If you miss the good old days of the 90s when you put on the radio and hear 311 or the Red Hot Chili Peppers creating some funky tracks; you'll probably enjoy listening to Everybody Left.

Describing their sound as post ska, reluctant reggae and Funk-Hop; the band sure knows how to throw down catchy beats that don't require much thought.

This British Columbia group is composed of Stephen Chatterton, Eric "The Red" Wickman, Steve "Shaggy" Fissel, "Ad-Mac" Adam McIntyre, Steve "Saxman" Cowie  and Martin Milbo Schoeps.

Released back in June 2010, this self titled debut serves as a band introduction of sorts. They were formed out of  frustration from the various members with their respective groups at that time. According to the group, they were "4 guys joined forces to create the music that they wanted to make. Not wanting to conform to any set genre or sound, they just wanted to play music and record a CD. Before the CD dies off completly (sic)."

The entire album is self-produced and was recorded in Off The Goose Studio, the band's own. What resulted from this is a fusion of reggae pop and funk with hints of hip hop. Even though they shun the comparison, their sound does echo off Sublime quite a bit. Tracks like Rock Slow and Treble in Paradise are upbeat and the type of tracks you can imagine playing in those 90s videos of guys driving around the neighborhood in their top down cars.

Pretty much, the entire 7-track compilation echoes with this sentiment. It's made to be played in the background to a laid-back, lazy day. If you are looking to trigger some 90s reggae funk nostalgia, you should take a listen to this one. It's available as a free download over at BandCamp.

Related Links:
Everybody Left on BandCamp
Everybody Left on Facebook
Everybody Left on Myspace
Everybody Left Official Website

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Captian Stu has been performing throughout the region ever since 2003. The five piece band brings us some of the most upbeat sounds I heard in a while; and with the unique and highly addicting blend of ska, funk, punk, and just a touch of fresh African flavor, their music will surely bring back all the wonderful days of summer that quickly got away.

So go ahead and get yourself a little bit of sunshine infused beats of the Free Music EP. And yes, just as the title suggests it is yours to enjoy entirely free of charge.

What started as coming together of six "pimpled teenagers" and a performance in front of a small and very much drunken birthday party crowd became a journey filled with several mind blowing records, music videos, a national tour, second place in Virgin Mobile's national "Road to TV" competition, sharing the stage with some of the most known bands such as Maroon 5 and One Republic; and finally after a number of additional concerts a great release of the Free Music EP "donning stupid furry costumes and drinking volumes of beer to keep things running in traditional Captain Stu style."

It's hard to pin point the favorite track on the album filled top to bottom with such a unique and fun sounds. In fact all of the five songs bring miles of energy that is hard to find anywhere these days; an energy that should not be missed. It's quirky lyrics will make you sing along all day, and it's fun loving harmonies will make you feel like vacation is just around the corner. Are you ready to party yet? Hit play and enjoy!

In the words of the band:

We have a bright and busy future ahead of us. A future teeming with big crowds, bigger music, epic tours, savage parties, sponsorships, investments, retirements and inevitably, funerals. We would love it, though, if you’d be smart enough to hop onboard with us before the inevitable end, and be a part of – or at least a witness to – the emergent Captain Stu phenomenon. We would never dream of disappointing you. Of course not. We are Captain Stu.

Related Links:
Captain Stu Official Website
Captain Stu on Bandcamp
Captain Stu on Twitter

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The album is a solo debut from a talented Toronto based musician Sunclef who, with his minimal yet surprisingly powerful tunes, brings us what is extremely hard to find amidst the many thousands of electronic releases out there - quality production.

The TesserAct, currently being offered as a 'free/pay what you want' download on Bandcamp, is a collection of five tracks from the artist. It starts off with Droski, a cut filled with hip hop nodding elements and excellent electronic beats that will keep you on your very toes. Catch A Drift is by no means different; it's catchy beats create a unique musical scale movement full of blossoming energetic synths, perfect for those new car sound system you have been dying to try out.

The Tesser?ct by Sunclef

But not all of the tracks are a clear cut electronic pieces, so if you are looking for even more substance head straight to Samolero with it's unique and gorgeous Spanish/latino strings taking over the first part of this instrumental gem.

All in all, The TesserAct is a great, not-to-be-missed, debut album. So give it a go and dive deep into your own electronic dream.

Related Links:
Sunclef Official Website
Sunclef on Facebook
Sunclef on SoundCloud
Sunclef on Bandcamp
Sunclef on MySpace
The TesserAct on Moovmnt.com

Ne:o is a German band that mixes a whole lot of genres to create an essentially artistic piece of work. The group recently released a live performance compilation to cap off their  German tour last 2009. It wasn't meant to be the last group performance but until today it remains to be seen whether the guys will be getting back together or not.

The album is available at Aaahh Records as well as on Internet Archive. Ne:o played songs from previous albums, âne:omuzicâ, âmusikkritikâ and the critically acclaimed, âillojâ. Listening to this band is like taking a wonderful, psychedelic music trip where you encounter layers and layers of sound as well as instruments that beautifully harmonize or mingle with each other.

