Kraak & Smaak Chat

                                                                

Kraak and Smaak a trio (Wim, Oscar, and Mark) hailing from Holland who I discovered via the worldwide web (Thanks Al Gore) are responsible for some great dance/electronica music as well as some dope remixes. So please read this Q &A I did with them and check out their music and add it to your collection this holiday season.

1. How did the group get together?

We all met up in Leiden - our hometown in Holland – it’s a beautiful (if fairly sleepy) old school place and we all used to hang in the same bar. Mark and Wim already knew each other from DJ'ing, but there we met Oscar, who studied at the conservatory. We all had a wish to start producing dance music, hit it off, started jamming with beats, samples and keyboards and Kraak & Smaak was born. We started out with a couple of EPs and remixes, but soon we were also making full albums. Later on, apart from our dj sets, we started our own live band.



2. Where did the name Kraak and Smaak come from?

Kraak & Smaak comes from a Dutch saying meaning crunchy & tasty, so no real pun intended if you pronounce it the English way! We think it’s kinda funny that apparently it has this double meaning for the non-Dutch but it sometimes leads people to expect us to be something that we’re not, which can lead to some silly situations sometimes.



3. How has having “Squeeze Me” in the Rhapsody commercial been for the group?

I think we sold about 60 or 70,000 legal downloads in the US and it led to loads of attention to our other songs, videos, our live band, the dj sets, etc. so really great. Besides, because of it we were able to play on the Jimmy Kimmel show and did some good touring across the US and Europe the last one and a half year.



4. What are some of your favorite cities to play in the U.S.?

Of course we love New York, San Francisco and LA but for example the shows that we did in Lawrence, Kansas and Austin at SXSW were also brilliant. But in general, for Europeans to be able to be on the road in the US - and get good crowds of course - is just a dream come true. And there's also so much vinyl to be found (we are real vinyl addicts)



5. The group has done some really nice remixes what would be the ultimate song to remix for the group?

That's a difficult one, as our remixes may have very different vibes, but I would guess the Medicine remix for Mark Rae, the Jamiroquai remixes and lately the remixes we did for Fedde Le Grand, Fort Knox Five and All Good Funk Alliance.



6. What’s up for Kraak and Smaak in 2010?

We stopped with our live band for a while, just doing dj sets and are working hard in the studio on new material and remixes for others (we just did Maxwell for instance). We are planning to release a new album before Summer next year if possible. After that it's hopefully touring a lot again internationally, including dropping by in the US again.

Check them out at the following links:

www.myspace.com/kraaksmaak
http://www.kraaksmaak.com/

State Of Hip-Hop

It’s Hip Hop Tuesday on Musical Eargasms… I need you to name your top 3 favorite Hip-Hop artists. I decided to do this after a conversation I had over the weekend about the state of Hip-Hop. I am not impressed with the new wave of Rap music on the airwaves. I feel the music, lyrics and beats are wacked let’s be real. I saw the ciphers that they had on the BET awards and the last one was the best one the, first one was wacked (Execpt  Buckshot ) and the second cipher was better but the last three MC's were spitting hot fire like Dylan from MTB.

I was on a quest a few years ago to find some new artist you can only depend on The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Common for so long. I discovered Dilated Peoples, Little Brother, CunninLynguists, Strange Fruit Project, and Lyrics Born to name a few. These artists I feel are doing real Hip-Hop no gimmicks or bs just lyrics and dope beats and yes an occasional dope hook. It’s funny you never see their videos on BET, MTV or any mainstream video channel so thank Al Gore for the internet where you can escape the sad state of radio rap music featuring Little whoever, Young so and so, or whoever is the hot mixtape artist of the week.

So feel free leave comments on whom your favorite Hip-Hop artists are and I will start things off with who I am feeling right now. This is in no particular order:
1. Little Brother
2. Mos Def-Estatic
3. Wale

Tortured Soul Interview

Tortured Soul is a group that consist of three members Ethan (Keyboard), Jason (Bass) , and Christian (Lead Vocals& Drums) hailing from NYC playing soulful funky dance music which I discovered a few years ago through a DJ Spinna remix. Their first album “Introducing Tortured Soul” released in 2005 is a must have for any collection with its soulful dance grooves. Tortured Soul released “Did You Miss Me” in 2009 and one of my favorite albums of the year.


Tortured Soul does a monthly show in Chicago at the Double Door every 3rd Friday of the month with the next show this Friday October 16th and I had a chance to do an online interview with them so please check it out below as well as their links.


