Japanese Cartoon – In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death | Album Review

Trading his American emcee cape for a British accented post punk nine-track stunt, Lupe Fiasco’s Japanese Cartoon is dropping rocking for free download (I might add free, did I say free?) their first album, In The Jaws Of The Lords of Death. So LupE.N.D is not yet in our midst but can we wait while giving a heads up to In the Jaws of the Lords of Death?  Yes we can!

Japanese Cartoon is Wasalu’s extended, or extending, personality captured into a rock band. One might shudder at the mention of another musician’s side wing undertaking but this is Lupe Fiasco the phenomenal, the prodigious MC (in capital) and this up-to-now-hidden wing of his might turn out to be made of gold… Read more

Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma | Album Review

Flying Lotus raised the height of his electro-sonic game when he released in May this year his second full-length album Cosmogramma on Warp records, an unusual album through-in and through-out its content, style and visual form (with artwork by Leigh J. McCloseky, look up Codex Tor!).

Cosmogramma is constructed by 17 pieces, from 17 seconds to 3 minutes 20 sections; each piece titled and punctuated by unexpected wording (‘Pickled!’ , ‘Nose Art’, ‘Table tennis’, etc).  This is not a new feature of Flying Lotus’ touch however, rather it is the mark of his ever productive bend, present and evolving ever since his first dubsteps.  As random as these uncategorisable tiny timed pieces and their longer siblings appear at first, they always self-audio explain their unique character as soon as you will hit play, thus falling tightly snug into the seat-beat that Flying Lotus has composed, for them, and in them.

Cosmogramma is a space opera, thus has Warp records presented it.  When it was released to the press it was handed as a one long play, a very fitting format because, although dividable in the said 17 parts, each track runs inside and outside of its selves, like natural phrases in the logic of poetics rather than synthetic broken units.

Haven’t listened to it yet? Let us tempt you… Read more

The SoulJazz Orchestra – Rising Sun | Album Review

The Souljazz Orchestra is already onto their fourth album release with LP Rising Sun, on Strut Records, carving onto their famous love for Afro, jazz and Latin beats a new bright cast.  Concentrating on jazz this album round, SoulJazz carry their militant lyrics only in black and white notes as this album is all instrumental.

SoulJazz is a surprising sextet in that it features no strings: no guitar and no bass.  Instead this Ottawa band gives full stage to vocals and a genial saxophone range – with three saxophonists on tenor, baritone and alto – plus three acolites on vintage keyboard, percussion and drums.  Transposing renowned melodies into colourful fresh jams Read more

Maria Rita at Koko, London; 18 May | Live Review

The Brazilian living legend singer Maria Rita shook a packed Koko house on Tuesday night amidst an electrified crowd of Brazilondoners, cameras ready to click and hips ready to samba from the word ‘go’ and ‘Maria’.  She opened the stage-sky glittering in red and bathed in alternating shades of ocre, indigo, rasberry and emerald that accompanied our traveling with her, through no less than 20 songs, taken from her three albums, Maria Rita, Segundo and Samba Meu.

This tiny graceful woman began her singing stellar trajectory in 2003 upon the launch of her first album Maria Rita.  Six latin Grammys on and numerous tours, Maria Rita returned to London after Read more

Album Review: Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here

February 2010 revealed a jewel in the crown of super-sonic XL Recordings – whose coat of arms reads: Radiohead, the White Stripes, Basement Jaxx, Vampire Weekend, Ratatat, to name but a few – with the musician, poet, novelist, activist, the extraordinaire and un-classifiable Gil Scott-Heron. Music messenger Richard Russell, XL’s founder, sealed the production of Gil Scott-Heron’s first album in 16 years: I’m New Here, a 28 minute LP of 15 tracks. 60 years-old in body, ageless in Soul and perhaps even soul. The poet has returned, bearing an aura on a par with that of the most ancient and potent, wise and mischievous gods. But had he ever left? Read more

Brazilian Graffiti Fire: Pixação by Joao Wainer + Roberto T. Oliveira (Documentary Review)

“Covering buildings throughout São Paulo, pixação is a style of graffiti native to Brazil and known for its simple, angular lines. In this episode of Cool Hunting Video, we tour the city streets with Joao Wainer, photographer and co-director of a documentary on the subject, who fills us in on the culture and history.” –CoolHunting.com

Pixação is a documentary that I first caught up with when it was first screened in Paris in July in 2009 at the Cartier Foundation.  It was later to be showed in October 2009 during the 33^rd International Film Festival in Sao Paulo.  This one hour plus film was directed by Joao Wainer and Roberto T. Oliveira, with commentaries by Wainer and endeavours to decipher the motivation, circumstances and environment of graffistas in Sao Paulo who have developed a unique form of graffiti in Brazil since the 80s: the pixação. Read more

Album Review: Raheem Devaughn – The Love & War Masterpeace

Soul is Passion and Love. Soul is a Message. That is why Soul is Power. That is where Raheem DeVaughn is Soul.  Empowering his third album The Love And War Masterpeace with a dual vision, Raheem pens reality with neo-soul’s ink and takes a firm stance: in our world let there be love, for our world let there be outspoken social awareness.

The team for this LP is flamboyant and numerous, featuring producers Kenny Dope (who produced most of this LP), Ne-Yo, the Stereotypes, Ronnie “Lil Ronnie” Jackson, Ivan “Orthodox” Barias, Carvin “Ransom” Haggins, Big Bob, Symfoniz and Jerry Jukes Vine and spoken interludes as introductions to tracks by the mighty scholar Dr Cornel West.

The featuring artists extend a celestial line-up of R&B, Hip Hop and Raggae suns: Ludacris, Wale, Malik Yusef, Damian Marley. For the gospel soul-stirring track “Nobody Wins A War” no less than Jill Scott, Bilal, Anthony Hamilton, Algerbra, Chrisette Michele,  Shelby Johnsson, Ledisi, Citizen Cope, Dwele, Chico DeBarge and Rudy Currence lend their voices. Read more

José James – Black Magic (Album Review)

Black Magic is José James‘ second album, released on Brownswood Recordings and includes collaborations by an impressive set of out-wordly beat makers such as Flying Lotus, DJ Mitsu the Beats, Benga, Moodyman, BiLo, Taylor McFerrin and remix creatives Simbad and Joy Orbinson, also featuring Jordana De Lovely, a talented up and coming NYC based vocalist and songwriter. Read more

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