Prayers have been answered. D’Angelo is back! Kicking off the first of his European dates in Stockholm, he has returned with such rigor, it’s as though he never left. Voice strong, looking buff; we cannot wait for the new album (whenever that may be). What has been so skillful in this lead up, is there being no pre-publicity or hype, just simply dates booked and tickets hitting box office. While there’s no talk of when this show will hit the US, it is certain D’Angelo will be gracing your town, very soon.

Check out videos below and catch a dose of some funk genius. It is my hope the original plan to collaborate with Prince (and a few others) actually happens—as THAT would be incredible!!!

Little Dragon gave us an awesome show — in fact, I didn’t expect less. Playing before a sold out audience at New York City’s Terminal 5 on Friday, October 14, to a size-ably larger audience than when I saw them at Le Poisson Rouge—are signs of them moving into well-deserved star status.  The show was tight in structure, with every want fulfilled. From Yukimi Nagano’s flawless vocals and percussion skills to her little shimmy hip moves, to Erik Bodin slaughterhouse rhythms on the drums, Fredrik Källgren Wallin’s bass grooves—dark yet sweet and strong, to Håkan Wirenstrand on keyboards, providing those funky synths. In a very subtle way, Little Dragon are students of Prince, with the vintage synthesizers and funky bass accompanying the kick-back drums. It’s sexy, it’s vulnerable, it’s raw, it’s honest, it’s disco, it’s pop, it’s soul, it’s drum ‘n bass, it’s electronica. All of these elements show up in their music in delicious ways.

I summoned you back in 2009 to see Little Dragon if they visited your town. After watching the highlights below, you’ll understand the summons. And if you haven’t bought Ritual Union, then what are you waiting for? iTunes | Amazon With the exception of Thundercat, Ritual Union may well be one of my favourite releases for 2011.

We’ve been talking about Quadron for a while and finally got the chance to catch them live in New York City. Performing before an intimate audience at New York’s Dominion on Thursday, September 1st, lead singer Coco joked about them not having new material, which wasn’t a problem, as their self-entitled debut is rock solid. Now on Plug Research, we will hear more from Coco and Robin, especially being that they informed us of purchasing one-way air tickets. If you missed the show, check out the video below. You’ll want to hear more, so here are links to purchase their album from their label Plug Research or from iTunes.

This week marked the 30 year anniversary of Bob Marley‘s death, and all week Late Night With Jimmy Fallon has had it’s musical guests perform Bob songs of their choice. In the midst of forcing myself to sleep while the television was still on (Fallon airs at 1am), I hear Fallon introduce Lauryn Hill to the stage to perform Bob Marley‘s “Chances Are,” a song which is one of my mum’s favourites (we’re talking days when the child was the record changer – no remotes), so this song means a lot to me. Despite her recent behaviourl faux pas, last night Lauryn illustrated why we love her so. Not sure of what her future plans are, but hope it entails an album of something. If you missed it, check her out below. She also performed “Could You Be Loved.”

Let’s just call today, Little Dragon day! I wasn’t able to post this video earlier due to technical limitations but could not let this go unmentioned, especially being a mother myself of a pre-teen child. As mentioned earlier today, Little Dragon are hot on the promotion trail – touring Europe and the US, just finished shows at SXSW, and found time to take a trip to Staten Island’s Public School 22 (P.S. 22). These children are phenomenal! It’s initiatives like these that further illustrate the importance of music in schools. Children need to be rounded in academics, arts, and sports. Kudos to the music teacher for introducing independent music like Little Dragon to a younger generation, who ordinarily wouldn’t be exposed such music. Check out P.S. 22 perform “Twice” with Little Dragon. You might tear up watching this!

One thing I love about a Peter Hadar show, is he likes to put a spin on it. It’s never just “Peter Hadar,” there’s always a twist. When he released his EP last year, Full Time Lover, it was “Peter Hadar with Dynasty Electric.” Now, scheduled to perform at New York City’s SOB’s tomorrow night, February 24th at 7pm, the show is called “Amusement Park” which is hosted by Va$htie Kola & R.I.P. The Ruler, and featuring Ninjasonik, Moruf, Tecla, Judah Tribe & LA. Check out the promo video for the show below, and if you’re in the New York City area, go to the show. Let’s put it this way—I’m intrigued by what Mr. Hadar has up his sleeve!

Hadar has a quite a lot going on at the moment—the SOB’s show is the start of his new monthly showcase that will take place in NJ and NY, entitled Amusement Park;  an indi-movie about his band; a new EP Entree Gourmet, with new singles and videos to follow, starting with the song, “Stuntin‘” in March; and his new album Take Off Victoria, which is scheduled to release in the fall.

