New Music Mondays.......GHOST BEACH

Happy Music Monday Music Lovers,
Life has been busy these days, the seasons change and we make plans for the holidays and even for the future. Life can go so fast, and be so unsure, but one thing that always keeps me steadfast is good music. There is so much I will show you in the next few months.

I've been very inspired and enamored with the music I'm finding. This weeks gem is GHOST BEACH. a retro-future aesthetic that sounds like Ghostland Observatory, Depeche Mode, and Daft Punk, with a little Passion Pit sprinkled on top for good measure. Ghost Beach are the latest pop pioneers to set the internet on fire with only a couple singles floating around and with no major label backing.

The New York-based duo of Josh Ocean and Eric "Doc" Mendelsohn take their '80s influences one step further with Ghost Beach. This music is so seductive and emotion filled, you will feel like you are taking a journey through your teenage, angst ridden, love filled years in an old Chevy with the wind in your hair and no cares in your heart. GHOST BEACH is romance, passion and rebellion put into music.

Take some time to get lost in this band; its so easy and so needed. FYI, if you go to the bands Facebook page you can download two of their tracks. Get ready to reminisce and daydream maybe even dance, and I know you will enjoy my three favorite tracks by this amazing duo: "Tear Us Apart," "Bones," and "Too Young."

I will see you next week with my new music obsession.

xoxoxoxox Najamoniq
“I want people to have their own visions for the dance. Some generations will sit back and relate to the music. And the young people …they'll have the dance right in front of them.” Judith Jamison

New Music Mondays....FRENCH HORN REBELLION

Happy Monday Music Lovers,

Summer's fading slowly, and fall is quickly approaching. As we change seasons I want to bring you a duo that can keep you dancing in summer and keep your feet moving and a smile on your face through the coming seasons. French Horn Rebellion is Robert and David Perlick-Molinari - two brothers born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In Brooklyn, NY, in 2007, younger brother Robert, an accomplished French horn player, found himself principal chair for the horn section of the prestigious Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. Standing at a crossroads, frustrated with the demands that mastery of such an instrument required, and knowing that the instrument would not allow him to fully express himself, he finally asked his brother, David, to rebel with him and together they embarked on a lifelong creative journey.

They set up shop in the arts / music hub in Brooklyn. I was not long before the French Horn Rebellion began to impact the NY music scene. David engineered and produced for the genre parallel MGMT, but in 2007 French Horn Rebellion released a self titled independent album. In 2011 the duo released The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion on Once Upon A Time/V2 Records.

This duo is different, fresh, funny, fun, and talented. There really is no way you can NOT dance and feel happy when hearing tracks from this them. So enjoy our last sentiments of summer; gaze at the sunlight and turn up my two favorite tracks for French Horn Rebellion.

I will see you next week with my new music obsession.
xoxoxoxo Najamoniq “If I can't dance to it, it's not my revolution.” Emma Goldman

New Music Mondays....Selah Sue

Selah Sue (born Sanne Putseys, May 3, 1989) is a Belgian musician and songwriter. Blazing onto the scene with her debut album, Selah Sue (2011,) she was a major success, selling over 400,000 copies in Europe,with 200,000 in France alone. Today, she has chart success with the hit singles "Raggamuffin, ""Crazy Vibes," and "This World". Previous to "Selah Sue." her first EP was released in 2008, under the title Black Part Love. It contains five songs.

When she was seventeen a Belgian producer asked her to sing some demos of his songs, after which Universal offered her a contract. She refused, because she wanted to sing her own songs. Selah Sue often covers songs of Erykah Badu and The Zutons, but she does has assembled a whole range of her own songs. Two of her well-known songs are "Mommy" and "Black part love," both of which are carried out acoustically.

She says her influences are Lauryn Hill, M.I.A. and Erykah Badu. You can hear a lot of these artists' influence in her record. Selah is soul music, reggae music, singer songwriter style with a dash of jazz, and it is quite refreshing and unlike many artists who enter the industry at her age.

