R&B/Soul
[MP3] THEESatisfaction – QueenS
This record is AMAZING! THEESatisfaction is kind of affiliated with Shabazz Palaces and, as far as I’m aware, the second ‘urban/hip hop(-ish)’ act along with SP signed to fabled alternative rock label, Sub Pop. Sometime Kitchen contributor and excellent artist, Brendan Philip told you about Shabazz Palaces here on The Kitchen and tipped you to THEESatisfaction too if you were paying close attention. He’ll be dropping back by these parts very soon to put you up on full game about the brand new awE natural album by the two young ladies, Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White in THEESatisfaction which is dropping this Tuesday. Stay tuned….
[via The Stranger]
Meet Zodiac aka Jeremy Rose: the co-founder and the real creative force behind The Weeknd?
Apparently Rose is ready to talk about the true story behind the mysterious launch of the left-field R&B project, The Weekend. Read on:
“It’s generally accepted that the mysterious Toronto R&B act known as the Weeknd refers to vocalist Abel Tesfaye, an assumption based on his Wikipedia entry, since he won’t talk to the press. But before the shadowy soul group blew up internationally, the Weeknd were a duo, at least according to the guy who came up with the name.”
CLICK HERE to see the full article on Jeremy Rose from NOW magazine. And then peep this one…
“If you have even a cursory interest in hip-hop, rhythm and blues, and/or hi-top fades, chances are you’ve heard about Canadian dark R&B mega-sensation the Weeknd. You are also probably aware that the main man behind the project is a 22-year-old ex-American Apparel employee named Abel Tesfaye. He’s done very well for himself in a very short period of time—becoming BFFs with Drake, securing an upcoming 2012 Coachella performance, and remixing a Lady Gaga song within a year of his free mixtape debut House of Balloons.
The tidal wave of hype that has been building over the last 12 months began with the release of three songs: “What You Need,” “Loft Music” and “The Morning (Original Version).” Discerning listeners might remember that the production of these standout tracks was originally credited to a guy named Jeremy Rose, who has since parted ways with Abel. Yet, until now, no one knew the full story of why and how the split happened.
The handful of Weeknd fans and music journalists who have followed the story have only been able to discern that “creative differences” were to blame, Jeremy is now producing under the moniker Zodiac, and that all mentions of his name had been scrubbed from the final version of House of Balloons. Recently, Jeremy decided to set the record straight, and the facts ain’t pretty.”
CLICK HERE to read the rest of “How the Producer of the Weeknd’s Breakout Tracks Got Majorly Screwed” from Vice magazine.
As I mused to my homegirl over at 546inthemorning, was Rose the real talent behind The Weekend? I mean, as you listen to the playlist of his other production work below, this is the sound that I think had most people excited about The Weeknd at the beginning, no? Once Rose left, there seemed to be a definite dilution of that sound to many people’s ears, mine included to be honest. Or play it for yourself and tell me if you agree or not….
[Event] TONIGHT in Toronto: The Slakadeliqs Live at The Garrison for #CMW
The Slakadeliqs, the group behind my favorite album of the year so far, perform LIVE for the first time in Toronto as part of the Red Bull Music Academy’s ‘Artist Select Series’ during the Slacker Canadian Music Week! Also featured are local MC/spoken word artist Ian Kamau and my dudes, the 88 Days of Fortune collective. Here’s the science:
CMW Artist Select Series: Shad (Host and DJ)
Presented by: Red Bull Music Academy
Doors: 8:00PM
The Slakadeliqs hit the stage at 11:30pm.
$10 advance tickets or CMW MusicFest wristbands needed for entry
Buy Tickets HERE.
Buy the album, The Other Side of Tomorrow at www.theslakadeliqs.com or listen to it right here:
Nneka – Soul is Heavy is my new favorite album….
These are just a few selections from the album which is really f-cking good! CLICK HERE to hear clips from the full album via Rdio. The title and album felt apropos to play yesterday as I learned about the passing of a dear, dear friend of mine after a long fight against cancer. My soul is heavy indeed. Devin, you woulda loved this album. May your soul be finally at rest. I love you and I miss you.
[MP3] Usher – Climax (prod. by Diplo)
Just curious why you go to a cat like Diplo to produce a track and end up making a pretty run-of-the-mill R&B track (with maybe a few EDM production flourishes around the edges) still anyway??
[via Baby Sam – check out her tumblr too!]
#DK11: The album, This One Goes To Eleven… OUT NOW
