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…

Alternative R&B artist Peter Hadar has been making serious waves over the past few years. Releasing his debut album Memories of the Heart in 2006, and two EP’s Well Dressed Art Show in 2008 and She’s Four Months in 2009, while being ever so stylish with it. Hadar is about to release his new EP Full Time Loverwith Damon Dash’s Creative Control, with a kick off show at Joe’s Pub in New York, on Thursday March 12 with Dynasty Electric (for full details on this event click HERE.

Hadar grew up around a musical family but resisted, and built a name for himself styling his musician friends for shows and working with some of the industry’s top fashion brands. Studying fashion and later becoming a stylist, dressing many people in the music industry, the art form started to pull him closer and before long, Hadar was sharing the stage with powerhouse performing artists, such Mos Def, Questlove, Q-Tip, Musiq, Raheem DeVaughn, Carl Thomas, Joe, Bilal, and Chrisette Michele, to name a few, and has been revered by the media.

Below is the video for “Full Time Lover,” directed by Coodie & Chike and CreativeControl.tv, a very catchy tune that is reminiscent of those years when music came in three parts – verse, chorus, and the bridge, and dance expressions were fluid and free; “Full Time Love” will have you dancing in no time. Visit his Bandcamp or Myspace pages to hear more music by Peter Hadar.

Hailing from the Netherlands, Joya Mooi (meaning beautiful), got her start while completing an internship at theatre production company MC, where she caught the attention of Brian Elstak, who asked her to produce the soundtrack to the theatre play BH in the Netherlands. From there, she met with producers SirOj, Presto, Big2, Hayzee, Wan and Full Crate to produce Hard Melk. Covering a wide range of musical flavours, it is one of those unique gems that you’re so happy to tell your friends about as it encompasses so many styles, without the risk of sounding forced or even contrite. Featuring jazzy undertones, dub step, electronica, disco pop, and soul sounds, but if one had to make a categorical decision, it would be safe to classify Joya Mooi within the ranks of Little Dragon. Hard Melk is a tight production; ain’t no half steppin’ with this one!

You can hear the entire album on Naldisney.net (can’t seem to find a link for purchase but will update post once it becomes available). Listen to a couple of cuts off the album below and watch the video for “When I Take a Step Back.” And do let me know what you think of this Dutch beauty!

“My Day” feat. Mar

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“Poor Boy”

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If you didn’t catch Suncircle’s debut album, Reborn, which came out last month on the Futuristica Music label and features the wonderful vocals of Deborah Jordan (Silhouette Brown, Masirah, Panacea) and who has appeared on some of future soul’s best works, laid over the the production of DJ Simon S; a really nice union.

I’ve always been a big fan of Deborah Jordan. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a child and have a mum who sings to you like Deborah?! You’d act up to ensure she’d sing to you…regularly! She has such a beautiful and pure sounding voice. Reborn is a chilled collection of tunes with wonderful funk based grooves, with jazz influences. I expect to hear elements of Reborn in films as it truly is mood music with an edge.

Below is the new video for “Stars Fall Down,” co-directed with Suncircle and Think Tank Collective. The setting is perfect, as “Stars Fall Down” has that contemplative feel to it; a video that compliments a song. Enjoy!

Firstly, if you’re a visitor of Muphoric Sounds, you’d know notable artists are selected based on what they are bringing differently to the stage. Baltimore native, CJ, who appeared on Raphael Saadiq’s last album The Way I See It on the song “Never Give You Up” (with Stevie Wonder) is just a young lad of 21-years-old, and is destined for a strong musical career. Watch the video below, where CJ is interviewed by DJ Driis (aka Idris Elba aka Stringer Bell aka Hot Man!). The Package Mixtape produced by Salaam Remi and DJ Driis, is a preview of what’s to come from CJ on J Records this summer. The album is produced by Bangladesh and written by CJ and will feature collaborations with Raphael Saadiq, Rico Love, Dre and Vidal, KP and Malay (Ghet-O-Vision) and Marsha Ambrosius. It highlights the extent of his range – he has an amazing voice (remnants of Marvin Gaye are present in his delivery and harmonies) and he also plays piano. While The Package Mixtape is very commercial, I thoroughly enjoyed how he has sprinkled in the classics (i.e. Don Blackman’s “Heart’s Desire”), all the while keeping it commercial enough for teens and older people to enjoy equally.

