Category: Upcoming Guests

Electric Wire Hustle are one of my favorite groups to emerge in the last five years. Not only did I have the pleasure/honor of getting to spin opening and closing sets for their show on sunday night (hear one here), I also was able to snag an interview with them before they headed out for the west coast leg of their tour. Their new These Are The Last Days EP was released on monday on okayplayer and their sophomore album, Love Can Prevail will be released september 8th.

if you aren’t familiar with them, you can stream their debut album (which also features Myele Manzanza on drums) here.

About Electric Wire Hustle:

With their debut self-titled album Electric Wire Hustle achieved cult status.
A number one song on Hype Machine, five-star reviews from the likes of Okayplayer, and BBC Radio support from Gilles Peterson and Benji B secured them unwavering support internationally. A flood of production requests followed their first release, the fruits of which we will see in 2013, along with their heavily anticipated second album.
Demand for their live show has seen EWH perform in 14 countries, appearing at festivals such as Glastonbury, Dour, Sonar, Sziget, SXSW, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide and New York’s CMJ.
With a slew of new material to come in 2013, EWH are poised to make significant contributions towards GOOD MUSIC.

I never write in all caps but I feel kinda “all caps” about this. I’ve only heard 4 of the 12 songs so far but Early Riser is a clear front-runner for my album of the year at this point and it’s a great honor that I’m going to get to sit down and talk with Taylor the day before it’s released. He’ll be coming by to record the next show with me on Monday evening and I’ll post it here on Tuesday at noon, the day that Early Riser hits stores. If you pre-order it on iTunes, you can get both of the songs below plus “The Antidote” with Nai Palm as immediate downloads.

About Taylor McFerrin:

Brooklyn-based producer, composer, pianist, DJ and live musician Taylor McFerrin is set to release his long awaited debut full length album Early Riser on June 3, 2014 via Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder Records.

Taylor’s musical style is equally influenced by the legends of 60s/70s Soul, the kings of the Modern Beat Generation, Golden Era hip hop, free form jazz and electronic music. By playing all of the instruments on his productions, while also relying heavily on sampling and chopping up his live takes, he has found a sound that seamlessly bridges myriad musical worlds and draws the listener into a constantly shifting audio soundscape.

“I spent years laying down tons of tracks,” McFerrin explains, “and I got into a really bad habit of never really finishing anything. So this last year the concept was – let me go back and find all the stuff that really felt right, the stuff that felt like an honest moment of creation for me, and just force myself to finish those tracks.”

From the opening build of “Postpartum” onwards, you know you’re in for something pretty special with Early Riser. It’s a smoldering, woozy and intensely beautiful record. Tracks like “Degrees of Light” and “Stepps” establish a sun-up mood in their opening few bars and then develop it, the organic live feel perfectly balanced by the snap of their programming.

If McFerrin’s own voice on a track like “Florasia” adds a genuine neo-soul emotion, his guests are sensational. From Nai Palm of Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote on “The Antidote,” to Emily King on “Decisions” (“one of the best singers alive in my opinion” – McFerrin) and on to labelmate RYAT’s collaboration on “A Place In My Heart,” each adds a different mood and lift to the music they’re involved with. Taylor’s father, the legendary Bobby McFerrin, teams up with Brazilian master Cesar Mariano on “Invisible/Visible” for one of the jazziest moments on the record. Robert Glasper, Thundercat and Marcus Gilmore also provide their substantial jazz chops to “Already There.” But the key to the whole record is the balance—which McFerrin keeps throughout—between his guest’s individuality and his own vision, between the styles of music he loves, between a feeling of intense, sunlit joy and a deep aching sadness, which, it could be argued, is a definition of soul.

Since creating a major buzz with his first EP Broken Vibes, McFerrin has toured worldwide as a one man show and has played major festivals (Lollapalooza, Glastonbury) and legendary venues in NYC (The Apollo, The Blue Note, Radio City Music Hall and The Lincoln Jazz Center), and he’s played with artists including Erykah Badu, The Roots, Nas, Talib Kweli and Robert Glasper.

