BEBEL GILBERTO’S VERVE DEBUT ALL IN ONE TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 29
PRODUCERS CARLINHOS BROWN, DIDI GUTMAN, MARK RONSON, DANIEL JOBIM AND JOHN KING
Brazilian vocalist Bebel Gilberto’s new recording All In One will be released September 29 on Verve. Known worldwide for her ability to connect modern sounds with the heart and soul of Brazilian music, the New York-born Gilberto focuses on the rhythms of her native country, devising a cosmopolitan yet classic sound with the help of a diverse group of collaborators, including Carlinhos Brown (Caetano Veloso), Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls), Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Daniel Jobim (grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim) and John King (the Dust Brothers).
All In One perfectly expresses Gilberto’s interest in making music that feels romantic and fluid. In particular, “Chica Chica Boom Chic” stands out. The Carmen Miranda song is bolstered by Brown’s percussive-heavy arrangements, which is a hallmark of traditional Brazilian music. Most of the record is sung in Portuguese, Bebel’s native language, and was conceived, developed and recorded in her home studio. Ronson produced the Stevie Wonder-penned “The Real Thing,” which was originally recorded by Sergio Mendes. The Dap Kings, the band best known for supporting Sharon Jones and Amy Winehouse, join Gilberto for “The Real Thing.” The singer performs a duet with Daniel Jobim (the grandson of bossa nova king Antonio Carlos Jobim) on “Bim Bom,” a song that was first recorded by her father, bossa nova legend João Gilberto.
Gilberto’s first recording was released in 1986 at age 20, but it wasn’t until she moved to London in the early `90s, where she became interested in pop and urban music, that she began to develop her trademark sound. With her international debut Tanto Tempo (2000), which helped spark a resurgence in American interest in Brazilian music and sold millions worldwide, Gilberto met with critical acclaim, enjoying global success with the hits “Batucada” and “Technova.” Her music reached listeners across genres, from world music and jazz to electronic and indie. Over the years Gilberto has collaborated with artists including David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Amon Tobin, Thievery Corporation and Nina Miranda.
La Roux’s Self Titled Debut Album Available This Week Exclusively on ITunes! Bulletproof is Single of the Week on iTunes.
South London synth-pop sensation La Roux are set to issue their self-titled US debut on September 29th via Cherrytree Records.
Starting TODAY, though, fans can purchase the UK smash hit album for just $7.99 exclusively on iTunes which will also feature first single Bulletproof as Single of the Week.
21-year-old Elly Jackson and co-producer co-songwriter co-hort Ben Langmaid, who are La Roux, have made an impressive impact on UK’s music scene since joining forces two years ago. What began in London’s burgeoning underground warehouse scene has since landed the pair a highly coveted Mercury Prize nomination and hot singles on daytime radio and the upper echelons of the British charts. La Roux the album continues to make waves in the UK. Dazzling current single “Bulletproof” entered the UK Singles Chart at #1 and “In For The Kill,” the album’s first single in the UK, sold more copies than any other single this year!
Catch La Roux on Tour This Fall:
10/18/09 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 10/19/09 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre 10/21/09 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall 10/23/09 Toronto, ON @ The Guvernment 10/24/09 Montreal, QC @ Studio Juste Pour Rire 10/26/09 New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom 10/27/09 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Raves for La Roux:
“Elly Jackson is the perfect London pop star of the moment…” **** Rolling Stone
“Elly is no clichéd electro-minx. Her whipsmart modern take on the heartsore side of the 80’s is centered around her vulnerable voice and big-hearted love songs, drawing on a youthful infatuation with classic pop. It’s the raw humanity contrasted with the crispest, glassiest sounds and Langmaid’s bright beats that make La Roux as accessible as they are irresistible.” NME
“With pop songs like “Quicksand” and the synth-heavy “In for the Kill,” it’s time for them to set the U.S. on fire.” Bust
“something new and effortlessly winning.” Pop & Hiss – LA Times
Those familiar with Lady Gaga’s platinum album “The Fame” will know her bold rallying cry from the song “Starstruck,” her duet with Space Cowboy featuring Flo Rida: “Space Cowboy just play that track.”
