WHAT: “Handkerchiefs, Heels, & Hangovers… A Night At The Cotton Club”
WHERE: |201 Lounge| 201 Massachusetts Ave. NE Washington D.C. 20002
WHEN: February 19, 2011 (9PM-3AM) Happy Hour (9PM-11PM)
Why: To unite the new tastemakers, trendsetters, and socialites of the DMV and neighboring cities around an evening full of drinking, dancing, and music for a great cause. We’ll also raise money for our teacher’s scholarship at the Cape Mount Association; helping to pay tuition for future teachers in Liberia, West Africa.
Meet Maverick. He is a DMV-based, Baton Rouge raised, music producer. He recently released an instrumental album called,The First Stepand I instantly loved it. My personal faves being Chocolate City Shuffle, Road to Perdition, and Popular Passion. Actually when I think about it I like parts of almost each track on the release. They seem simple but have little nuances, weaving in various samples to make this a solid first effort. Take a listen for yourself here.
In the past I have often talked about the greatness that is Afrobeat and the monthly parties hosted by the Lunchboxtheory duo and even posted few of their previous mixtapes. Well coupled with last month’s party, they finally have blessed us with yet another one to kick off 2011 right. Here’s a little description to go with the mixtape:
DJ Underdog lives up to every promise his fans request, “Africa Africa Africa 4” mixes Afrobeat, Soulful House, worldly percussion, rock, funk, oddball sound effects, a touch of African lounge, Latin Jazz, and some hints of tropicalia with moombahton. DJ Underdog chose to collaborate with long time friend and acclaimed moombahton producer DJ Cam Jus, on a guest mix toward the end.
“This is Africa Africa Africa 4! A Musical collage of many peoples. . .it comes from Africa and all walks in between, from the South Seas and from Asia.”
“This mixtape is personal because I am genre less when it comes to moving the crowd” says Underdog. Indeed, conceptual continuity is the order of the day! Vibe with these musical treats – and please don’t tell the children that no known species of reindeer can fly!! DJ Underdog cooked this tight to get you in the right mind, and should be back quite soon with some African psybeat delicatessens.
We’ve been asked for some smooth mixes, here’s a part of our answer…
There is an awful lot of people making an awful lot of money off of a superstitious holiday in February that we all have come to call Valentine’s Day. I sound a bit cold and cynical but let’s be real, you spend an absurd amount of your hard earned money on impressing your significant other and reassuring them they matter to you…or well some of you do…and let’s be real, you probably should have been doing that all along. And for the rest, it’s become a day where the whole world feels the need to remind you that you’re single, but also that maybe you should be upset about it..and for those in this group it’s really become Singles Awareness Day. So in honor and also as a way of say a big F-U (…literally when you see the album artwork!) to the holiday by celebrating your singledom, Modi of DCtoBC has put together their annual S.A.D. mixtape containing 31 of the smoothest tracks covering all the aspects of love, infatuation and heartache.
Also, Rock Creek Social Club is throwing their usual Tuesday party at Recess in DC but extending the holiday and making it a Singles Awareness Day Party. If you’ve ever been to this weekly Tuesday party then you know how much fun it is, but I have a feeling this Tuesday will definitely be one not to miss!
Please do support the artists and their work by visiting their respective sites and checking out any future exhibitions their work may be displayed at. Hope you found some inspiration from February’s edition of ART PICKS!
Rock band hailing from Texas with psychedelic and dub elements. They actually even remind me a bit of The Strokes but minus the English accents. Check out their music here.
A trio of twenty-something musicians from Worcester, MA released their first album, Sun Bronzed Greek Gods, a little under a year ago and have garnered quite the buzz from various critics and music heads. Here is an interview they did during the release of their album with Pitchfork. Check out some of the band’s music here.
I think it’s safe to say I am a bit late to get on this bus but definitely better late than never. I heard and saw the video for his song, “Limit to Your Love” and fell in love with his voice and words. He has a new album coming out on Feb. 7th which you should definitely go out and get. In the meantime, check out the video for “Limit to Your Love” here:
This is an jazz, dub, electronic duo from England. They met while attending university and began a new movement they called “post-dubstep”. They have garnered a steady following the release of 2 EPs and especially with their first album, Crooks and Lovers (2010). Check out their music here.
I came across him while looking for new Flying Lotus music, as it happens they are friends. They have clearly a similar sound but Kutmah has a more dub-heavy sound. Also side-note, as it turns out after some unfortunate turn of events he now permanently resides in the UK, there’s even a site dedicated to getting him back state-side setup by his fans & friends, check it out here. Check out his music here.
An English singer-songwriter who just won last year’s NME Best Solo Artist Award. His last album, Kings & Queens, received solid reviews and praise. Check out a few songs from that album here.
This dub, pop duo is from Portland. They have two other musicians who occasionally work with them increasing group to about four members. They not only focus on the sonic value of their group but the visual and aesthetic elements of their music and especially their performances. Check out their video for Summer Song here:
This folk-pop duo is comprised of sisters, Abigail and Lily Chapin and their half-sister, Jessica Craven (daughter of director Wes Craven). Abigail and Lily’s father is legendary folk singer, Tom Chapin. They gained attention by doing an acoustic version of Britney Spears, Toxic and from there begun their music careers with the release of their first LP, Lake Bottom LP. Take a listen to their music here.
I heard the song Page Break (see below) and instantly knew they needed to make this month’s list. It sounded very much similar to the White Stripes but lighter on the guitars and softer vocals. Check out the video:
He is DJ who started out at the young age of 13 in Montreal and has built quite the fanbase even among other music artists such as Kanye West. In addition, music seems to run his blood as he is the younger brother of one of the members of Chromeo. Check out this new track with him feat. CyHI da Prynce called Ray Ban Vision:
This alternative pop-rock band from Australia has been around since the late 90s but it wasn’t until they released their 2003 album called Lovers that they received international attention. They followed that album in 2006 with, Personality-One was a Spider, One was a Bird . Since then they have undergone a few changes within the band but they are still pushing ahead. Check out their site here for more info on future projects with the band. Also, check out their song, I understand what you want but don’t agree :
Stevens is a singer-songwriter hailing from Detroit, Michigan. He is truly eclectic in all sense of the word in that he has done numerous songs ranging from folk to electronica to jazz. He just wrapped up a tour in November showcasing all his new material from his latest album, The Age of Adz. Check out a song from that album here:
Moran is a jazz pianist and composer who has studied piano and jazz since he was a very young adolescent. He has won several awards over the years and featured on several other notable artists works, such as Cassandra Wilson and Ravi Coltrane. Check out his song, I’ll play the blues for you:
This is a six-piece instrumental band from Montreal. Several of the members are affiliated with few other music groups, one of which is Arcade Fire. Check out their song Elephants:
He is a hip/hop experimental artist from the UK. I first heard of him when I was listening to a song he did with Micachu, who is a singer-songwriter from the UK, called Morning. Check out that song and more of his music here.
I came across this band’s music via Kitsune‘s compilation cds, (which by the way, you all should keep up with their fresh fashion/music label). This French band got quite popular in 2005 due to the myspace release of their song Veux Te Voir. They are currently working on their second album called Safari Disco Club to be released in March 2011. Check out their music here.
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