Sampa the Great: The Great Mixtape

For “The Great Mixtape,” poet and vocalist Sampa the Great sings and rhymes with a political conscience, dragging words out slowly or stuttering them out rapid fire over producer Godriguez’s jazzy beats. Exploring hip-hop, R&B and spoken word with experimental flourishes, the mixtape shows off music as a “soul language,” as Sampa puts it. Mos Def and Lauryn Hill’s influences are clear, as is her …

Petite Noir: MDR

Describing his sound as “Noirwave,” Cape Town-based singer and producer Petite Noir (aka Yannick Ilunga) is set to release his album La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful next month. From it comes his latest release, “MDR.” It’s a track that—as Petite Noir puts it—has “a new African aesthetic,” but also blends elements of new-wave and funk, while his hearty voice contrasts beautifully with …

Here We Go Magic: Ordinary Feeling

While Here We Go Magic got the locals at Rockaway Beach dancing with the energy in “Falling,” they juxtapose it with their second offering from their upcoming album Be Small (out 16 October 2015 via Secretly Canadian). The unhurried “Ordinary Feeling” especially shows off the interwoven, intimate nuances of the self-produced, home-recorded album (a notable creative decision considering they worked with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich …