New Music: Saukrates – Season One (FULL Album Stream)

This is apparently the first official album by Saukrates in over a decade (actually thirteen years!) That’s nuts! This album is really, really good though. A must-listen from my pov.

For you non-T.dot types, ‘Bigg Soxx’ as he’s known by some here in the city is one of Toronto’s finest and was dropping 12″s getting love in the US way back in the early 90’s before Drake was on Degrassi or even Kardi was spittin’ professionally. Salute a vet for still making vital, fresh music.

Follow Saukrates online: twitter | facebook | website

[via Exclaim!]

[MP3] Purple Hearts – You Got It

New music from my dude, 88 Days of Fortune crew member and occasional contributor here at The Kitchen, Brendan Philip. Regular readers know I’m a big booster for the 88 Days collective who I think are doing some very cool stuff.

Purple Hearts is Brendan’s group with Lord Quest. This is the first single from a forthcoming album by the duo. Check the Purple Hearts Bandcamp page for more music they’ve already released if you dig what you hear though.

Introducing New Artist: Quadron – Baby Be Mine (Michael Jackson cover)

Out of idle curiosity I was listening to the Think Like a Man soundtrack with a great deal of skepticism today and got put up on the Danish future-soul duo, Quadron via their very quirky but more-than-solid cover of Michael Jackson‘s “Baby Be Mine.” I got curious and then found this…

Bonus:

Check out a collab between Quadron and soul artist, songwriter & producing legend, Leon Ware (Marvin Gaye, Minnie, Ripperton, Maxwelll). This sounds in pocket with Ware’s trademark layered, silky smooth sound as heard on albums he produced like my Top 10 All-time fave, I Want You by Marvin Gaye. I can’t front, if these cats are holding their own working with soul and R&B’s all-time greats, the future bodes well for them.

[“Orchids in the Sun” soundcloud via Kevin Nottingham]

[Album Review] tAz Arnold – rAd americA

Before Taz Arnold aka TI$A ever brought his branded snapbacks to all the cool kids, I knew him as a musician, albeit one of a very eccentric caliber with his brethren in SA-RA.

He and his creative partners not only make some of the rawest, dirtiest funk out of LA and NY respectively, they also come armed with philosophies and spiritual messages that aren’t always reflected in their music per se, but show that these guys are educated and would like to affect people in a number of different ways.

Taz was always the wilder one in SA-RA, from his appearance to his solo work. He’s made songs that range from endorsing Barack Obama to freaked out jazz-funk street music (“$outhSide Blood Cuz’n”) not to mention an array of interesting visuals you can find on YouTube that really allow you to experience this personality and his philosophy although in the end his enigmatic persona doesn’t get any clearer.

In 2012, he’s already released two projects, a 2-song EP titled, Louboutin $yndrome employing a style I can best describe as sound collaging. There’s a somewhat chaotic approach to the production reminiscent of the 90’s production crew, The Bomb Squad. Continuing with this heavy sample, collage style, we’re now introduced to the second project, the Rad America LP, a fast-paced project that works like the musical version of what a lot of news channels look like nowadays with multiple things happening simultaneously. The perfect music for the tabbed browser information consumption era we live in now.

I first came across Rad America from my email subscription to tisavision.tv but went searching for a download link which I found along with many slanderous and dismissive comments. By no means will I scale this LP between good or bad because I recognize that it’s valuable in the indie music lexicon and the Internet age. I don’t have a whole lot to say in terms of what songs you should listen to or whatever from the album because that’s not what Rad America is about. It’s about offering people an experience, and if you make it through to the end of that experience, it’s clear what his mandate, ‘We Run This Art S#!T’ is all about.

Themes run the gamut here, from talking about freaky girls and shouting out GOD, to mentioning the gold under the rocks in San Fran as well as introducing an extension of his ‘branding’ with the ti$A te$lA gAng. There is a lot to digest here, and I am interested in exploring what else I discover with repeated listens to the album. Take the challenge for yourself though and see what you get out of your journey through Rad America!

— Brendan Philip

Download: tAz Arnold – rAd americA HERE

Check tAz Arnold out online: Website | Twitter (@tAzArnold) | Tumblr

Hit the jump to watch the ti$A Mission statement:

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[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]