In addition to producing and performing, Taylor has served as the Head Instructor of the pioneering Beat Rockers program over the past four years, teaching beatboxing and musical self-expression to students who are blind and/or have multiple disabilities at the Lavelle School for the Blind in the Bronx.

Taylor’s ability to create and evolve musically by drawing inspiration from all corners of his life translates into music of exceptional honesty and emotional directness, deep sophistication and effortless style.

R.I.P. EVR but the Main Ingredient lives on! Pure P is in town from Stockholm and will join me Monday to play a guest DJ set and talk life, his Devotion party (that I am dying to spin at) and his latest production and remix work.

Check this and weekly future episodes of The Main Ingredient here at themainingredientradio.com/wp-content/uploads!

About Pure P:

Pure P was born in 1985 in Stockholm, Sweden and has been a music lover since a very young age. He started playing guitar at the age of 11, recorded his own rap songs at the age of 12 and evolved his musical spectrum through hip-hop to soul, funk, r&b, disco, boogie, house, afro beat, jazz, gospel and many other styles throughout the years – both as a consumer and as a producer in addition to his DJ repertoire. Today he’s an established DJ, producer and songwriter, mix and mastering engineer, but primarily a music freak that loves to make people dance. He’s deejayed across Europe and the United States and collaborated with well-renowned artists internationally. These are a few milestones:

Pure P started off his career as one half of the critically acclaimed hip-hop duo Up Hygh together with Rick Skizzo. In 2006 the group released their self-produced debut album “Venus” that featured appearances by Little Brother, Planet Asia, Eska, ADL and many more. The album created quite a buzz and received praise from the likes of Questlove, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, DJ Vadim and Gilles Peterson. Venus was nominated for “Best hip-hop/soul album” in 2007’s annual P3-Guld awards and the first single off the album, “Love Dat”, received a nomination for “best track” in the highly respected Worldwide Awards. During this time Pure P also excelled in his DJ-career, landing a residency at Stockholm’s most established (at the time) hip-hop party, Yes!, and several international DJ-gigs.

In 2007 P formed a new project together with soul/r&b-singer Melo, under the name Hygher Baby, and released the album “Let Me Play U Something U Have Never Heard” in 2008. This was also the year Pure P founded his r&b party, Devotion, together with DJ Will-Rock – one of Sweden’s most renowned DJs, which continues today. The party was an instant success among the dance community in Stockholm and gained respect in the club scene. On the production-side, Pure P focused on remixes, bootlegs and edits the following year. This resulted in a few (more) releases on GAMM records. Among other projects in 2009 Pure P released the full-length-remix-album “On My New York Shit” that created a buzz among DJs all over the world. The first track on the album “New York City (Allstar Mix)” ended up being the most-purchased song on Turntable Lab Digital in 2011.

In 2010 Pure P started working with the +FE Music team including Foreign Exchange, Yahzarah, Darien Brockington and Median. He produced two tracks on Yahzarah’s album “The Ballad of Purple St James” that both became singles with videos. The first one, “Cry Over You” (feat. Phonte), was released in 2010 and the second, “Love Come Save the Day”, in 2011. During the same period he also produced a remix for Foreign Exchange’s single “Maybe She’ll Dream of Me” that featured Darien Brockington and Median. That, and a Pure P Remix of “All or Nothing”, were featured on the +FE Reworks album in 2013 alongside well known names like
?uestlove, James Poyser, 4Hero & Focus….

In 2012 Pure P became a resident DJ/co-host for swedish hip-hop radio show “En kärleksattack på svensk hip hop” on Swedish public radio station SR Metropol. He also started a mastering service for record labels such as the much-hyped house label Local Talk. As a producer he released a track on swedish rapper Nimo’s debut album called “Mitten av min hand”. Meanwhile, he maintained a high frequency of DJ-gigs in Stockholm and abroad. In 2013 Pure P got nominated for the “DJ of the year” award by Kingsize Magazine, Scandinavia’s biggest hip hop magazine.

