)

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Innovative South London producer, Paul White has done it again. With each album, he pushes the beatmaking envelope a tad bit further. On The Purple Brain, Paul White pays homage to ST. Mikael, a Swedish psychedelic multi-instrumentalist, whose music is heavily influenced by the middle East and otherworldly interests he followed since a child – so you never know what you’ll get from him productions.

Paul White has swallowed a dose of ST. Mikael and fused it to his own sound, creating something that is uniquely hip-hop but blends in other musical genres into something quite fascinating. Psychedelic in tonality, reminiscent of The Doors and Janis Joplin, the hard ripping guitars and pulsating drums make The Purple Brain a delightful listening journey.

Check out a couple of tracks below, then head over to Paul White‘s bandcamp to purchase the album. The album is available in three formats — in CD format, a high-quality Arigato pack with original artwork by Amy de Nobriga. The Arigato Pak is a new cardboard fold-up CD case, printed using environmentally-friendly vegetable-based inks; in the 2 LP format, the first press of 1000 copies includes a bonus 12″ featuring Guilty Simpson on “Ancient Treasure,” plus two remixes by Paul White and all instrumentals; and in digital format. Get in there folks!

It seems that The Roots Picnic is notorious for feeling like the hottest day of the year – not simply based on who’s on the roster, but the smelting heat one experiences the day of the picnic. Having never attended The Roots Picnic in the past, the general consensus was the conditions are uncomfortable, but the musical acts make it bearable. I definitely can agree. Check out what Muphoric Sounds caught from the show, featuring The Roots, Foreign Exchange, YahZarah, Nneka, Mayer Hawthorne, Jay Electronica, John Legend, and Wu-Massacre.

Here’s the second single from Andreya Triana‘s forthcoming album, “Lost Where I Belong,” which is scheduled to release next month, July 29, on Ninja Tune Records. Definitely looking forward to this release, which features Bonobo on production with the perfect blend of Andreya‘s voice and songwriting.

Visit the Ninja Tune website to get a free download of Andreya Triana’s “Lost Where I Belong” (the Flying Lotus Preview Edit).

Legendary musician Roy Ayers performs at Betsy Head Park, in Brooklyn, New York, June 2, 2010. At 69-years of age, he’s still a killer on the vibraphone, with a wonderful energy and spirit. I wish I was related to Roy; he’s a master. Check out the highlights of Tuesday’s show below and the next time he’s in town, go and see him!

Here’s the new video for Dwele‘s “What’s Not to Love About You,” which is on his forthcoming CD W.ants W.orld W.omen. Dwele always hits with the smooth jams with the hard beats; it’s R&B without the cheese! The album is set to release June 29th!