photo by Jamil GS

It’s almost Friday so I thought I’d bring a little R&B groovin’ to our weekend.  I happened upon this “cinematic soul” act by accident last week and cannot stop listening.  El Michels Affair is the creation of two former band mates  Leon Michels and Nick Movshon.  They along with eight other former members of the deep funk revival band,  The Mighty Imperials, came together to form an impressive dectet utilizing of more than twelve different instruments.

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Onra hails from France and is a swell producer of the, how you say, “hip hop” music? While he lists most of his influences as classic mainstream acts the likes of Dr. Dre, DJ Quick, Diamond D, and Reza, it would appear that somewhere along the way some funk crept in there. Cool little side note, for his fourth release, Chinoiseries, which debuted in late 2007, he used only Chinese and Vietnamese samples. Since then he has continued expanding his sound library and moved on to manifest another seven releases and has a full-length album planned to drop this May.

Listen to “Long Distance” here

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It has been said that there is a song for every moment.  Dam-Funk makes music for the time when you want to chill out.  His synth and drum-machine based boogie-funk creates a spacey, mellow mood.  What more could you expect from an artist that claims to be “keeping it fantasy,” instead of “keeping it real.”  Dam has remained firm in his approach to keep his focus on the music itself, leaving many of his tracks as full instrumentals.  This is a track off his initial release: Toeachizown, which came as a series of 5 EPs as well as a “best of” two disc set released by Stones Throw Records.  Keep it fantasy y’all.

Listen to “10 West” Here

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Latyrx : Lady Don’t Tek No

Still a funky, soulful, ingeniously word-smithed aural pleasure after nine years since its release, this is a truly classic hip hop album. Blackalicious, Latyrx, and Dj Shadow came together on this one to showcase to those who didn’t already know of the artists’ individual talents what Quannum Projects had to offer one’s ears. Lady Don’t Tek No is sure to be a timeless favorite for females and males alike, relatable lyrics delivered over a contagious beat that makes heads bob like an automatic reflex. Latyrx is made up of rappers Lateef and Lyrics Born and the song was actually released earlier in 1997 as part of their EP called Muzapper’s Remixes. To be informed of Latyrx’ musical versatility, Balcony Beach is a more relaxed, easy listening track by the melodic duo worth giving a listen as well.

Listen to ‘Lady Don’t Tek No’ Here

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