I think you are going to find yourself falling head first for the tracks in today’s Single Servings. I did. That smokey, smooth groove by Rhye is irresistible. If that doesn’t do it, you may find yourself lovestruck by the visceral, hand-clap heavy soul of Algiers. Polarsets have a lock on the eclectic, yet tropical vibe that always feels so good running free across your the wilds of your headphones. Meanwhile, Django Django promise to satisfy your craving for some delicious future’s past -styled pop. Resistance is futile.

Rhye – Open
This may be the sexiest song I’ve ever heard. Seriously. It’s a really, really smooth, reedy groove and with come-ons for lyrics like “I’m a fool for your belly / I’m a fool for your love.” Right from the start it’s clear that this band is trying to seduce you. My advice: just give in to it. Big thanks to yvynyl for posting this one first.

Algiers – Blood
This is one of those haunting, floor-board stomping soul jams that’s so full of voodoo and dark mojo it’ll give you shivers. Rattling tambourines, deliberate handclaps, and some syrupy bass make for one nasty-sounding spiritual. You can get this one on vinyl from Double Phantom (and you really should too).

Polarsets – Sunset
Polarsets blend elaborately textured, tropical rhythms with punchy, nearly euphoric grooves for some serious good times. They’ve released singles with Neon Gold, Kitsune and Moda and are aiming their sites on SXSW this year. Definitely a band to watch.

Django Django – Default
When I listen to “Default” by East London’s Django Django I’m reminded of a long lost love: Beta Band. That’s a damn nice feeling. Shuffling melodies swirl alongside some electro-psych flourishes in this fully-satisfying indie pop jam. Thanks to our reader Jeremy Stein who recommended this one.

Before the release of Below The Heavens Exile had already begun to make a name for himself working with artists like Jurassic Five and Mobb Deep, and as 1/2 of the duo Emanon alongside Aloe Blacc. In fact, it was Blacc who introduced Blu and Exile. At first, Blu lent some verses to Exile’s solo album, which ultimately led to the recording of Below The Heavens.

Straight off the bat, in true hip hop fashion, Blu blazes into fiery, cocksure introductions: “I don’t pack stadiums yet / I still rock ‘em. / They still spell my name f*cked up on their flyers / it’s B-L-U / and if you see the E drop ‘em. / It’s like they dropping E from the beats E is dropping.” They mellow the tone for the laid-back, but pensive “The Narrow Path” and “So(ul) Amazin’ (Steel Blazin’).” Repeatedly, throughout the album, Blu demonstrates a talent for spinning compelling narratives that balance his darker impulses against his better tendencies including on personal favorites like “Blu Colla Workers,” “Dancing In The Rain,” and “First Things First.” In all, I’d consider this a true underground hip hop classic.

This is the type of hip hop you can groove to first thing in the morning. Yeah, this is that rare, laid-back and feel good hip hop that you can start your day to (I’m a grown-ass man. I prefer to finish my morning coffee before I go H.A.M.). Indeed, Below The Heavens is complex and totally satisfying. As a result, I’m pairing this one with Kasey’s Bluberry…, er, Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins.

Blu & Exile – My World Is…

Check out the recipe for Kasey’s Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins. Buy Below The Heavens from Insound (follow this link and use coupon code ‘febstorewide15′ for 15% off your entire purchase).

When my parents and I moved from Russia first to Israel, and then to the United States, our relatives said goodbye to us knowing there was a very real possibility they’d never see us again. At the time, technologies like Skype didn’t exist and Russia had a strict “get out and don’t come back” policy. I didn’t realize the grandness of my parents’ sacrifice. Taking their little girl of seven across the world, to a country they had never been before, where the language spoken was written ‘backwards’ and dry, hot, dessert winds called ‘hamsin’ were more common than temperate days and birch trees. I still wonder what life would have been like growing up in Moscow.

In his father of the bride speech at my wedding several years ago, my dad joked that he and my mom made sure to move me around every time I’d get comfortable in a place to ensure I wouldn’t get bored. Funny thing is, there was something to this approach. Moving to a new place, each time, was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Finding my footing, my balance, was a challenge I welcomed. One of my favorite parts of moving was always learning a completely new set of rules and traditions, and adopting them as my own.

When we migrated, once again, from our home in Israel to a town in New Jersey, I can recall fiercely embracing Dunkin Donuts. We bought Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. I brought boxes of donut holes to school events. And (my favorite) we would eat them on snow days, when the power would be out in the whole neighborhood, and the only thing left to do was walk to the nearest donut shop and hope that they had power — and heat.