Today Pure P is working in the studio on beats, songs, mixing and mastering, as well as holding down the Devotion party at Fasching in Stockholm every Friday.

East Village Radio announced today that it is ceasing operations next Friday May 23rd. Much respect to the past and present DJs and staff as it was a labor of love for all involved. Many thanks to Jason Charles for putting me on in 2008. I will absolutely miss the weekly ritual of heading down to the studio monday night as well all of the great times had there while interviewing 80+ guests.

I am honored to be joined for my last show at EVR by Emily King as she prepares to head out on tour with Sara Bareilles. She’s an outstanding singer and songwriter and, as I’ve noticed over the last few years, is more universally revered by her peers than any other artist I’ve encountered.

Although this will be my last show in the EVR studio, the show will continue uninterrupted and will appear here weekly on themainingredientradio.com/wp-content/uploads. The station is also turning over the archives to the DJs so I will figure out the best way to make those available as well. Please spread the word about finding new episodes here each week starting 5/26. Thanks!

About Emily King:

Emily King’s a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower-East Side. King recently released the critically acclaimed EP ‘Seven’, touring and playing live with the likes of Maroon 5, John Legend, Emeli Sande, Alicia Keys, Aloe Blacc, Sara Bareilles and countless others along the way. King celebrates her roots, pop, soul, and indie influences by carefully crafting compositions that serve as the perfect vehicle for her polished, lush vocals.

James Tillman self-released his excellent debut EP last week and he’ll come by Monday to talk about it and share of what he’s listening to as well. Listen live during my new time slot – 10:00pm to midnight.

About James Tillman:

Hailing from Washington, DC, singer-songwriter and musician James Tillman fell in love with the sound of music at an early age. Exposure to his parents’ extensive album collection, which included everything from Afrika Bambaataa to Joni Mitchell, and solo karaoke concerts with a Fisher Price toy cassette player planted musical seeds within him. A knock out church performance of ‘This Little Light of Mine” at age 9 and learning to play Mozart’s Clarinet concerto by 16 helped those musical seeds to take root and flourish. James’ unwavering desire to become a singer was ignited by iconic artists such as Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo. After discovering that Marvin Gaye was a native Washingtonian, James became further driven to forge his own musical path. Drenched in the tradition of these greats yet also inspired by contemporary producers, James’ sound is rooted in soulful R&B with a modern twist.

In 2010, James realized that a career in accounting was not for him, so he made the decision to leave the University of Virginia and become a voice major at The New School in New York City. His family members were disappointed and some of his friends and advisers thought he was crazy to leave such a great school, but James knew his artistic ability would only flourish if he immersed himself in the hustle and bustle of New York City.

Sacrifice and struggle were recurring themes over the next few years, but through discipline, perseverance, and sheer passion James steadily pursued his craft and began to find his way and mold his sound. In the midst of keeping up with a demanding school load and working multiple jobs to pay rent, James taught himself to play guitar and held music sessions with his friends from school. He received the opportunity to go on tour as a back-up vocalist for NBC’s America’s Got Talent popular contestant, Alice Tan Ridley. Steadily creating a fan base, James has performed all around New York City at venues such as: Rockwood Music Hall B. B. King’s Blues Club, Shrine World Music Venue, Drom, Pianos and more.

James released his debut EP, Shangri La, on April 29, 2014, and his begun to catch the ear of music industry. He has been written about by various blogs and publications including Okayplayer.com and Essence Magazine. His music has been played on various radio stations, including KCRW and Gilles Peterson’s BBC 6 radio program. James’ goal with the Shangri La EP is to reacquaint the world with meaningful lyrics and soul music that makes you feel good. This project focuses on the unique elements of love that stir the soul. Based in earnest artistry and love, James is destined to create timeless music. There is no limit for this young talent.

