Opolopo’s music is truly a universal language, as he’s based in Sweden, and his tunes can be heard from the weekend parties he DJ’s there to the clubs and mp3 players of the US, to the streets and ears across Asia, Africa, Australia — and back. Opolopo is a force to be reckoned with in electronic music’s underground.

“Voltage Controlled Feelings” is his third album, but his debut on Tokyo Dawn Records. It takes you on a musical journey that takes you through varying danceable degrees of funk, from futuristic fusion to 90?s style R&B. Opolopo pulls off the tricky balancing act of paying homage to his influences while conjuring up new images in the listener’s mind with the sounds he’s using. When listening to this album, you’re IN the year 2011, from the perspective of someone living in the mid-1990s.

The vocal performances are great compliments to the music, with former collaborators Erik Rico (from LA), Farah (whom you may have heard with Incognito, repping the UK), and Sacha Williamson (holding it down for Toronto) all enhancing this international (if not intergalactic) journey. But it’s clear that Opolopo’s true voice is Amalia, formerly based in Canada. Together, they deliver a sound that you expect music from the 21st Century to sound like: exciting, adventurous, loud, yet familiar. The clean production and vintange synth/drum sound set in “Reversed” is reminiscent of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ heyday, and the over-the-top funk in “Bonafide” has only one flaw: where’s the extended version? Instrumental highlights include “Koboyashi Maru”, “The Singularity”, and “Ballad For Amalia”.

“Voltage Controlled Feelings” is an important record from an underrated electronic music innovator.

Voltage Controlled Feelings by opolopo

(originally run on TheBlackBoxOffice.com)

Sandra St Victor – Cosmos by mashibeats

AMALIA – Life’s A Dance (Nu Opo Swing Mix) by opolopo

This song is from Ryuichi’s 2004 album “Chasm”, which you can (and should) buy on iTunes here.

Two K-pop artists will be attending this years live including SNSD and Kara.

This year’s lineup (33 artist) include:

* aiko
* Arashi
* Ikimono Gakari
* AKB48
* EXILE
* KAT-TUN
* KARA
* Kanjani8
* KinKi Kids
* Kumi Koda
* Kobukuro
* Kazuyoshi Saito
* JUJU
* SNSD
* Superfly
* SMAP
* Tackey & Tsubasa
* TOKIO
* DREAMS COME TRUE
* Kana Nishino
* NEWS
* Ayumi Hamasaki
* Perfume
* FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
* Masaharu Fukuyama
* V6
* Hey! Say! JUMP
* Porno Graffitti
* moumoon
* YUI
* Yusuke
* Yuzu
* L’Arc~en~Ciel

Incognito continues to let fads pass them by and stay focused on good, solid, jazzy soul music, and good songwriting. That’s what’s made them one of the best bands to catch on tour. Another thing that makes Incognito special is Bluey’s ability to keep great vocalists and excellent musicians in the band. “Transatlantic RPM” is an album that marks the band’s 30th anniversary, and, in an era where bands barely survive their 3rd anniversary without breaking up or changing direction, Incognito shows no sign of slowing down.

Incognito has added Mario Biondi to the lineup for this record. Mario’s signature deep voice take songs like “Can’t Get Enough”, which is already funky, to a whole other level. It wouldn’t be an Incognito record without a great cover tune, and Mario also adds a new dimension to the Boz Scaggs classic “Lowdown”, the song that starts the album off. Mario is joined by none other than the incomparable Chaka Khan on this tune, and so you know you’re in for a good time from the moment you press play. West Coast favorite Luckyiam comes on board to become the first emcee on an Incognito track (that I can recall), and “Everything That We Are” is good because of it. “1975″ is a solid soul track featuring Joy Rose on vocals. I’m hoping to hear the band play this out in concert. Next up, Maysa – the band’s most famous voice – takes the stage with another classic entitled “Your Sun, My Sky”. Maysa always shows up to do the “strange relationship” songs on these albums and she never, ever fails to turn the most ordinary chord progression into a soul tune you want to rewind and play again.

At this point, most bands would phone it in and fill the album with instrumental jams. After all, this album started with the core musicians: Matt Cooper, Pete Biggin, Francis Hilton, Thomas Dyani and Bluey jamming and laying tracks sitting in a circle at Oxton Square in London in 2009.

But what we get is a lot more. World renowned vocalist Leon Ware makes a great appearance on “Line In The Sand”, a song marked with another set of great string arrangements and solid grooves. Ursula Rucker also represents, singing AND reciting her classic style of poetry, on “Gotta”.

“Transatlantic RPM” then turns up the BPM with a GREAT dance tune: “Let’s Fall In Love Again”, featuring Tortured Soul’s Christian Urich on vocals. I know every producer in the world wants a crack at a remix of this, but it’s really a great tune as is.

“The Song” is the solo Chaka Khan number, and by the end, it’s clear that Chaka has found her best backing group of musicians since Rufus.

Maysa and Chaka Khan could have easily tried to “out-soul” each other on this album, but instead…we get the best of both great talents, on songs that stand on their own.

Tony Momrelle balances the album out with “Put a Little Lovin’ In Your Heart”, another dance number with just enough ol’ school to keep the OG ‘Cog fans happy.