I’ve moved a lot since those days, but one tradition that I’ve carried with me is the tradition of breakfast. Perhaps that’s why I talk about it so frequently. Breakfast is, above all, the knowledge of knowing that you have the power to start your day. Frankly, I’m not much for going out to brunch or breakfast for that reason. I like knowing that I’ll be brewing my own coffee and I’ll pace my day based on whatever speed I start at. If it’s the weekend, that means early, but slowly. If it’s the weekday, that means early, but efficiently.

We don’t get snow days anymore, and Dunkin Donuts is a far cry from the kinds of breakfasts I eat these days, but I know that those early years, living out East, learning English as a third grader, and fighting to be American through and through, have solidified in me a resolve to appreciate the beauty of a tradition that isn’t associated with a time, place, age group, or a home, for that matter.

These blueberry muffins haven’t become a tradition yet, but they’re part of my lifelong breakfast story. Warm, fluffy, and bursting with pockets of succulent, juicy blueberries, they’re just the right way to start your day.

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
adapted from Joy of Baking
*makes 6-8 muffins

1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of spelt flour
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
Freshly grated zest of half an orange
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of well-shaken buttermilk
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of fresh blueberries

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a muffin tin or line it with paper liners.
2. Combine the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whisk to mix.
3. Add the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest to a separate bowl. Then, stir in the blueberries.
4. Fold the wet mix into the dry mix and stir until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix (this will ensure the tenderest muffins).
5. Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to fill each muffin cup until it’s 3/4 full.
6. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan midway through, until they’re rounded and golden.
7. Cool before removing the muffins from the baking pan and transferring them to a serving platter.

Musical Pairings: Blu & Exile – Below The Heavens + Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

More on the turntable.

Cat Power – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Otis Redding – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
P.J. Harvey & Bjork – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

I want to hear which one is your favorite, so tell me what you think in the comments.

I’ve got lots of great new music for you today. Here We Go Magic teamed up with Radiohead-producer Nigel Godrich and we have a taste. Frankie Rose released another single and you can have a bite of that too. Next we’ll follow that up with some bassy, glitchy palate cleansers courtesy of Bondax and Booddha.

Here We Go Magic – Make Up Your Mind
Here We Go Magic turned many heads with their self-titled debut which was released back in 2009. I count myself amongst that number (we originally paired them with Kasey’s Matzo Brittle recipe), but even more fortuitously for the band, they also caught the eye of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. The band teamed up with Godrich for their follow-up which will be titled A Different Ship. It’s out May 8th, but you can hear the album’s first single “Make Up Your Mind” now.

Frankie Rose – Interstellar
Sometimes the right music gets the hype it deserves. Take, as just one example, Frankie Rose. Pitchfork and several other music publications (yes, including us) have been hyping her soon-to-be-released album Interstellar. Based on the tracks we’ve heard so far (check out the Jan. 2012 Mix for another track), the album is going to be awesome. It comes out tomorrow (on February 21, 2012).

Booddha – Intense
Damn. Just damn. The first time I heard this track by Amsterdam’s Booddha I did that thing cartoon characters do when they fall in love. You know: where your smile becomes a squiggly line and hearts bubble up over your head. You’ll feel the rich, textured minimalism and dubby low end deep in the cockles of your heart. If you like what you hear you can check out his Soundcloud page for some more goodies.

Bondax – All Inside
Lancaster, Britain’s Bondax spin out sensual, R&B-infused grooves with lush “wub-wub-wub” low end to round it all out. I know I’m always up for a jam like this. Want more? Find more on their Soundcloud.

I’ve been a huge fan of Amanda’s beautiful site, give me flour, for some time now. Her writing makes me want to travel to her homeland of Brazil, which she reminisces about often. And her photography, well, it speaks for itself. From gorgeous desserts to breads and stews, her photos capture the magic of food, cooking, travel, and memory. I’m so thrilled to have Amanda stop by Turntable Kitchen today to share her recipe for Shrimp Etouffée with you all. Just in time for Mardi Gras! Thanks so much, Amanda! ~Kasey

My first Christmas gift in the US territory was snow, lots and lots of snow. My second one was Shrimp Etouffée.

