This is the most experimental we’ve gotten from Bilal Salaam to date and electrosoul is the best adjective to describe Pedagogia do Oprimido (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) as the sounds are eclectic and otherworldly, where the vocals is what gives it the dimension of soul. Inspired and dedicated to Paulo Friere, the author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed—who argued that students should not be treated as empty vessels to be filled with knowledge, but in fact,  should be co-creators of knowledge. The themes of co-creators in love, relationships, community, mortality,  and spirituality is throughout Pedagogia do Oprimido, as if seeking answers, while the sounds gently tantalize your ears. This is truly great work. Below are snippets of each track. If you’d like to hear the project in its full entirety, along with lyrics, click here.

Pedagogia Do Oprimido Sample Pack by bilalsalaam

Got to give it to J*DaVey on this video!! “Raincheck” being one of my favourite tracks off the The Evil Christian Cop mixtape, due to its staple J*DaVey dose of sexy. Although Brianna sings about wanting a rain check, the visuals, directed by John Mazyck, is quite to the contrary. Let’s just put it this way, it looks like a successful “leg over”; no preceding walk of shame. Love these guys!

The Afro-European princesses Hélène and Célia Faussart of Les Nubians have returned with their highly anticipated third album, Nü Revolution which is deeply rooted in their ancestral sounds of love, liberation, and expressions of freedom. They call this album a celebration of life where the focus of the songs are to spread joy during our times of uncertainty. And this album does just that. It is their most sexiest and most danceable album to date, touching on themes of love, life and freedom, yet staying true to their original Afrobeat sounds. In fact, the collaborations on Nü Revolution are most impressive, including African music legend Manu Dibango on the remake of “Makossa,” calling it “Nü Soul Makossa“; indie soul icon Eric Roberson on “Déjà vu“; Ghanian-American MC Blitz The Ambassador on “Les Gens“; South African pop stars Freshly Ground on “Africa For The Future“; and Polish MC John Banzaï on “Veuillez Veiller Sur Vos Rêves.” What is so striking about Les Nubians is, while they sing mostly in French, it doesn’t hinder appreciation — the music and vocals translate into emotive and delicious feelings. From start to finish Nü Revolution is a celebration of life and living, and more importantly, Africa. Below is a medley of some of the songs from the album, which can be purchased on iTunes, Amazon, or any online retailer of your choice.

Les Nubians – Nü Revolution Snippets

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And watch the ladies do their “Afrodance” in their new video below!

Les Nubians have a pretty tight schedule next month, with a date in New York, next week. Go and see them, if they’re in your city!

Tour Dates:
April 29 – New York, NY @ BB Kings
May 11 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
May 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota Jazz Club
May 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota Jazz Club
May 14 – Chicago, IL @ The Shrine
May 17 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
May 18 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
May 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi’s (2 shows)
May 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Yoshi’s (2 shows)
May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Conga Room
May 22 – San Diego, CA @ Anthology
May 24 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center (2 shows)

Thee Midniters are one of those unmistakeable California Chicano rock bands. I didn’t know their name at first, but remembered their sound every time I heard “Casual Dreamer” or “That’s All”. Thee Midniters are a band of Chicano musicians from East Los Angeles who are famous for their love ballads and vicious rock and roll jams; made for partying and cruising. Forming in the 60’s, Willie G (Vocals), George Dominguez (Guitar), George Salazar (Drums), Romeo Prado (Trombonist), Paul C (Guitar), Jimmy Espinoza (Bass), and Larry Rendon (Saxophone) were all high school musicians. They came up during the era of high school dance bands, drive ins, milk shakes, the United Farm Workers, and the civil rights movement. This marked the time of one of my most favorite Cali cultures being developed—the art of Low Riding. The track “Whittier Blvd” exemplifies the feeling of cruising for a lot of folks who appreciate the brown sound. It’s unclear which label released their first LPs or which was their first LP. There are several greatest hits LPs such as the one released by THUMP Records. But, basically the group started in the early 60’s, broke up in the late 60’s, and then continued to play sporadically until the early 2000’s.

One of the most striking things about this song is that it is Raza. It is a mixture or hybrid of many cultures that make one amazing sound. At the beginning of the track you have a voice beckoning you to hit the streets in English and Spanish. And then there’s this massive surge of bass, drums, then horns that makes me feel like I could be on my way to a drag race or a wedding. Some of you die hard Cholos or Cholas will recognize this song as it was remade in the film Mi Vida Loca. What I like most about this song is the bad-ass attitude it has. Although Wille G’s voice is beautiful, this is a strictly instrumental track, played with lightning fast precision. The drums and the guitar sound like they’re shouting across the street to a responsive  trumpet, trombone, and  saxophone.  At first I wonder where the hell I’m going, then I just nod my head and enjoy the ride amidst howls and screams of human voices and electric guitar strings. Arriba, arrrrriba!!!!!

“Whittier Blvd” by Thee Midniters

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One of the strongest songs on the Airtight’s Revenge album, “Little One“, which afforded Bilal his first Grammy nomination for the said song, which is a tribute to his son, who is diagnosed with Autism – a developmental disorder that affects the brain and can make communicating and interacting with other people difficult. When one sings from the heart, the rewards can be nothing but great. A beautiful song that is rooted in pure love. Check it out below.

