These guys are the truth! This 10 track EP via Tres Records sees Really Nathan and F.olk getting busy on the boards. Jams by the truck load! LATE BLOOMERS!

Always Know EP X Late Bloomers (DOWNLOAD)

I recently interviewed Bobby for my firneds at Expats.cz…

Craig Monts: I heard that you spent six years ‘exploring’ your voice before releasing you first solo concert. Can you tell us what exactly ‘exploring your voice’ involves?

Bobby McFerrin: It involves sitting in a room and singing!! I knew that I wanted to perform all by myself, and first I practiced improvising, and tried playing with a couple of tunes I could “hear” in my head using just my voice. And I started to perform those songs solo during shows with my band. And I kept practicing at home. Gradually I started to do short 20 minute sets alone, then 40 minutes. Took a long time before I was comfortable doing a whole show. Now it’s completely natural. But I just kept practicing and trying to make the sounds I imagined. I think most musicians hear an ideal sound in their inner ear and try to get close to that ideal. For me, because I was “hearing” things like big intervals jumps (so that I could “play” the bassline and the melody simultaneously, sometimes that meant stopping to practice a few notes over and over again so I could tune them properly. But I found that the very best thing was to just keep going, keep singing, keep trying to respond in every moment to what my inner ear was telling me, keep following the music forward.

CM: Do you have any regular vocal exercises? How often do you do them?

When I’m getting ready to leave for a tour, I try to sing every day. I’ll just start improvising. I might start with 10 minutes, and do that several times a day, then do longer stretches. I usually find that those improvisations take me where I need to go to develop flexibility and strength. Sometimes if I really want to hone my ear or my technical flexibility I’ll sing some Bach preludes.

CM: How do you feel about the use of vocoders and other electronic voice manipulation devices being used in current music?

I don’t love it, and it’s not something I’m interested in myself. But I understand why other people are curious about them, and that’s becoming part of the history of music. We’ll see where it all takes in the future!

CM: How would you say 2010 VOCAbuLarieS album differs from your 1982 self-entitled album? Would you say you’ve changed as an artist?

Those are very different albums. But of course they both celebrate the human voice and the beauty of singing in harmony, and they both reflect my own quirky way of hearing/articulating sounds. VOCAbuLarieS was very much a collaborative effort. It started with my manager/producer Linda Goldstein, who had the idea that we could take the choral improvisations I was doing with Voicestra one step further, really make through-composed music which was based in the “vocabularies” I’d been exploring as an improviser. Linda’s listed as a producer, but she had the vision and made a lot of taste calls throughout the long process of putting that album together.

The next important component was Roger Treece, who Linda found through his work with the Manhattan Transfer and Mark Murphy. Roger spent years on the task of taking my “language” and developing longer forms. You can hear my sound in the final album, it’s unmistakably about the way I like to sing, but you can also hear a lot of Roger, whose biggest influences include Singers Unlimited, Lyle Mays, and the film composer John Williams. What’s kind of interesting about this question is that in both cases we were really trying to do something new, and weren’t exactly sure how to do it, so there was a lot of trial and error.

With VOCAbuLarieS, I had the privilege of an established performing career, so we took a lot of time. With the 1982 record, we were also experimenting, but we had less time, less money, less pressure, and of course at that point I was still honing in on what I really wanted to do with my voice. The thing about music, whether you’re talking about three decades of a career or three minutes of a solo, is that it all keeps evolving. I’m excited about moving forward and about what comes next.

CM: Who or what are you currently listening to?

Right now I’m on tour, traveling from city to city, doing five concerts a week. Whenever I can find silence, that’s what I’m listening to. I need some quiet time to renew my love of sounds!

CM: What did you like the most about the Czech Republic the last time you were here? What are you looking forward to this summer?