1) How did the group meet?

Jason: We were originally playing in another band together, a larger acid-jazz funk group called Topaz. Eventually the three of us decided to split off and start doing our own thing, and right about the same time Christian had begun to write songs under the name Tortured Soul. We collaborated on some stuff and decided to use the name for the new concept we were working with - live house music - and we pretty much just rolled with it from there.


2) Who are your musical influences?

Christian: I like all kinds of music but as far as artists that have influenced the music I make go, the list becomes smaller. The list is still long, but to name a few there's:

Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, Rod Temperton/Heatwave

Donna Summer, The Bee Gees, Thelma Houston, Chic, Kool and the gang, the Dazz band, Rick James, James Brown

Marvin Gaye, the whispers, the Spinners, Quincy Jones, the Sugar Hill Gang. That's a start.


3) What are a couple of your favorite cities to perform in?

Ethan: We get asked this a lot, and it's always tough to answer since we get such a warm response in a lot of places. Short list? Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, London, Istanbul, Jakarta, Seoul, Manila, Tokyo... Actually I could go on. The enthusiasm we've had the opportunity to receive is truly humbling.


4) What are some of your upcoming projects?

Ethan: We have a couple upcoming singles that we're really excited about, including remixes from DJ Spinna and Mark de Clive-Lowe.

We're also running a remix contest for the title track off the album, "Did You Miss Me," on Traxsource.com, and the winner from that will be featured in an upcoming release in our label, TSTC Records.

We also have something totally new for us. We're just finishing up our first music video, also for "Did You Miss Me." It's looking really good so far! Folks should keep an eye out for that later this Fall.


5) What individual or group do you want to do a song with?

Jason: Our wish list includes some pretty serious heavyweights...Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Prince. I've always dreamed of working with a legendary producer, like a Rick Rubin or Nile Rodgers


Here are some links to check out the hot sounds of Tortured Soul and find out when they will be in a city near you..…For the DJ's out there check out the remix link see if you have what it takes to remix "Did You Miss Me"

Tortured Soul website:

http://www.torturedsoulmusic.com/ 

The Tortured Soul Remix Contest:

http://www.traxsource.com/index.php?act=page&page_id=237

Myspace: myspace.com/torturedsoul


Facebook: facebook.com/torturedsoul


twitter: @tortured_soul

Ledisi Experience

Ledisi Experience

First I would like to Congratulate Dedry Jones on the surprise award he received from Universal Music Group on Friday night. It’s great to see Dedry being recognized for his contributions to the music industry but also the contributions to the community providing us with something as special as The Music Experience events which gives you some personal insight into the artist.

The Ledisi Experience was amazing a very up close and personal look at an artist with one of the best voices I have heard in many years. As usual it started with an introduction into Ledisi’s background her upbringing in New Orleans and Oakland. Both her parents were musicians and her mother and stepfather had a group that played different kinds of music with her mother as the lead singer. This is where Ledisi got an early insight on how to give the crowd your all. She spoke of singing being her outlet growing up in Oakland and using it as a way to deal with family drama and the usual childhood drama. Her mother’s influence was evident as she performed shows for her sister and stuffed animals which was fun to hear. Her high school years were the usual teenage struggles but Ledisi used singing to get through them and to also gain friends. The chemistry between Ledisi and Dedry was a great addition to the Q&A session on her background.

As Dedry told the story of how he first heard about her at a music conference you could sense the energy was going to another level. He started by playing songs from her first album “Soul Singer” which she co wrote all the songs they were all very soulful and melodic with a nice bass. The track that I liked was “Take Time” real laid back and chill had me doing the cool shoulder move in my seat.

Ledisi’s second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue a jazz album which included standard jazz songs as well as some newer jazz songs. Dedry played “Straight No Chaser” and I was in heaven thought I was at Blue Note or Village Vanguard her jazz range is crazy I loved it.

In talking about her third album it was like listening to old friends talk she was open and honest about her feelings about the music industry. The third album “Lost and Found” received two Grammy nominations and featured the jam “Alright” which is one of my favorite tracks. The story Ledisi told of her sitting in front row of Grammy’s and texting while camera was on her. The Chicago audience showed her love by signing right along with the song. I agree with Dedry, Ledisi should make a dance album that would be hot as he played the dance version of “Alright” I was ready to hit the dance floor in addition he mentioned adding one live song to her albums. They ran through some tracks from her Christmas album which were very good I am not a big Christmas album fan but these were different you could listen to at any time of year. I was quite impressed that she wrote new Christmas songs for this album. Dedry then played a song from her new album “Turn Me Loose” which was outstanding had that 70’s funk-soul-rock feel. I was very impressed that she discussed finding her lane and doing music she wanted to do and trying different styles on her new album and not caring about what anyone thought but her. On another note I was very happy she answered the last question about who was the best interviewer she had been interviewed by… which of course was no other than the charismatic, funny, and witty Dedry Jones.