Indeed, the heavy bass, neck-breaking clap, sharp synths and duet vocals on that album’s “Starstruck” are courtesy of supa-producer/instrumentalist/vocalist Space Cowboy. As Lady Gaga’s collaborator and main foil in her intergalactic adventures (as chronicled in the episodic Web series “Transmission Gagavision”), Space Cowboy has built a loyal following as enigmatic musician/dj/producer extraordinaire.
But Space Cowboy’s story begins before that in the United Kingdom where he moved soon after being born in Paris to a guitar-collecting father. Once in the UK, Space Cowboy began spinning in the sweaty London dance club scene. There, he found himself injecting the subliminal rock influences from his father into a new, stirring blend of techno, electro, hip hop and dance. Wrapping it all up in one cohesive pulse, Space Cowboy dubbed his new sound “Digital Rock” and began to experiment with the production of original recordings.
It wasn’t long before his first album, released on indy label Tiger Trax, began causing a commotion in Japan where he was invited to perform at the prestigious Fuji Festival. The reaction to his new sound there were such that another indy release followed and yielded the break-out track “Across the Sky.”
In 2006, Space Cowboy released his electronic-dance-rock manifesto “Digital Rock” in the UK with an early incarnation of the song “My Egyptian Lover” which was added to BBC Radio 1. It was a satellite transmission of the Radio 1 feed that caught the attention of Cherrytree Records whose roster also included a new, up-and-coming New York-based artist named Lady Gaga. The label made an introduction and the two hit it off creatively.
“I remember our first conversation was on the phone,” recalls Space Cowboy about his first chat with Lady Gaga. “She was talking about sequins, disco balls, Prince, David Bowie and body paint. Basically, she was speaking my language.”
Following that initial call, the two met up in LA where Lady Gaga invited Space Cowboy to join her touring ensemble. In the process, the two collaborated in the studio on the duet “Starstruck” as well as the futuristic Christmas song “Christmas Tree.”
Maestro of the portable studio and master of the multi-task, Space Cowboy not only crafted the personalized musical sound beds to each Lady Gaga show, but has also been recording part 2 of his “Digital Rock” opus: his new album “Digital Rock Star”.
Expounding on his unique combination of dance, hip hop, electro and rock, Space Cowboy has written all new songs as well as flipped a couple favorites from “Digital Rock” – in some cases, with a little help from his friends. For example, the hybrid rock-club anthem "I Came 2 Party" features German electro-glam rockers Cinema Bizarre.
"Falling Down," the first single off “Digital Rock Star" features vocals from Chelsea Korka of The Paradiso Girls. The influences in the tracks are varied but the marriage of dance and rock is consistent as is Space Cowboy’s vocal delivery; an exotic tenor shaped by the trials, tribulations and travels of his dj career. His delivery is a unique electronic patois somewhere between Sting and Hal, the computer from the film “2001.”
“I’ve always had a warped delivery, but it matches the idiosyncrasy of my beats.” Indeed, by harnessing the strange and wonderful, Space Cowboy has invented a new sound and made way for the first “Digital Rock Star”. Check out the "Digital Rock Star" mash-up via: www.cherrytreerecords.com/spacecowboy
Space Cowboy "Digital Rock Star" (CherryTree/Interscope) available Oct. 27
With Noisettes, it’s always best to expect the unexpected. Two years on from a debut album awash with punk spirit and scorching blues-rock, the London trio return with Wild Young Hearts, a set of sleek pop songs steeped in soul, dizzy on disco and harking back to the days of blues and jazz greats.
From the stomping electro-rock of Saturday Night and galloping funk grooves of forthcoming, first single Don’t Upset The Rhythm, to the joyous, jazzy title track, the glorious ‘60s-tinged soul of Never Forget You and the sultry, shimmering pop of 24 Hours, in Wild Young Hearts, Noisettes have made what is set to be one of 2009’s most adventurous albums.
Never fond of a formula, the trio always intended on a radical musical detour from their acclaimed debut, What’s The Time Mr Wolf?, an album that spawned five singles and took them on tour for over a year, sharing arena stages with Muse and criss-crossing the States with TV On The Radio and Bloc Party.