It’s clear that Flying Lotus does not stop working. After releasing his second album, Cosmogramma through Warp Records in May earlier this year, he is now set to release on September 21st, a seven-track EP entitled Pattern+Grid World, which is sure to be another journey through spacial sounds. Completely enjoy looking at the trippy art for the EP’s cover.

Check out “Camera Day” below;  it’s definitely one of his smoother productions, but still contains his signature grit and futuristic chaotic sounds. Looking forward to hearing the full EP.

Flying Lotus is currently on tour. See dates below and check him out if he’s in your town.

August 18 – London, England – ICA
August 20 – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands – Lowlands Festival
August 21 – Hasselt, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival
September 02 – Montreal, Quebec – Studio Just for Laughs
September 03 – Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix Theatre
September 04 – New York, NY – Electric Zoo Festival
September 05 – Chicago, IL – North Coast Music Festival
September 10 – Newport, England – Isle of Wight Bestival
September 22 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
September 23 – Seattle, WA – Decibel Festival
September 24 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine

One of the things I love about living in Brooklyn and it being the summer, are the live shows. What was special about this particular show, is it took place at lunchtime, downtown Brooklyn, and featured one of my favourite singers, Bilal Oliver! And boy was it a show! Singing a mixture of songs from his debut album 1st Born Second, the unreleased album Love For Sale, and two songs from his forthcoming official second album, Airtight’s Revenge; the show was a gift. There’s no need for a long preamble; the video below illustrates what you missed if you weren’t there, and if you were there, the video will bring it all back. An amazing talent, with an outstanding vocal range; a voice that is truly an instrument. Bilal has paid his dues ten times over; it is now his time! Airtight’s Revenge releases September 14, 2010. Make sure you support this artist!

Enjoy the video and photos below!

With a career spanning over twenty years, Raphael Saadiq‘s musical journey has been nothing short of magical. Having created some of R&B’s best heartfelt ballads, and with an angelical vocal range to make your heart melt. To me, Tony Toni Toné, were the progenitors of Neo Soul; they were doing it long before people even realised it was a movement!

The Central Park SummerStage show on Saturday, July 17 2010, also marked Giant Step‘s 20th Anniversary of Summerstage shows and they couldn’t have chosen a better artist for the celebration! The show started off in high energy, with cuts from his latest 50s retro album, The Way I See It, then quickly turning into a Tony Toni Toné, Raphael Saadiq, and Lucy Pearl revival. When Raphael launched into “Lay Your Head On My Pillow,” it became a beautiful moment of nostalgia for the audience as a each song after song, caused an uproar — “It Never Rains,” “It Feels Good,” “Anniversary,” “Just Me and You” (from the Boyz n’ the Hood soundtrack), “Ask of You” (from the Higher Learning soundtrack), to Raphael‘s brilliant debut solo album Instant Vintage with “You Should Be Here,” “Skyy…Can You Feel Me?” to Lucy Pearl‘s “Dance Tonight,” all performed effortlessly. We were reminded of how great a contribution Raphael Saadiq has been to R&B, Soul, and Neo Soul. He commanded the stage as though we were in sermon, and we sang with him in praise. A brilliant performance!

R&B singer, Aloe Blacc was the supporting artist, and was a perfect match as he is also embracing 50s retro movement that Raphael is doing right now. The DJ set was provided by the talented singer/DJ Vikter Duplaix.

Check out the photos from the show below!

Back in March, Muphoric Sounds introduced to you Nikki & Rich, the sultry pop-retro-soul duo. Their sound, aptly described on their website as “Lauryn Hill meets The Supremes while hanging out with Alicia Keys, and listening to Outkast‘s “Hey Yah!” is the perfect description really. Check out some of the highlights from their showcase, which took place on Tuesday, June 29th at New York’s Ramscale Penthouse in the West Village and was brought to us by the Steve Madden Music Series. Expect to see more of this dynamic duo, whose debut album Everything is scheduled to release next month.

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!

Clearly, politics was what was on Massive Attack‘s mind at the wake of Britain’s conservative party take over. As the group’s co-founder, Robert “3D” Del Naja told the audience, “They say you get what you deserve. Tonight you’ve got us,” a reference to the day’s top news story.

