It’s been quite some time since Kissey Asplund has graced the pages of Muphoric Sounds, and it’s not without query; we’ve had our eye on her awaiting new music. This little surprised surfaced last week, in the form of Wonderkiss. Wonderkiss is Kissey Asplund, hailing from Sweden, and living in Manhattan, New York and Brooklyn native, TK Wonder.

Having met back in 2008 at The Knitting Factory in New York City, each performing independently — Kissey with Ty Segall and TK Wonder with Taylor McFerrin — it wasn’t until running into each other again a year later during a time where Kissey had started to delve into beat making to produce music for own album, the two decided to meet up in to share musical ideas. Instantly, TK gravitated to Kissey’s sounds, and they gave birth to Wonderkiss. Heartfukk, Part 1 is a walk with sexy electronica, where each song pulsates to a tribal beat as TK Wonder raps and sings. All I can say is, we are digging this!

Check out the video for “Get Down And Dirty,” then head over to their Facebook fan page for a Free Download.

It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard new music from Swedish belle Kissey Asplund. In fact, the last Kissey update we shared was the collaboration with Brooklyn-based drummer/producer Daru Jones on his So Good EP, which featured Kissey on vocals. “Cry” is bare in production, with synthesizers, drums and percussion that allow Kissey‘s emotive vocal layering to fill the track into something that is hauntingly beautiful. It wails with energy. Check it out below, then head over to Kissey.co website to get a free download of “Cry.” Looking forward to what’s coming down the pike from Kissey!

“Cry” Free Download

Daru Jones, Brooklyn-based drummer and producer, has started a new monthly project, entitled RUSIC. His mission for the project is, “to challenge myself by releasing one RUSIC project per month, to showcase indie artists in coordination with the RUSIC sound. Each project has a different theme in order to showcase my diversity, and convey a message, regardless of the form or genre.”

Starting with one of my favourite Swedish alternative soul singers Kissey Asplund, is no surprise. When producers hear Kissey on record, they seek her out and put her on a track or two, or as in this case, six. She has this sweet tonality, an inventive delivery, which gives her diversity and sets her apart from others. Daru being a killer on the drums, provides his signature hard slaps, coupled with Kissey applying additional sugar to the beat; this is such a great collaboration. Can’t wait for the next RUSIC!

Check out “Sweetest Day” below and head over to Daru‘s Bandcamp page for the free download. And remember, don’t be a hoard; share the wealth with your friends!

If you’re from Brooklyn, you’ve come into contact with Dhundee in one way or another, from his DJing at some of New York’s exclusive parties and club nights. A Baltimore native, now residing in Brooklyn, Dhundee’s musical journey is one that is hard to categorize, as he manages to encompass various musical genres without coming across as contrite or far-reaching. With the recent official release of his album, Take Flight, which features an array of fine artists and showcases his skills not only as musician (Trombone and Drums) and producer, but even a singer! Take Flight contains innovative, atmospheric musical arrangements to chill to, or even work up a sweat to on the dance floor. Highly respected within the industry, working with Waajeed (from Platinum Pied Pipers), Cecilia Stalin, Sarah White, Kissey Asplund, Michelle Amador, his new album has begun to gain attention from other amazing producers, such as the recently retired Domu, who remixed “Tomorrow,” and features the sexy-jazzy-cool vocals of Swedish singer, Cecilia Stalin.

Watch the never-before-seen until now video created by Dhundee, where he rocks the beat. And below, he shares with Muphoric Sounds his musical path and process, his new album, and what’s on his horizons. Taking his music across the seas, the name Dhundee is one you should pay attention to. His album can be purchased from his Bandcamp page. Enjoy!

1. Who is “Dhundee”?
Dhundee is a Producer, Musician, DJ, Daddy, Connector, Biz Owner who resides in Brooklyn.

2. Do you think you would be the “Dhundee” you are today if you stayed in Baltimore? Why?
Yes. Dhundee started out in B’more 17 years ago. I was in 2 bands — one hardcore rock band and the other, a jazzy hip hop band. I was very involved with making music even before that so I would and could set up shop anywhere I lay my hat.

3. People always say, there’s something about Brooklyn. How has being based in Brooklyn influenced your creativity?
There is definitely something special about Brooklyn. I am influenced by the different sections of Brooklyn, the people, the style, the attitude, the kids, the hustle, the crazy conversations I overhear walking the streets, the conversations I have with the gypsy cab drivers that I come from all over the earth listening to their music while riding in the cab, the feeling of leaving the city and riding over the bridge; leaving the hustle behind me. Most of all I like the pace here and how you can set your own if you choose to.

4. Who are your main musical influences? What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening mostly to soul, hip hop and house music, later jazz, electronica, trip hop, Ultramagnetic MC’s, De La Soul, Ralph MacDonald “The Path”, KRS 1, Leaders of the New School, Tribe, Native Tongue Fam, Jimi Hendrix, 90′s rock, Lala Hollaway and ole school B’more Club and Chicago House music, Prince, Stevie, Michael, Stereolab, Can, early Ninja Tune records.