It was December 2009 and after a year and a few months living in the cold, gray and mysterious Chicago, we realized it was time to hit the road, to explore new horizons. I don’t remember exactly what lead us to New Orleans, all I know is at that time heading south sounded the best option for us “novice snow drivers.”

And so we left, heart full of expectation, head loaded of preconceptions and in no hurry at all. Our first meal was a crispy fried chicken, farm kitchen style, in some place in Missouri followed by two more state border crossings and our first night in our first planned destination, Memphis. You know, “home of the blues, birth of rock and roll.” We couldn’t avoid it.

And we acted as tourists are supposed to, buying all the ideas they were selling to us — a duck parade, the king’s house and its crazy luxuries, the nowadays touristic blue clubs and restaurants on Bale Street, the reconstitution of a crime at Lorraine Motel, the fantastic ribs at Rendezvous. So far, everything was meeting our expectations.

Things changed when we got to New Orleans a couple days later, though. No, that was not the America we knew anymore. It seemed we had driven much more than a thousand miles. We were transported to a much farther place, like a grandma’s sister’s house or some other distant relative’s home. The architecture of the houses, the colors on the walls, the omnipresent spirit of Mardi Gras were just a few of the elements we discovered we had in common.

New Orleans’ kitchen was really a surprise. My knowledge about it was limited to a small cookbook a friend gave me a decade ago. At the time, I was still living in Brazil. And a book can’t give you the dimension of any cuisine, its flavors or perfumes.

I don’t think, for instance, one can find a plate of rice and beans in any other place like you do in New Orleans. And then there were the beignets, the po’ boys, gumbos, jambalayas, alligator sausages, muffulettas, and the magnificent shrimp etouffée.

It was December 25 of 2009, the day I ate my first etouffée. And I remember it as clearly as I had just finished my bowl: perfectly cooked shrimp in an indulgent, vibrant orange creamy sauce handling all layers of flavors one dish can possibly handle. There is no better way to bring carnival to your table.

I came back and immediately started to look for a good recipe. A few weeks later, my English teacher came with a local book published by the Louisiana Office of Tourism called Season the day with Louisiana’s fairs and festivals, a collection of local recipes given by people from different parts of the state. It has probably a handful of different recipes of shrimp etouffée and I used them as reference to create my own, with lots of garlic of course.

The major thing you have to have in mind is ettoufée requires not a lot of work but a bit of time. But it is worth each minute you spend building your stock and thickening your base, I guarantee.

Start by buying raw shrimp that has been already cleaned and de-veined but is still unshelled. The shells are the most important ingredient in our stock.

Shrimp Stock

½ onion, about ½ cup, chopped
1 carrot, about ½ cup roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, about ½ cup, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs parsley
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ pound of raw shrimp in their shells (shells for stock and shrimp for the final dish)

Peel shrimp by holding the tail and lifting the shell upwards and away from the body. Reserve the shells. Put shrimp in a bowl, season with 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp olive oil, a finely chopped garlic clove, a pinch of freshly ground pepper and set it on the fridge.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, sauté shrimp shell until it turns pink. Add tomato paste and, stirring constantly, cook for one more minute. Add onions, carrot and celery. Pour in 4 cups (about 1liter) of water. Add bay leave, parsley and cook for half an hour to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients for the ettouffée.

Shrimp Etouffée

1 small onion (1 cup), finely chopped
½ green bell pepper (1/2 cup), finely chopped
½  stack celery (1/2 cup), finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ stick butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1l shrimp stock
1 tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper, salt,
Green onion, chopped
Parsley, chopped

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste and stir well. At this point, everything will come together and look like a thick batter. Add shrimp stock, a bit at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times, until mixture is thick and shiny. Stir in smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. Cook for extra 5 minutes.

You can make everything in advance up to this point. In fact, from all I have learned and tasted, it is even better if you prepare your base on the day before to intensify the flavors. It is not mandatory tough, please, don’t feel pressured here.

The last step is to add pre seasoned shrimp in hot etouffée and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they curl and turn pink. Just keep an eye on it; you don’t want you shrimp to be overcooked.

Turn off the heat, stir in parsley and green onion and serve over cooked rice. Enjoy!

