The Sounds of VTech

Though the weather was wet and cold back in December 2009 in Washington DC, the crowds came early and patiently waited in long serpentine lines throughout the lobby of the National Geographic Grosvenor Auditorium for “Distant Relatives,” a special panel discussion. Some had come to hear Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, others for Nas, several came for Kool Herc and Rakim, and one person in particular came for Jeff Chang with book in hand hoping for an autograph. But no matter who they came for, the purpose of the evening was to learn about the roots of Hip-Hop and Reggae music, spanning the continent of Africa to the sound systems of Jamaica, and onto the streets of America.

This amazing panel which includes guests such as Stephen Marley, DJ Red Alert, Pat McKay, Waterflow, Big Youth, etc., was brought to the global stage by VTech  and was truly a melding of the minds.

They touched on the generational gap of learning and understanding music, the evolution of their industries, their personal experiences, beliefs, and interpretations of what music meant to them and expressed their joys and frustrations.

For those of you who weren’t there, this video gives a look at the magic behind the scenes as well as what happened on stage that night.  Listen, learn, and grow.

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The Sounds of VTech / Distant Relatives at National Geographic

It was show day at the Luckman Theatre and February 22nd, 2009 marked our second concert of the Timeless series, Suite for Ma Dukes. As the Orchestra assembled, Karriem Riggins and Steve “Thundercat” Bruner sat in the back chatting and sharing jazz stories. Karriem and Thundercat, both jazz veterans despite their youthfulness, were having a good time. Then in a flash Thundercat broke out his iPhone and asked Karriem about Tony Williams. Tony Williams had been a jazz prodigy who at 17 had played drums with the famous Miles Davis Quartet with Ron Carter, and Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock in the mid-sixties. In the seventies his band Lifetime were an amazing fusion combo making some just incredible records.

Thundercat played Williams’, “Proto-Cosmos,” and Karriem knew the song straight away. Immediately they began to play. B+ happened to be standing there with camera in hand, and was fortunate enough to capture this joyful moment. Here it is, free, happy, improvised and spectacular. Just what music is about.

Get ready for the 3 DVD Limited Edition Timeless Box Set coming 03-30-10..

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The Sounds of VTech / Proto Cosmos

The song that inspired the moment…

The Timeless DVD Box Set

Timeless describes moments outside of time— moments that exist so deep inside history that they break through that finite grid. Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series is an homage to the composer-arrangers that have influenced hip-hop in the most literal and profound ways.

The creative center of popular music today is the beatmaker-producer. Whether it is Timbaland, Dilla, Dre, or Madlib, these musicians have an uncanny sense for voicings, a penchant for unusual sounds and catchy rhythms and a magical ability to manufacture a good performance. Today’s beatmakers are the direct descendants of yesterday’s composer-arrangers. Their processes—whether it be writing a memorable line for background singers or finding the appropriate moment for a baritone harmonica — mirror those of today’s musicians. The composer-arranger creates music through the frame of the bigger picture, often more concerned with how things sound together than individually. Similarly today’s beatmakers produce music on a grand scale, but through automation and sampling.

Timeless brings these two seemingly unlike worlds together. The series honors the musical legacies of some of the greatest composer-arrangers ever.  Timeless celebrates the work of the composer-arranger in the context it should be seen—with full orchestras.

From Mulatu Astatke to J. Dilla to Arthur Verocai, the Timeless Concert Series touched upon the works of three musical giants. Mochilla is proud to announce the March 30th, 2010 release date of the Timeless Concert Series, a 3 DVD box set with a special downloadable audio portion. The box set will be an extremely limited and numbered edition of 4,000, which will include full liner notes, a free poster exclusive only to the box set, extra features, songs, and slideshows of images used in the presentation. To mark the launch of the DVD, there will be a series of events scheduled around its release, including a SXSW screening. Stay tuned here to The Sounds of VTech for more.

