We are excited to announce our first SXSW Unofficial Showcase along with our friends from Grown Kids Radio. Come on down and party with us along with some super talented artists that will be showcasing their creativity through sound.
Just got an email from 17-yr old Yndi, a producer from Paris that goes by the name of DRE∆M KO∆L∆. Yndi is putting an EP together and just released “Alice” as a teaser. We are diggin’ it and will definitely be keeping a close eye on Paris.
Cecilia Stalin, Swedish-jazz vocalist [based in London] has been on hiatus for a little while so you can imagine how pleased we were to hear her latest project, Step Like A Giant !
The album pays homage to those who’ve layed the jazz groundwork for Cecilia and so many progressive jazz artists along the way. It is really a beautiful tribute.
Here is a both thoughtful and insightful note that Cecilia posted along with the album:
“This project was born deep down in my heart when I first heard Naima by John Coltrane. I fell deeply in love with the melody and then even more with the lyrics after learning more about him. I have ever since spiritually been working with the music of John Coltrane and it’s now come out in new shapes, forms and ideas.
STEP LIKE A GIANT - is my way of reaching out to people today that haven’t been introduced to the music of John Coltrane, who haven’t been introduced to jazz in a way that appeals to them, to people who don’t know jazz at all and to everyone to understand what John did for the musical plattform we all use today! (hiphop/grime/soul/neo-soul/nu-jazz/broken beat/house/ dub step/garage/blues/pop/rock…and all the ones in between)
Their voice was music. They used it to fight against the injustices that was happening then (like racial discrimination, war and poverty) just as today. We need to speak up, be brave to push the bounderies and never get intimidated to tell our own story to make progress. We are doing it - BELIVE ME but we all need to STEP LIKE GIANTS to make it manifest!
So this is my way of paying my respect to the amazing musicians that’s paved the way for me to be able to do what I do…. Now come and join me!
Peace and creativity to all,
Cecilia”
Some of our personal favorites from the album are below. Preview/buy the whole thang here.
NYC’s DJ Sabo just posted up a super eclectic, midtempo Moombahton mix he created for DJ Shir Khan’s Berlin radio show. Some amazing gems on this one!
Enjoy!
Spotted on one of our favorite blogs, Nutriot out of Brazil, we’ve found some 60 tracks previously unreleased by retired broken-beat master Domu. Enjoy this collection of some epic music, music that very few people are creating or will create again.
Domu “Unreleased, Alternate Versions and Demos” by TwoHungryGhosts
WOOT! An official behind-the-scenes look at Shafiq Husayn’s forthcoming album, The Loop. An incredibly talented producer and curator of sounds so needless to say we are seriously looking forward to his next project.
Pursuit Grooves a.k.a Vanese Smith, Brooklyn-based self-branded “soultronic” MC/producer/vocalist and then some is breaking in the new year with some fresh sounds. The latest, “Let’s Do It Winter” jam + video is an ode to the season complete with spaced out beats, crunchy percussion and a lovely mellow flow from PG herself. A second offering comes in the form of a remix of “Todo el mundo” from Argentina’s award winning pop/electronic band Altocamet that will not disappoint. Both new year tracks are just the right mix of sexy beats and laid-back vocals - perfect for bringing you into that creation mode.
Enjoy!
Download “Let’s Do It Winter” here.
Musical genius Robert Glasper curates some of the most influencial artists in their genre to create new jazz-based project, Black Radio to be released February 28, 2012 on legendary imprint Blue Note Records. Black Radio will include Erykah Badu, yasiin bey (Mos Def), Lupe Fiasco, Ledisi, KING, Chrisette Michele, Lalah Hathaway, Mshell N’Degeocello, Stokley, Shafiq Husayn, Musiq Soulchild, Bilal and then some.
Pre order Black Radio here.
Have a peek at a lovely feature from King off the Black Radio album below + download from Robert Glasper’s site directly here.