“Some bands stick with the same style forever,” says singer Shingai Shoniwa, whose versatile vocals have seen her compared to everyone from Deborah Harry and Kate Bush to Billie Holiday and Diana Ross. “They get together because they share identical musical tastes, then never do anything different. We’re a gang, but we’re also three divas with different record collections who constantly introduce each other to new sounds, whether it’s African music, jazz, Van Morrison or Black Sabbath. For us, making music means keeping our ears open.”
Noisettes certainly took an unconventional approach to starting songwriting. Fresh from tour in summer 2007, guitarist Dan Smith (a man known to pair silver trousers with a yellow, sequinned shirt) and bearded drummer Jamie Morrison (who still seems surprised to be in a band at all) began sonic experiments that involved getting stoned before trips to the Natural History Museum, then attempting to cover the likes of Britney’s Hit Me Baby (One More Time).
“We wrote over the top of lots of brilliant, outright pop songs, then removed the backing track to see what was left,” explains Morrison. “None of what we ended up with appears on the album, but the process inspired us to come up with new ways of songwriting. We also hung out in a lot of clubs, then came home and tried to copy the sounds we liked. That freed us from the conventions of writing guitar-based tunes.”
Come autumn, the trio piled their equipment in to a van and spent random weeks writing at residential studios in the likes of Devon and Brighton. En route, they listened to early Prince and Portishead, Queen, Talk Talk and Fleetwood Mac. The theme of the songs was captured in the album’s title.
“Wild Young Hearts – it’s about feeling young and acting young, whatever your age,” says Smith. “It’s about having fun and not following the pack. The three of us became genuine friends making this record. We got drunk together and even trashed the odd hotel room. We’re very different people, but we formed a bond which you can hear in the songs.” The new material was road tested at sporadic shows last year, including a performance at South By South West and a tour of France, where Don’t Upset The Rhythm brought the house down every night, convincing Noisettes they were on to something special. Yet the band still weren’t sure how the album would sound until they holed up in a London studio last June with Arctic Monkey’s producer Jim Abbiss.
“We knew we wanted soul and an atmosphere that captured a specific period of time, the way Portishead albums do,” says Morrison. “But we had never played the songs together in a studio. All the parts were demoed separately on computer, with no real instruments. The idea was to feel like we were covering songs we vaguely knew, so the album sounded fresh and spontaneous. It was so much fun we recorded a tune a day and didn’t argue once!” Friends came in to add bass parts and strings and both Shoniwa’s little brother (a semi-finalist on TV talent search show I’d Do Anything) and a baritone from her childhood choir contributed backing vocals. Most striking though is the range of Shoniwa’s own vocals - soft and beguiling on album opener Sometimes, jazzy on the acoustic Atticus, strident and sexy on Don’t Upset The Rhythm and bright and bluesy on the Motown-tinged So Complicated and future single Never Forget You.
“I grew up with traditional music from Zimbabwe – Afrobeat mixed with reggae and funk, which my uncles played,” says Shoniwa. “Then I studied musical theatre, sang in choirs and jazz bands. Dan even got me a job singing vocals in a Diana Ross covers band. Because of that background, I can wrap myself around anything from a sweet soul ballad to a jazz song to noisy rock’n’roll.”
“We all felt Shingai’s voice was sitting idle a bit on the first album,” adds Smith. “Because most of the songs were guitar based, she had much less to play with. Shingai has an amazing jazz voice, but that didn’t come through before. Now, you can hear all her different moods. How she sings sets the tone for every song. On Never Forget You, she’s very upbeat and the lyrics sound like a conversation in a bar. On Every Now And Then, she’s more melancholy and reflective. The contrast is like going out on a Saturday night, then paying for it the next morning.”
What hasn’t changed with Noisettes is the energy they put in to performing. Described as ‘the best live band in Britain’ by The Guardian, a recent London show saw Shoniwa charge in to the audience playing guitar and sing clinging to a ladder suspended from the ceiling, a nod to the circus skills she learnt in her teens.