I must give a shout out to Daymaker Susan Pack for turning me onto this extraordinary artist. I hope you enjoy my two favorite tracks "This World" and "Raggamuffin" and i will see you next week with a New Music Obsession.
xoxoxo Najamoniq
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music." - Sergei Rachmaninov

New Music Mondays: POOLSIDE

Good Monday Music Lovers,
Summer is still in our midst, and I've got a new band on my radar. POOLSIDE is a Los Angeles based duo - Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise. Their sound is described as "Daytime Disco."

Filip Nikolic is a Danish born producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist, known for his contributions in the rock, dance, and pop genres. Jeffrey Paradise, formerly known as DJ Jefrodisiac, is a DJ synonymous with San Francisco's young, hip, and ready to party scenes.

Poolside's debut single, "Do You Believe," was positively received by fans and praised for its "pop-tinged disco, brimming with optimistic vocals and retro acid synths." "Take Me Home," Poolside's second single was released in November 2011, and their debut album, "Pacific Standard Time," was released on July 9th, 2012 on Day & Night Records.

I really enjoy this band, they are a serene mix of good dance music with relaxing yet energized tones. Basically, good summertime music. I recently had the pleasure of watching these guys live and even spending a few moments with them, and I can tell you that they are a good live show as well as gracious and charming in person.

I hope you enjoy my favorite track from Poolside, "Do You Believe." I will see you next week for my new music obsession.
xoxoxoxoxo Najamoniq
"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosphy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents." - Ludwig van Beethoven
 

New Music Mondays...FRANK OCEAN

Good Monday Music Lovers,
It's been a scorcher, and I'm all about all things hot! This week I bring you one of musics hottest newbies, Christopher Francis Ocean, better known by his stage name, Frank Ocean.

Frank Ocean is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana. Ocean's early career was as a ghostwriter for artists such as Brandy, Justin Bieber, and John Legend. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Ocean's hometown of New Orleans; his recording facility was destroyed by floodwater and looted. To continue recording music, he moved to Los Angeles, where he intended to stay for six weeks. However, after acclimating himself with music industry circles, Ocean stayed longer and develop his music career.

He recorded demos at a friend's studio and shopped them around Los Angeles. After getting a songwriting deal, he started working with other record producers and writing songs for artists such as Justin Bieber, John Legend, and Brandy. Ocean later said of his work at the time, "There was a point where I was composing for other people, and it might have been comfy to continue to do that and enjoy that income stream and the anonymity. But that's not why I moved away from school and away from family."

After meeting them in 2009 through networking, Ocean joined the Los Angeles-based hip hop collective OFWGKTA, also known as Odd Future. His friendship with Odd Future member Tyler, The Creator, reinvigorated Ocean's songwriting. In late 2009, he met Tricky Stewart, who helped him sign a contract with Def Jam Recordings as a solo artist, though he was initially unable to build a relationship with the company.

In 2010, through a legal website, he changed his name from Christopher Breaux to Christopher Francis William Ocean, inspired partly by the 1960 film Ocean's 11. Ocean is also known for being one of the first mainstream hip hop artists to come out a a gay male. To my surprise and delight The hip hop world exploded with support for singer Frank Ocean when he revealed his first love was a man.

So take a load off and enjoy this innovative musician with two of my favorite songs by Ocean, "Thinking About You" and "Crack Rock".

See you next week with my new music obsession!
xoxoxoxo Najamoniq
 "Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life." ~Ludwig van Beethoven

New Music Obsession: ICONA POP

Good Monday my fellow music listeners. The sun has taken a sabbatical for a short time, but my sunny disposition is still in tact due to hot tunes pumping through my speakers!!!

This week's new music obsession thats keeping me in sunny spirits....ICONA POP. Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo are the latest in a long line of Swedish acts hoping to make an impact in the electro dance community. The pair met at a house party in Stockholm in 2009 where they drunkenly agreed that they should make music together. "I was forced to go to her party," says Aino, "I'd been dumped and was lying in a bed for two weeks. So I went to the party, we were introduced and started to talk. We kind of fell in love." The drunken promise then turned into a reality. Caroline says: "[Aino] then called me the next day and I was nervous about meeting up again, maybe it had only been the alcohol talking the night before."