“Dancing” instantaneously has gotten me geared up for London Carnival. This song will be played on every corner by every sound system, and everybody will be forced to whine their waists up. It’s that tune! Omar has been doing quite a few collaborations, and we’re all waiting in anticipation for a new album from the brother — his last solo release was in 2006! It’s time! Omar and Zed Bias (a.k.a Maddslinky) are a great combination together. Last summer they brought us “Special” and with “Dancing” they go deeper in the afro-Caribbean beats, bringing in elements of danceable grime. “Dancing” will be available on Tru Thoughts Records as part of a limited run on vinyl on May 9th, and then digitally from June 27th, 2011 – the summer kick off tune! Additionally, Tru Thoughts Records will be releasing Omar‘s classic album Sing (If You Want It), which features the legendary Stevie Wonder, Angie Stone, Common, and Estelle, with “Dancing” as the bonus track. So if you don’t own it, you’ve got a special treat!

Shade Cobain is what I call a deep crate digger, where his selections are like going to school for a diploma on rare grooves! With Cobainish Theory, the 3rd installment to the Theory series, we are taken deeper into the musical mind of Shade Cobain. The head nod drum tracks will take you to a place in your solitary mind, with beats that recline you into grooves that  are relaxing and sensorial. You truly get a sense of who and what Shade Cobain is from these instrumentals, and he comes from the school of Jay Dilla and DJ Premiere.

If this is your first time hearing music by the Pittsburgh native, you can check out previous posts on his Theory Series (Cassette Theory – The Beat EP and The Anti-Love Theory) and bookmark his Bandcamp page - www.shadecobain.bandcamp.com.

Internationally celebrated Record Store Day, the third Saturday in April, is a day where stores across the globe give special offers, hold events, and some record companies unearth oldies, goodies, and use the day as an opportunity to release previously unreleased music. Kilawatt Music has done so with the release of this 7″ with two widely unheard tracks from DC songstress Muhsinah and London producer Ben Jones, originally on the now defunct label Arale.tv. The songs are two strikingly contrasting musical styles—Ben Jones‘s “Stereosine” is raw funk instrumental that gentle plays with experimental sounds with a dubstep flare; Muhsinah‘s “Are In Be” never fails in providing interesting vocals – her harmonies are always beautiful. The 7″ is available from Kilawatt’s Online Store and exclusively from hhv.de from today, April 16th. Check the tracks out below and purchase some music today!

“Stereosine” by Ben Jones

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“Are In Be” by Muhsinah

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The thought of leaving this planet sounds most inviting as the opening track, a cover of Gene Harris’s “Koko + Lee Roe,” goes down like that first sip of fine wine — bold and deliciously smooth. Instant goose bumps! Musical puritan Mark de Clive-Lowe is an all-time favourite of Muphoric Sounds. Leaving the Planet EP is a great precursor to his forthcoming release Renegades, which is scheduled to release this summer. What you get from MdCL‘s works, is his ability to bring joy through sounds, fusing classic soul, jazz, afrobeats, and pure innovation. Featuring the beloved Bembe Segue on “Dreams,” a dance-worthy track, with Ms. Segue’s gorgeous harmonies and phrasings; Sharlene Hector (Basement Jaxx) with her powerful and affectionate vocals on the title track “Leaving the Planet”; Tawiah, Nia Andrews, Ovasoul7, and Omar Phillips; and talented musicians across the globe such as Lil John Roberts (drums), Mike Feingold (guitar), and Nova Lima (percussions), and 2000black’s Dego mixing the instrumental track “Eight.” Five songs of pure listening pleasure. Enjoy!

The first impression you get when you hear an artist reworking their own music is, “Mmm, kind of lazy” but when I heard about Director’s Cut, I immediately got excited. For one, Kate Bush is one of my favourite artists, to the point that I was renamed as a child Kate (or Katie) by an aunt, due to my “Wuthering Heights” renditions back in the day, but also because Kate Bush has always been a consistent artist to me, unafraid to take risks, or disappear from the scene for long periods of time. She does what she wants and when she wants to do it. Director’s Cut re-works songs from The Sensual World and The Red Shoes albums, two incredible albums in themselves — she can only give the songs new life.

“Deeper Understanding” is apropos to the technological climate we are in, where intervention is needed, but we can’t seem to pull ourselves from our computers. Featuring the vocals of Trio Bulgarka — who were on a song she collaborated on with Prince, “Why Should I Love You?” (yes, my two favourites, did a song together!)—Trio Bulgarka who are auto-tuned to highlight the unreal then by the end of the track, they are melodic, as if to represent life and living again. The third quarter of the song, it takes on a life of its own — becoming more ethereal and expansive. Check out the track below and let me know what you think.

“Deeper Understanding” (Extended Version)

“Deeper Understanding” can be purchased on iTunes and the album is scheduled to release May 17th on Kate Bush‘s own record label Fish People, a division of EMI.

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Whatever it is that Ms. Badu has, please can I have some?

More in the vein of a time in the life of, this video floats between Badu playing it up for the camera in a relaxed performance and having us become voyeurs into her lifestyle—a creator, a mother, a partner, a singer, a nurturer, a player—it’s all captured here. It’s actually quite enjoyable to watch, due to its authenticity and Badu being such an arresting subject. Erykah Badu is who she be—like it or lump it! I love this woman!

ERYKAH BADU IN STUDIO from Creative Control on Vimeo.