I’ve been having a serious Jose James phase as of late, and it’s a wonderful thing. Here’s two new jams from the man with the butter-voice, that will have you falling in love with him all over again. Props to HoneySoul for turning me on to “Lay You Down”. I believe this one will be on his forthcoming album (due September I think). “Jazzy Joint” is a track featuring Jose James by J.A.M. - the piano trio from Soil & Pimp Sessions.Both tracks provide perfect summer listening.

Jose James - Lay You Down

J.A.M. ft. Jose James - Jazzy Joint

Purchase Jose James’ excellent album The Dreamer

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Know The Ledge is hosting a special event in Los Angeles on July 19th to help LA sneaker store,The Holy Grail. As you may have seen on the news, The Holy Grail was looted of all but 20 of its sneakers the evening that the LA Lakers won the championship. Not one to sit and rest in self-pity, The Holy Grail has picked up from where they left off and aggressively worked in the following days after the Lakers Looting to rebuild the store and reopen for business. Among the many that offered support and help, Know The Ledge pulled together an event that allows sneaker addicts to consign their shoes at a great rate, receive free giveaways, and enjoy the spirit of hip-hop and celebration on July 19th. Come join us from 12-6pm for the gathering of sneaker addicts and rebuilding of a great LA store!

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New joint from funky n’ talented white boy Colin Munroe. “Start A War” is another funky, electro-y jam taken from his forthcoming album Don’t Think Less of Me. I’m diggin’ this one.

Listen:

Download Colin Munroe - “Start A War”

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Bic Plastics recently announced their first mini figures artist series, dubbed “Bic Buddy Artist Series 1.” The series features custom designs from 13 artists including: Ritzy Periwinkle, Marka27, COPE2, KANO and more. Ritzy’s design shows off the wings accessory, adding a new dimension to the standard figure shape. “I only had a couple of days to create two design options for BICS Plastics,” explains Ritzy.  “The chosen design was inspired by my experiences of Dia De Los Muertos in Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as the ongoing struggles of women all over the world, the revolutionary acts we commit on the daily and the incredible strength of my mom, who passed away 14 years ago.” The Bic Buddy figures will be distributed in the USA by DKE toys and in Taiwan by Pixie. They will be available in August with a preview at SD Comic Con next week, and there will be release/signing events in L.A. (AUG 15), N.Y.C. (AUG 20) and CHI TOWN (AUG 22).

Ritzy Periwinkle, aka Marisa Estrada is a Los Angeles artist and designer with deep roots in urban art and music culture. The name Ritzy Periwinkle, a pseudonym that started among her and her crew, stems from “Maritza” (the way her birth name was originally supposed to be spelled) and the Crayola color, “Periwinkle”. The tight beats and poetic lyrics of Hip Hop fuel her artistic creativity. Graduating from California State University Long Beach with a fine art degree with an emphasis in graphic design, Ritzy has created designs and artwork for Dilated Peoples, Aterciopelados, Sonic Youth, Calle 13, “I Am Legend”, Slick Rick, Arcade Fire and many more.  With art exhibitions in art and music hubs such as Los Angeles, Detroit and New York, Ritzy communicates a beautiful energy and respect for her community of women and people of color. Working in photography, illustrations, graphics, collage and creating a flourishing boutique t-shirt line, Ritzy compliments her gritty stylistic tendencies with a positive vibe that is attributed to her eclectic influences and unique background.  Ritzy Periwinkle happily mixes music and art to her own beat, bringing pure harmony to her creativity.

Ritzy P was recently commissioned by Capitol Records to do three original pieces for the special domestic packaging of the Nat King Cole remix project RE:GENERATIONS along with the graphic design of the domestic and international packaging. Her artwork was featured in the accompanying exhibit and CD release celebration at Los Angeles’ Crewest Gallery, and she was interviewed and featured in issue 3 of Waxpoetics Japan in conjunction with this project. Other recent projects from Ritzy include participation in the Stoked Sessions LA benefit, the redesign of the LA Forum website (http://www.thelaforum.com/) and a microsite for Santana (http://www.supernaturalsantana.com/).

