the urbanguy chronicles

Regular readers of this blog know that we’re huge fans of one Byram Joseph, also known as Slakah the Beatchild. His alt rock-ish side project known as The Slakadeliqs performed last week at Cafe Awtash and it was a fine showing (low vocal mix notwithstanding).

Performing cuts of the album “The Other Side of Tomorrow,” Slakah and crew showed why the Toronto-based performance producer and multi-instrumentalist is one to watch. If you haven’t already (shame on you) check out the album.

The venue was intimate (perhaps too much so) but the vibes were unmistakable. Loving the small “sneak peeks” but would love to see what The Slakadeliqs can do in a big time venue.

New stuff from Dan-e-o and Promise, collectively known as Perfeck Strangers. Series Premiere  is the album. Canadian hip-hop y’all.

Yours truly was repping last month as one of the newest jurors for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize! The annual prize “honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected critics and experts.”

Myself and fellow new jurors Phil Villeneuve, Zina Walschots and Rob Duffy joined Polaris founder Steve Jordan for a very lively chat about our proposed music picks.

It’s shaping up to be a year for tough choices, as there’s a lot of great Canadian music released lately. The Long List will be officially announced this June 14, the Short List on July 17, and the Gala announcing the winner takes place this September.

“After the massive success that was 2008′s “American Boy” with Kanye West, there was nowhere for singer (and sometime rapper) Estelle to go but up. Or down. But if there ever was any pressure for the London-born artist, she’s not stressing it. Now based and working Stateside with artists such as John Legend, Akon and Rick Ross, Estelle’s future is in her own hands. Her latest album, All of Me, is a project deeply indebted to Lauryn Hill’s now-classicThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, complete with personal interludes throughout featuring group conversations speaking on love, loss and modern dating in general. Showcasing elements of soul, hip-hop, pop and reggae throughout, she says the album is intended to come across as a reintroduction of sorts for her new and existing fans alike.”

Her latest, All of Me, is worth a spin or two. Check out the complete interview with Estelle in this month’s Exclaim!

As a hip-hop-flavoured act on venerable label Sub Pop, you’re automatically going to create some type of buzz. Doubly so if you’re actually any good and Seattle, WA’s THEESatifaction fit that bill. “Starting out, we just basically made music for ourselves and we were happy with doing that,” says Stasia Irons, one-half of the Afro-futurist rap duo. awE naturalEis wholly reflective of the group’s relaxed vibe and sincere, jazz-/soul-driven flow.

Peep my review and interview of Seattle group THEESatisfaction over at Exclaim!

From her The Light of the Sun. Not a track that I would choose for a video (Missing You or Until Then spring to mind) but there you go.

“Don’t funk with my groove!”

Seattle hip-hop duo THEESatisfaction bringing it. Check out the latest album awE NaturalE out now.

When soulful British songstress Adele cleaned up at this year’s Grammy Awards—winning an impressive six, including Song of the Year for the moving smash hit Rolling In The Deep—she became only the second female artist to win that many gold-plated trophies in a single night. The 23-year-old’s seemingly innate ability to take a genre of music traditionally sung by Blacks and make it her own (while remaining true to her white English identity) has earned her tremendous mainstream success.

I did a rather provocative piece for Sway Magazine recently, interviewing the always opinionated radioman Norman “Otis” Richmond for the thoughts on “blue-eyed soul”. Check it out.  

New stuff from Ayah and Slakah the Beatchild. Minimalist R&B/dance vibe. I can dig it.