NY State Of Grind

That's it really. Some of you might be like...

Dude, where ya been??

Man, your man needed to simply decompress man. Sin duda.

Things have a touch uninspiring. On some real métro, boulot, dodo type thing. I was in this creative rut and I needed a change my surroundings. So I printed a long overdue boarding pass for JFK.

So off I was. Had not been out there in a min and as many of you might recall, I've be Californicating with every opportunity.

Man, NY is just so bananas. It makes me realize more and more why there are seemingly more tourist in NY than NY'ers: there's too much to see and, for someone's who's never been there - it's quite a site... and all of this had slipped my mind - really. ;)

I would have offered some reg updates this week, but in my proclivity to pack as puny personal wares as possible (I like to challenge myself err-time - all I needed was in a backpack for 4 days), I forgot my f*cking laptop charger. So, it was essentially useless. And, with these Robbers Wireless rates, I did't want to chance having some lengthy and data intensive updates from my non 3G iPhone. :(.

So what better way to chat about it via a photographic dissertation... ;)





Yes, you are seeing this correctly.



Post MLB All star artwork. Is nothing sacred?? ;)















Shouts to Miss Castro for hollering and inviting me to Capsule. What a f*cking nice venue. No joke. They had it in a synagogue.









I def did a ton of chilling and thinking... needed to relax and reflect a touch.



Def one of the highlights of the NY trip was finally running into the ever so polite, EU transplant and now US resident Mike Slott. Say wrd. I have run his name out here a few times already, so reg readers might recall. We got to kick it and chat. That was hella tight. Good look dude!

Another cat that I was pretty stoked on running into as well (and I do mean that when I say running into... ) was this cat: Daru Jones. Again, another producer who I have more recently chatted about as well. Essentially, I was just on my way back home @ night and ran into what looked like his twin... Then I took a few more steps only to decide then that I would wait to ask - since this would bother me all week had it been him and said nothing. I was either going to play myself or be like... WHOA. BAM. It was him. My man & I chatted for a min about some of his joints and we swapped contacts. Say wrd. It was a very good day.

And who might this be??



Another hint...



Ok. After chatting a ton, I finally got to run into the bday girl herself, Kissey Asplund. Again, a name that I have run thru The Newest Era™ a few times previously.





And again, being that it was her bday, she got busy on the mic @ Studio B in BKLYN.







Certainly, a big shout to my man OP! who held down a tight set. Ha... Kissey was right. ;) Good look. Lets get up when you get down here dude. Say wrd.

So.... as I sat there by the bar, this dude is like:

"Were you in MIA for WMC??

Hell yea dude. What's good? He then proceeds to introduce himself.

SIMBAD

WTF?? Pffffff....

So the French came ripping out. I was just chatting this dude's name last week. Missed him in Toronto as I was @ a bday party in Ajax. All love. That was so crazy.

All in all, that was a great night, with many more shouts to be handed... Like DJ Scribe . I've been on homeboy's mailing list for as long as I can recall. Wow.



I've said it in the past, and I'll say it again: Good ppl meet.



So glad I took that little bit of time off man. That trip put me back on my NY State Of Grind for real. There really are some great ppl around, and I got meet a gang on this one little stretch away from home. The music I heard this week was just blazing too... man. Love this sh*t.

Shouts to the whole gang: Dr Byrne, Slott, LRG crew in NY, Kissey, Fiona Bloom of Bloom Effect, Sribe, OP!, Daru, Waajeed (sorry I was soooo late), SIMBAD (that was wild), Night Nurse & Chandler (WTF??) - that was really rndm, Neil, AILEEN, Phillionaire (good seeing you dude - shout Brooke for me man), Adam @ Evisu (congrats) and my man ANT over @ New Era. I'm sure I forgot a few. Catch you on the rebound if I did. ;)





So now, time to engage the cluth and get this poppin.

Chat soon.

H!

It's all love: Friends n Fam

Friends,
how many of us have them,
Friends,
Before we go any further let's be friends...


I will admit that I've amassed a few friends in my travels. But, I also ask you this: why the hell not?? I still recall Ghetto Gold's bewilderment when he sat down to have din din in London UK this year, only to be asked if he new this chap called "My Man Henri". He just laughed. Shouts to Ghetto Gold and Brad @ New Era!

But I also tell you this: I love to sit and chat life. If we somehow share interests, you will have mine as I enjoy personal perspective. All Day.
As such, I had been wanting to dedicate a section of my blogosphere to cats I like to kick it with. Whether it be music, art or just what they do. Be it that since turning my new leaf after the RBMA07, I have more than ever submerged and surrounded myself in music 1nce again. But I love it too much not to (reasons I have temporary contempt for work right now! ARGH!).