Robert Glasper - “Move Love” feat KING by The Mint Collective
We’ve been sifting through 2012’s stand-out music, events, mixes and much more and wanted to call out some amazing contributions we’ve seen both on and offline.
It’s been an epic year of infinite blessings shared worldwide and it’s most definitely our pleasure [and mission] to share with you some of the things we find. We appreciate the support from all of you wholeheartedly and wish you health, happiness and creative energy in 2012.
Much Love, Minty Fam
Music
Mike Baker | Mike Plays It Cool
Submotion Orchestra | All Yours
Taylor McFerrin Feat/ Ryat | Place in My Heart
Events
Collective Perspective | Los Angeles
Revivalist: Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def & Kanye West + Robert Glasper Experiment | New York
UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest | Los Angeles
Labels
Artists Remembered
Heavy D (Dwight Arrington Myers))
Mixes/Comps
Ana Tijoux | Elefante | Mixed By Dj Dacel
Best of Quantic | Mixed By J Rocc
Eavesdrop Radio | Brokenbeat Special
Label Love III | Compiled By Jasmine De La Paz
Lichiban | Love Takes You Higher | Mixed by Melo-X
Mark De Clive Lowe Presents | Church Vol 3
Soulection | Compiled by Joe Kay & Andre Power!
The Stuyvesants | The Finer Things
Tropicalismo | Live | Mixed By Quantic, Coleman, Sabo, B+
Vinia Mojica Tribute By Mint Collective | Mixed By DJ Seano
Interviews
Mo Kolours | Honesty In Music & Influence & Instrumentation
Surfing through a sea of incoming tracks on Soundcloud and just came up on some amazingly fresh instrumentals from Bay Area Honor Roll fam’s Trackademicks. Beware - this is some sexy, grown people music! Nice way to close out the year!
Enjoy the continuous play of 4 tracks below and here and cop the separate tracks here.
José James has masterfully combined jazz, hip hop, soul and freestyle elements into his music, has propelled some of the most epic musical projects of the past few years and is poised to elevate genre-blending consciousness for many years to come. From covering Coltrane’s “Equinox” - which got the attention of worldwide musical tastemaker Gilles Peterson who later put out his first album, to re-inventing Freestyle Fellowship’s “Park Bench People” José James has carved a very special and much needed niche into musical culture worldwide.
Prior to José’s recent Los Angeles show, we had the distinct pleasure of speaking with him to touch base and get a more in-depth look at how he’s gotten to where he is, what this next steps will be and who he’s collaborating with musically, spiritually and wholeheartedly to get there. We rapped about his Panamanian percussive influence from his father, tried to pinpoint why experimental music is more abundant overseas as well as where he’s had some of his most memorable shows.
Watch out for José James + Taylor McFerrin in Jan 2012 with a Japan tour slated and then up next, José’s new album - set to drop in early 2012.
It was a pleasure and honor to chat with José and we are deeply grateful for his music and many infinite blessings he’s shared with us.
Preview Minty posts on José here, here, here and here. Yeah, we ♥ him.
Jose James Interview by The Mint Collective
KCRW: Aaron Byrd, Anthony Valadez, Jeremy Sole @ Zanzibar
José gettin’ it in!
José and his epic trumpet player, Takuya Kuroda
José’s amazing bassist, Solomon Dorsey
José & Takuya going off!
Peaceful melodies
Fan club shot!
Minty fam’s own DJ Ele hits that deep house sweet spot again. Peep her “heartbeat” track we posted a few months back here. Yes, that is a picture of San Diego in the wintertime :)
An angel came down from heaven when we found out that two of our favorite artists of ALL TIME are joining forces to release an album next year! Quantic, the dynamic producer and live performer who’s been putting out amazingly unique and groundbreaking music for 10+ years under his own name, with his Combo Barbaro, Soul Orchestra and Flowering Inferno is back with yet another splendid project teaming up with none other than epic vocalist Alice Russell. One of the most soulful and tuned-in singers and performers of this decade, Alice couldn’t have been a better match for the ultimate collaboration album which will be titled Look Around the Corner. The album will be released in April of 2012 and will be available on CD, vinyl (yippie!) as well as digitally.