Check out my favs below and tell me what you think of this new artist. The Package Mixtape is available for free download here.

“She’s a Problem”

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“We Can Get It In”

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I apologise profusely for not showing any love to Andreya Triana, who has been working tirelessly creating some amazing music! If you’re unfamiliar or didn’t make the connection, Andreya Triana is the owner of the dreamy female vocals on Flying Lotus’s “Tea Leaf Dancers.” Her solo album is scheduled to release spring of this year (more eargasms!), and will be produced by musical partner Bonobo, the UK DJ/producer primarily known for his downtempo electronic sounds. Bonobo’s new album, Black Sands is scheduled to release March 29th and features Andreya on a track called “Eyesdown” (check out the sample below). We’re going to hear a lot from this UK native this year. Click through to Andreya’s Myspace page for tour dates; the tour is pretty extensive. I’m pleased to see she’ll be doing two April dates in my city.

“Eyesdown” feat. Andreya Triana from Black Sands by Bonobo

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Video for “Lost Where I Belong”

Let’s face it, the music industry has changed; the consumer no longer waits in anticipation for the full album anymore. So rather than produce an album over a period of time (6-8 months), you can do what Cubic Zirconia does and release each single as a separate event, then enlist amazing and cutting edge producers to remix the tune, put a music video together, and tour each single like an album. People buy music one track at a time now, which makes this strategy work. “Josephine” features remixes by Waajeed, DJ Sega, Egytprixx, and Greenmoney. It’s also the first release on the band’s new label, Don’t Cry Recordings. In the video for “Josephine” you’ll actually like Tiombe’s remix of Josephine Baker’s persona (and she’s got the great legs to match!). So get your copy of the single on iTunes, with all five versions for the steal price of $2.99!

“Josephine” Waajeed Remix

A true innovator in the UK and the world of rap music and hip hop culture, South London native, Ben Chijioke aka Ty has grown into a positive force to be reckoned with. Having released four critically acclaimed albums with Big Dada Records, and now about to release his fifth album Special Kind of Fool with BBE Records, this EPK illustrates the anticipation behind this incredibly talented artist. Ty states that, “this album was about going through a certain amount of emotions and feelings… [to create] a document that is something I can say I’m happy with.” Collaborators include Erik Rico, Janet Kay, Anthony Mills, Terri Walker, and Michelle Escoffery, all selected based on Ty’s mindset of writing songs which have meaning rather than collaborating on an ego. Special Kind of Fool sounds like a labor of love, a journey into being who you truly are as an artist, and a reflection of his surroundings. Check out Ty’s EPK below. The album hits stores Feb 19th. Stay tuned.

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.

If you know me personally, you’ll know how much I absolutely ADORE this woman’s music. She does NO wrong. She’s what I call “über-talented,” incapable of whack, has this knack for finding amazing talent, working with nothing but best, and still manages to keep a high level of integrity in all she does.

I’ve scheduled my computer appointment for 3:33pm, and will be visiting ErykahBadu.com, where Erykah will be sending out the first song leak from the long-awaited A New Amerykah Pt. 2 Return of the Ankh’ to her fans. I can’t WAIT to get some Baduisms. Watch video below where she discusses the new album, which releases March 30th; one of the ‘eargasm’ highlights for 2010.

Thanks to BamaLoveSoul for the reminder!

