ListenUp

Mahotella Queens, Banks + Shlomo, Habibi and more in the music we tweeted this week

Big Boi feat. Phantogram and Sade: CPU 2.0 2014 may well be the year of OutKast. The “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”-bumping duo is set to headline over 40 music festivals throughout the year, including Coachella and Governor’s Ball, plus both Big Boi and André 3000 are slated to release solo albums (we can only hope for another Outkast record too). In anticipation of his new release, Big Boi …

Banks: Brain

Mahotella Queens, Banks + Shlomo, Habibi and more in the music we tweeted this week

LA-based songstress Banks has already been gaining well-deserved international attention for her seductive, soulful tunes, but this week the Clash magazine cover girl may have outdone herself by teaming up with critically acclaimed producer Shlomo on the new track “Brain.” It’s a perfect pairing; Shlomo plays to Banks’ beautifully haunting vocals through his signature style of provocatively slow beats, for a song that entrances you …

Mahotella Queens: Wozani Mahipi (Hippies Come to Soweto)

Mahotella Queens, Banks + Shlomo, Habibi and more in the music we tweeted this week

Originally formed in 1964, South Africa’s Mahotella Queens are still going strong (if missing some original members). The trio of enthusiastic ladies perform all over their native South Africa, as well as to sold-out shows across the UK. Our friends at Amateurism recently tipped us off to the talented ensemble with a blog post about the funky township song “Wozani Mahipi (Hippies Come to Soweto).” …