The one surprise that trumped them all for me on this album was Bluey’s lead vocal debut on “Tell Me What To Do”. I’m sure he does guide vocals on songs for vocalists to get the gist of the songs, but we’ve never been privy to those recordings, so this is a treat that I’m sure all fans will appreciate.

These performances, along with the fantastic musicianship shown throughout the album (don’t miss the instrumental “Expresso Madureira”) make this album an absolute must-have.

“Transatlantic RPM” has everything an Incognito fan could want – the best of Incognito, plus Chaka Khan!

Here’s to another great 30 years!

TSK – Mobile Soul
Koop – Summer Sun
Richard Earnshaw feat. Imogen Ryall – Summer Rain
DJ Jorj feat. Carmen Hendricks – Till I See The Sun
Bird – Summer Nude
Crystal Kay – Kitto Eien Ni (Studio Apartment Remix)
Jakatta – Shimmering Stars (Joey Negro Medusa Re-Edit)
Nova Frontiera – Supernova
Louie Vega – Elements Of Life (Richard Earnshaw Vocal Mix)
Mambana – Felicidad
Kings Of Tomorrow – Thru (Simon Grey Remix)
Reel People – The Light
Sunburst Band – Until The End Of Time
Feet – I Think Of You (Acoustic Version)
Summer Night In Spanish Harlem featuring House of Rumba
Swing Out Sister – Circulate (Live at The Jazz Cafe)
Jazztronik – Nanairo/Phoenix
Opolopo featuring Amalia – Street Lights
Lady Alma – Running For Nothing
Kerri Chandler – Inspiration
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Aly-Us – Follow Me
Shaun Escofferey – Let It Go (4Hero Acoutsic)

Here’s a new teaser out for her upcoming single.

Not exactly. I’m happy that she gave Matt & Kim dap in the very beginning, but it’s safe to say that her video’s gonna go a a LOT further. Hope the album’s good. Because she just got herself a big bag of controversy.

It’s controversial because folks have a problem with nudity. Nude Black women, to be specific. I read a comment on a blog that described it as “art”, which is such a bullshit thing to say. Of COURSE it’s art. I have a feeling this is going be VERY popular. But not for the reason it should be.

One interpretation of this film is:

Erykah gives everything she has, very few people see what she’s really trying to say the whole time, and she is killed for it in the end. That’s the interpretation I’m rolling with.

[Edit (3/28): so I moved the full version of the video to the main page, to ease the load on this one poor post. If you're on the site, you've seen it by now.]

I love this project. Straight ahead jazz interpretations of anime tunes. One of my favorite albums right now. This is “Happy Material” and “Genesis of Aquarion”.

Musicians on stage:

Piano: Martin Persson
Bass: Martin Höper
Drums: Ola Bothzén
Vocals: Emily McEwan
Percussion: Thomas Eby
Tenor Saxophone: Kristian Harborg
Baritone Saxophone: Gunnar Bergsten
Alto Saxophone and Flute: Jonas Wall
Trumpet: Nils Janson
Trumpet: Karl Olandersson
Trombone: Karl Frid

Recorded by Pawel Lucki and Rasmus Faber, mixed by Rasmus Faber. Video editing by Hampus Lundgren. Filmed by Karl-Uno Lindgren and John Lindgren.

This morning I was in a bit of a flashback phase, so I thought I’d get it out of my system here instead of letting it creep into my set this weekend.

Enjoy.

Tracklisting:

Corrine Bailey Rae – Paris Nights/New York Mornings
Janelle Monae – Tightrope (w/ Big Boi of Outkast)
Omar – Goodness
Nneka – Suffri
Ty – Emotions (w. Shaun Escofferey and Sarinah Leah)
Blacktop ft. Amalia – Reversed (Opolopo Remix)
Kenna – Phantom Always
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Dir: Keith Schofield.
Editors: Keith Schofield / Alan Capriles.
Prod Co: El Nino.

Director of photography: Damian Acevedo
Producer: Steve Buchanan
Executive Producer: Jules Dieng
PD: Mike Beamer
Executive Producer: Mourad Belkeddar
Commisioner: Xavier De Nauw

Label: EMI

When I reviewed Kenna’s album I reviewed it on the merits of being a new wave record, the one that the Neptunes had been trying to make for years. I also went on about how a lot of artists folks respect are closet new wave heads and know some pretty embarrassing songs by heart.

Anyone who’s ever shared an office with me knows my 80s music collection is perfect, to an annoying fault. So when I go retro, I go hard.

…not sure about Res covering Berlin, though. It’s early, so I’ll give it a minute to see what’s coming next.

Edward Bland did arguably THE Black independent film of the 50′s, an indie joint called “The Cry Of Jazz” which featured exclusive footage of Sun Ra and His Arkestra. It was released in 1959.

The opening Q&A really got me.

For the late Fifties, there are a lot of complex and challenging ideas about race in your film. How was the film received when it was first released?

<strong>What inspired you to tackle the subject matter of jazz and how it relates to race and culture?

Growing up as a jazz musician who later turned to musical composition – so called art music – jazz struck me as a perfect metaphorical construct thru which to formally examine Black American life in the present moment and historically.

The film has a lot of prophetic notions about jazz. Do you think that its ideas have played themselves to the conclusion predicted? Did jazz die?

The analysis the filmmaker gives is particularly heavy when you consider it was done in the late 50s!