Previously, Alice and Quantic have worked together putting out tunes under the Quantic Soul Orchestra moniker as well as several other fantastic contributions worldwide.
Check out our interview with Quantic from earlier this year.
Here are some reminders of where Quantic stems from, where Alice is coming from and where they’ve already gone together. Additionally, click here to visit Tru Thoughts’ Soundcloud for a little snippet from Look Around The Corner.
Quantic Presenta The Flowering Inferno - “Dub Del Pacifico”, Death Of The Revolution, 2010
Quantic - “Trees and Seas”, Mishaps Happening, 2004
Quantic Soul Orchestra w/ Alice Russell - “Pushin On”, Pushin’ On, 2005
Alice Russell - “Tired Little One” Under The Munka Moon, 2004
Our favorite Philly Radio show, Eavesdrop Radio, does it again with an amazing broken beat throwback episode. This is a nice reminder of the genre - that some of us often forget but love nevertheless. Thanks to Junior and Lil’ Dave for always keeping it fresh.
New Sector Movements - The Sun ft. Dwele
Eska’s World - Dream Saftey
Mark de Clive Lowe - Relax Unwind
Mark Force - 40 Days/40 Nights
Beatless - Life Mirrors (Opaque Remix)
Reel People - Spiritual (Seiji Remix)
King Britt & Lady Alma - Give it all you got (Domu Rmix)
MM BLack ft. Roy Ayers - 2000 Black
4hero - Natures Plan
Afronaut feat Son de Batey - Carnival
Afronaut feat Son de Batey - Golpe Tuyo Calinda
Wale Oyejide - Cooba (Daz-I-Kue Edit)
Dom um Romao - Lake of Perseverance (Seiji remix)
Tate’s Place ft. Julie Dexter - Burning (Jazzanova Remix)
Susumu Yokota - Can Heaven Ever be Like This (Bugz in the Attic Rmix)
Yukihiro Fukutomi feat. Carl Hancock Rux - I am
Quango - Frantic (Boogie Rework)
IG Culture - DJ Power
DKD - Future Rage
Mpho Skeef - Whatcha Waitin’ For
Phil Asher - Namby It Ain’t (I Am Sorry)
Freedom Soundz - Feelings
Daz-I-Kue & Exile - Mellon Bounce
Ty - Wait a Minute (Dwele Remix)
Jeremy Ellis - Lotus Bloom
Pavel Kostriuck and Guest - Brand New Day
Don Ray feat Lady Alma - Give A Little (Dubline remix)
Taylor McFerrin - Broken Vibes (Isol8 remix)
Bugz in the Attic - Once Twice
Karizma - ICU
Agent K - Feed the Cat
The Preface EP is launching on Ho Tep Records (London) from the mysterious Dirg Gerner featuring an all-star cast including Rahel, Fatima and Olmino. Drawing on soul, jazz, latin, hip hop and beyond the ep is a deep and colorfully layered affair, organic and warm, it displays an array of instruments and styles.
Lead track ‘My Queen’ is a dusty and delicate, blue eyed soul ode, sung by Dirg himself - while ‘Loose Lights’ draws on latin and folk influences, heavy on the percussion this time enlisting the incredible vocal talents of Rahel. You may remember Rahel from her fantastic work with MDCL on jammy jam “Hope”.
A1 Rubies & Diamonds feat. Fatima
A2 Attempting Cry feat. Olmino
A3 My Queen
B1 Loose Lights feat. Rahel
B2 Rubies & Diamonds feat. Fatima (fLako Remix)
Enjoy ‘Loose Lights’ and ‘My Queen’ below and support the whole EP which dropped today here.
