The city of Atlanta marks its 2^nd Annual One Musicfest on Sunday, August 27^th, in Park Tavern‘s concert space with twelve hours of non-stop live music. This year’s confirmed artists include alternative hip-hop group The Pharcyde, Grammy nominated artists, Anthony David, and The Foreign Exchange. More artists will announced, including featured DJ’s and live artists.

Muphoric Sounds has two tickets for giveaway! Send an email to contests@muphoricsounds.com by Wednesday, August 14, 2011 for a random drawing. The winner will be notified by Saturday, August 20, and their name, plus one will be added to the guest list for the day. (We dislike spam as much as you do; your contact information will never be sold nor rented, in compliance with US Spam Laws.) So get yourself in it, to win it, and share the word with your friends.

For more information about the event, visit www.OneMusicFest.com.

We can’t help it. We are completely in love with Little Dragon and Ritual Union deepens our affinity to them. Staying close to their sophomore album, Machine Dreams in sound, with a combination of experimental indi pop hooks, smooth electronic beats, and new wave, this Swedish four-piece band with Yukimi Nagano on vocals, Erik Bodin on drums, Fredrik Wallin on bass, and Håkan Wirenstrand on keys, are winners; their sound has tightened even more!

The opening track “Ritual Union” is quite unusual as Yukimi sings about the symbolism of marriage yet being left with a spirit of uncertainty, rather than a man. “Crystalfilm” is one of those songs we can all relate to in relationships—afraid of tripping up, you try to leave, but the memory permeates your being leaving you still in love. “Precious” takes us back to the sound of their debut, dark and gritty with drums, keys and percussions that build in a crescendo (Prince would be proud of this arrangement).

Thus far, 2011 has been a fantastic year for Little Dragon—from headlining a US tour, to their first US TV appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at the behest of avid fan Questlove, then appearing on Raphael Saadiq‘s Stone Rollin‘ album on “Just Don’t” and being asked to work with Big Boi and DJ Shadow on new music. What’s so uncanny about Little Dragon is despite them now moving onto commercial ground, their integrity to their art is uncompromised. They deserve all accolades and critical acclaim!

Ritual Union released this week. Buy it! You deserve to hear some good music! [Amazon | iTunes]

“Brush the Heat”

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“Precious”

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Oftentimes when listening to a Roy Ayers record, you often wonder what the story is behind a track. When listening to “Poo Poo La La” and “Dontcha Say No” and “I Wanna Touch You Baby,” I can’t help but think, Uncle Roy is one smooth player! These were tunes that breathed sex, love, life, sensuality, with unparalleled musicianship. His fusion of jazz with an R&B sensibility created timeless music, that many have sought to emulate. A whole genre of music — neo soul — was born from his sheer influence. Simply put, there’s no other like Roy Ayers!

What is The Roy Ayers Project? A documentary about the life, music, and philosophy of the spirit of Roy Ayers, bringing artists together to express themselves through their art to capture the spirit of this outstanding musician. Combining live performances with Roy Ayers himself as they perform in venues across the US, The Roy Ayers Project is going to be the documentary to watch to gain understanding of an important artist. Check out the trailer below, directed by Haylow Overby and Ariel Nuñez?with music provided by Detroit-based producer, Tall Black Guy.

Browsing through photographer Amanda Lopez’s blog the other day, I saw a beautiful young woman among her usual interesting subjects. Not only did I notice the sister’s fashion sense, but I also noticed she was a singer. After listening to one of her songs it was easy to see that this young vocalist has talent! Mara Hruby hails from my hometown Oakland, has performed as a backup singer in the Bay Area for other artists, and started to perform as a solo artist in 2010.

From her Eyes is an incredible album of remakes of classic songs by some greats such as Stereolab, D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, and the legendary Bob Marley.  Already working with the likes of Jesse Boykins III and the group Sartorial Sounds, which includes Theo Martins, Joe Kenneth, Joshua Bennett, Rinaldy Alverez, and Melo-X, shows that Mara is a force to be reckoned with. Listening to her voice I hear great range and melody that is reminiscent of singers like Natalie Cole and Esthero. Having performed in NYC and several cities in the Bay Area such as San Jose and Oakland, we not only learn of Mara‘s great taste in music but we also hear her vocal styling to back it up! She debuted her video for the cover of Mos Def’s “The Panties” to acclaim. My favorite tracks from the EP are her remakes of “Send it On” by D’Angelo and “Alright” by Jamiroquai. Check them out below and keep your ears open for this young musical mind.

It is always a treat to hear how artists are inspired by super band Radiohead. If you can’t imagine Radiohead getting any darker, sprinkle some Mark Pritchard and Nathan Fake on them, and they become so dark, its harrowing. These sounds leave you in a trance-like displacement, as though you were transported from your current surroundings for 5 to 6 minutes at a time. Both producers contributed remixes to the new Radiohead 12-inch — Mark Pritchard offering two versions of “Bloom” (one under his name and the other under his moniker, Harmonic 313) and Nathan Fake, a remix of “Morning Mr. Magpie.” The mixes are serious. They are available for purchase in vinyl and digital formats from Bleep or wherever good music is sold.  Check them out below.

Radiohead – Bloom (Mark Pritchard RMX) by Radiohead

Radiohead – Bloom (Harmonic 313 RMX) by Radiohead

Radiohead – Morning Mr Magpie (Nathan Fake RMX) by Radiohead

You can hear more remixes by other producers on the Radiohead Soundcloud site.

A group that eats together, stays together — and it is clear that Radiohead are eating together, and their food is music. This live performance is perfect; to the point of not even sounding like a live performance but one that is orchestrated on a CD after months and months of practice, tweaking, and labour. Flawless.