Rules are simple: there are none. Chat as you want, chat what you want and chat who you want.

With that, it's my pleasure to offer my space for the inaugural guest post to a fine young Swedish singer who's lovely music i came across not so long ago. But you know how this online life is: we're all neighbors. So I knocked on her door one day asking for a splash of coffee (I put it in my hot choco soy), and guess what? She was home. We have since then kicked whenever possible. ;)

To inaugurate my friends & fam column, special guest blogger, Kissey Asplund, as she chats about the ladies in her life. ;)




My women, Henri!

Henri have you check these ladies out? I know that you proberbly have, but let me post about them on here. Sweden seems to be pulling out some nice cards in the music world right now but there are 3 ladies that had the taste of Swedish soil that are doing GREAT things. 1 ahead and 1 upcoming and 1 is a real little teaser

Miss lady 1

Yarah Bravo.



Queen of London, The One Self MC, Dj Vadim’s sidekick, fashionlady and more, more, more
Latest news : She’s Touring Brazil
Latest single: 6toys feat Yarah Bravo – Wanna Ride



One of my favorites: KidKanevil feat Yarah – Fire



Ok.

Miss lady 2

Fatima

Myspace // Blog



MC and songstress that works with Hudson Mohawke. She’s one of the says ooops!'ers, IG Culture brought her with him and his ”bring the noise” to Cameroon etc etc e t c

Latest news: Coming to LA!

Want to hear some? Download this radio link with ”Alexander the nut” on Rinse.fm

Finally and the biggest teaser of them all:

Miss lady 3

Rahel



No! it’s not the Rahel that sings the magical vocals for Erik Lau. This is another beautiful lady that sits here in Sweden and doesn’t make a lot of noize. But people, people go up on her myspace and have a listen. I’ve just fallen in love with her and I can’t stop listening at all…. She’s so cute! But a teaser. We are awaiting the first release from this lady still ...



Shouts to Kissey for the love. All day. Where's that Rustie joint?? HOLLA! BTW, if you've not picked up some of Kissey's riddims, you're not living right. I've chatted this in the past, and even more distant past, so go nuts.

H!

French Kissey (my luck has struck)

Miami - no luck
LA - no luck
Chitown - no luck
NY - still no luck.

Plethora in the comfort of my own couch back Toronto?? You bet.

How could you not love these sweet Swede sounds?? (Say that 5 times fast)

After having a string of bad luck trying to see this fine young singer live, I was glad to settle with her new album.

As I posted about previously, freshest new face Kissey Asplund has released more new music, and essentially the follow up to that EP.


Just in a quick browse of her myspace, I was reminded that the Plethora record I had been patiently waiting for dropped. And, if I had recalled correctly, the whole record was done and produced by this French production crew called Papa Jazz. Bananas.


Oft previously discussed, the music's boundaries are tested and being pushed from the EU side of the world - be it the artists or the labels signing them. But, regardless of the origin of the riddms, they are bangin'.

So, as I sit here and wrap things up (I'm in SF as I write this), get all Kissey - and Beam Me Up!



Look for more of her joints to get played when you check me out... Maybe the next Glorious??

Say wrd!

H!

Kissey & Telley

WOW.

Man, been a week since I last dropped in and 2 weeks of sparse soliloquies. Been busy in the fields as always around this time of year, it gets too crazy! Even crazier is the fact that I've yet to hit the sack. Between watching a bad film, and getting online to tell a friend about it, getting a call @ 1.27am, then getting online w/ a muchacha in HK, then CB who was on her way to Pearson, for a flight to Cuba... It all adds up to Hizzy @ 7.34am.

Anyhow, around this time I do my best thinking and surfing. And, as usual - I always pull out a treat. I just grabbed Kissey Asplund's Fuss n Fight EP.



I can't immediately recall how and where I came across this Swede's music - maybe Jay and ASG, but that was an immediate bookmark. And as I peruse her myspace some more, I see that she's has an EP out - so I bought it online. So then, as I go thru her page... BAM! She mentions MIAMI. Man o man I hope she reaches. I'm so down. Her music's dope too... ;)

Wrd is that all her beats are courtesy of a crew from FRA. How sick is that?? I'll get into that next time. But in the meantime, here's a dbl dbl. 1st the video for title track off the EP.



And now, a track off that EP. Another banger - w/ a touch clearer audio. Kissey's such a cutie - no lie, just facts. Hold this riddim called Entrapped. Hollerate & enjoy. Seen.



Hizzla!