Mulatu Astatke:

Headlining the first concert in the Timeless series was the beginning of a big year for Mulatu Astatke. His recent collaboration with the Heliocentrics has made it on many people’s “Best of List,” for 2009. The anthology of his work, New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975, the first comprehensive collection of his work was a big success for Strut Records. On February 1^st, he blessed the Luckman Auditorium with an amazing show. He shared the stage with Los Angeles jazz scene veterans Bennie Maupin, Azar Lawrence, and Phil Ranelin. The performance is beautiful, showcasing many classics as well as some new material. The music was mixed by Los Angeles engineer Benjamin Tierney and UK producer/musician, Will “Quantic” Holland.

Mulatu is currently touring Europe with the Heliocentrics and is still talking about the Timeless concert. 

 Suite For Ma Dukes:

Timeless II celebrated the music of hip-hop producer, James “J. Dilla” Yancey. Composed and arranged for a 60-piece orchestra by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, the concert featured special guests Bilal, Dwele, Posdnuos (De La Soul), Talib Kweli, and more. This premiere performance is still buzzing in the minds of many, unable to shake the magic of that evening.

The music was mixed and mastered by legendary Grammy award-winning producer/mixer Bob Power. Power is the man behind hundreds of pop and jazz recordings. He’s worked with such artists as Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, India.Arie, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and even more significantly, with Dilla.  Bob rarely works on smaller independent projects like this, but was so impressed with Miguel’s music that he blessed this collaboration with an epic mix.

We are premiering “Take Notice” today with Bob’s mix.

In related news, on February 6^th, 2010, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony will be perform four of Miguel’s arrangements of Dilla in a tribute to great American composers. Dilla will be honored right along side George Gershwin, William Grant Still, and Duke Ellington. Only Timeless could have made this happen. Deepest congratulations to Miguel and Dilla.

 Arthur Verocai:

Timeless III saw Arthur Verocai make his very first trip to Los Angeles to perform his seminal 1972 record for a capacity audience at the Luckman. The performance brought the crowd to a stand still. According to Verocai, “I never played the record, alive or dead!” and hid the record from his family because “of his disappointment at its failure during the 70s.” His utter delight at the opportunity to play this music in its complete form can be seen in the DVD. He has subsequently been offered an opportunity to do the concert again in London. Stay tuned. 

The music was mixed by Verocai himself in Rio de Janeiro. He was so excited with the final result that he held a private screening of the concert at the beginning of December and invited the Carioca music community.

Three different shows with three different producers/arrangers and three different styles of extraordinary music presented. For those who attended, the Timeless Series was that of magic, love, and music that penetrated the soul. With the box set, those who weren’t able to attend will now understand what everyone has been talking about. And for those who have, a chance to relive music history all over again. 

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The Sounds of VTech / Suite For Ma Dukes: Take Notice

Right Click To Download: Take Notice (Bob Power mix)

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On November 18th, Virgin Mobile brought Public Enemy to D.C. for a good cause. To celebrate the three year anniversary of National Homeless Awareness Month designated by Congress through the efforts of the RE*Generation, Virgin Mobile’s charity arm. Proceeds from the event went to benefiting homeless youth, helping them keep warm, and giving back to the Sasha Bruce House, where a young person who needs a place to stay- for any reason- can find a home here.    

Virgin Mobile sponsored an early Thanksgiving dinner at the Sasha Bruce House with Public Enemy, with a tour of the shelter and participated in a Q&A session with the kids and press. 

Once they finished, they proceeded to George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in true Public Enemy style, on the back of a flat bed truck! Livening up the mood by giving a small performance on the streets of D.C. before taking the stage for one unforgettable night. 

“Don’t believe the hype. Just because everyone says the economy’s coming back doesn’t mean that homeless kids don’t need a place to sleep and keep warm.”  Flavor Flav of Public Enemy

Check out the video below presented by VTech in partnership with Virgin Mobile and The RE*Generation from that memorable evening. 

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The Sounds of VTech / oc_vtech_final7-largeqt

Here’s a video put together by our friends over at Death + Taxes featuring Das Racist and the Food Network’s Ian Kanauer as a holiday gift to you, our Sound of VTech fans. The video, a reflection of our current economic times, shows Ian teaching the band full of struggling artists how to cook a holiday meal on the cheap. Maybe you’ll try the recipe out yourself over the holidays and let us know how it works out. 

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The Sounds of VTech / Das Racist