5. Being a musician who plays multiple instruments, what do you prefer when composing music – instrumentation or computerization? Why?
I prefer using both. I approach each song differently. Being that drums/drumset is my main instrument, I usually start off doing drum solos in my studio first. As I’m playing, I can hear the bass lines and chords, and from there I record digitally into the computer. It’s a lot cheaper than reel to reel tape and a lot more efficient.

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There’s much debate on whether hip hop music is alive or dead. Hearing producers like CHIEF, you realize there are those who work hard to keep rap music as a true art form, pure in creation and where the ultimate goal is not commercialism, but appreciation.

Born and still residing in Lausanne, Switzerland, CHIEF makes me wonder about the vibrant music scene in Europe right now, as a lot of great stuff is coming from overseas. Founder of Feelin’ Music record label, his new full-length release, Collabo Collection features an A-list group of guest artists such as Moka Only, Kissey Asplund, Le Nubians, Dynas, Co$$, Sene, and blu., to name a few. Collabo Collection is a blend of smooth and chilled Dilla infused beats where his collaborations bring the tunes to fruition, notwithstanding the cool instrumentals within the collection. The beatmaker shared with Muphoric Sounds his philosophy and method to creating, his new album, the power of the internet in making musical connections, and his various music influences. Truly someone to keep your ear open for.

Kick back and listen to some of the tracks off Collabo Collection below and for Free Exclusive Download – “Lost Love” featuring Co$$, who will be releasing his new album on Tres Records very soon. Collabo Collection is scheduled for release November 3rd.

Demon Love ft. Kissey Asplund and Moka Only from Collabo Collection

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Tru Love ft. blu. & Sene from Collabo Collection

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There is so much great music coming from Europe, to a point that people are beginning to think Muphoric Sounds only features music by European artists. How do you describe the music scene in Switzerland?
Although Switzerland is a tiny country, the music scene is definitely very rich, especially considering the size of the country. As we speak 3 different languages in Switzerland (French, German, Italian) depending on which area you live in, there are lots of different influences, sub-cultures and music styles. Each part of Switzerland somehow bears mad similarities with the bordering country using the same language, i.e. France, Germany and Italy. The rock and pop scene is the biggest, but has no chance to export itself due to the language issue.. let’s not even mention the accent for those who try anyway. Both the electronic and hip-hop scenes have been growing stronger over the last few years, and quite a number of Swiss producers have been able to make a name for themselves outside of our mountains. There’s definitely talent, passion, and involvement here.

How did you get started?
Alright, this is going to look like a “copy and paste”, every producer from my generation probably has the exact same story! I first started DJing when I was 14 years old, it was in the 90’s and at that time the hip-hop scene was really taking off in Switzerland, thus I immediately got interested in that scene. When I was 21 I started making beats, with the usual heavyweights like DJ Premier, Pete Rock and such being major influences on my sound. Over the years, as my skills developed, my style evolved, took different directions, I tackled varied styles, and it finally turned in something quite different and more personal. I guess the goal of every beatmaker is to have your very own sound signature, create beats that can be very different from one another, but still retain that one special touch of yours, whether you can pin exactly what it is or not.

How do you describe your sound?
Electric, vintage, smooth, with an organic groove! I still like to start with samples and build up from that foundation, but the elements that truly make the track are all the sounds and tricks I then add, all the twitching which kind of hide the original samples.

What collaborations and moments at the start of your career made your realize you were onto something as a producer/DJ?
There wasn’t actually one specific event that made me think I was onto something, instead it was a slow evolution. When I was a teen and I was djing and generally really into the whole hip-hop thing, I reached this point when you want to go deeper into it, get involved and add your own brick to the wall. So I bought a mpc and got started. Around the same time, I left my job and started a sound engineer formation. That allowed me to focus on music more generally, start my own recording studio, and hopefully this will allow me to avoid having to get a shitty job in the future!

Tell us about your new album “Collabo Collection” and the people you chose for the project.
“Collabo Collection” is not a real studio album, it’s a compilation of tracks I made over the latest years. You can hear different influences or styles depending on when these tracks were recorded (between 2005 and 2009). I did a number of collaborations over the last few years with many different artists. With most of the artists, it was kind of an “exchange”, you give them a beat for their album, they give you a featuring for yours in return. It all happened very naturally, I hooked up with different artists, others then came to me, etc…. and at some point I realized that I had quite a lot of tracks that I was really happy with and which had never been released, so I decided to compile the best ones and make an album out of it.

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Earlier this month, Muphoric Sounds plugged Moka Only‘s impressive new album, The Lowdown Suite 2: The Box and was able to send him some questions to answer for Muphoric Sounds. The Vancouver-based rapper and producer shares his rhyme and reason to his production, working with Kissey Asplund on “Drip Drop” (great story by the way!), his influences, and the plight of the digital era for artists. Within the interview, you get a true sense of his personality, “quirky” at best, truly an artist, who never stops creating! With great musical collaborations on the horizon and even working under a pseudonym, Moka Only ain’t going nowhere! And for what it’s worth, I’ve planted the seed for a collaboration with L.A. based rapper Blu; we eagerly await.

