a race of angels mp3

Enjoy this mp3 taken from the excellent ep "broadcast no. 1" from a race of angels. The track is "we" - a sublime slice of electronic-y soul.
Download "We"
www.araceofangels.com

Catch some Fresh Air

Keep your eyes and ears open for chill hip hop act Fresh Air, coming out of the LA underground. Currently working on their debut album, you can catch them playing out and about in Los Angeles. Their next show is as follows:

The Mic Revolt @ The Overlook
Thursday 07/21/05
Live Performance by Fresh Air PLUS Open Mic for Poets and Mc's

1745 Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA. in Los Feliz Village
1/2 block north of Hollywood Blvd.

$5 donation that benefits local youth, cultural, & activists organizations,
Doors Opens at 9PM 21 +

http://enviosoundmusic.com/

More Casamena Remixes

Carlos is a busy man, that's for sure. Not content with starting a new label (Casa Ocha, with Osunlade) he's pumping out all sorts of remixes, both on the hip-hop and house tip. Ok, so I've blogged this one before, but while checking out the Casamena blog I came across it again, and really like it - so be sure and check out his rework of John Legend's "Ordinary People." On the house tip, there's a couple of interesting mixes of Goapele's "First Love" and Common's "Go" respectively. I don't think he's reached his potential with the house tracks yet, but these are still worth a listen.
By far my favourite of the recent crop however is the excellent Casamena Kitchen mix of Roy Ayers' "Funk In The Hole" from the Virgin Ubiquity 2 album on BBE. However, there's only a snippet available so far, and it only gives you a taster of the beat which is slammin', so I guess you'll have to pick up the vinyl to really catch the full effect. But Carlos dropped the track in one of his recent radio shows and believe me it's worthwhile.
keep up with Carlos: http://casamena.blogspot.com/

Symbolyc One & Illmind "The Art of One Mind" (BBE)

Drop this in the changer and prepare to exhale as refreshing hip-hop bounds out of the speakers, propelled by melodic beats, a soulful sensibility and underground pride, courtesy of up and coming producers Symbolyc One and IllMind. The former is the mastermind behind one of the freshest underground groups, the Strange Fruit Project, while IllMind has worked with the likes of Bahamadia, Organic Thoughts, Common, Little Brother and others.

The potential of these underground heavyweights is more than fulfilled on this collaborative effort. Their combined sound is sublimely addictive. Perhaps one of the best examples is the opener, “Been Gone” featuring Strange Fruit Project. An immediate standout track, “Been Gone” features soulful, uplifting production adding new flavor to an oft-heard lament about the state of hip-hop, but the vocal hook and optimistic tone lifts the track into a new dimension. Guest MCs are diverse, ranging from Little Brother and Supastition to Ghostface Killah, Organic Thoughts and The Procussions. All bring their own flavour to the proceedings and are appropriately matched to the tracks, serving to highlight the producers’ skills and versatility. Little Brother shines on “Right Here” over a soulful, funky flavor, while “Guilty Pleasures” takes a break from the usual underground anthem subject matter, as Kenn Starr and Thesis takes a realistically conflicted look at the unfolding of an affair between 2 already-taken participants. On “High Powered”, The Procussions finesse their spiritual-not-preachy approach.

The interludes which feature the producers talking about their styles and how they collaborated are interesting at first but quickly become skippable. Other than that the album flows well, mixing up styles from the super-soulful “Night Like This” featuring the vocals of Darien Brockington as well as Big Pooh, alongside the backpacker style jams like “Hands Off” and “The Broke Song”. Production is rich and detailed throughout, revealing a true meshing of styles and a seemingly natural collaboration.
The Art of OneMind is definitely one of my favourite hip-hop releases of the year, if not the past couple of years and with its ultra-fresh sound, its staying power in your changer will outlast most. Definitely one to seek out.

www.ArtofOneMind.com
Download "The Broke Song" at music.download.com

Essential Music Blogs

I just discovered 2 excellent blog sites featuring a slew of soulful sounds to enjoy. Firstly, HoneySoul presents an array of soul music in streaming, and radio blog format, as well as videos. She also digs in the crates for essential artist selections. Check for example the Dwele and Maxwell radio blogs, as well as her "Friday Freestyle" selection that includes old and new hip-hop and soul. Standout tracks this week include the new one from Kim Hill, "Right Now" feat. Common, as well as Kendra's "This World" as well as Lina's "I Am." But the real draw of the this site is the Listening Booth section where there are full-length streams of some of the latest soul albums from Anthony Hamilton, Jaguar Wright, Raheem Devaughn and others, as well as new singles from Goapele, Ladybug Mecca etc. The site seems to be updated regularly, so its definitely one to bookmark. Definitely one of my favourites of the moment.

Another new fave is the equally soulful The Couch Sessions. A spin-off blog from the popular Article Online, The Couch Sessions spotlights quality hip-hop, soul and house music. Check their current Anthony David podcast, as well as articles on Sy Smith, Eternia, Lina and Rize. The blog has only been up for a few weeks I believe, but the quality content should ensure a solid readership before long.