The mini performance, which we were all waiting for did not disappoint, she sung from the new album. I was very impressed just her two background singers and a bass guitar player she didn’t need a full band to take us there. She has a sassy stage presence and took us to church on “Higher Than This” showing us she is ready to take the risk and if the listener is ready they will enjoy the ride. She closed out with the audience favorite “Alright” which had the people on their feet singing right along. A great performance

If anyone wasn’t a Ledisi fan before I know they are now after this Experience her upbeat personality, great voice, charisma, and stage presence would win anyone over. Leidisi mentioned becoming a legend she is well on her way with the above mentioned qualities…

Carefusion JazzFestival 55 Review

I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Care Fusion Jazz Festival 55 in Newport, Rhode Island and it was one of the best weekends of the summer for me. The festival was held at Fort Adams State Park which is located at the mouth of the Newport Harbor with great views of the harbor which was how I got the festival on a water taxi.

Saturday was beautiful clear skies and above normal temperatures with a slight breeze coming off the harbor made for a beautiful setting to listen to some of the best jazz artists playing today. We arrived to the sound of Esperenza Spalding whose sound was more modern but upbeat and her amazing voice complimented her band’s sound. We could barely find a spot for grooving to her music. We found a spot and waited on The Joshua Redman Double Trio to come up next. So while waiting we took a tour of the grounds which featured amazing artists on two smaller stages. There were also vendors who were selling paintings, sculptures, soaps, and of course jazz merchandise. There was also a wide range of food vendors we started off with cheeseburgers and Italian sausage which were both very good. The frozen lemonade was really good also. If you wanted cocktails you could walk down the harbor to the liquor tents and enjoy a great view of the boats with your drinks. The Joshua Redman Double Trio kicked off by running through some of his work heavy on his traditional saxophone play it was well worth the wait. He closed by doing a standard number and letting everyone in the trio get some shine and showcase their skills. As we wanted more he had to go so that the Branford Marsalis Quartet could come and get the audience going with his horn. Branford was on fire playing with passion and zest and it seemed he was in sync with the beautiful weather playing smooth and clean.

The last act of the day was the most interesting Mos Def and The Watermelon Syndicate I didn’t know how they would fit in a jazz festival. Mos Def came out to the band playing and he ran through some of his new tracks which were cool he also sang and he really isn’t a bad singer it really flowed which surprised some of the more traditional jazz fans in the house. My favorite part was he did a tribute to Michael Jackson over the Human Nature song and it was nice but what got me was he kicked into “Umi Says” and that just set the crowd off old, young. Black, white it didn’t’ matter we were all standing and singing.

We arrived a little late on Sunday due to the weather it was suppose to rain but it didn’t and I am so glad it didn’t I would’ve missed the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet who were playing when we arrived. I am a big jazz fan and to hear him live was amazing they played classics like “Taking the A Train” which sounded great live. The saxophone player was beyond amazing the energy he put out was powerful it seemed to have a hold on the crowd. Antonia Bennett followed and she has a great voice she sang traditional jazz songs and her piano player was very good. I was anxious to see Tony Bennett and he was awesome wow his voice hasn’t lost anything he did some classics and told stories which was really cool. He brought Mr. Dave Brubeck out jam with him which sent it to a whole nether level. The drummer for Tony Bennett was also a drummer for Duke Ellington and he was amazing.

If you’re not busy next August please check out George Wein’s Jazz Festival 55 in Newport, RI you will enjoy great music, panoramic views, and the best seafood they have to offer.