Jesse Boykins III has released an impressive string of projects and collaborations going back to 2008. If I’m counting correctly, The Love Apparatus, released this past Monday April 22nd, is his second official studio album and the lead single “Plain” is the 28th song of his (or that features his vocals) that I’ve played on the show in 4 years.

He will stop by the East Village Radio studio Monday at 10:00 p.m. to talk about his new album and his album release show at Irving Plaza Saturday May 3rd.

About Jesse Boykins III:

Jesse Boykins III is a singer / songwriter with a timeless sound. He is the creator of a new approach to music he calls “World Soul” in which he shares a point of view that crosses all genres, generations and cultures. In early 2008, Jesse Boykins III released his debut EP Dopamine: My Life On My Back, a soulful narrative covering a range of emotions from infatuation to lust to obsession with love and the pain of love lost. His follow-up release The Beauty Created, a critically-acclaimed LP soon followed.

The album boasts an unabashed admiration of romance intertwined with Jesse’s organic tone, innovative sound and live instrumentation. 2011’s Way of a Wayfarer EP explores with even more depth the spiritual journey of the artist. While other collaborations with the likes of MachineDrum, Foreign Exchange, Theophilus London, Sinden, and Full Crate expanded his sound into new territory, he has kept up a steady pace of touring and partnerships, notably with Red Bull, Nike, and Apple. Following the success of last year’s Zulu Guru, a collaborative effort with New York artist and fellow visionary MeLo-X, Jesse introduced P.O.P. [people or purpose]. An EP with both cover songs and originals which embody Jesse’s ideology of a good “pop” song.

Jesse Boykins III’s new album Love Apparatus was released April 22, 2014. The highly anticipated album features lauded singles “Plain” and “Show Me Who You Are,” which have received acclaim from the likes of Esquire, Noisey, VIBE, Okayplayer and more.

I’m very excited to have Anthony Valadez (KCRW) come by next week to talk about his newest album In Search Of (on it’s release date) as well as play a DJ set. In addition to DJing and producing, he is also an avid photographer and blogger. It’s been a few years now that I’ve noticed a pretty heavy overlap in the artists showing up on our playlists and in our studios and I’m looking forward to what is surprisingly our first in-person meeting.

About Anthony Valadez:

Anthony Valadez is a Los Angeles based producer, podcaster, blogger and visual artist with DJ residencies at Zanzibar and The Sayers Club. His latest musical projects include official remixes for David Bowie, Ozomatli and Local Natives. He currently has two full length LP’s on the independent electronic label label Plug Research. He is also a resident DJ at Dublab.com and has a regular program Monday nights on 89.9 FM KCRW. He has had the pleasure of opening for the likes of Moby, Ben Harper, Sly Stone, Bruno Mars, Meshell Ndegeocello, Talb Kweli and countless others. He is also responsible for helping break artists such as Quadron, The Stepkids, Full Crate + Mar, Sonnymoon and 2014 Grammy nominee Hiatus Kaiyote. He is also a voting member of the Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences where he also mentors and works with youth as part of the Grammy Foundation. He can currently be found on NUVOTV Thursday nights breaking fresh talent on TV.

Kiah Victoria, who’s excellent Gravitate EP, has been featured heavily on the show in recent weeks, will come to the studio next week to talk about her music and also share some tracks from her personal collection.

About Kiah Victoria :

Blending intimate vocal performance with the obscure synthetic textures of alt-R&B producer Toulouse, Kiah emerges from the great city of New York. Having garnered the attention of NYC’s Broadway stages- starring in The Lion King as young Nala at age ten, MTV, and now the world renowned Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University, the powerhouse songstress is steadily building on her young career. After singing her way into a feature in Jay Z’s “Picasso Baby”, Kiah released her sophomore EP Gravitate, which is now available for your enjoyment on Spotify and iTunes.

NYC Duo CharlieRED (Rocki Evans + Cobaine Ivory) released their excellent debut album MUSE. September 3rd. They’ll join me next week in the EVR studio to talk about it and share some tracks from their music collections.