In addition to the Bic Buddy series, Ritzy is participating in a group show at Meltdown Comics Gallery on Sept 4th. The show will feature work from Los Angeles local artists as well as some old school New York City classics. She is also getting ready to launch her own line of merchandise to include new shirt designs, pillows, postcards, urban tea towels and posters. In collaboration with ceramist Jen E, the two will be creating ceramic pendants customized with Ritzy P designs and a series of urban Japanese small ceramic boxes - “little treasures.” Catch JEN E & RITZY P SUPREME GOODS at this year’s Winter UNIQUE LA show.

More info about Ritzy Periwinkle
Ritzy’s blog post about her vinyl toy

Ritzy P and others discussing the Nat King Cole project:

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MID CITY ARTS PRESENTS: MIAMI GRAFFITI - Street Art Exhibit, Installation & Book Signing
Mid-City Arts continues to bring the best of street art to Los Angeles with its latest show honoring the Miami graffiti scene. “Miami Graffiti” opens July 11, 7pm – 9pm and will be on view through July 26th.

Rapidly becoming one of the United States’ top graffiti destinations, Miami, Florida is home to a deep well of talented artists driven by a fiercely competitive graffiti scene.  Miami’s profile has risen thanks to the city’s role as host to the famed “Art Basel” and most recently “Primary Flight.” “Primary Flight” is the internationally acclaimed, site-specific, street level mural installation that takes place during Art Basel. Artists that have graced the Primary Flight walls include Crome, MSG, Typoe as well as Blek Le Rat, Retna, El Mac, David Choe, Revok and many others.

Miami Graffiti by photographers Jim and Karla Murray is the first book to capture Miami’s graffiti scene. Documenting 20+ years of graffiti art and history along with Miami’s most notorious crews and writers, Miami Graffiti is a detailed presentation of South Florida’s past, present, and future of graffiti.

Mid City Arts’ “Miami Graffiti” show is a celebration of the release of Jim and Karla Murray’s book – they will be on hand to sign books -  and a showcase of some of Florida’s finest street artists from the MSG, TCP, SH and THC crews. Artists from these crews are coming out to Los Angeles and will be displaying their work in the gallery as well as customizing the gallery’s back yard space. Featured artists include Crome, Typoe, Acme, Enve, Murder, Afex, Kemo, Cynic, Gere, Flojoe and others. The show is curated by “Slow”.

The MSG crew formed in 1994 by a group of kids bonded through their shared street backgrounds and love of graffiti. Now, 14 years later, MSG has evolved into a creative collective that has expanded into everything from graphic design and fine art, to retail and product design, and everything in between. South Florida’s Crome is one that region’s graffiti pioneers. Crome’s work is an amalgam of sex, color, crime and fun. Drawing inspiration from Miami’s clashing of tropical South Beach & seedy underbelly of Downtown Districts, he creates images that reflect the dichotomy between the beauty, style and color of the former, while balancing it with the images of prostitution; drive bys and drugs of the latter. Crome is multifaceted and multi-dimensional.  He’s an artist with a dark past and a bright future making his mark on the vanilla, superficial Miami art scene.

More info: http://www.midcity-arts.com

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I have been extremely remiss in holding on to this mix for so long. But the homie DJ Destroyer has come through lovely once again with another dope mix. This time the Strictly Social resident, Destroyer takes you on a journey encompassing funk, disco, soul and house and providing a nice mesh between old and new school. This dude knows his music.

Download DJ Destroyer - This Is My Loft Vol 1

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Really diggin’ this free mixtape from stylish MC Fresh Daily. The perfect combination of spage-age beats and solid boom-bap along with his smart lyrical skills make this one of the better hip-hop releases so far this year. Featured guests include Flying Lotus, Jesse Boykins III, Oddisee and others. And it’s free, so no excuses not to have it.

Download Fresh Daily - Tomorrow Is Today

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I’ve been a major slacker as far as blogging goes lately. But that’s ‘cos I’ve been un-slacking in other areas. You know, work and such. So anyway forgive me for what could be a series of really late passes. But anyways, Little Dragon are near and dear to my heart so here’s the infos on their new album Machine Dreams along with a download (below) of “Blinking Pigs” which I first saw over at TreesForBreakfast. Press release via Dog Day Press. “Feather” is currently being played by various DJs on KCRW.