Fans of Robyn, Niki & The Dove, and La Roux will especially enjoy this duo. A little punk rock, a lot of dance, and lots of lady sass. I am absolutely in love with this band. Listening to ICONA POP leaves me with thoughts of colored skinny jeans, bright lipstick , medallions, break ups and make ups, and a fabulous night out on the town.

I know you will enjoy my two favorite songs from this dance powerhouse duo "Manners" and "I Love It". Thats all for this week folks. Tune back in next week for another new music obsession; until then keep listening!

xoxoxo Najamoniq "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Berthold Auerbach

New Music Monday....Metronomy

Monday Monday - it's  New Music Mondays music lovers. We have been so lucky to be basked in sunlight, and there is nothing better than good music in the sunshine. This weeks New Music Obsession is Metronomy.

Named after the musical term for the measurement of time by an instrument, Metronomy is an electronic music group formed by Joseph Mount in Totnes, Devon, England in 1999. The current band consists of Joseph Mount (composer, singer, keyboards and guitar), Anna Prior (drums and vocals), Oscar Cash (saxophone, backing vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Gbenga Adelekan (bass guitar and vocals.)

Their music consists of instrumental electronic music and vocal electronic pop music. Mount also releases remixes under the name Metronomy, and has remixed many artists including Gorillaz, Roots Manuva, Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons, Goldfrapp, The Young Knives, Zero 7, Ladytron, Kate Nash, Lady Gaga and Lykke Li.

Metronomy have released three albums of original material, Pip Paine, Nights Out and The English Riviera, released in April 2011. This band is a perfect mix if you like dance, electronic, indie or even a little jazz. So please enjoy my favorite Metronomy track "The Bay" see you next week, my little music geeks!

xoxoxoxoxxxo
Najamoniq


"Were it not for music, we might in these days say, the Beautiful is dead." ~Benjamin Disraeli

New Music Mondays......LOZEN

Good Monday, music lovers.Do you love metal? Do you love pretty girls? Do you love a good two piece band? Then have I got a music drop for you -- local Tacoma lovelies, LOZEN.

Friends for 16 years, they bonded over music. The ladies feel like they have been together forever! For the past seven years drummer Justine Valdez and guitarist Hozoji Matheson-Margullis have been banging out anti-establishment, anti-corporate, anti-everything metal. Talking to these two ladies was a super fun pleasure; you really can see the admiration and respect the two musicians have for each other.

Valdez and Margullis spoke about their writing style: "Its organic ...it just flows," the ladies say of each other. Citing music loves such as "The Melvins," "Black Sabbath," and "The Battles," their music is dark, beautiful and ear splitting.

Peeps, I personally encourage you to make it out to any show you can. The ladies closed with saying that when people see them they would like them to leave with these three themes: music, fun, and depth of art.

Hope you enjoy this awesome track "Beautiful."

xoxoxoxoxoxo
Najamoniq

And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs
And as silently steal away.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done

New Music Mondays..Brazilian Girls

Good Monday music lovers! Summer's here, the sun is out, people are lightening their locks, wearing shorts and sundresses, and so begins the lovely summer season! Speaking of sunshine and fun, this week's pick embodies my feelings of Summer. I give you Brazilian Girls.
Brazilian Girls is a band from New York City known for their eclectic blend of electronic dance music, with musical styles as diverse as tango, house, reggae and lounge. Funny thing, none of the members are actually from Brazil, and the only female in the band is Sabina Sciubba. Other members include keyboardist Didi Gutman, drummer Aaron Johnston, and bassist Jesse Murphy - a former member.
The band released three studio albums: their self-titled debut on 1 February 2005, Talk to La Bomb in 12 September 2006, and New York City on 5 August 2008.
Sabina being the focal point of the band mixes languages, fashion styles, and music blends making this band a lot of fun, not only to watch but to listen to also. I frequently drop some of their tracks in my DJ set.
I hope you enjoy one of the many tracks that are my favorite from their self titled album - "Corner Store."


xoxoxoxo
Najamoniq

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski

Sasquatch Music Series : Childish Gambino

Hello, hello, hello fellow music lovers! We meet again on this lovely Monday for another installment of Sasquatch Music Series. This weeks pick - Childish Gambino.