About CharlieRED:

With the release of their latest project ‘MUSE.’, CharlieRED continues the stretch the boundaries of Soul with their Blues/Hip-Hop fusion. The dust still has not settled from their December 2012 EP ‘Religion’ and they waist no time releasing a new album 8 months later. The collaboration of singer/songwriter Rocki Evans and beatsmith/producer Cobaine Ivory continue to make creations that are being spread virally through word of mouth. With the idea that less is more, there is a message of freedom and intent through their music. They intend to invoke thought and inspire, while also giving you that sense of nostalgia that this has been missing for quite sometime; though something like this has never been heard before.

I’m excited to welcome Matt Tammariello aka Shortcircles to the studio next week. The two EPs and album that he’s released since I first “discovered” him (early 2012) have been incredibly consistent. There isn’t much that this guy creates or remixes that i don’t like. He’ll entertain my idiosyncratic questions about his tracks as well bring some tunes to share from his personal library.

About Shortcircles:

Matt Tammariello was born and raised in Escondido, just north of San Diego, CA. Like so many youth, Matt grew to be enamored by hip-hop early on. And 1 mixtapes introduced him to Sadat X and early Common, and by the time he heard MF DOOM in 8th grade, he was smitten. Being that Escondido wasn’t a bustling hub of Matt’s particular kind of musical leanings, it did not take long for him to meet peers with similar interests. Infatuation led to imitation and by his early teens, Matt had formed a rag-tag rap group with a friend and using cracked programs and sub par recording equipment put their own spin on popular instrumentals.

Though musically isolated, Matthew was not unsupported. His partner-in-rap was instrumental in continuing Matt’s relationship with hip-hop, and another good friend introduced him to the world of ambient music.

The home front was supportive too. His mother gave him a Deep Puddle Dynamics album on a particularly memorable Christmas, and after a seemingly commonplace dinner mention by Matt on how he’d think it cool to build a studio out of their spacious garage, his father showed up with tools and equipment to do so. The latter proved to be a pivotal point in the forming of Shortcircles.

Once the studio was built, Matthew made the transition from writing rhymes to making beats. Wetting his feet with computer programs, it wasn’t until he got his hands on an MPC 1000 (and slaved over it for some time) that a sound combining his early love of hip-hop and new found appreciation for the experimental began to take shape. By this time Matt was graduating high school, his rap group partner had moved up to the Bay area to attend an audio engineering school and Matt saw that as a way to pursue his passion and leave Escondido.

In the meantime, he enrolled in a school in Mira Costa that just so happened to just have a state-of-the-art studio. For the cost of a community college class Matt got to tinker and toy with it, experimenting with different recording techniques in a way that would have been impossible before.

Once finished with his studies in Escondido, Matt wasted no time in relocating to the Bay. Though it was a move that re-energized and inspired the young producer, it was not without it’s thorns. A relationship that was built in Escondido met its end in the Bay, but Matt capitalized on the loss. Using his melancholy as inspiration, Matt channeled that feeling into an EP he was asked to make for a good friend’s website. The Mapzzz EP, as its come to be known, was the first formal introduction of Shortcircles.

A musician that was never trained as such, every time a composition is created warrants a different approach. Inspired by Four Tet, Teebs, Floating Points and DJ Shadow, as well as a plethora of 50’s jazz records, the Shortcirlces sound is hard to pin-point. The best way he can describe it is as a “peaceful sound. I try to make music that is as honest to myself as possible.”

With that mindset he set out to craft a follow up Shortcircles project. Collaborating with other vocalists and musicians, this was the most serious project to date for Matt. Without having an outlet for it, he completed it. It wasn’t until friend and Plug Research artist Elephant & Castle heard the album that Matt considered a label. E&C played liaison and within a short time, Shortcircles became a welcome addition to the roster. Shortcircles promises to deliver an amalgam of styles both soothing and galvanizing, but always honest.