Lots goin’ on in LA on Aug 16th. Frolab is presenting a release party for Stacy Epps’ new album The Awakening including a performance by Epps.

VTECH PRESENTS: A CELEBRATION OF JACKSON CONTI
Performances by Azymuth, The Beat Konducta, Carlinhos De Pandiero DJ Sets by J. ROCC, B+, Coleman and a special dance performance by Samba Angeles and Special Caiperinha Bar fueled SAGATIBA.

Saturday August 16th 2008

The sounds of Brazil are hot and vibrating in LA! VTECH, along with KCRW, The LA Weekly, The Echoplex, Mochilla and ArtDontSleep have crafted a bounding rhythmic night! For more information, visit www.myspace.com/artdontsleep.

Taking place at The Echoplex, located on 1154 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026. Ticket prices are General Admission: $15 presale through Ticket Web and $20 at the door. Admittance is 21 and wiser.

Azymuth (www.myspace.com/azymuth)

Celebrated as one of the worlds most electrifying and influential bands, Azymuth is known for their trademark sound, ‘Samba Doido,’ meaning Crazy Samba. Hailing from Rio de Janeiro’s vibrant studio scene, in the late sixties, keyboardist and songwriter Jose Roberto Bertrami and legendary drummer Ivan ‘Mamao’ Conti met bassist Alex Malheiros in 1972. Their first session together was on the “Mustang Cor de Sangue” album with Marcos Valle, in 1973. Bertrami’s wild impassioned keyboards combined with Mamao and Malheiros’ risky rhythms quickly attracted attention. It was only a matter of time before their brand of new Brasilian music would find its own audience. Their first self-titled album was recorded, in 1975, was an instant classic and re-released, in 2007, by Far Out Recordings in the UK. Following an astounding live performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, in 1977, they inked an international deal with Milestone Records, bringing Azymuth a larger worldwide audience. Their first Milestone’s outing Light As A Feather spawned the single “Jazz Carnival,” which sold over 500,000 copies and held the UK top 20 spot for eight weeks. It’s a dance floor and proto-house classic still getting spins. Samba Doido is their swing! The world finally understands what crazy samba means in their feet and hearts. In the ensuing years, there have been many albums, solo, covers and collaborations, including a recent album with Madlib and Mamao titled Sujinho. In 2008, Azymuth are still as poignant as ever! With twenty albums under their belts and a few more grey hairs, the energy still hasn’t stopped and the trio is a force to be reckoned with!

Beat Konducta (www.stonesthrow.com)

One of Hip Hop’s most musically unfurling producers, the Beat Konducta is known for his numerous musical personalities and intrinsic sounds. Relentlessly thriving in his own gifted realm, Beat Konducta incessantly presents music anew. His has numerous releases under many monikers, for Stones Throw Records. I am sure you know who we are talking about.

Carlinhos De Pandiero (www.carlinhospandeirodeouro.com)

Carlinhos got his first break playing with Marcel Camus in ” Zeca in Orfeu Negro.” Carlinhos is memorable in the film for his energetic dancing and pandeiro playing. Taking the pandeiro performance aspect to another level, he developed many of the pandeiro juggling maneuvers called malabarismo. Establishing himself, he appeared on many TV shows, including Globo TV and Radio Naçional. In 1978 he contributed several songs to the movie “Samba da Criação do Mundo.” He has also played with numerous legendary Brazilian musicians, like Beth Carvalho, Sergio Mendes and many North American artists. As of late, he is immersed within Los Angeles’ Brazilian music scene and is constantly demanded as a percussionist and pandiero teacher.

So the dope folks over at ArtDontSleep have another killer show coming up for all you LA heads. On August 8th you can catch Platinum Pied Pipers, Muhsinah, and DJ sets from Kutmah and The Gas Lamp Killer. All the official details and such are below. Go have fun kids.

KCRW, ECHOPLEX AND ARTDONTSLEEP PRESENTS
Performances by Platinum Pied Pipers Cast No. 2, Muhsinah, and DJ sets by Kutmah and The Gas Lamp Killer

Friday August 8th 2008

The break is over and KCRW, LA Weekly, The Echoplex, and ArtDontSleep are at it again! In the midst of a Californian summer comes more heat, from Detroit and DC! For more information, visit www.myspace.com/artdontsleep. It will be held at The Echoplex, located on 1154 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026. Ticket prices are General Admission: $15. Admittance is again 21 and wiser. Presale tickets are available at Turntable Lab, located on 424 N Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036, online at Ticket Web and through Shoptext by texting “PPP” to telephone number 467467. Guests are subject to availability.

Platinum Pied Pipers Cast No. 2 (www.myspace.com/platinumpiedpipers)
On the coattail of their second Ubiquity Records’ release Abundance, Platinum Pied Pipers’ duo Waajeed and Saadiq return, after three long awaited years, with a new mash up of vintage and modern influences, including pop, house, funk and Detroit techno, and combines them to be everything that is truly PPP’s sound. Their debut Triple P was hailed as the heaviest classic album of 2005 and their truthfully hyped live performances lead to a top three nomination for the Giles Petterson Worldwide Award, for Album of The Year. This time around PPP steps forward with PPP Cast No. 2: the refreshing St Louis crooner and lyricist Coultrain, Texas’ Karma, Jamila Reagen, from NYC, and long time Detroit collaborator Neco Redd. In the words of Waajeed, the inspiration for the new album is to “put some paint where it ain’t.” Fresh as ever, PPP has set the standards again!