I found this discovery to be especially interesting as Donald Glover is known for his acting and writing work on The Daily Show, Community, and 30 Rock. Born at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1983, and graduating from New York University with a degree in dramatic writing in 2006, it seems that Glover knew his path for sometime. Glover is also a part of the sketch comedy group, Derrick Comedy. The group wrote and starred in the full length film, Mystery Team. Glovers' music includes DJing under the moniker mcDJ and rapping under the name Childish Gambino - a name he comically received from a Wu Tang name generator.
I loved reading about Childish Gambino; he is a very intelligent and heartfelt real rapper. He dives into his life and mind and writes on a very real plane. He even went so far as to disown an album he felt didn't reflect the way he intended.
This show is gonna be a fun one. You will be able to dance and even feel CG on a lot of levels. I highly recommend making a bee line for whichever stage this young gentleman is playing.
I hope you enjoy my favorite song and video from Childish Gambino, "Heartbeats."


xoxoxoxoxoxo
Najamoniq

Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Sasquatch Music Series : Allen Stone

Hello again fellow future Sasquatch attendees. Najamoniq here with a second installment of the Sasquatch Music Series. Before I go into this weeks pick I would like to reveal two little somethings I've observed about this years festivities: first, Seattle represent - so many artists are local. I'm excited to get into great music that is also local. Second, get ready to DANCE; this year is filled with funk, hip hop, DJ and soul music.

Speaking of soul music......Ladies and Gentlemen, ALLEN STONE. If you love jazzy soul that reminds you of long summer drives, lemonade, day drinking, yellow sundresses, picnics, and taking to the dance floor where you will try your hardest to GET IT? Then Allen Stone is your man.
A Washington native, he is the son of a preacher man. Stone grew up in the church, and when he met Motown he fell in love.
I was bowled over when I heard and saw this "Perfect Pitch Powerhouse," as one USA Today reporter referred to him. This cat is really singing about your life on these tracks. He speaks about life and finding your "Satisfaction;" he speaks on settling on who you are and not looking for that "Contact High." He speaks on letting go of hate, anger, and not standing so close to the misery that it effects you because you have "Nothing to Prove."
There's not much to say folks; this is just some damn good soul music! Word is that Stone will hit the Sasquatch stage (not sure which one just yet) at 5:00pm. Enjoy my favorite track/video below by Allen Stone, "Satisfaction"

Najamoniq
XOXOXOXOXO

There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music is. ~William P. Merrill

Because When You're in the West...You're Golden, Right?

With all the snow and cold outside, I thought it would be nice to post about a new band obsession that makes me feel like summertime, every time I listen.
GOLDENWEST is Wes Period (Smith,) Shaun Profeta, and Colin Baylen. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, this trio is a fun mixture of rap, dance, and rock with a little bit of hip hop dashed in. The concept for the band's unique sound began with lead singer, Wes Period (Smith;) he began writing lyrics and rhymes and releasing mix tapes in high school. The trio united shortly after and are steadily becoming more and more popular with the release of their EP "Through My Eyes" in March. The EP was self recorded in the band's own studio and was produced by band member Colin Baylen.
I hope you enjoy two of my favorite tracks, title track "Through My Eyes," where Wes flows about growing up a mixed kid trying to find his place and "Always a Party," an ode to party goes, party times, and other antics. So sit back and let the sounds of GOLDENWEST melt away your snow day blues!


Najamoniq

"When I hear music, I fear no danger, I am invulnerable, I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times and the latest."
-Henry David Thoreau

New Music Obsession....Kimbra sultry and sweet!!!

Hello again...Najamoniq here with this week's New Music Obsession - Kimbra. So you say you love Amy Winehouse, Bjork, Florence and the Machine, and Prince? Then this Australian beauty will be right up your alley! Blessed with a voice of gold, Kimbra's music is weaved with themes and quirky jazz rifts.

