Post Tagged with: "kcrw"

I’ve been working in radio for about 15 years now. I linked up with a lot of people from around the country when I was broadcasting out of Cal State Fullerton. One dude, DJ Prizmatik, was syndicating my show back in 2005-06 on his network in the New York area, and somehow linked up with Sprint Mobile, so people on that network could find our shows on their phones. Here’s the first one I did for that project.

WHAT IS A TRIP is this NYC accent I would use on the radio during that time. I’m not sure where that came from, and almost forgot about it until I stumbled across this. I think it was just a hip hop thing. I’m glad the audio is still available, because this represents a time when I was going real heavy on the DJ tip, gigging a lot, plus doing radio and spinning at school. I was eating and sleeping music, while hustling in college. You can hear the Garth Trinidad influence for sure! I think it’s safe to say this identity is long gone, and the (semi) grown up Frank Foreal (who was born in CA) has lost his NY accent.

Two new killer tracks courtesy of Robin Hannibal of Quadron, soon to be released on the Quieres Chicle label.

In only a couple of years, Los Angeles production trio (Todd M. Simon, Itai Shapira and Adam Berg) have cemented their reputation in the studio and on stage as the premiere production team and live band for artists like Rhye, Kelis, and Hollie Cook.

They have also garnered the attention of great worldwide tastemakers such as KCRW music director Jason Bentley, the legendary Gilles Peterson of the BBC, Jaime Cullum, Okayplayer, Wax Poetics, Bandcamp and many more.
Rarely emerging from behind closed studio doors, The Decoders love combining their specialized brand of “decoded” classics from the 60’s and 70’s soul movement with an excitingly new blend of genres ranging from Lovers Rock to Dub, Brazilian Music to Psychadelic Soul.

Coco O. (of Quadron), Noelle Scaggs (of Fitz & the Tantrums), Leon Ware, Raul Midon and many others have lended their vocal talents to this special project with more to surely come for each new volume.

In alive setting, The Decoders are 10 piece ensemble featuring LA’s top musicians and session players. Thus far, they have released 2 volumes and a dub remix EP, including a few tunes from their upcoming LP, Adventures From Paradise: A Tribute To Minnie Riperton (vol 3), which will be completed in the fall of 2013 and features special guest vocalists and musicians.

“This is not music, its chemistry. Get into the science.” -Okayplayer.com
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Another song that I discovered listening to KCRW.  That doesn't say much for me, though, since that means someone discovered it before me, played it, and then I passed it on like I'm the tastemaker.  But hey, maybe some of you will have never heard this song if not for my little ol blog.  I find comfort in that.  It's all about sharing, people.

I know what I know, and I like what I like.  I don't know much about Jim James other than the fact that he is in another well known band, My Morning Jacket.  I know and like few of their songs, but I wouldn't say I know enough about them or him to call myself a fan.  Never-the-less, I realllllllllly dig this track.  This immediately took me to the first time I heard Katalyst and Steve Spacek's "How 'Bout Us."  There is something about the usage of horn stabs that really speaks to me, and top it with James's tenor vocals and it's a done deal. 

I heard this track quite a bit over the last month, and then stopped hearing it, as DJ's moved on to other songs from her new album, "Is Your Love Big Enough?" But this one was in my head allllllllll morning.  Lianne La Havas is an amazing singer/songwriter from London, who really solidified her place in my heart with "Forget." This is one of very few artists whose lyrics actually stay with me.  I NEVER pay attention to lyrics. My brain doesn't process them, for some reason, but rather groups the melody of the voice as part of the overall musical piece.  So this is a big deal.

Another thing I can't stop praising is Lianne's guitar playing and great arrangements to accompany her insightful, somewhat melancholy take on love and ex-boyfriends (I watched her performance on this year's iTunes festival and she attributed a whole segment of the show to her ex). I absolutely love the guitar intro of this song (kind of reminds me of this), and would love to make a re-edit of this if I can make some time in the near future. Lianne La Havas is in town this November at The Roxy. I highly recommend you see her.  I'll definitely be there vibing out!

Enjoy.

I’m a big fan of Mark de Clive-Lowe‘s live show, and have been playing his music on Forward Listening for quite sometime, so I was geeked that he was coming down to the KCRW studios to rock, as well as promote his new album on Tru Thoughts, “Renegades.”  Along with a few live musicians & Nia Andrews on vocals, Mark can piece together a vibe and make it sound so simple!

I’m on a high from last night.  After standing in the cold (L.A. cold, that is) for about twenty minutes, I was one of the first few people to step through the door at Bardot for “School Night,” a weekly Monday night series curated by Chris Douridas of Los Angeles independent radio station KCRW. Michael Kiwanuka was the opening act, making his U.S. debut, but, for me, he was headlining.  He hit the stage with just him and his guitar, and his friend on bass and backup vocal.  The sound was stripped down compared to what most of us have heard from his “Tell Me A Tale – Isle of Wight Sessions” EP, which is what really embedded his sound into my mind and made me a fan.  But his powerful voice filled the room and hushed the crowd.  I would definitely check him out when and wherever you can.

Michael Kiwanuka closed out his amazing set with a cover of Bill Withers, whom he credited for really making him interested and passionate about being an acoustic guitarist.