After a three-year hybernation period, PPP, formerly known as the Platinum Pied Pipers, is finally back! It is all worth the wait as the new album takes music production to the next level. After a long searching process, the core PPP — consisting of Detroit-bred, now Brooklyn-based duo, Waajeed and Saadiq — found some outstanding musicians to match their talents for this highly-anticipated album.

July 8th marks the release date of On A Cloud, their first single from their new album Abundance. The title track features new vocalist Karma Stewart, a singer whose powerful vocals recall Aretha Franklin’s soul-shaking force, while the beautifully layered instrumentation blends elements of Led Zeppelin-esque rock tunes, soul and gospel-flavored melodies matching Detroit’s Motown legacy with high energy horns and drums into a sound that is super fresh and is so characteristic of PPP’s pioneering musical experiments. On the flip side is Angel, boasting a similarly big sound inspired by another Detroit roots, Funkadelic. Angel features their brilliant St. Louis-based new vocalist-songwriter-poet Coultrain, who wrote the majority of the songs for the album.

Waajeed means both “finder” and “seeker”, and it was probably not accidental that he was given this name by an elder. As he describes the making of Abundance, “this new album is as much about the process as about the outcome” — as much about the process of seeking to realize this new project as about finding the perfect vehicle for it.

You can catch Waajeed doing a DJ set on Thursday, July 10th at Sutra (16 1st Ave, NY), with old-time friends, T3 of Slum Village and Dwele.

Europeans are ahead of the game, PPP have already begun touring the old continent with the album, but if you’re lucky you can catch them live at their home-base on Saturday, July 12th at Southpaw (125 5th Ave, Brooklyn) as they will provide the highlight of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival at the Official Afterparty, along with DJ House Shoes, Invincible, and DJ Parler. Not to be missed, people!

Make sure to peep the PPP page for the rest of their concert schedule.

Following up on the success of MG1 Brazil, Mexico-born artist/graphic and apparel designer Marka27 has recently released his new limited edition minigods, called MG2 Mexico. Inspired by the pre-Columbian gods of his motherland, Marka’s mini g.o.d.s — i.e. Givers Of Divine Sounds — are true works of art with a function.

Boasting an even larger and more impressive 17-inch shell and equipped with a working speaker that you can hook up to your laptop or iPod, the new MG2 even comes with an AC adapter so you don’t have to worry about recharging your batteries.

Marka27’s trademark style of combining symbolic elements from ancient indigenous cultures with futuristic aesthetic no doubt will impress die-hard vinyl toy collectors and contemporary urban art aficionados alike. I’ve already got my hands on his Gold SDCC Exclusive Minigods, and all I can say is that even if you are not a collector of vinyl toys, any one of the minigods will be worth all your investment.

When Marka is not busying himself with apparel and product design, you’ll find him channeling his creativity into more hands-on art projects, such as large-scale graffiti pieces, installations and fine art paintings. His work has been shown at the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston), S.M.F.A Grossman Gallery (Boston), Boston Center For the Arts, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (L.A), 33 1/3Books and Gallery (L.A.), Crewest Gallery (L.A.), Meltdown (L.A.), S.D Visual Artist Guild, Union 237 Gallery (Philadelphia), among others.

Peep his work here.

Urban art and activism meet global humanitarianism as Limbo Fine Art Gallery hosts The Love Movement (TLM) and other prominent street/surf artists in a show entitled The World at Large / / Love Without Borders to benefit the International Humanity Foundation (IHF).

The Love Movement’s works combine political messages angled to wake up one’s conscience with a philosophy of “love is the way”. And they actually get down to do the hard work of producing art for humanitarian projects and raising funds through art shows and T-shirt sales to purchase school supplies and to build a community well in a village in Benin, Africa.

This time, TLM has joined forces with IHF for the education and empowerment of kids abroad, demonstrating that art combined with social consciousness has limitless possibilities. The World at Large /// Love Without Borders will showcase an amazing lineup of internationally-shown artists: Michael De Feo, Wolfgang Bloch, Alex Knost, Tyler Warren, Ben Brough – 33, Andrew Sarnecki - Hippytree, Hovin Wang, Paul Lefevre – Polish, Micke Tong, Thundercut, Abe Lincoln Jr., eight-year-old Reece V., Meredith Ambruso, Guy Quezada, Jon Ho, Karen Jones, TLM, as well as TRACE’s own Lichiban (yours truly) and Jelsen Jargon, who recently shined on our blog.