For the readers of Muphoric Sounds, Moka has provided an exclusive download of “Lemon,” from The Lowdown Suite 2: The Box (hear it below), which can be purchased on iTunes.

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Check out the Muphoric Sounds exclusive interview with Moka Only below!

What are your musical influences?
I have many music influences…people ranging from Frank Zappa to James Brown to Eazy-E. It’s all relative, but I usually lean toward stuff that’s interesting or weird, I guess. Lol.

What did you grow up listening to in the home?
In the home when I was a kid I got into jazz rather early so I would listen to Ornette Coleman, Sphere, Monk, Les McCann, Joe Pass…all kinda great cats. Also rocked Joni Mitchell and Stevie.

For me, and this is based on my experiences of Canada, is that it’s a place of calm, order, idyllic views, fresh air, order, etc. But, clearly there is a strong urban culture there. How would you compare hip-hop culture and rap music in Canada to San Diego?
Hahaha. You have a strange view of Canada if you think it’s all streams and idyllic, pastoral beauty. I mean, that does exist out in the country but the same can be said for America or any country. I’m from Vancouver. I would urge people to Google it and see for themselves. I’m not tryna push for the stereotypical ‘street cred/war stories’ but Vancouver is as grimy as any major North American metropolis. We have big gun problems, gangs, and the same horrors that need to be eliminated as elsewhere. Of course there are many cool places in the city too. Vancouver is a lot like San Diego. We are a bigger city though. I moved there on a whim. Literally. No planning. My life’s been like that. Vagabond stuff. One advantage of going to San Diego way back then is the proximity to Los Angeles and the hip hop movement that was poppin’ there at that time. L.A. cats would visit Diego on the frequent. Met lots of people there in situations that might not have happened at that time in Vancouver.

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The name Kissey Asplund has been mentioned on Muphoric Sounds a few times, and I hear she’s working on a new album.

A couple of days ago, she posted a cover to her blog, on what she called one of those days of not being in the mood to write a song or deal with the technicalities of producing a track from scratch, and also overdosing on Radiohead (cuz that’s how they do you once you start playing them!). What we got is a beautiful version of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Kissey has a soft and breezy voice and oftentimes, in the works she has appeared on, the production overshadows her singing, and she becomes more style than voice. So hearing her in this raw, uncut, and minimal cover, it’s nothing but pure niceness. I was left wanting more when the song abruptly ended.

Check out Kissey’s cover of “Creep” by Radiohead (one of my favorite rock bands of all time) below. If you dig it as much as I do, you can download it here (courtesy of Kissey Asplund).

Radiohead’s “Creep” sang by Kissey Asplund

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With over 10 years in the business, Canadian rapper and producer Moka Only just seems to churn out albums, one after the other. He’s incapable of not creating (which isn’t a bad thing when your name is Moka Only). My question is, does he ever leave his studio? Judging by the photos on his MySpace page, he’s steadily on the road performing.

His latest release Lowdown Suite 2: The Box must be his 30th LP and features Kissey Asplund on the song “Drip Drop,” a J Dilla influenced two-step jam, where Kissey’s melodies echo like an oceanic breeze. Lowdown Suite 2: The Box is chilled and relaxed matching Moka Only‘s laid back flow, with experimental beats and not containing overtly long tracks. He has gained much respect within the music industry, not only as a skillful emcee but also as an innovative producer, collaborating with the late great J Dilla, MF Doom, Aceyalone, Buck 65, K-Os, Sadat X, to name a few. Personally, I would like to see Moka Only team with West Coast rapper Blu for a tune or two.

If you’re not hip to Moka Only, you need to check him out by starting with the tunes below, then making a trip to iTunes.

“Drip Drop” feat. Kissey Asplund

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“Do Work”

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You think it’s all about attending seminars and meeting record executives that make the WMC. In fact, it’s quite the opposite and is truly dependent on your musical tastes. The WMA I experienced was more impromptu and respective of my musical preferences, which are more underground. On the cusp of losing your mind with all the dance/trance music that permeates the South Miami Beach airwaves, a la Spring Break/Girls Gone Wild style, when you do find your scene, it’s a breath of fresh air.

This year’s Delano events featured K’naan, whose performance highlight was bringing Matisyahu to the stage for one song. Matisyahu is incredible live. I’m waiting to see what K’naan will grow into. He shows much potential with his message of the struggle, but the media frenzy is causing my side way looks.

The Raw Fusion events at Jazid were my highlights, featuring a large roster of artist such as DJ Spinna, Rich Medina, Daz-I-Kue (Bugz In The Attic), Mad Mats (Raw Fusion), Kissey Asplund, Erik Rico to name a few. From Taylor McFerrin doing his hereditary human beat box to DJ Spinna mixing up broken, Fela, and dub beats, had us all jumpin’ and funkin’. Attitudes were left at the door.

So here’s a shout out to a few of the people I met over the weekend who were happy to talk about their projects, share music, and opinions. Looking forward to gracing Muphoric Sounds with their flavor – Kissey Asplund, Taylor McFerrin, Yellowtail, Mad Mats, Ayro, DJ Chicus, and Bopstar.