Muhsinah (www.myspace.com/muhsinah)
DC producer, engineer and singer Muhsinah is the unexpected future soul! In a matter of seconds, her sound captures an audience wholly! In 2005, she released her self-produced Oscillations EP, but her full length album, day.break 2.0, is what earned her some buzz. BBC’s Radio 1Xtra’s Benji B brought her into the studio for an interview session, she just finished a UK tour and continuously flies forward! As Interdependent Media’s A&R Dominic Del Bene said, “Muhsinah’s music slithers all over your body like warm fuzzy slugs, thousands of them. Its warm and its dark and it effects you. Finally, when those thousands of fuzzy slugs have engulfed you, you feel the whole weight of it all…I’ll agree with it to the ends of the earth.”

Strictly Social has another dope lineup this month. Rogiers and Jimi James will be bringing the heat to the new location - Little Temple Bar - this Weds. Be sure and RSVP for your $5 entry!

Jimi James
If you missed her in January now is your chance to catch this very buzzed about artist. Sure to grab you attention with her energetic and creative live show, sick flow, and futuristic style, Jimi James is one to watch!
www.myspace.com/rahrahgirl

Rogiers
Performing in support of his debut album Life & Music: All Of It, Rogiers delivers compelling songwriting and pristine vocals over diverse soundscapes ranging from future soul to dance beats.
Read the Nu-Soul Review
www.mobileunderground.com/artist/rogiers

This event will be hosted by Yolanda Johnson
Yolanda will be launching her jewelry line Beyoutiful by Pilar of Kreative Souls
www.myspace.com/yolandajohnson
www.mobileunderground.com/artist/yolanda_johnson

Special Guest DJ Anthony Valadez (Temple Bar/Zanzibar/Little Temple)
www.myspace.com/anthonyvaladez

Resident DJs Destroyer, Milky Wayne, Myxzlplix

Only $5 all night with RSVP to events@nu-soulmag.com
$7 without
Show begins at 10:30pm

9pm - 2am
21+

Strictly Social
Now at Little Temple
4519 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 660-4540
www.littletemple.com
www.myspace.com/lastrictlysocial

Adult-oriented animated programming from Adult Swim can be found late night on the Cartoon Network. They have teamed up with Chicago’s Chocolate Industries to provide a pretty dope free digital album featuring hip-hop and electronic beats provided by the likes of Cool Kids, Diverse, Via Tania, Proton, Push Button Objects and more. You can find all the info, download link etc here.

Listen to the tracks in the player below.

These guys are doing an amazing thing….check the video, ’nuff said.

peaceacademyinc.com

Nu-soul Magazine and Soul Union present an evening of ECLECTIC SOUL FUSION!

On Wednesday June 25 come and experience STRICTLY SOCIAL and see what the buzz is all about.

Featuring Performances from:

jaMal (with full band)
www.myspace.com/malskimusic

Erik Rico
www.myspace.com/erikricomusic
www.mobileunderground.com/artist/erik_rico

Chase Allen
www.myspace.com/chaseryanallen

and special guest Maya Azucena
www.myspace.com/mayaazucena

Show begins at 10:30pm

Come early for a special listening session of Dwele’s new album “Sketches of A Man” available June 24
www.myspace.com/dwele

Resident DJs: Destroyer, Milky Wayne & MXYZLPLIX

Only $5 with RSVP b4 10:30pm
RSVP to events@nu-soulmag.com
$7 otherwise

Strictly Social
Wednesday June 25, 2008
@ Skinny’s Lounge
4923 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601
9pm-2am
21+

So finally J. Davey fans will have something tangible to look forward to from this mystical duo. Apparently they are still signed to Warner Bros and are working on their debut release for them, but let’s face it…it’s been uncomfortably toooo long since they got signed, and still nothing. So don’t hold your breath for that. But in the meantime they are releasing a double EP: The Beauty In Distortion EP, alongside full-length pop-culture/ American-media satire-filled limited edition The Land of the Lost EP (born from a mixtape collaboration with Fader magazine), on July 1st via indie label Interdependent Media.

The duo clarified via their MySpace blog that this release differs from the aforementioned Fader mixtape as it contains the full-length versions of those songs in addition to new stuff. So all around it seems like it will be worth the wait.

Download “Mr. Mister”

Ok no comment on the flyer pic, but the soulful suga is pretty tasty. Check the tracklist below. Highlights are definitely Jimi James’ delicious “Get Undressed”, Steph Jones’ “La La (means love)” and of course Sy Smith’s “Fly Away.”

SUGATREATS: friday may 30 edition:
honey brown - ghetto story
c.j. - i want you
jimi james - get undressed
jesse boykins III - baby i don’t know
sy smith - fly away
zaki ibrahim - daylight
steph jones - la la (means love)

DOWNLOAD THE SOULFUL GOODS HERE

So I just discovered a dope blog by the name of IndustrySoul and have them to thank for info on the forthcoming Platinum Pied Pipers album Abundance which is scheduled to drop on Ubiquity on October 7th. You can currently check out the first single “On A Cloud” (featuring LA-by-way-of-Texas Karma Stewart), and it’s B-side, “Angel” (featuring STL’s soulful poet,  Coultrain), on their MySpace page.