The opening reception of The World at Large / / Love Without Borders is Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 7pm to 12am at Limbo Fine Art Gallery, 1432 University Avenue, San Diego. All proceeds to benefit IHF. The show runs from May 10 to June 1, and is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Interested parties can contact Limbo at 619.316.2239 to arrange a private viewing.

For more information, please visit this, this or this!

WRONGLIPS & DOPE SWAN present:
FROM THE SOURCE
An evening with Yolanda Zama, Sarah White and Eagle Nebula

If you’ve been wondering about the creative force behind TRACE, now you’ve got a chance to get a taste of the amazing work some members of the TRACE family has got to offer. One of our finest writers, Sarah White, has joined forces with Yolanda Zama and Brooklyn MC Eagle Nebula to bring you the finest musical gems all the way FROM THE SOURCE.

South African-born singer/songwriter, Yolanda Zama, has been blessing the globe with her unmistakable voice for eight years now, blowing away audiences at venues from her native Xhosa to local Brooklyn joints. Raised in Harlem, NY, Yolanda’s most memorable musical influences range from Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba to hip-hop and R&B classics. When asked, Yolanda describes her unique blend of protest songs, folk and R&B as “global soul.”

Brooklyn-based Sarah White never ceases to amaze me with her endless creativity and talent. This lovely songstress rides beats with an electric flow, making the process seem completely effortless. Her multi-layered, smoky voice can melt over a lush, melancholy tune just as smoothly as when she is rapping to a heavy-hitting future soul or reggae beat. Imagine a world without the voice of Nina Simone, Jill Scott and countless other singers, who continue to heal, inspire, turn on, relive experiences through the sheer power of their voice. Knowing the heart-transforming power of this lady’s vocal abilities, I can no longer imagine the world without the voice of Sarah White. While she is keeping herself busy producing her own tracks, you’ll also find her collaborating with several international producers/musicians such as Arch_type, Papastomp, M.anifest, and last but not least, her partner in crime, Dj Don Cuco. Stay tuned for her new solo LP coming out later this year. Peep her music here.

I’ll let Eagle Nebula’s beautiful bio speak for itself. “Hailing from Inglewood, CA via the great tower of creation, springs forth to bring you joy and truth in the form of magically rhymed verses. Riding on the wavelength that carries the new paradigm of hip hop music like Ashanti royalty, she has come to uphold the very essence of hip hop — a gift from the universe, manifested though ether as sound, to regenerate, inspire and heal. As a crown reminds a queen of her royal place to lead the people, when Eagle Nebula rocks her cosmic headphones, she is reminded of her duty to speak universal truth and bring light to the masses who have been shrouded in darkness and despair. Look out for her debut album “Cosmic Headphones” soon to be released on the ePistrophik Peach Sound label, produced by Georgia Anne Muldrow and executive produced by Dudley Perkins.” Check the technique here.

I feel blessed to have had a chance to be part of this collaboration as the art director behind the scenes. Show some love and be part of this very special event featuring these three talented performers, and mingle with some of the other amazing TRACE talents such as one of our best writers, PAN, street-wear guru, Prince, and fine artist/creative writer/multi-talent Steven Psyllos, our beloved managing editor. This is the inaugural FROM THE SOURCE show initiating upcoming collaborations, art projects and performances, so stay tuned for our future events. We also invited the beautiful designers of Brooklyn-based fashion label MISSBRUNO to showcase some of the pieces of their new Summer 08 collection. These ladies are the female talents to watch in 2008 and beyond!

Thursday, May 8th 2008, Doors open: 8pm, Show starts at 8:30pm
Location: SMOOCH, Organic Cafe and Wine Bar, 264 Carlton Ave (off of Dekalb), Brooklyn 11205
[Take C to Lafayette Ave or G to Fulton St + 5 mins walk]
FREE EVENT!!

The British music scene has always been known for being at the forefront of experimentation, defining new directions and trends on the global musical scene. One of the most innovative jazz-cum-electronica acts coming out of England in the last decade is The Cinematic Orchestra (TCO), whose musical repertoire, evocative of dreamy images of cinema noir sets, made the band an instant classic worldwide. TCO’s soul-quenching power that draws on their ability to translate raw emotions into fluid soundscapes is comparable to the dark and melancholy lyricism of their compatriots, Bristol-based Portishead.