Massive Attack’s last show in New York at the Roseland in 2006, the duo played their chilling sonic sounds with LED lights as the stage’s backdrop, adding a visual aura to their sound. This time around at New York’s Terminal 5 on May 11, 2010, they used the space not only as visual stimulation, but also to broadcast harrowing statistics, revolutionary facts and quotes by like minded thinkers, such as Howard Zinn (who passed away earlier this year) and the late Malcolm X, with the occasional reference to www.peoplespeak.com – a movement inspired by cultural critic and historian, Howard Zinn.

Equip with their prime artists, roots reggae singer Horace Andy, Martina Topley Bird (known largely for her work with Trip Hop pioneer, Tricky), and Deborah Miller, each delivered their tunes with heart, and performing songs mainly from Massive Attack‘s new album Heligoland and their seminal album Mezzanine for a two hour set. Deborah Miller‘s performances of “Safe From Harm” and “Unfinished Sympathy” were truly amazing. Considering Miller wasn’t the vocalist on the original recording of “Unfinished Sympathy,” she has taken it and made it her own. Check out the medley put together from the show. Enjoy!

It’s been a pretty busy season for Brooklyn’s punk rock band Game Rebellion. With the release of their EP Sounds Like A Riot (January 25th), that was celebrated at Santos Party House in NYC to a crowded and fully charged-up audience — the band has been non-stop ever since. I got the chance to speak with Game Rebellion after their show at Le Poisson Rouge last week. If you haven’t seen these guys yet, I cannot stress how awesome their performance is. From the girls loosing control and jumping Netic and Yohimbe on the stage, the audience moshing each other in a chaotic slam dance, to the tight display of musicianship – Game Rebellion truly rock out! Watch the video below where they talk about the meaning of Game Rebellion, artist struggles, how deep the Game rolls and their musical integrity. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with these guys. One thing that is abundantly clear, the ‘Game is Rebellious’ and they do indeed, ‘play by their own rules‘.

Thanks again to Alaric Campbell for capturing some amazing images, which were taken at their EP release party at Santos Party House. If you’d like to see more Game Rebellion, visit Muphoric Sounds YouTube Channel here.

For some reason, I had been missing all of Little Dragon‘s performances in New York City. I even tried to catch them in the UK this past summer, but flights were not in sync either. This past Saturday, I finally got it together and took myself down to Le Poisson Rouge.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a show and the band sounds better than the actual CD. Lead singer and percussionist, Yukimi Nagano has this amazing vocal style and range, that has you entrapped, hanging on every note. It’s effortless beauty to your ears. Watching Yukimi perform is like watching a child playing in the sunshine with open arms, spinning till they fall into a pool of laughter. At one point, she got down in the audience and danced with us. Band members Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass), and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards), together create magic, and Yukimi is their vocal muse of sheer happiness. Why hadn’t I seen them sooner?!

If Little Dragon are in your town, here’s your marching order: GET YOURSELF A TICKET! They put on an incredible show, and are truly a band enjoying what they do. Although I wanted to see them perform “Twice” from their debut album and “Thunder Love,” from Machine Dreams, I left the venue completely satiated. Watch “Constant Surprises” from the show below and enjoy!

Making the rounds to promote Joy Jones‘s debut album, Godchild with Bugz in the Attic producer Daz-I-Kue, the audience were eating out of their hands. Daz-I-Kue definitely brought a taste of London to New York, with his signature future soul sound. Opening her stage with the first song off her album, “Joyride” which uses the always interesting sample of “Space” by Galt McDermont (Hair composer), Joy Jones took control with her backing vocalists in tow. It’s always refreshing to attend shows where the artist takes the time to talk to their audience, posing questions  to make you think. Joy’s burning question was, “Who’s experienced real love?” Sadly, there wasn’t a wave of cheers, but more an admiration of the love she was declaring for her husband, who was busy videoing the show on his camera. Godchild certainly has stretched Daz-I-Kue as a producer, with his used of smooth soul/jazz sounds fused with African tremors, clearly keep future soul alive.

Joy Jones is no stranger to the genre either. Originally from Los Angeles, and raised by West Indian parents, she attended Duke University where she studied biology and cultural anthropology, then moved to London and attended the University of London to study medical anthropology and found her ground in music with Bugz in the Attic producer Daz-I-Kue. Godchild is a labor of love, where Joy explores her heritage and her personal experiences through her music, coupled with a production that flows seamlessly.

With a tight band and energetic background singers, the crowd swayed and sang along as she gave us a taste of her own personalized joy. I highly recommend you see her when she comes to your town. Check out some of her songs below and make a stop over to iTunes and get yourself a copy of Godchild from Future Soul Records.

“Promise Land”

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“Hollywood”

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