Born in Hamilton, New Zealand to a doctor and a nurse, there wasnt a huge musical influence in her upbringing but music was inside her! Winning her high school's Rockquest competition 3 years running, Kimbra began writing songs at age 10. Kimbra's father bought her a guitar at age 12, and after a few years of lessons she was on stage performing.
Kimbras first single, "Settle Down" was released in 2010 and in June 2011 she signed with Warner Bros. Records for distribution in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a worldwide deal for other territories and the U.S. Sweet, soulful, and heart felt Kimbra speaks to the vocalist and romantic inside of me. I hope you enjoy this gem and the two videos I posted of my favorite tracks: "Settle Down" and "Plain Gold Ring". See you next week with another New Music Obsession Pick!

Najamoniq

"Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without"
-Confucius

Showing you some BODY LANGUAGE

Happy New Year everyone...I hope everyone had an amazing time exploring music with me in 2011. Here we are in 2012, and  I hope to bring you lots more.

While on our merry way up to seattle to see The Knux (previous blog post about that one...archive and read up peeps) my bff and partner in crime, Del Brown, skips out with a fun mixed cd to keep us company on our mini road trip. It included my new band obsession BODY LANGUAGE. Mysterious synth pop and  groovetastic bursts of energy fuel this bands latest album, "Social Studies." The foursome, Matthew Young, Angelica Bass, Grant Wheeler, Ian Chang, and Computer (MAGIC,) reside in Brooklyn, NY and have been releasing EPs since 2009. Recently lending their skillz to some remixes on the Passion Pit album,(also previously blogged about,) "Chunk of Change." They have been touring with Zero 7 and Sia. Burning up dance floors while caressing your eardrums, Body Language lulls you into the dance like a moth to a flame. I hope you enjoy this stylistic grooving foursome BODY LANGUAGE. These guys will definately be going in the mix at the next DJ session!!!!

Najamoniq

"Music is enough for lifetime, but lifetime is not enough for music" -Sergi Rachmaninov

Punk rock hip hop dont stop!

Helloooo music lovers! Have i got a tasty treat for you. Punk rock music with a dash of swag. Kentrell "Krispy" Lindsey and Alvin "Joey" Lindsey, brothers based in New Orleans, Louisiana, are The Knux. They are known for amazing and intense live shows, as well as outrageously funny and real interviews.
These two punk rock savants sing, rap and produce. Starting off writing beats and lyrics they hooked up with a local producer and hit the studio. Originally called The Knuckle Heads, the duo moved to LA after being displaced from their home due to Hurricane Katrina.
They caught a break opening up for Common on his "Finding Futures Tour." Crowds didn't know how to take this beautiful anomally. Despite all of that, the duo was signed to Interscope and were featured on "Entourage" as well as "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanomo Bay." Releasing "Remind Me in 3 Days" in 2008 and then touring extensively in 2009. They hit the studio in 2010 to create "Eraser" -  that finally hit heads in 2011. Del Brown and I had the immense pleasure of meeting this wildly fun, insightful, and gorgeous duo, and a night of laughs, crushes, Dave Chapelle impressions, music appreciation, and jacket pin exchanges ensued.

I hope you enjoy one of my favorite tracks from The Knux....this one is called "Shes So Up"



Najamoniq!

New music obsession....Calvin Harris is always Ready For The Weekend!

There is nothing better to me than club thumping stylistic disco that brings up visions of pulling out that amazing outfit, putting it on, and hitting the town with a ferocity that could scare panthers in the jungle! If there was a soundtrack to this vision, it would be Calvin Harris!
Born in Dumfries,Scotland, Harris was attracted to electronic music in his teens and began recording demos in his bedroom studio in 1999. Becoming a bit antisocial during the process of creating his dream, he got his first solid break in 2002 when Prima Facie Label released two of his tracks, "Da Bongos" and "Brighter Days". In 2006 Harris signed with EMI and Sony BMG after being discovered on Myspace. Harris' career is a flurry of soap opera like interactions with many top artists including Lady GaGa, Katy Perry and Kelis, but through everything Harris has managed to still produce, DJ, and create some of the most amazing music to hit the electronic scene in years.
So, I urge you to pop onto your spotify, MySpace, or Facebook and become acquainted with this amazingly fun, discotastic musical genius. I know you wont be disappointed!
Enjoy my favorite track "Merrymaking At My Place"