Archives: February 2022

Robert Glasper’s contribution to music and culture spans over two decades, forming an exceptional legacy that permeates throughout contemporary art and advocacy. 2022 not only marks the 10 year anniversary of the era-defining, Grammy-winning album Black Radio but also Glasper’s solo return with the release of Black Radio III on February 25th via Loma Vista. Arriving alongside the announcement is the single, “Black Superhero” featuring Killer Mike + BJ The Chicago Kid + Big K.R.I.T.

Like its predecessors, the new studio album celebrates Black joy, love and resilience. Black Radio III’s guests also include Q-Tip, Jennifer Hudson, H.E.R. Yebba, Common, Ty Dolla $Ign, Esperanza Spalding, Ant Clemons, India.Arie and more.

Glasper reflects, sharing “I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Black Radio than by releasing Black Radio 3. To debut a live performance of “Black Superhero” on The Tonight Show with some of my own heroes is really special to me. Hopefully, it inspires more to come.“

Belgian-Caribbean provocateur Charlotte Adigéry and long-term musical partner, Bolis Pupul have shared the latest track from their forthcoming debut album, “Ceci n’est pas un cliché” (watch the video!). Their debut record, Topical Dancer, is co-written and co-produced with Soulwax and due for release on March 4 2022 via their iconic label DEEWEE. “Ceci n’est pas un cliché” is an accumulation of all the cliché lyrics Charlotte and Bolis have heard over the years. The title is also a wink to one of the most copied sentences in art, originally by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte.

The duo have also announced a bunch of US Tour Dates for the spring (below!), while revious singles “Blenda,” “HAHA” and Thank You” picked up a wealth of press support from the likes of The Guardian, The Observer, NME, Crack, Evening Standard, Pitchfork, The Independent, DIY, The Vinyl Factory, Loud & Quiet. Stay dialed in here for more info on the release of their exceptional debut!

OUT NOW – Tales from the Old Dominion is DJ Harrison’s new album, the follow up to his Stones Throw debut Hazymoods. As the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 unfolded in America, Devonne Harris, aka DJ Harrison, wanted to channel his feelings into music that spoke to the moment. Watching monuments to Confederate generals come down in his home state of Virginia (the capital of the Confederacy and the “Old Dominion” of the album’s title) sparked his faith in the power of hope.

To translate this feeling into music, Harrison worked intensely in his home studio, Jellowstone, where he also records music with his band Butcher Brown, and emerged with Tales from the Old Dominion, an album that pays tribute to his hometown of Richmond, VA. To the culture that gave root to gospel, blues, jazz and R&B, and to the thriving scene in the city today, where Harrison and Jellowstone are a center of gravity.

Ahead of the release of Moonchild’s upcoming album Starfruit out February 11th (via Tru Thoughts) check out new singles from the record featuring Rapsody, Lalah Hathaway, the Grammy award-winning daughter of Donny Hathaway.

The fifth album from the LA-based trio (Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, and Max Bryk) features singles “Too Good” and “You Got One feat. Alex Isley” alongside forthcoming collaborations from Tank and The Bangas, Ill Camille, Mumu Fresh, Chantae Cann, and Josh Johnson.

Catch the band in a city new year – TOUR DATES HERE!

Black Country, New Road return with Ants From Up There via Ninja Tune. Following on almost exactly a year to the day from the release of their acclaimed debut For the first time, the band have harnessed the momentum from that record and run full pelt into their second, with ‘Ants From Up There’ managing to strike a skillful balance between feeling like a bold stylistic overhaul of what came before, as well as a natural progression.

With For the first time the band melded klezmer, post-rock, indie and an often intense spoken word delivery. On Ants From Up There they have expanded on this unique concoction to create a singular sonic middle ground that traverses classical minimalism, indie-folk, pop, alt rock and a distinct tone that is already unique to the band. Recorded at Chale Abbey Studios, Isle Of Wight, across the summer with the band’s long-term live engineer Sergio Maschetzko, it’s also an album that comes loaded with a deep-rooted conviction in the end result.

On her new album Nnoo, Mary Akpa embodies the divinity and sentiments of the African Diaspora with wonder and vulnerability.  Born in Nigeria and raised in Southern California, Mary’s sound is seasoned with her culture and experiences, yielding a soulful blend of highlife-inspired guitars, jazz and African influences. Nnoo means “welcome” in Igbo, Mary Akpa’s native language. The album is means to express Mary’s hyphenated identity, experiences, and roots.

Beyond an album, Nnoo offers a multi-platform experience of the work digging into the record’s themes exploring Black, African, and immigrant identity, self-love, and social justice. Mary’s recently released “A Hurum Gi N’anya” and “Dissonance” videos give us a glimpse into the multimedia world in which Nnoo exists. Nnoo feels like a heartwarming testament of Mary’s full circle journey of coming home and truly seeing herself but also of her deep love and devotion to her community. 

Celebrated L.A. quartet Warpaint return with Radiate Like This, out May 6th. In the six years since 2016’s much-lauded Heads Up, Warpaint’s four members—Emily Kokal, Jenny Lee Lindberg, Stella Mozgawa and Theresa Wayman—have been busy living. Babies, jobs, tours, solo albums, intercontinental and cross country moves all became priorities, presenting mounting logistical challenges. Eventually, though, each of the women found themselves drawn inexorably back together. Warpaint is as much a home for them as a band, having been together for nearly 20 years.

Physically separated by the pandemic, each musician recorded her parts separately—often in makeshift home studios—before sending on to the next, creating songs layer by layer. Deciding to delay the release until they could tour allowed them to further hone each track, spending more time building and rebuilding than they had in the past. The result is a body of work that is sharper and more focused than any of their previous, each song as tight, beguiling and proud as a diamond. Radiate Like This captures what’s always been the magic of Warpaint—the delicate interplay of four separate parts coalescing in motion—while somehow allowing each individual to shine a little brighter

Listen to the first single from the new album “Champion” HERE.