The Cinematic Orchestra was founded by Jay Swinscoe who used to work at South London-based record label, Ninja Tune back in 1999. Their debut album, Motion, received critical acclaims, and was voted Album of the Year by the listeners of Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide radio show. The success of the album landed them a performance at the Director’s Guild Awards ceremony for the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to film director Stanley Kubrick. Six albums later, The Cinematic Orchestra remains a force to be reckoned with, continuing to play a major role in shaping the future of nu-jazz.

In the last three years, TCO have been spreading their wings across the globe packing venues from intimate jazz cafes to massive outdoor festivals, including the highlight of their US tour playing as the supporting band for legendary jazz-fusion guitarist John McLaughlin in Central Park, NYC. As a culmination of their 2007 tour repping their latest album “Ma Fleur”, bandleader Jason Swinscoe brought an enhanced line-up of the Cinematic Orchestra incorporating the 24-piece Heritage Orchestra to the stage of legendary venue, The Royal Albert Hall, and played a show to a sold-out crowd of more than 4,000 people.

This month welcomes the release of two live recordings, the Barbican Live DVD and their epic Royal Albert Hall Live CD. You’ll have a chance to catch them performing live this week on

April 23rd, - Williamsburg Music Hall (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
April 26h, - Coachella Music Festival (Coachella, CA, USA)
April 28th, TBC, (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Check here for more info.

I was disappointed to find out that Philadelpia’s Lineage Gallery has recently closed its doors, since it was one of few galleries that represented the next wave of underground art in the U.S. A heavy-hitter line-up including A.J. Fosik, Blaine Fontana, James Naccarato, Robert Hardgrave, Ron English, Sam Flores, Shawn Barber and Tim Biskup were among Lineage’s regular exhibitors, and collectors could find cutting edge artwork at an affordable price.

Lucky for us living in New York City, Lineage co-founder Joshua Liner decided to transport his expertise to Chelsea’s fast-growing art colony. His new project, the Joshua Liner Gallery, opened this month with an Inaugural Group Exhibition featuring art from Shawn Barber, Crash One, Mike Davis, Ron English, Jeremy Fish, Blaine Fontana, Futura, Robert Hardgrave, Naoto Hattori, Kenji Hirata, Zach Johnsen, Jessica Joslin, Josh Keyes, Koralie, Kris Kuksi, David Choong Lee, Travis Louie, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Chris Mendoza, Aiko Nakagawa, Pat Rocha, Greg Simkins, Damon Soule, Stash, Heidi Taillefer, Ben Tour, Mark Dean Veca and Oliver Vernon.

I checked out the opening reception and I was blown away by the stellar collection of works representing some of the bests of the U.S. outsider art scene. Robert Hardgrave’s beautiful collage piece, entitled ‘Powerhouse’ and Ron English’s ‘Superpop Cowgirl Guernica’, a neo-pop reinterpretation of Picasso’s masterpiece, ‘Guernica’, were among the best. Those present had a chance to mingle with many of the artists, including NYC legend, Futura.

You can go and get your aesthetic fix until May 10th. For more info, check here.

Keep your eyes peeled for future shows showcasing work from Koralie + Robert Hardgrave (5/17 –6/14), Jeremy Fish + Josh Keyes (6/21 — 7/26), Greg Simkins (9/6 — 10/4), Blaine Fontana + Damon Soule (10/11 — 11/15) and Kris Kuksi + Pat Rocha (11/22 — 12/20).

The Japanese street couture label, Rocksmith Tokyo is one of the fastest growing independent street wear labels on the Japan-U.S. fashion scene. Rocksmith’s success story hails from the much-welcomed renaissance of the underground creative industry that has begun to reclaim the lead in design and production from the monopoly of corporations.

Rocksmith was founded in 2002 by DJ Masterkey, Japan’s number one hip-hop DJ, whose record label The Life Entertainment partnered up with NYC-based Kilo International to take the goods worldwide. Having U.S. partners Erik and Kenshin on board bringing the NYC flava, the brand is ready for a complete global takeover.

Attention to detail is what makes Rocksmith stand out amongst the rapidly proliferating street wear labels. Using clothing as a vehicle of art, Rocksmith delivers sophisticated cuts reminiscent of the minimalist aesthetics of 1920’s art deco combined with carefully selected fabrics — Erik and Kenshin regularly travel the globe to hand-pick fabrics — and brilliant visual references steeped in 80s and 90s hip-hop and pop culture.