The audiences in the Czech Republic are really incredible. You can feel the musicality in the room, the level of music appreciation and music education is so high. And when everybody sings it’s incredible. I travel all over the world, and I’m more aware of similarities between people everywhere than differences, but I’ve performed in the Czech Republic often, and I do have a sense of the character of the audience, intellectual but playful, listening intently. So I’m always excited to come back.

This summer I’m especially looking forward to bringing WeBe3 with me!

Thinkin’ About Your Body X Bobby McFerrin (VIDEO)

This interview was conducted for Colours Of Ostrava Festival. Many thanks to Radka @ Expats.cz

All praise be to God Rap. While others are focusing on the candy painted whips, stacks on stacks on stacks and the other tedious trimmings that come along with the modern materialistic life, these are guys are keeping it old testament by preaching the good word. WWAYMD? Play & Share.

Video direction comes from Paul Akinrinlola & Emmanuel Gboyega

3000 Miles of Youth X A Yellow Man (VIDEO)

3000 Miles of Youth X A Yellow Man (BANDCAMP)

A Yellow Man – Promo Vid (VIDEO)

Home girl Suzi has dropped some gems. Share.

Suzi Analogue – (R)ose (A)lways (W)ins EP

A truly sick selection and mix of current wavey jams. Light one up and pour out some lean. Simples.

Galactic Swag Sessions #3 Felix M. Dowell (DOWNLAOD)

What? Didn’t you know? Vlogging is the new Zumba. Juicy J shows us the ropes. Hold tight for some unexciting cameos.

Trippy Life : 1. X Juicy J (VIDEO)

I don’t know much about IamSu! . I do knowthat he’s from the HBK Gang and that he’s got his mixtape out now..

Poppin Bands X Iamsu! ft. Berner

KILT X IamSu! (Mixtape)

Via: Illroots.com

Mad cool. Fresh visuals with a few cameos..

La Piñata X Kool A.D. (VIDEO)

Check the mixtape..

I recently met with Freezer & Trusty to run an interview for Vice. The Interview was never published…until now.

Freezer & Trusty Interview X Craig Monts
Title: Sushi Creeps

Churning out heavy bass filled zombie dance floor jams is tiring work. I had a lunch date with Czech based producers; Trusty (Ty Vole?!) & Freezer (Hypno 808), with running sushi in our hearts and forthcoming projects on our lips.

Craig Monts: So what’s going on guys? Have you been busy of late?

Trusty: Yeah, things have been busy. I have been playing out a lot and editing videos from the different Ty Vole!? parties both in and out of Prague. I also have plenty of releases coming out via the Ty Vole label.

Craig Monts: What have you got coming up?

Trusty: New music from Side9000, ZKat, H.D.A. is all on the horizon, with videos for all. So, in total about 4 or 5 EP’s by the end of summer.

Craig Monts: Not much then (!) What you been up to Freezer?

Freezer: Well, Black Box came out on Hypno 808 about 3 months ago. I have been playing out and working on forthcoming releases. My Grindhouse EP release should be coming pretty soon. I’m just generally pushing the album while creating new music. I have also been working with Trusty on our Trusty & Freezer EP. We are producing a track each and then remixing each other’s track.

Craig Monts: Nice. Always got time for some lunch though right?

Trusty: ALWAYS. This sushi place is probably my second favourite lunch spot. Running sushi gives meal time that all important variety. The only drawback is the service at this place really sucks. The waitress is a full on hater.

Craig Monts: Do you think she’d be so unaccommodating if she knew she was in the presence of musical genius’?

Freezer: ……………..

Trusty: I think she only has hate in her heart.

Massage Creep X Trusty & Freezer (VIDEO)

Back To Back Mix Trusty & Freezer (LIVE)

More of Trusty’s music can be found here & Freezer’s here. No thanks go to the waitress in the Sushi restaurant. None.

Another smash from the Slick Talkers HQ. Johnny!!!

Nutcase X Candy Mane, Johnny Youngblood, Ironkap & Nironic (VIDEO)