2017

Ill Camille, LA hip hop's female perspective. Ill Camille has been a vital member of the LA music scene for some years. Kendrick Lamar used her vocals prominently for the "good kid, m.A.A.d city" track "Sing about me", she has been working with other TDE artists occasionally and spend a lot of time writing for different projects Terrance Martin was involved with.At the same time Camille was developing her own material with her fellow peers such as MNDSGN, Iman Omari, DJ Battlecat, Like (Pac Div) Georgia Anne Muldrow & SIR who are all featured on her album “Heirloom” just like TDE co-president Punch. “Heirloom” productions range from smooth, g-funk esque west coast beats to live & organic soulful beats, working as the perfect backdrop for Camille's powerful, intelligent and thought thru lyrics.The album is deeply personal revolving around the issues that mater in her life from friends and family, her role as a woman and the heirloom of her and her surrounding: “I feel like everyone are heirlooms of our mothers and fathers. An heirloom is just something that’s passed down through a family. We get heirlooms in the form of game, encouragement or wise words. I know everyone has an aunt or uncle that’s given them some bars about life in general. I have a village around me that have given me heirlooms in the form of conversations”.

It took the former high school mates several years of pursuing their interests in different cities and moving to Berlin to reconnect and decide to collaborate on a record together. The result is quite different to the output both are usually connected with. "Even" is a multi layered cake exploring accidental jams and tape machine workouts. The main focus was spontaneity first and think about the concept later.

Illa J takes us on a trip to his hometown Detroit with his third solo album HOME. following his self titled LP, Illa J sometimes known as "John Regal" (born October 13,1986 in Detroit, Michigan) is a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, multi instrumentalist. He takes us on a trip to his hometown Detroit with his third solo album HOME. His last LP successfully took Illa J out of his brother and hiphop legend J Dilla‘s shadow to show he is in his own lane. Yet, Yancey still felt as though he was in a box labeled rapper. Teaming up with producer Calvin Valentine, who entirely produced the album, HOME is Illa J‘s first album to properly showcase the full extent of his vocal range to put him in the singer-songwriter conversation. The listener can feel the soulfulness of this LP through Illa J‘s singing and Valentines‘ smooth production.On „Sam Cook“ which is an ode to Illa J‘s father who ghostwrote for Motown, Yancey dives into his falsetto that is reminiscent of D‘Angelo, Bilal and Al Green. While keeping his focus on singing. Illa J sprinkles the album with rap verses. On „7Mile“ his vocals smoothly float over the more raw/alternative cut laid by Valentine. The album title track „Home“ completes his album and solidifies Illa J‘s artistry as a well rounded singer who can rap.Illa J is a solo artists, former member of legendary group Slum Village. Active in the music industry since 2006 in L.A and Detroit, Illa J has released two solo albums, 2008’s Yancey Boys via Delicious Vinyl and 2015’s self titled LP Illa J via Bastard Jazz Records. In 2014, while refocusing on his solo career and stepping out of Slum Village, Illa J relocated to Montreal for a fresh new start. He has since entrenched himself in the Canadian music scene by collaborating with some of Canada’s finest emcees and producers including Moka Only, Potatohead People and Kaytranada.His recent collaborations have been with jazz legend, Robert Glasper in concert and on record for his Miles Davis tribute project Everything’s Beautiful. Illa J also had the privilege to collaborate with hip hop legend Phife Dawg from ATCQ on his double LP nutshell. Other features include Slum Village’s critically acclaimed album YES & famed UK producer Tom Misch Beat Tape 2.

Double LP with 2 booklets, lyrics, and download cardAs some of you may know, Alice Coltrane was a legendary pianist, composer, spiritual leader, and the wife of John Coltrane, the most venerated and in?uential saxophonist in the history of jazz. In 1967, four years after meeting John, he died of liver cancer, leaving Alice a widow with four small children. Bereft of her soul mate, Alice su?ered sleepless nights and severe weight loss. At her worst, she weighed only 95 pounds. She had hallucinations in which trees spoke, various beings existed on astral planes, and the sounds of “a planetary ether” spun through her brain, knocking her into a frightening unconsciousness.The critical event of this period was not that Alice fell into the nadir of her existence, but rather that she experienced tapas, a vital period of trial. These tapas (a Sanskrit term she used to describe her su?ering) helped prepare Alice for the spiritual ally she found in Swami Satchidananda, an Indian guru, with whom Alice made her frst trip to India. On her second trip there, Alice had a revelation instructing her to abandon the secular life and become a spiritual teacher in the Hindu tradition – so she moved out West – eventually opening the Shanti Anantam Ashram on 47 acres she’d bought in Agoura Hills, California.Music was the foundation of Alice’s spiritual practice. From the mid 1980’s to mid 1990’s, Alice Coltrane self-released four brilliant cassette albums. These cassettes contained a music she invented, inspired by the gospel music of the Detroit churches she grew up in, mixed together with the Indian devotional music of her religious practice, and even fnds Alice singing for the frst time in her recorded catalog. Originally only made available through her ashram, they are her most obscure body of work and possibly the greatest re?ection of her soul.

The third installment of the Church's Marble series comes from Folamour.

"In My House" is a "bucket list" song Nickodemus always dreamed of covering into an actual House version. After a weekend of old-school partying in the clubs & hanging with Baby Bam from the Jungle Brothers in Brooklyn, they called over Carol C & Lisa Shaw to lay down some vocals. Going for that straight ahead 90's hard hitting house vibe, Bam flipped his verse to show everyone how it was done back in the days. French house producer ART OF TONES aka Llorca (20:20 Vision / Local Talk) made 2 remix versions on the flip-side taking it deeper for the European dancefloors.After the US elections in November, Nickodemus decided the need to add another cover, updating Sagat's 1994 classic "FUNK THAT" for the B-Side. It features NYC house music party & radio host legends THE ILLUSTRIOUS BLACKS over a funky break & deep chords reminiscing the OG. "Question, how can someone who is sexist racist, homophopic, Islamophobic, and an ableist become president of the United States of America? FUNK THAT!"