The live footage below was recently filmed for a BBC special called From the Basement by producer Nigel Godrich, which originally started out as a podcast and was later to turned into a television series of in-studio performances featuring artists such as The White Stripes, Beck, and Gnarls Barkley, to name a few. Radiohead perform “Staircase,” doubling up on the rhythm with Portishead drummer Clive Deamer.

The city of Atlanta marks its 2^nd Annual One Musicfest on Sunday, August 27^th, in Park Tavern‘s concert space. Last year featured Common, De La Soul, Goapele, the Love Language, DJ Mick Boogie, and earned the festival organisers Atlanta’s “Phoenix Award” for their efforts in captivating the city’s music culture with over 3,000 people in attendance. This year’s confirmed artists include alternative hip-hop group The Pharcyde, Grammy nominated artists, Anthony David, and The Foreign Exchange. More artists will announced, including featured DJ’s and live artists. If you’re not from Atlanta, August 27^th is the time you should make a trip there. It’s on our roster! For more information about the event, visit www.OneMusicFest.com.

Can we say PITTSBURGH?! Late last year, we were put onto an artist by the name of Bobby Blunt (a Virginia native, residing in Pittsburgh, who did the creative Petey’s Soapbox EP, inspired by the shock jock Petey Greene) and later the collaborative project, under the name of Huey Neutron, which included an producer and emcee by the name of Vex. Now with their second track together, “Love Is,” they touch on the universality of love and it’s complexities. The track is reminiscent of Slum Village‘s “You Know What Love Is,” where on “Love Is,” the keys wiry sound act as the confusion one feels when they are trying to understand what is happening to them emotionally. The solution to the confusion, really is to surrender. Check it out below.

Coming from the UK via the West Indies (Jamaica and Guyana), Cymande started making funky jams that have become mainstays for party rockers in the US and internationally. I bought Second time Around — their sophomore LP on Janus Records — at a flea market over a decade ago and was immediately drawn to the record because of its artwork and the fact that these guys were not from the US. What did Black folks from the UK sound like? I’d heard cats sample them; why not pick it up? I’m sure glad I did.

Cymande is Joey Dee and Ray King on vocals and percussion, Pablo Gonsales on congas, Sam Kelley on drums, Steve Scipio on bass, Patrick Patterson on guitar, Derek Gibbs on alto/soprano saxophone, Peter Serreo on tenor sax, and Mike Rose on alto, flute, and bongos. All members were from other groups and were discovered by producer John Schroder. They call their sound Nyah Rock, which is a blend of funk, jazz, soul, calypso, and reggae. Their songs have a noticeably positive vibe to them that speaks of culture, heritage, social issues, and love. They recorded three LP’s together then disbanded, later reuniting to play a show in the mid 2000’s. Much of their early work has been reissued and is now a treasure to new ears.

The song “Bird” reminds me of how I feel when I just want to be alone or get away. It has a solemn mood yet is full of strength and pride. The lyrics paint a picture of soaring, flying, and then suddenly you are brought back down to reality. Maybe someone’s bad vibes or criticism, but the song changes effortlessly like a topic of conversation. The song makes some of the most beautiful use of guitar, bass, and congas to ground it in what first feels like a stroll. When they play the other side of that coin, it gets faster with background vocals that feel frustrated and rushed. A very interesting composition in the moments of deep vocals and instrumental riffs — definitely a song to ride the train or the freeway to.

“Bird” by Cymande

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How often do we come across artists and think, “Why haven’t they blown up yet?!” What is it? Is it that Tawiah is a musical puritan not wanting to compromise her true self and her art? Or are the masses simply, but tragically deaf? After hearing Tawiah sanging in this live performance video, you will understand what I’m saying. No stranger to the business, she was part of Mark Ronson‘s touring live band, a backing vocalist for Corinne Bailey Rae, and has collaborated with a host of underground producers such as Maddslinky aka Zed Bias on his Make a Change album — a track entitled “Further Away” and then earlier this year, Maddslinky made 10 versions of the said track (if you missed that, you can check it out here). She also released an EP last year In Jodi’s Bedroom, (available on iTunes) which brought in traditional soul, funk, and alternative UK sounds, with gorgeous vocals laid over each track. On this live video below Tawiah shows off her power. Check it out.

Tawiah is giving away a free download on her website. So go pick up the single “Sweet Me.”

Back in January, we were put onto On-Point Records, based in Belgium, where we introduced these young guys by the name of Uphigh Collective which consists of Title and Delvis (if you missed it, you can check them out here). Now another duo comes from the label by the name of Jazz Neversleeps and JtotheC, with their 12″ single “Take Care of You.” This track has all the elements of a sleepy dubstep tune, but then these mellow vocals enter, turning it into an incredible vibe, making me miss D’Angelo even more. I wish I had more to tell you about these guys, but sometimes, you just have to let the music speak for itself. Check it out, then purchase from iTunes.

Jazz Neversleeps / JtotheC – Take Care Of You from On-Point TV on Vimeo.

Last September, we introduced you to Los Angeles based producer, Moonsatellite where we described his sounds as being interconnected. On his s t r a n g e d i m e n s i o n s EP he goes deeper with interconnectivity bringing sounds of jazz fusion, afro-beats, and a tinge of R&B (at the 3 minute mark, I think the vocal heard is Marvin Gaye), and true hip hop. The fusion of styles created here is quite wonderful to listen to and it seems with every production, we hear Moonsatellite covering dimensions that aren’t necessary strange, but the divine path he is supposed to take. Check out s t r a n g e d i m e n s i o n s below. You won’t be disappointed.

S T R A N G E D I M E N S I O N S by Moonsatellite

To hear more of Moonsatellite‘s work, visit his SoundCloud page.