Phoenix - the critically-acclaimed band from Versailles, France comprised of Laurent Brancowitz, Deck d’Arcy, Thomas Mars and Christian Mazzalai are known for their sleek, highly stylized sonics and incredible, infectious melodies. Phoenix have released five celebrated albums to date, with their 6th - Ti Amo - due out June 9th 2017. Recorded in Paris, this new record channels the joyousness of Italian discos and summertime. "Ti Amo is an album about simple pure emotions: love, desire, lust and innocence," says the band. If the sun is shining, Phoenix have got the right songs for the occasion.
2manydj's, team of DJs leaders in the world of mash-ups and bastard pop, are Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele, who have retained their day jobs in the more traditional act Soulwax. In the early 00's they beging taking Belgian radio with a show of impossible combinations with classic rockabilly tracks being mixed together with disco while hip-hop and new wave would clash one song later.
As Heard on Radio Soulwax, Pt. 2 became the first official and legal release from the duo in 2002. Its influence was massive while numerous bedroom and laptop DJs joined the genre-ignoring mash-up movement. Over the next few years, follow-up volumes were released and the brothers became prolific remixers working with Tiga, Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, and Daft Punk.
Singer, songwriter, and composer Solange Knowles released her debut album ‘Solo Star’ in 2002, bringing popularity to a new take on R&B that included Urban Contemporary elements. Proudly commanding her unique sound, she continued to explore the possibilities of straying from safe/radio-friendly jams by blending Jazz, Funk, Electonica and R&B/Soul elements in Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams’ released in 2008 followed by her 'True' EP in 2012. In 2016, the deeply personal ‘A Seat at the Table’ was released, further defying R&B as we know it both musically and lyrically. Examining some of her own first-hand experiences, the album would contain 12 tracks and 9 interludes that boldly called out Black feminism and racial injustice while simultaneously serving as a shameless stand in solidarity with all of the world’s underprivileged and oppressed groups. From the heartfelt reflection of “Cranes in the Sky” to the empowering “F.U.B.U.,” everything about ‘A Seat at the Table’ was destined to shake up music’s business-as-usual. The pensive body of work was written, performed, arranged and partly produced by Solange herself and would go on to earn her solo career's first-ever Grammy win (Best R&B Performance, "Cranes in the Sky") and number 1 Billboard Top 200 chart placement.
As one of the UK’s most enigmatic artists, twenty-seven year old Sampha has lent his vocal, production and songwriting talents to a range of stand-out releases. From homegrown contemporaries such as SBTRKT, FKA Twigs and Jessie Ware, to world-renowned superstars like Drake, Solange, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Sampha has quietly become an influential and in-demand collaborator. Now, with the release of his debut album Process, the time has come for the London musician to tell his own story. For his long-term fans, the album has been a six year wait. But through that time, Sampha has created an incredibly pure, emotionally honest debut album and his uncompromising vision has resulted in a rare and tender snapshot of life.