“The idea of putting on a proper show seems to be missing from a lot of young bands at the moment,” says Shoniwa. “We always go that extra mile to give the crowd a night they’ll never forget. I love artists like Hendrix and Bowie who fussed over their hair and took time choosing an outfit.
“We’re not trying to be trendy – we want to make music for everyone – but we put effort in to every aspect of being in a band. Our aim is to prove that pop music can still be alternative and exciting. With this album, I know we can do that.”
Finally, Pioneer gets into the controller market. The new CDJ-2000 retains the look and feel of the CDJ-1000, while adding a slew of laptop-dj features. The included RecordBox software helps you manage your music library, create loops, assign hot cues, and add artwork.
It will function as a standard CD player, but it also has native support for Ableton Live, SSL, Traktor, and Virtual DJ. Bring your laptop- or not. If the majority of clubs adopt the CDJ-2000, the DJs can organize their sets elsewhere, then walk into the club with a simple USB memory stick. A 24-bit sound card keeps the sound of this unit top quality.
The only bad news is the $2150.00 each price tag- two of these and a complementary mixer is going to punch through $5000.00 quickly.
Probably the biggest news here is that with the CDJ-2000 you have most of the features laptop DJs enjoy, without the laptop. That, and the unit is simple enough to navigate while drunk.
STAX PRESENTS PINK ELEPHANT FROM GRIPPING SOUL SINGER N’DAMBI ON OCTOBER 6TH
Every so often, a musical soul emerges from the underground with the inescapable talent; artistry and charisma that marks the arrival a gathering storm. Pink Elephant is the Stax Records debut from N’dambi, a songwriter with emotional purpose and rare honesty. The striking vocalist, pianist and composer from Dallas, Texas, known for her signature afro and fiery style, possesses the intuitive perception and powerful creativity that ensures an essential contribution to modern R&B and soul.
N’dambi’s storytelling skills are in peak form on Pink Elephant with tunes like the Rod Temperton influenced, ‘80s hip-hop flavored “Nobody Jones,” the story of a girl with big dreams who won’t let her humble beginnings stop her, and the delicious saga “L.I.E.,” a tale of a man living a double life along New York’s Long Island Expressway. Delusions of love spring up in the old school love-gone-wrong melodic funk of “Daisy Chain”; “Ooo Baby” is the smooth-grooving tale of reconnection with a former lover; while the blues-inflected “Imitator” finds a young woman suffering over the collapse of her lover’s promises. “You’re not the man I used to know, you’re an imitator,” she sings on this mid-tempo urban gem. The hope of true love cries out in “The One,” a disarming, jazz-tinged ballad kissed with a touch of classic Stax. The album’s lead single, “Can’t Hardly Wait,” is a biting chunk of scorching sarcasm delivered in the commanding singer’s rich tone. Her opening complaint, “I don’t know why I keep f***in’ wit you,” perfectly expresses the inability to turn a listless love loose.
Pink Elephant was recorded in Santa Monica, California, with producer Leon Sylvers III, whose credits include Shalamar, Gladys Knight, The Whispers, Blackstreet, Lakeside and many more. N’dambi insisted the record have a modern sheen yet adhere to the sturdy influence of classic R&B and soul artists like Slave, Heatwave, Michael Jackson, Betty Davis, Isaac Hayes, Smokey Robinson, and The Sylvers. That led her to The Sylvers’ famous producer, big brother, Leon.
Blessed with a deep contralto, she became especially enamored with male singers from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The funky soul of the Bar-Kays’ Larry Dodson, the sophisticated syncopation of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White and the notorious abandon of the Ohio Players’ Sugafoot influenced her heavily. Later, the mysterious, uninhibited imagination of Nina Simone and Mahalia Jackson also became musical and cultural touchstones. N’dambi sang back-up and collaborated with fellow soul seeker Erykah Badu, all the while honing her artistry and slowly building a fiercely loyal fan base that resonates with the organic, authentic approach to her life and music.
On Pink Elephant, N’dambi ingeniously distills soul-deep inspiration into a sensual style of elegance and power, making her a fundamental new addition to the Stax legacy.
BEBEL GILBERTO’S VERVE DEBUT 