Foreign Exchange Concert Review 6/7/09

The Foreign Exchange show last night was off da chain…A Sunday night church service you had to be there for. If you haven’t heard them live then you should it’s an amazing show featuring Phonte on vocals who can carry a tune and has the charisma and energy to get the crowd going. Yazarah wow what can I say her voice is amazing she hit all the notes and her reggae skills were on point. My man Darien Brockington (D Brock) brought the soulful vocals to the service and then let loose during his sermon performing “Come Around” from the connected album. The group ran through songs from their latest cd Leave it All Behind including two of my favorites “Take off the Blues” which all three vocalists were sanging on hitting deep in the groove making your head move and “All or Nothing” which the beat alone will have you moving and yes Phonte Chi-town knew about the mini-song after. One of the best moments of the show was the sermon on the difference between a love song and a song about love a classic breakdown and yes there is a difference. The group did “I Wanna Know” and we were treated to the keyword in saving a relationship “Oooookkkkkkkk”. The sermon as I mentioned earlier by Mr. Darien Brockington was amazing “Come Around” from the first cd “Connected” a funk face and soul hand crowd moving joint that you must be a witness of. The show wound down with a couple of Little Brother jams which had the body grooving and then the 90’s jam “Written All Over Your Face” cover was off the chain they got down on that one and I didn’t like the song. A show with passion, energy, charisma, and just some damn good music. Thank you Foreign Exchange….

Chrisette Michele Experience 5/4/09

The Chrisette Michelle Experience was one of the most entertaining events I have attended in a long time. The conversation between the host Dedry Jones and Chrisette Michelle was beautiful and intimate, as if we were all in a coffee shop, quiet restaurant booth, or in the living room at home just talking and being ourselves. Chrisette was very honest, and engaging which was very refreshing. She talked of her upbringing in Long Island and her entry into music at a young age through the church her family attended. Her passion for music was evident in not only her words but her mannerisms when she spoke of the greats Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. I found it particularly interesting her stories of growing up in a very big extended family and how proud she was of that and her thirst for learning about different cultures which can only add to an artist’s growth.

The musical portion of this Experience was one of the best that I have attended because of the heart and soul she puts into her music. As Dedry played songs that she had collaborated on with Jay-Z, Nas, The Legendary Roots Crew, and The Game you could see her bobbing her head to the music like she was back in the studio recording her part. As a huge hip hop fan this is how I was first introduced to her beautiful and sultry voice. When she spoke of how writing all of your music isn’t always a good thing I found that to be a very honest realization on her part and a big contribution to her growth as an artist. The stories behind the songs from her first CD were warm and genuine.

Her mini-performance was like wow, she sounded incredible! It was like being in a small intimate jazz club and losing yourself in the music. The jazz version of If I Had My Way was amazing; her range and passion made this song jump down your soul. Her impressions of other artists were dead on and very fun. The next song she preformed is on her new CD titled Blame It On Me which is a very soulful tune and the message in the song resonated with the women in the audience.

This was one of the fastest selling Music Experience and, in my opinion, one of the best. The host, Dedry Jones, did an extraordinary job of interviewing Chrisette who not only gave an outstanding interview but one of the best live performances I have seen in a long time.

Foreign Exchange Leave It All Behind Review

Foreign Exchange Leave it All Behind


The group consist of Phonte one half of the dynamic hip-hop group Little Brother alongside Dutch super producer Nicolay. Phonte and Nicolay combine to bring another tight musical journey I must admit it was a departure from their first cd Connected which featured mostly rhyming with a roster of dope MC’s. Leave it All Behind takes a different approach with melodic beats and vocals from Phonte, Darien Brockington, Yahzarah, and Muhsinha.

The very talented Muhsinha contributed two standout tracks “Daykeeper” and “House of Cards” where she delivers her standout vocal stylings along side Phonte who is a very capable singer. Mr. Darien Brockington delivers as has before on Connected as well on his collaborations with Little Brother. His voice is at its peak on “Two Step Blues” where he and Phonte will have you reaching for the phone or grabbing your significant other to come a little closer. Yahzarah lends her sexy sultry voice to “If She Breaks Your Heart” a slower groove that conjures sweet memories of the heartbreaks of love and her singing styles fits like a glove on “If This is Love” with Phonte which was a feel good track about love that will leave you bobbing your head thinking about that special someone. Phonte then brings out his lyrically wizardry on “Something to Behold” with Darien Brockington on background vocals speaking on how love can have you buying chicken dinners but seriously Phonte’s flow is classic over Nicolay’s mellow beat which has grooving. The track that had Big Oof open was “All or Nothing/Coming Home to You” this song is about love not having to be all or nothing over a dope beat by Nicolay and buttery smooth vocals from Darien Brockington and Phonte this track made me realize that Leave it All Behind had to be my first music review.

Big Oof is still grooving after listening to Leave It All Behind a cd you can listen to all the way through and put on repeat the beats and vocals are fresh and better than anything I have heard in a long time. So do Big Oof a solid and check out Foreign Exchange Leave It All Behind it’s a must have for your collection.