Empire ISIS, Canada’s breakout international phenomenon is bringing a “Brand New Style” on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 as she releases her sophomore album since 2007’s critically acclaimed demo LP “Sound The Trumpets”. Empire ISIS aka Empress Gangstress brings a new meaning to word “World Music” by breaking down the musical barriers and fusing hip hop and reggae into a pop format on her second LP “Brand New Style”. ISIS has stayed true to her roots and movement while gaining international recognition on her DIY approach. The album should be a hit so be prepared for some Canadian jams.
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Biz Markie is coming to Ottawa soon and will be playing Babylon on Saturday, December 20th. Twenty years after the man born Marcel Hall’s absurdly catchy hip-hop/R&B hybrid Just a Friend conquered the airwaves, it seems Biz Markie is only now set to make his first appearance in Capital City.
“My focus is on DJing right now,” Biz reports. “I already did the beatboxing. I did the rap. That was in my younger days.”
This is going to be a great show so if you’re in Ottawa I suggest checking it out. Show starts at 10pm. See you at Babylon!
Joni NehRita is a songwriter in the truest sense of the word. Every song is its own entity but she also has the ability to float from classic R&B to reggae, pop, and jazz. NehRita’s fans boast that her music is “smooth, infectious, lush, and inspiring” and that she has “the voice of an angel”. Having a live rhythm section on her album gives her songs an earthiness and vibrancy that’s often lost on R&B/urban records today. Lyrically, Joni reflects on matters of the heart and challenges us to live more spiritually. If you missed her performance at Maxwell’s in Ottawa, Philip Bast from The Record was there to capture some live footage and chat with Joni for a few minutes. Watch it here!
Toronto quintet The Great Bloomers specialize in galloping roots, deliciously sloppy indie rock, and spindly guitar-led noise nuggets that pack as much potency in three minutes as neatly-composed pop records do in 40. Formed only a few short years ago, the Great Bloomers have quickly transformed into one of Toronto’s most inspiring young bands. Their ascent can be chalked up to, among many other things, the strength of last year’s compact debut EP. Both reminiscent of 90s giants past, and slacker rock icons to come, tracks like the sprawling, triumphal “Catching Up” cobble together harmonica, swathes of noise, and awesomely atonal Malkmus noodlery to create deeply affecting, timeless indie rock.
Hey Ocean aren’t interested in doing things anyone’s way but their own. From formulating the unique brand of pop that bolsters their sophomore release, It’s Easier to Be Somebody Else, to releasing the record on their self-owned label, Pop Machine, these up-and-coming Canadians are blazing a trail of their own and wowing the music world in the process. Melding the quirky melodies of Asleigh Ball and David Beckingham with the wildly energetic bass of David Vertesi and the groove-obsessed drumming of Daniel Klenner, Hey Ocean’s brand of post-modern pop bristles with distinctive life and energy.
A Jersey boy with his heart firmly planted in Detroit, Morgan Geist is a techno-head raised on everything from the sound of 80s synth-slingers Devo and New Order, to the resounding boom of hip hop, the improvisational ease of jazz, and, oddly enough, 60s Hindi film soundtracks. It’s this voracious musical appetite that’s convinced the likes of Hugh Masekela, Telex, Erlend Oye and The Rapture to tap him for remixes. Launching his own label, Environ, Geist has released a string of albums that flirt with disco, techno, soul and all flavors in between. His latest, Double Night Time, is no exception, featuring the rapturous “Detroit.”
There couldn’t be a better name for this Toronto mystical disco three piece. Lioness’ Vanessa Fischer, AKA the soul-punk queen of No Dynamics, boasts one of the most primal voices in all of Canada, a surprising roar more befitting of the Serengeti than Southern Ontario. Joining her in the aptly named venture are controller.controller vets Jeff Scheven and Ronnie Morris, whose propensity for dark, stomping disco pulses only further accentuates Fischer’s show-stopping wail. Forming only one short year ago, the band has put the early fruits of its labor together on a self-titled EP, produced by Rob Sanzo at Signal to Noise and delivered by the fine folks at New Romantic. The sound? Everything from a synth shoved through a lawn mower to a Nintendo dying in the desert. All replete with the kind of impassioned howls and fuzzed-up bass lines that’d make The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Death From Above 1979, and Shiny Toy Guns jealous with envy. Don’t believe? Check this.