Check the fly 2008 Spring collection featuring the zip-off sleeved Boom Box Windbreaker, the French terry and velour Rich Boy Hoody, the gold satin Raising Hell Baseball Jacket, the weightless all-nylon Slash Windbreaker and the clean cotton Allante Barracuda.

From The Cool Kids, Mickey Factz, Theophilus London aka KAPPS to Hollywood Holt, Mano, and Steedlord, you’ll see the new generation of hip-hop heads rocking these goodies on the regular. Also make sure to peep the new collection of Rocksmith’s twin-brother, Kilo Goods offering limited edition couture for lovers of the Miami fresh. Get yours at Karmaloop.

Or, e-mail TRACE here with your details. Yep — we’ve got gear to give away!

For three days in three different locations this week, 2008 Dare to Dream Media & Arts Festival (April 16-19) is bringing together artistic talents from diverse backgrounds to celebrate and honor the experiences and contributions of immigrants in New York City. At the same time, it will also introduce alternative educational models aimed at nurturing global consciousness among underserved youth.

Produced by Bronx-born, Dominican community activist and visionary Joel Mejia, the Dare to Dream Media & Arts Festival is also the culmination of the Dare to Dream Project, a media arts initiative that uses immigration as a basis to teach media and arts to inner city youth.

(more…)

If you were asked the question, ‘What do Ghana and Hungary have in common?’, you probably wouldn’t think to answer ‘music’ immediately. Born to a Hungarian mother and a Ghanaian father, Sena provides the missing link between the capital cities of Accra and Budapest, embodying the TRACE transcultural.

One of the most talented female emcees out there, Sena is at home in a variety of different genres of music ranging from hip-hop to spoken word, jazz, reggae and broken beat, and has worked with international heavy-hitters like DJ Vadim (US/UK/Russia), Dzihan and Kamien (Austria), Gimmeshot Crew (Hungary), Dizko Stu (Hungary), Marcel (Hungary), Colorblind Allstars (Spain), Papastomp (France), Refractory (France) and Ras Mac Bean (France), among others.

Sena grew up in Accra singing Hungarian folk songs with her mother and grandmother, learning traditional Ghanaian drumming and dancing, and raiding her father’s eclectic music collection of blues and funk, her mother’s classical and world music, her brother’s reggae and her sister’s hip hop and dancehall records.

Her musical journey as an MC began in 2001, after moving to Budapest, Hungary and grabbing the mic at the weekly hip-hop/dancehall freestyle sessions of local hip-hop crew, Gimmeshot. Sena’s soulful, Lauryn Hill-esque rhyming style has a seamless flow, almost as if she was streaming a pre-recorded set from her mind. Naturally, it didn’t take long for her to become recognized as the foremost female hip-hop/reggae singer of the country and to begin to spread her wings around the globe, collaborating with the hottest acts from three continents.

Sena keeps herself busy these days. You’ll find her powerful, feminine vocals shine on Fel A Kezekkel, the new album of Hungarian reggae band, Irie Maffia, and she has a new record out with Barabas Lorinc Ecclectrik, a Hungarian experimental jazz band that fuses hip-hop, funk, reggae and electronica. She recently collaborated with Parisian Band, whose new record, Hot Potatoes dropped at the end of March. Sena has also teamed up with French reggae distribution and production company, Irie Ites in Le Mans, to work on several new tracks.

When she’s not on tour repping her new albums, you’ll find her mc-ing to the sets of Djs in Hungary, such as Ozone, Cadik, Mango. She has also got plans to rock Ghana with the likes of Reggie Rockstone, Chorkor Heights and Evil Twin and many more.

Learn more and give her some love here.

Peep her new video with Barabas Lorinc Ecclectrik band.

For lovers of urban art, the streets of New York City offer some of the freshest examples of contemporary work. Curated by legendary Bronx-bred graffiti artist, Cope2, Come Correct is where street aesthetic meets legal gallery walls. Put on your swagger and check out the latest crop of the international street art scene. The exhibition showcases works by several established street artisans, such as Claw, Fafi, Cope 2, T-Kid, Kaws, Indie and West One. Expect crowds, so make sure to reserve!

Opening Reception - April 3rd 2008
7:00 - 10:00pm
117 2nd Avenue, New York City.
RSVP only: comecorrectRSVP@gmail.com