Blind I | The Boutique Music Blog | Quality Over Quantity.

SONNYMOON SIGNS WITH PLUG RESEARCH

Congratulations to our good friends Dane & Anna, better known as Sonnymoon, for  signing to one of todays leading labels in future sound; Plug Research! Plug Research is home to artists such as Bilal, Exile, Flying Lotus, Om’Mas Keith & Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra Creative Partners & Quadron just to name a few. Since late 2009, it has been a roller coaster ride  for them as they have made a noise louder than bombs with their free debut album they asked us to drop on Christmas, to performing @ SXSW, to getting remixed by Melo-X, to J*Davey twitting their appreciation for witnessing the “whiter & trippier version” of them, to now signing with a label that pushes the envelope on creativity and delivers each artists vision with quality. We here @ Blind I are proud of our folks! Congrats & Jedi Respecognition & LET’S GOOOOOO!!!

Peep their latest song entitled “Blast Off” which can be found on the Potholes In My Blog summer sampler.

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BILAL – RESTART

9 years & counting down to September 14th when Bilal‘s Airtights Revenge comes out & we’ve been promoting it as if we were executive producers on the album soley on the strenf’ & GP of Bial’s genius. He is blessing us all with a free mp3 DL off the new new entitled “Restart” & it’s egg zachary the greatness I was expecting. Oh & if you have any questions you would like us to ask Bilal when we interview him for our artist spotlight, feel free to leave a comment w/ your Q & we will get A’ed.

Bilal – Restart

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VIDEO + AUDIO: THE MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON ENSEMBLE | BILAL – SOMEDAY WE’LL ALL BE FREE

This is just stupid right here. I mean… the homie Miguel Atwood-Ferguson? Bilal? Doing my favorite Donny Hathaway song of all time? If you didn’t know, on July 23rd, 2010 the city of Los Angeles was blessed with a FREE concert from the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble.  Recently known for his work on Mochilla’s “Suite for Ma Dukes” project, where he arranged and conducted music from the late J. Dilla for a full orchestra, Ferguson assembled an all-star cast of musicians and special guests featuring folks like Flying Lotus, Aloe Blacc, Bilal, Stephen ‘Thundercat’ Bruner, Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave, and many others for this special evening in LA at the Grand Performances California Plaza.

THE MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON ENSEMBLE – SOMEDAY WE’LL ALL BE FREE FEAT. BILAL [DOWNLOAD]

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BLIND I SAYS GO! AUGUST 2010 • THE INTERLUDE

I really outdid myself with this one. This…..right here….is my…..most fluid, themed, consistent BISG compilation yet! August’s edition of Blind I Says GO! is giving love to the joints you love but forget to revisit….the Yin to the typical Yang of selections that jump out at us on out favorite records….yes that’s right, the INTERLUDE! When I came up with this concept I had a few special ones in mind that I’d always loved, but I had no idea I’d be able to pick 40 tracks that combined into an hour-long mindgasm of sonic delicacy. You like my wordplay I know you do. All the greats are here along for the ride too — 112, Little Brother, Hi-Tek, Usher, Talib Kweli, Sa-Ra, Brand New Funk, Justin Timberlake, Sonnymoon, I, CED, Common, Bilal, The Neptunes, N.E.R.D., Group Home, Outkast, SWV, Dwele, Drake, Missy Elliott, Kelis, Timbaland & Magoo, John Legend, Mayer Hawthorne, Yesterday’s New Quintet, Erykah Badu, Diddy, B.I.G., Madlib, Jay-Z, Janelle Monaé, Jake One, Dilla, Gang Starr, Dimlite, Dert, Constrobuz, Beat Maker Beat, Sol+10….I mean C’MON SON! You already know what you need to do.

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Track listing after the jump!

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VIDEO: BILAL-ROBOTS (LIVE IN BELGIUM)

Bilal’s European tour seems like it has been a great one. I’ve seen lots of footage of his electric performances at beautiful venues. This video shows him performing a track from his upcoming album, Airtight’s Revenge called “Robots.” Takes a while for him to warm up but once he does it’s amazing. Love the way it was shot. Shouts to Rawemag.

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MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON LIVE THIS FRIDAY [L.A. & FREE!!!]

On July 23, 2010, multi-intrumentalist/arranger/composer, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson brings his amazing 15 piece ensemble featuring ground-breaking artists Bilal, Flying Lotus, Chris “Daddy” Dave, and Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner to the the Grand Performances concert series at California Plaza in Downtown LA, 350 South Grand Ave..

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In addition to this fabulous event that I will be kicking myself in the ass for years to come because I was unable to be in L.A. is a playlist comprised of the songs that Miguel will be re-arranging on July 23rd 2010. DL & enjoy the beauty.

Find out who’s on the ensemble, where’s the show’s @ & grab the music after the after...

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VIDEO: BILAL INTERVIEW WITH GREEDMONT PARK

The good people over at Greedmont Park did a lengthy interview with Mr. Bilal Oliver about his upcoming album (which we posted snippets of), Airtight’s Revenge. Since Bilal was off the grid for a little while this update is necessary. In this three-part discussion, he touches on everything from Love for Sale leaking, his experiences with artists like Dilla,  to the new record fans are anxiously waiting on.

Parts 2 and 3 after the jump.

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RADIO RAM & MAGNETIC RECORDS PRESENT: CHILLOUT IN BLACK 2

This compilation from Radio Ram and Magnetic Records has music from Zap Mama, Esther Phillips, Nina Simone: nice eclectic mix for the sexy summer evenings. Tracklist after the jump!

Zap Mama f/ Bilal-The Way You Are

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BILAL – AIRTIGHT’S REVENGE ALBUM ART W/ COMMENTARY BY Q-TIP & PHONTE

With his new full length album coming out soon on Plug Research the artist known to most as Bilal is getting ready for his triumphant return. We dropped some gems earlier on Blind I so you should be reacquainted with what’s to come.

The cover art is pretty ill though. Has a BDP “By Any Means Necessary” ala “Malcolm X” classy vibe to it.

Check the interviews with Q-Tip and Phonte with what they have to say about Bilal and the music. After the drop!

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BILAL-AIRTIGHT’S REVENGE [ALBUM SNIPPETS]

Last month, I attended Bilal’s listening session for his upcoming release (we’ve been waiting almost a decade for) Airtight’s Revenge. He chronicled each song reflectively, explaining the personal meaning behind each track. This is a very emotional record for the singer, with traces of politics, passion, and resilience sprinkled throughout it. He said Bilal fans that are looking for love songs are going to discover a new side of him through this project. It’s a very different sound from what you’re probably expecting.  It might be a grower for some. But as it blared through the speakers, the people in the room were moved at points. It’s heavy and beautiful at the same time. And the songwriting is Bilal at his finest. Here are some snippets. I think “All Matter” is my favorite. September 14th it’s all yours. Streams after the jump. Indulge.

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