Illa J – “Sounds Like Love” featuring Debi Nova

“Sounds Like Love” is a song that speaks true to its title. The combination of Illa J’s sexy LL Cool J approach to his verses with the smooth jazzy vocalizations of Debi Nova on top of the soulful beat produce the sounds of love in this joint. But this isn’t the type of love you might assume; instead Illa is speaking about his devotion to his relationship with one particular lady. You learn very quickly that he’s wrapped up in this girl when he says, “And if we have a problem, we speak face to face, start solving / This relationship I put my all into.” Debi Nova echoes her affections in the chorus, singing passionately of her feelings in return.

The Background:

When Jay Dee passed away from complications relating to lupus in February 2006, he left behind an extraordinary legacy of production work, including hits for Common, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes. One mother lode of previously untouched beats dates from his time working on the Pharcyde’s sophomore album, Labcabincalifornia (Delicious Vinyl, 1995). As Delicious Vinyl owner and founder Michael “Mike Floss” Ross explains: “From ‘95 through ‘98 Jay Dee was my go-to guy for hot beats and remixes. He was always making beats, always. So there was a select amount of tracks that he composed for me during that time, tracks as good as anything he’d done, only they never got used. When I finally met Illa J last year, I gave him a CD containing those unreleased beats.”

In a case of pure serendipity, 21 year-old Illa J had just relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles and constructed a studio built using Jay Dee’s recording equipment. He dubbed it Yancey Boys Studios in tribute to their fraternal bond. “Dilla was 12 years older than me,” Illa J says. “So back in the day in Detroit I was just a little kid, sitting on the stairs in our house, watching him make those first beats for Slum Village. I always felt my brother’s tracks and had an instinct for what I wanted to do over them.” When Illa J set to work in early ‘08 recording the album, the project flowed quickly as he entered the proverbial can’t miss zone. The name of the studio rightly became the title of the finished album, Yancey Boys, which is available online and in stores everywhere on Delicious Vinyl Records.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=293350507&s=143441

Keelay & Zaire’s – “Saturday” featuring Torae and Tiffany Paige + Bonus Track

The Song:

To get us amped up for their full-length album Ridin High, the production duo Keelay & Zaire are dropping tracks from their free EP titled Prelude to Drive, which will come out in January. The first track released, “Saturday” featuring Torae and Tiffany Paige, is a modern-day serenade that envelops us in the feeling of being in love. Set behind relaxed chords that gently wash over the beat, Torae and Tiffany Paige tell us the story of their carefree days together. Torae offers up his honest rhymes while Tiffany Paige coos gentle melodies on this lighthearted gem.

Bonus Track: Leak from DJ J-Ronin & DJ Snips’ upcoming mixtape, All Elements v.10 (Hosted by Skyzoo)
Mickey Factz, Naledge of Kidz in the Hall and Fresh Daily – “Stop What You Doing” (produced by Keelay & Zaire)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/527835247efb628e/

The Background:

Keelay & Zaire are a bi-coastal team that operates with only one concrete rule; creating music with unlimited range. Complementing each other’s styles with precision, Kee & Zee work as a sole production machine that spawns gritty classic hip-hop, soulful R&B, and any other medium that requires an exclusive sound from the team. With Keelay out west in San Francisco, and Zaire in the east, holding it down in Virginia, the two have almost unlimited resources from which to draw talent and inspiration. In their debut LP Ridin High, the pair’s versatility takes center stage, backed up by a talented cast of emcees and singers including Phonte of Little Brother, Supastition, Blu, Cali Agents, Darien Brockington, Tash of Tha Liks, Saafir, Fortilive, The Park, Emilio Rojas, Surreal ,Slo-Mo, Mario Dones, The A.V.E., J.Fish, Jony Fraze, Whooligan, and Tiffany Paige. Keelay & Zaire’s Ridin High will be released in early 2009 by MYX Music Label.

J*DaVeY Update

Critical Praise for J*DaVeY:
“Freaking futuristic electro jazz, retro-soul bittersweetness, next-level hip-hop schematics, and punk-funk sleaze on a suavely savage double-disc debut, this Los Angeles duo specializes in baby-making music for 22nd century robots.” - Spin Magazine

“Davey and D’Leau have developed an utterly unique sub-genre of one within the stagnating neo-soul scene. This is perfect bedroom music, but certainly not meant to be confined behind a single closed door.” – URB Magazine

“The thirst quencher needed to revitalize the current state of music has finally arrived in the form of J*DaVeY.” – AllHipHop.com

It is more than safe to say that J*DaVeY had a breakthrough year. From signing on to a major record label, gaining accolades from the likes of the New York Times, Spin Magazine and URB Magazine, and luring in culture vultures at dynamic live shows in all the major cities, J*DaVeY made this a year to remember for music.

Here are some updates for all you J*DaVeY babies to amp you for 2009! In the past couple months, the futuristic duo have lightened their tour schedule and returned to the studio to focus on their full-length major label debut which is set to drop in 2009. The album is rumored to be a ground-breaking venture that transcends the current state of pop music as the duo continue to experiment and grow.

The sultry single “Sloow” from their EP has an accompanying video that will be released in early ‘09! Keep your eyes peeled for you next visual treat. To ring in the new year, J*DaVeY will perform at the new Dakota Music Lounge in Santa Monica (previously the Temple Bar) on New Year’s Eve.

The Background:

With production ranging from the spastic, space-age drums of “Mr. Mister” to the celestial keys of “Might As Well,” The Beauty In Distortion plays with the variance and depth of a polished, full album. On The Land of the Lost, producer-extraordinaire ?uestlove and Renaissance emcee Phonte of Little Brother contribute in an equally holistic compilation of futuristic records. Throughout the 23 tracks, two constants bind the project together in a mystical fashion: the steamy vocal musings of Jack Davey and the bleeps, drums, and melodies of Brook D’Leau.

Heralded as a cross between Prince and the B-52s, J*DaVeY is in fact influenced by too many genres to count. A fusion of funk, surf, soul, hip-hop, and electronic secret sauce, the J*DaVeY EPs will satiate starving fans from all ends of the musical spectrum. Already featured everywhere from Fader to Allure to CSI: New York, Jack and Brook are prepared to smoothly swagger into the limelight with their first major release. All ears not finely tuned to the freshly paved street will ring come July. The Beauty In Distortion / The Land of the Lost EP is in stores now.