I caught up with Micah, Andrea and Trevor from Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Breathe Owl Breathe before their set at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill. Their live show is upbeat and whimsical. In fact, I’d venture as far as to say I’d never seen a band appear to have so much fun on stage (The Decemberists probably come in a close 2nd though). Whether Micah was performing barrel rolls, play acting as if he were swimming, or creating giraffe hand puppets to accompany a song’s lyrics; it was often enough to elicit uncontrollable giggling and knowing, amused smiles from Andrea and Trevor. Thankfully, although the trio know how to have a good time, they also never missed a note – even when Andrea unleashed operatic vocals in the midst of “Parrots In The Tropical Trees.” We talked about – what else – food and music.  Read on.

Breathe Owl Breathe – The Listeners
Breathe Owl Breathe – Own Stunts

1. What is the tastiest treat you’ve had on the last tour/back home?

Trevor: We like to get Indian food, it is our weakness. It makes us feel like we are at home. That’s because back home in Ann Arbor, Michigan there is a really good Indian restaurant called Raja Rani. It is like the best Indian buffet and it is close to home. So it isn’t really on tour. Andrea would probably have a different answer though.

Andrea: I love Indian food a lot. On the last tour we did about two and a half weeks only in Michigan. So we toured the Upper Peninsula and stayed with Micah’s Aunt and Uncle who live way in the woods. They are amazing. They have these amazing permaculture gardens that put up a huge amount of the food that they eat year round. His Uncle Ray makes this amazing hot sauce called Ray’s Polish Fire that we’re addicted to and put on almost everything. Ray made this amazing chili. Usually I don’t like chili, but it has wild turkey from up there and all of this kale, it was kale heavy, and I’m obsessed with kale. It also had tomatoes that they had grown and beans. That was my favorite treat from our last tour. It was a really special treat.

2. Is there one album that has dominated the stereo in the tour van?

Micah:  Today we listened to different soundtracks.  It was almost like a game where we played Last of the Mohicans, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones. There was some Bone Thugs & Harmony – Tha Crossroads, we did a little M.C. Hammer – Have You Seen Her.

Trevor: Not really an album, but a mix and mash.

3. What is your favorite music discovery of 2012?

Micah: I think I’m always rediscovering Arthur Russell’s recordings. I’m just amazed of everywhere he has been in his songs.

Trevor: Something that sticks out is this Philip Glass three tape set that Micah got. The packaging is the size of a vinyl record.  You open it and there are three tapes in it.

Micah: It was minimal with the concept but not with the packaging. You can play these cassettes at the same time or individually.

Andrea: It is hard to pick just one. I’ll be specific in a way you didn’t ask for.  The first discovery of a band from a live show, that I didn’t know, that really blew me away was this band called Future Islands. I had definitely never heard of.  They really blew me away live.

4. What is one food or beverage you can’t live without (Trevor stepped away to help with sound setup)

Andrea: Number one would be sweet potatoes, and number two dinosaur kale, and number three would have to be fair trade, organic dark chocolate.

Micah:  There is this sandwich that I really enjoy making.  You toast the bread and you put peanut butter and bread and butter pickles and a little bit of hot sauce and you serve it with a side of rice.  It’s just a really good gourmet.  There will become a time in your life when you’ll be like: “I’m going to try the peanut butter and pickles sandwich, and you are either ready for it or you are not.”

Andrea: If I were to guess Trevor’s top 3 they would be: Cookies, which can encompass any all very sweet baked goods; beans – like black beans; and coffee.  Oh, and one more food that I have to add is coconut butter. It is not oil, but just like cashew butter or almond butter.  Just the coconut flesh but it is totally creamy.  I’ll eat it by the spoonful.

5. Any resolutions for 2012?

Trevor: Putting things out there that are on my mind, when they happen, rather than later, including inspirations. It pretty much applies to anything in the world.

Andrea: My resolution is to be more active.  To go for more hikes and runs and walks and swims.

TK: I bet that is tough when you are on the road.

Andrea: It is.  You have to be really determined.  Micah is incredible at it.  He’ll wake up before everyone else on the tour and just run for miles and come back, and everyone else is just getting up.

TK: That is pretty determined.  Especially because you’ll be in new cities and not really know where you might be running.

Micah: Yeah, but that moment, the first thing of the day, is so precious because you are passing through areas so quickly, and you are able to see that little moment in time. My short term goal is that I’ve never been good at documenting things, or logging things. Sometimes when we record music it just gets lost on cassette tapes, and there will be something that you completely forget about.  On this tour I’m trying to log what I do everyday, active-wise and collaborating-wise.

