Moonstarr is indeed one busy cat. If he’s not busy on the phone holding things down on the biz side for his label Public Transit Recordings, the man’s hunkered down behind closed doors over his synths, drum machines, and samplers to bang out some killer beats. Moonstarr cites such diverse influences as 4 Hero, DJ Premier, and Underground Resistance. Everything he touches carries imprints of deep techno, jazz, hip hop, bossa, and broken beat, resulting in tracks that step far into the future. And it’s not like people haven’t noticed. Ever since Moon’s dropped the now-classic Dupont EP, he’s received love for his work the world over.

People like Jazzanova, Recloose, Ivana Santilli, Rednose Distrikt, Mad Matts and others have called up the studio red phone for remixes that have charted from San Francisco to Tokyo, London to Hamburg, and all points in between. Big name DJs like Gilles Peterson, Mr. Scruff (one of my personal favourites, actually — check out “Get A Move On”), Rainer Truby, and DJ Spinna have mashed out many-a dancefloor with some Moonstarr niceness. He’s rocked parties all over the planet for fans in the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, across Canada, and the USA. In the works is a full-length album to be released in the near future (with proceeds going to charity) as well as many more remixes and great new music on Public Transit Recordings.

The Making of Parkdale

In case you don’t remember this beautiful, talented lady as well as you should, here’s a refresher.

Elizabeth Shepherd pushes the boundaries of what is considered conventional jazz, all the while creating a sound completely her own. From London to Tokyo, Elizabeth has captivated audiences and critics on both sides of the pond. Her Juno nominated debut album Start To Move continues to receive critical acclaim, and was voted the Top 3 Jazz Albums of the Year by the listeners of the Gilles Peterson show on BBC Radio 1 UK in 2006.

Her follow-up full-length album Parkdale is an older, wiser Shepherd teamed with her ever youthful, graceful soul. The mood of Parkdale tracks the emotional whirlwind of human experience. The album explores what everyone fears the most: total openness, divulging your innermost humanity. “Parkdale,” the title track, explores the nuances of ‘brokeness’ within the community. The album leads the listener through it all with stories of personal growth alongside the evolution of a neighbourhood in transition.

“I’ve always found strange the massive discrepancy between the highly emotional events that shape our personal lives, that we generally don’t share, and the completely mundane events that insidiously make their way into conversation.”

Upcoming Shows

20 Jun 2008 20:00 Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Saskatchewan
21 Jun 2008 20:00 The Exchange Regina, Saskatchewan
22 Jun 2008 20:00 Winnipeg Jazz Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba
23 Jun 2008 20:00 winnipeg Jazz Festival winnipeg, Manitoba
25 Jun 2008 20:00 Chapel Gallery Battleford, Saskatchewan
26 Jun 2008 20:00 Calgary Jazz Festival Calgary, Alberta
27 Jun 2008 20:00 Victoria Jazz Festival Victoria, British Columbia
28 Jun 2008 20:00 Victoria Jazz Festival Victoria, British Columbia
29 Jun 2008 12:00 Vancouver Jazz Festival Vancouver, British Columbia
05 Jul 2008 20:00 Jazz Cafe w/ Victor Wooten London
11 Jul 2008 20:00 North Sea Jazz Festival Rotterdam
24 Jul 2008 20:00 Elora Festival Elora, Ontario
26 Jul 2008 12:00 Beaches Jazz Fest Toronto
15 Aug 2008 20:00 Markham Jazz Festival Markham
17 Aug 2008 20:00 Harbourfront Centre Toronto
20 Aug 2008 20:00 Hollywood Bowl w/ Jamie Cullum L.A., California

Taylor McFerrin is redefining the one-man show. Combining his skills as a producer and performer, Taylor is making music heads around the world take notice as he seamlessly builds songs from scratch with his ambitious solo project. Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, samples, vocals and beatboxing are meshed together in his Brooklyn bedroom studio as Taylor builds from his roots in ‘60s soul to his vision of future hip-hop.

Thriving on a solid fan base through MySpace and the online hip-hop community, Taylor has gained considerable popularity and captivated audiences at some of the most legendary venues in New York City. In addition to his US performances, Taylor also toured internationally with the Yohimbe Brothers in 2005. Taylor performed in Italy, Austria, Brazil, Argentina and everywhere in between. MTV took notice of Taylor’s skills as a producer and used his beats to promote the 2005 Video Music Awards.

The release of Taylor’s first EP, Broken Vibes has gained international attention, thanks to the title track, “Broken Vibes,” which debuted on Benji B’s BBC Radio show. Since then, “Broken Vibes” has been on heavy rotation on Gilles Peterson BBC World Wide Radio. Fusing his beatboxing skills with broken drums and melodic keys, Taylor creates a style of sound that is both unique and modern. The EP also features several other original tracks that flex his exceptional abilities as a producer, musician and beatboxer. With sounds ranging from R&B to hip-hop to Brazilian, Taylor keeps the buzz on high for his debut full-length album with his undeniably intriguing solo project.

If you’re in Ottawa, make sure to come check him out TONIGHT at the Mercury Lounge at 10pm!