Simultaneously representing the raw soul of live instrumentation, manipulation of turntablism and the progressive technology of Electronic Music, Keys N Krates are officially here to bridge the gap. Previously having toured the globe on individual musical conquests Dj Jr. Flo, Matisse and Adam Tune formed Keys N Krates to collectively reinterpret and breathe new life into music.
Expressing his artistry through a set of turntables and recognized with innumerable accolades and a dedicated following, Jr. Flo brings the band a dynamic energy and style that only a certified turntablist and partyrocker DJ could provide. With the ability to create surreal soundscapes and innovative melodies, Matisse brings an unmatched element of soul to the group.
The “Live Remix” artists are something to be both seen and heard.
Check out their amazing live remixes:
KEYS N KRATES – ALL NIGHT LONG (Lionel Richie Live Remix)
KEYS N KRATES – NEXT EPISODE (Live Rmx of Dr. Dre)
KEYS N KRATES – CITY OF AWARDS (A Tribe Called Quest Reinterpretation)
DJ Cosmo Baker is like an insane trip down memory lane if memory lane was the sickest hip hop you remember from the past few decades. He gets a ton of respect from his fans and DJs alike. Check out what these DJs have to say about him:
DJ A-Trak “Cosmo Baker is hands down one of my favorite DJs. very few dudes can read a crowd like Cosmo, first of all. My man can rock it in so many ways, and he continues to surprise me. Cosmo lives and breathes music and his knowledge runs deep!! He’s a virtual librarian of music. After all this is the man who invented the category “Dad Rock.” But more than anything Cosmo’s a party rocker. And a close friend. Rock on, Cosmo”
DJ Jazzy Jeff “When it comes to keeping the Philly Music tradition going…Cosmo has it locked. His knowledge is incredible and his Crates are deep and his passion and skills makes him one of my faves.”
RJD2 “Cosmo is the club DJ I aspire to be – smooth, seamless, on top of his game, knows exactly what’s appropriate at any given time. He’ll play the song that I’m totally sure could not be resurrected, and bam – gangbusters. He’s definitely that guy.”
Diplo “I would sneak into Fluid when I was still under 21 to see Cosmo play at the legendary Remedy, his parties were part of my foundation in Philly. The dude has a sixth sense at turnin’ a crowd out.”
Check him out at any of the following Canadian events. You won’t be dissapointed.
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 @ Hi Fi – Calgary, AB Canada
Thursday, December 18th, 2008 @ Hi-Fi Club – Winnipeg, MA Canada
Friday, December 19th, 2008 @ Shine – Vancouver, BC Canada
Title: The Beat Freakers
Location: CiRCA, Toronto
Link out: Click here
Date: 2008-12-12
The Beat Freakers are pretty much exactly what the name suggests. Two dudes who have sex with beats in a gyrating, pelvic assassination style. Didn’t make any sense? Well then check out their MySpace. Oh wait, they don’t care about MySpace. In fact, they go on a hilarious tirade about how much they hate MySpace on their profile. News Corp. didn’t catch the following:
“We hate Myspace and refuse to ever update this.
We don’t like to take pictures of ourselves, because we don’t matter. With a little luck and plenty of hard work, anyone can do what we do. They just won’t look as good doing it.
We’re the last of a dying breed of electronic musicians. We don’t care about genres, we don’t bother you to vote for us, we don’t talk about the philosophy behind our synthesizers, and most importantly, we enjoy getting up on stage and acting like complete and utter jackasses. We produce records that have no relation to what we’re currently playing, and we often pay out of our own pocket to give people a product that they won’t cut drugs on. We’re a riddle wrapped in a paradox, shoved down a question mark’s throat.
The funny thing is – this works.”
Do you love them yet? I do. The duo are both really young, 23, and put together insane mixes with the likes of Mix Master Mike, The Drummatic Twins, Soul of Man, Rabbit in the Moon, Donald Glaude (our favorite), Jesse Saunders, Ed Rush and Optical and DJ Craze. Check them out at CiRCA this Friday, December 12th. They’ll be playing a show that is sure to be as hype as the above vid.
Details:
19+ I.D. REQUIRED / $15
126 JOHN STREET, TORONTO, CANADA
+1 (416) 979-0044