Taking a late pass on this band but I’ll assume many of my readers missed this band as well. My main assertion here is that the Swedes are running it musically at the moment. Quadron are Coco and Robin, who were both members of the soul collective Boom Clap Bachelors, and who released an album in 2008 called Kort Før Dine Læber. From being in the group, Robin and Coco began to collaborate and formed Quadron. Lead singer Coco is only 21-years-old and already sounds like a seasoned artist. Her voice is delicately sweet, where she glides through each song like a lullaby. It’s really beautiful. Robin Hannibal is no stranger to music and future sounds, collaborating with Noboby Beats the Beats, Stones Throw artist, Aloe Blacc, O’mas Keith from SA-RA, Wally Badarou (Talking Heads, Grace Jones), Plant Life, Eric Sermon, Pharrell Williams. Their album, which was release last year, will be released in the US in March 2010 but is available on iTunes now. Check out the video for the single “Pressure” below and listen to “Simili,” taken from the album. Pure niceness!

“Simili” from Quadron

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I can’t tell you enough about Game Rebellion! They are Brooklyn’s very own rock, punk, hip hop band who effortlessly deliver in a way that will knock you between the eyes with a WTF! Forming as a group back in 2006 and becoming one of Afro Punk’s favourite summer acts, Yohimb, Netic, Emi, Ahmed, and Aaron can be classified as the new Public Ememy. If you haven’t seen these guys live, you need to. Lead vocalist Netic, with the ripped body, and the busting rhymes, will have you peeing in your pants. Not only is their music head banging, their lyrical content is social commentary, unafraid to challenge our so called authority; these guys are far from a game. Their Searching for Rick Rubin mixtape which was released at the end of 2008, they teamed with J.Period to pay homage to the legendary producer, and featured rhymes like, “The only terrorist I see are the police/They’re the only ones who have got the folks scared/I don’t see no planes flying over Marcy Projects…” They are far from afraid to kick conscious lyrics of truth.

I’m completely excited about the release of the new EP Sounds Like a Riot, as the journey will be one of skillful rhymes against some hard hitting rhythms. Check out the video for the debut single off the EP “Blind” below, which was filmed at Little Field NYC in Brooklyn. If you’re in the New York area, the release party for Sounds Like a Riot will be held at Santos Party House on Monday, January 18th. Click here for more details.

Visit Game Rebellion’s Bandcamp site and listen to their music. They are NOT a game. Check back for more info on the release of Sounds Like a Riot.

So here we have it, Sade’s official video for “Soldier of Love,” directed by Sophie Muller (who directed some of Sade’s singles off the Stronger than Pride and Love Deluxe albums – “Love Is Stronger Than Pride,” “No Ordinary Love,” and “Nothing Can Come Between Us“). Towards the end where the male dancers are doing their Public Enemy S1W stomps, I couldn’t help but think, wouldn’t it be hilarious if Flava Flav busted out with a ‘Yeeeaaa bwoooooyyy!’ at the end. Completely off the wall vision, but for me the video is a little cliched and muted; I wanted something more or even different. Oh, well, she looks amazing and is still one Sexy MF. We love you Sade!

Here’s a taste of one of the things that excites me for 2010 – Bilal Oliver! In this video Bilal and rapper Hezekiah work and talk about the meaning of the song “Think It Over.” The song is produced by 88-Keys, and the album will be released on the Plug Research record label (his label mates include Om’Mas, Shafiq Husayn, Flying Lotus, and Exile). He definitely is around friends and family for this release. Based on this teaser, all Bilal elements will be present — stellar vocals, beautiful but yet real lyrical content against some hard hitting Dilla-esque beats, mixed in with some jazz and my kind of R&B. I can’t wait! Enjoy the video below.

Thanks to Put Me On It for bringing this video to our attention.

I absolutely love this song! Corinne looks beautiful, sounds beautiful, and in a sad way, you can’t help but feel sorry, that she has gone through what she has already. “I’d Do It All Again” is a strong assertion, of being unafraid to give, lay one’s heart on the line, welcome pain, but if given the chance, would gladly do it all again. Just beautiful. To be completely honest, Corinne’s debut was too pop for my tastes, but after hearing this song and the level of maturity in its production, (must be that 70s retro throwback), I’m actually looking forward to hearing her new album with new ears. The release of The Sea is scheduled for February 1st, 2010, just in time for Cupid to shoot you in the heart.