Little Dragon return with a spectacular second album offering in August, a pulsating electro pop epic that Prince would be proud of (only fronted by a beautiful Swedish lady with a sultry voice). A bold and surprising side/two step onwards from their acclaimed 2007 self titled debut. Machine Dreams, with its nagging hooks and gloriously infectious tunes, will see the band break out into the mainstream.

Having toured relentlessly since the last record, Little Dragon found themselves to be very popular in the US specifically on the west coast. After sessions on KCRW’s flagship ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ show, their album became the most played on the station after Radiohead. No mean feat for the little dragons from Sweden, especially when they didn’t have a US record label backing their forays. The track ‘Twice’ was even played on hit US show Grey’s Anatomy. The band’s US success brought them to the attention of the likes of notorious basement dweller DJ Shadow and David Sitek, the latter asking them to support TV On The Radio on their US tour in May 2009.

Recorded in their home city of Gothenburg, Machine Dreams is fresh and kinetic. Be it Yukimi’s warmly inviting vocals, Erik’s dextrous drumming, the vast array of synths and bleeps created by Hakan or Frederik’s bubbling bass lines, together they don’t sound like anything else around right now. The move towards a more electronic sound was a conscious one, as Yukimi explains; “These days, humans seem more and more like machines, and as technology evolves, machines feel more human and it becomes fuzzy and beautiful and science fiction-ish. We feel dependent on our machines to create and live, and their sounds reflect us”.

Album opener ‘A New’ breaks us in gently with a single whirring note on the synthesiser, an almost alien sound that gradually morphs into a slow, thumping bassline. Yukimi’s vocals flow alongside Hakan’s assortment of sound effects interspersed with militaristic drums breaks. A magical opener that sets the scene and seems to sink into itself, taking us with it, until the pace is swiftly ratcheted skywards with ‘Looking Glass’, the massive snare, crisp driving beat and spacey synths revealing the band’s current penchant for the 80s. This influence continues apace into stand out track ‘My Step’. Utilising a solid drumbeat that nestles next to jagged and playful synthlines, the track breaks down into motorik propulsion with a scuzzy techno bassline that Yukimi works with ease.

Upcoming single ‘Feather’ finds Yukimi’s voice at its most detached and seemingly nonchalant, yet magnificently seductive. Backed by Hakan’s keyboard atmospherics, the song creates a soundscape reminiscent of Tears For Fears’ more reflective moods. Gradually layering more vocals, synths, echoes and reverb, it builds to a quietly psychedelic, dreamy cosmic swirl. ‘Runabout’ brings forth a mini Airto style percussive breakdown at the tail end of yet another Little Dragon pop gem. ‘Swimming’ bursts into life with stabbing keys and reflective bass, while Yukimi sings of young love “and now so many years have past, my memories as clear as glass”. The song is over as quickly as it started, flowing into the next miniature masterpiece in the form of ‘Blinking Pigs’.

The album closes with the stunning ‘Fortune’, which has already caught the attention of none other than DJ Shadow, who wrote to the band personally to say how much he loved the track. It’s no wonder really, as the textured melodies blend with the drifting percussion, creating a blissful sonic mood. With a smattering of drums and bass and the magic of Yukimi’s voice and Hakan’s electronic dynamics floating on top, it’s the perfect song to end this fascinating journey through Little Dragon’s brave new world.

With disparate influences from Depeche Mode to Prince, LCD Soundsystem to James Holden, Dancehall to R&B, Jazz and Soul, Little Dragon take their place among artists who straddle many genres, yet somehow create their own and in doing so create “sounds that make time stop” (Yukimi). Futuristic yet somehow retro, Machine Dreams sees Little Dragon achieve something timeless; that elusive pop classic.

Needless to say, I cannot wait.

Listen to “Blinking Pigs”:

Download Little Dragon - Blinking Pigs

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I do love me some MJ Cole. I haven’t been keeping up with him over the past few years, so when I came across this track, it reminded me of my younger days (sigh), discovering 2-step/garage and MJ Cole’s wonderful album Sincere back in 2000 or so.

This new track “Gotta Have It” has a strong pop sensibility, it’s true, in that it’s slickly and shinily produced, but damn if that bassline and 2-step beat don’t getcha every time :)

Listen to “Gotta Have It”:

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