The February 2012 Mix is the first time we’ve featured most of these artists, but you can be sure you’ll be hearing more about them in the coming months. For example, I can’t get enough indie r&b recently, so artists like AlunaGeorge, Milo Mills, and Woolfy have been getting a lot of plays in our home. The Unlooped track was sent to us by our good friend Tarik at 88Nine at Radio Milwaukee and was an awesome surprise in my inbox. White Rabbits seem to be ready to take their game to the next level on their next album based on the tracks we’ve heard. J. Mars is one of the best hip hop submissions I’ve received yet, and that Lia Ices Pink Floyd cover is simply dripping with beautiful. Oh, and that NZCA/LINES is all sorts of cool. And that doesn’t even include the awesome tracks by Viceroy, Milo Greene, U.S. Elevator, Parakeet, Jason Burns, Emily Wells, The Luyas, The Owsley Brothers, and Zammuto. Want to keep up with the best new music?  For the next hour and seventeen minutes you’ve got your work cut out for you.

Also, have you heard about our EPIC giveaway? Do you want to win a Pro-Ject Debut III audiophile turntable and vinyl record “starter kit” featuring records by Father/Daughter Records and Mexican Summer? Well, watch out brand spanking new video by High Beam Media promoting our Pairings Box and enter here.

Turntable Kitchen :: February 2012 Mix (.zip file)

01. Notorious B.I.G. – Going Back To Cali (Viceroy Remix)
02. AlunaGeorge – Disobey
03. Woolfy – Odyssey
04. Jason Burns – Back To You
05. Tennis – Origins
06. White Rabbits – Temporary
07. Unlooped vs. J. Dilla – See You Cry
08. NZCA/LINES – Okinawa Channels
09. Milo Mils – They Don’t Know (The XX Rework)
10. J. Mars – Toast Music
11. Emily Wells – Passenger
12. The Owsley Brothers – Rotten on the Vine
13. U.S. Elevator – All Through The Night (Cyndi Lauper Cover)
14. Oscar + Martin – Do The Right Thing
15. Parakeet – Tomorrow
16. Milo Greene – 1957
17. Zammuto – Too Late To Topologize
18. The Luyas – Too Beautiful To Work
19. Lia Ices – Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd Cover)

Enter to win a Pro-Ject Turntable and a vinyl “starter kit” with records from Father/Daughter Records and Mexican Summer by clicking here.

Today we’re sharing something REALLY cool with you. A few months ago, we hooked up with the very talented Eric Slatkin of Highbeam Media (not to mention our friends Lindsey & Christian, who let us take over their house) to shoot a video that we hope captures what we feel is the Turntable Kitchen Pairings Box experience. We’re proud to share the end result with you today and to celebrate, we’re hosting a HUGE giveaway.

That’s right. We’re giving ONE lucky winner a slick, red Pro-Ject Debut III turntable. The same one that’s made many appearances here before and the pretty little number in the video. More, we’ve teamed up with Mexican Summer and Father/Daughter Records to pull together a killer starter kit for you to get your record collection going. Additionally, we’re throwing in a surprise, limited edition Pairings Box exclusive release. As you may know, we’ve sold out of all four of our previous monthly boxes, so you’ll be receiving a very special little treat. The total value of this giveaway is over $500, and the experience you’ll get if you win is priceless.

Here’s what you gotta do:

1. Watch the Pairings Box experience video!
2. Comment on this post telling us what your favorite part of the video is and why you’d like to win.
3. Like the Turntable Kitchen Facebook page (if you don’t already). Follow Turntable Kitchen on Twitter (if you don’t already).
4. Share the giveaway and the video via your Twitter account by tweeting the following phrase:

Watch @ttablekitchen’s Pairings Box video + enter to win a Pro-Ject Debut III turntable + starter record collection! http://bit.ly/zwMnKR

A random winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday, March 1st. One comment per person, please. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

[Update] The contest closes at 12:00 pm PST on Wednesday, February 29th. You have until then to leave your comments and be eligible to win!

Lastly, today’s the day! We’re accepting new subscribers to the Pairings Box, starting with the March Pairings Box! Head over to our NEW Pairings Box page to start your subscription today >>>

We’ve been working on something veeeerrrry special for you all. And today, we’re finally unveiling it! Watch the video (created by Eric Slatkin of Highbeam Media), then head over to the Turntable to enter our EPIC giveaway. Check out our brand NEW Pairings Box page; we’re accepting new subscribers today, starting with the March Pairings Box.