16 May 2008 22:00 Mercury Lounge w/Lance Baptiste Ottawa, ON
17 May 2008 23:00 FOOTWORK BAR w/Mr. V Toronto, ON
19 Jun 2008 20:00 Celebrate Brooklyn w/Medeski Martin & Wood Brooklyn, NY

“When I started”, he says, “it was about making old obscurities available, like up tempo jazz fusion stuff, mainly from German Krautrock bands from the ‘70’s, who’d have one or two decent tracks on strange LPs – just one little Samba track! Over the years new music came that was the same spirit as the old, and I wanted to represent my DJing style more truly”. Rainer’s DJing style, and his hectic globe-trotting schedule, like that of old Acid Jazz contemporaries Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge, have directly influenced the spread of the new sounds of jazz, Latin, and Brazilian music over the last few years. These styles infiltrate every current form of music from techno to drum and bass, and he now gets people sending him tracks recorded specifically for ‘Glucklich’. “There’s so much Brazilian influenced music around now that I could do a five or six CD selection without losing the quality. ‘Glucklich’ means happy, and that’s how a lot of Brazilian music makes me feel so the tracks should be uplifting and have a sunshine feel. Some tracks, like Os Ipanemas’ ‘Icari’ on the new one, are a bit more sad, but

Formerly of A Forest Mighty Black, he built his reputation as a connoisseur of music past and present at the Root Down club night in Freiburg, Germany. Once a month he spins an eclectic blend of traditional bossa nova, modern organic breakbeat, and future-leaning jazz to a packed crowd of beat-hungry clubbers and martini-sipping soul sophisticates. Trüby garnered a solid following for his impeccable skills behind the decks and the respect of pioneers such as Gilles Peterson, LTJ Bukem, and Peter Kruder (Kruder & Dorfmeister), the last of whom went so far as to dedicate a track to the budding German jock. “But hold on a sec, doesn’t a trio require three musicians?” you holler. That’s where Christian Prommer and Roland Appel come in. Best known for their jazz-driven drum and bass as Fauna Flash and their slinky mid-tempo beats as Voom:Voom (with Peter Kruder), the two teamed up with Trüby in the late ’90s to create the Trio.

Released on Compost, “A Go Go” and “Carajillo” became huge hits on the modern jazz and leftfield breaks scenes, raising the Trio’s profile to astronomical heights. Following a slew of successful remixes for the likes of Peace Orchestra, Mr. Gone, Bobby Matos, and Frederic Galliano, !K7 Records asked the three to select and mix a DJ-KiCKS comp, putting them in the same league as Nightmares On Wax, Stereo MCs, DJ Cam, and Carl Craig. Originally released as a single, the Zero dB Remix of “Galicia” is featured on Compost 100 alongside some awesome jazz-house fusion from Kyoto Jazz Massive, Beanfield, Minus 8, and The Amalgamation Of Soundz.

Sunday May 17th 2008 Mercury Lounge (Ottawa)

A unique trio, Cobblestone Jazz uses early computers and analog instruments to create pared down sounds that retain the quality of improvisational jazz within the parameters of a minimal, dance-floor aesthetic. Through a real-time exchange of musical form, language, and ideas, Tyger Dhula, Mathew Jonson, and Danuel Tate provide a continual sense of surprise and discovery for their listeners.

The influence each member has on the group sound contributes to the international success Cobblestone Jazz continues to receive. Tyger Dhula’s history as a DJ and producer of electronic music provides the necessary stylistic foundations that form the backdrop for the group’s improvisations. His ability to break grooves up into their key elements holds the music firmly within electronic music traditions. Mathew Jonson’s gifted ability to mix and compose freely, and his commitment to pushing his music in new directions is always present. Using analogue drum machines and synthesizers as his instruments, he chooses to write his parts in the moment instead of conforming to pre-configured patterns. Danuel Tate’s history as a jazz musician and performer prompted the approach to the group’s writing practices. His keyboard playing shows a rich understanding of modern harmony and melody, but like many great artists, his dedication to simplicity is what holds him in such high regard.

Since their 2002 debut release, The 5th Element, Cobblestone Jazz have received critical acclaim for their releases on IIWII and Wagon Repair. The band’s support from diverse international DJs such as Laurent Garnier, Daniel Bell, Gilles Peterson, Luciano, Josh Wink, Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Dan Curtin, Carl Craig, Moodymann, Theo Parrish, Joe Clausell and many others, shows the trio’s appeal is broad. They have performed internationally from Fabric in London to the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Their music is created in one take, either culled from live performances or studio mixes, and their live shows are a representation of how they create music. These performances give audiences a fresh perspective on the genius of Mathew Jonson as well as the future of electronic music itself.
If you need more convincing to go and see this fantastic band, check this out:

“Lime In Da Coconut”

Now, go see them!

April 2008
11 Apr 2008 Rokolectiv 2008 at Preoteasa & MNAC / Romania

May 2008
07 May 2008 Nuits Sonores 2008 Nuit 1 at Ancienne usine SLI / The North, France
09 May 2008 Dissonanze 2008 – Friday at Palazzo dei Congressi / Central, Italy
24 May 2008 Movement: Detroit Electronic Music Festival 2008 at Hart Plaza / Michigan, United States of America

July 2008
18 Jul 2008 Melt! Festival at Ferropolis / Leipzig, Germany

He believes music and dance are essential to human culture and that united, artists can lead humanity towards a more enlightened way of living.

Bambi Blue

There are times when something new comes along at once familiar and yet completely original. The album Start to Move from the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio is just that. But what’s more she has added her own unique blend of jazz-funk, soul, blues, and samba to the fundamentals of Jazz – improvising a deep driving bass from Scott Kemp, the swinging beat of the drum from Colin Kingsmore, and Elizabeth’s playful piano and captivating voice to tie it all together.

Playing in some of Toronto’s most popular spots, the Rex Hotel, the Supermarket, and the Distillery District, and has grace the stages from around the world including London UK’s Jazz Cafe twice within one year!. She has also appeared on numerous ‘Live in Session’ including Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide show on BBC Radio 1 UK, and Matt Galloway’s Here And Now show on CBC Radio One Toronto. As far as being a “jazz performer”, Elizabeth does not count herself as one to be defined by a particular genre; her music comes straight from the soul, and is more than just what she does, but what she loves.

The album, Start to Move is Elizabeth’s debut with Do Right Music.

Bambi Blue