Direkt is a spirited live performance from ne:o. It comes with 8 tracks that is filled with a wonderful mix of rock, electronica, jazz and pop all rolled into one. The album was recorded live at the Thalia cinema in Dresden back in December 2009. It has now become the bands final performance to date and was released as an album in conjunction with tonAtom, a German netlabel, back in May 12th.

Among the songs worth checking out include opening track, inn, which is a bluesy, prog/electronic love affair. Even if you consider yourself a bystander when it comes to electronic experimental music; it's not difficult to appreciate this one. There's a deftness and inherent balance that makes this song very enjoyable. Also, to achieve such precision in replicating their songs on a live set, is quite remarkable. Another great track is the upbeat, jazz pop cut, Je lieber. I love the retro disco vibe of the song. It definitely adds a sense of fun without going cheesy on the track.

Overall, the compilation is pretty intriguing. There are countless songs that you can enjoy even if you aren't really a fan of electro/electronic pop music. The amazing thing is that this compilation was performed live. It adds to a whole new depth and showcases the amount of talent these guys have.

Related Links:
ne:0 on Aaahh Records
ne:o on tonAtom
ne:o on Archive.org

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Germany License.

Eskaei is actually the one-man crew of Stefanos Kourtis. This talented artist has been making his own mix of eclectic electronic hip hop; skilfully creating a lush soundscape filled and inspired by hip hop music.

Stefanos is also the brainchild for netlabel, Memory Format. He started it around 2006. He has released several songs as well as compilations using different monikers in various netlabels.

As Eskaei, he focuses more on his love for "electronically generated sounds", creating a wonderful hodgepodge of elements that are both pleasant, complex yet easy to relax to.

Starting with the spacey sounding, Debrief, the song exudes a video game 8 bit sound that's mixed with a super cool electronic dub. Flairy (The Mishap), on the other hand, brilliantly combines synths with a moody atmosphere. It's like going through a dark tunnel and being enveloped in nothing but beats and sounds. One of those tracks you could easily get lost in.

The third song from the promo compilation is Fragmentation. Like the other cuts, the song flows seamlessly. It's a track of exploration, letting listeners discover the various sounds that swirl through the song.

Even though the compilation is a bit short, it's definitely worth checking out. All of the songs are pretty solid and resonate an amazingly cool vibe.

Eskaei has been making electronic music since 1997. He has also contributed to several other projects dealing with "sound production, including sound editing & mixing for TV, composition for theatrical plays and music making."

Related Links:
Eskaei on Memory Format
Eskaei on SoundCloud
Eskaei on Last FM

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Dubbed as a "producer who can do no wrong" New York native, Max Tonnone, releases his latest project, Ghostfunk. For those of you not familiar with the DJ/producer, he is known for his eloquent and interesting mash ups; his first foray was a combination of Jay-Z's raps with the music of alternative icons, Radiohead, creating "Jaydiohead." The project even caught the attention of the rap king himself. Since then the producer has worked with the likes of the Beastie Boys and has released countless mash-ups featuring his cool skills.

This time around, he has set his eyes on another prominent rapper, Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan, mixing his skillful rhymes with awesome old-school African funk, high life and psychedelic rock to create this wonderful gem. If you look at the producer's repertoire, he already has several successful mash-ups under his belt. Prior to releasing this one, he worked on a 5 song project called, Selene. Instead of a mash-up though, Max was paying homage to the science fiction movie, Moon. He also released, Mos Dub, back in 2010, a mix of Mos Def and urban reggae. A follow-up was released in the latter part of 2010, entitled, Dub Kwelli.

Ghostfunk exposes listeners to a whole new way of experiencing old music. Mixing unconventional sounds like reggae and funk into existing cuts breathes new life to them. Max has a knack for balance; taking almost two different sounds and beautifully incorporating them into one coherent and amazing track. From Make It N.Y., The Same Girl and even the low-down, funky, Astro Easy Love - the songs are skillfully created making it hard not leave it playing on your player all day.

Tannone certainly has a huge number of tricks up his leaves. Personally, I love the entire record. I'm generally apprehensive when it comes to mash-ups but these definitely do all artists involved some good. Pretty great compilation to check out. It's even hard to believe this one's offered for free download.

Related Links:
Max Tannone Official Website
Max Tannone on The Benjamins
Max Tannone on Myspace
Max Tannone on Facebook
Max Tannone on Twitter

Sometimes, all you need is good old rock and roll. Gleb Bones' The Fine Art of Wasting Time is an interesting mix of funk, hardrock, indie and garage rock in one loud yet likable record.

These Frenchman actually describe their sound as "glam rock" on their Myspace page and certainly, some songs do remind you of the good old hair, sequins, and tights days. However, there's no denying that most of the tracks are certainly worth lovin'.

If you're looking for some nostalgic rock and roll, then this is one of the best records on Jamendo to check out.

The Fine Art of Wasting Time is a great album filled with 70s/80s style rock and roll. Gleb Bones pretty much got their work cut out for them; recording and including 17 full cuts in the compilation. Each one has sass and style; taking you back to the good old days when men can wear colorful skintight outfits, makeup and big hair with no fear.

Songs like Date of Misery, I Wanna Try and Altarrr all echo a glam rock vibe. Meanwhile, Call It What You Want ( my favorite in the compilation) features a more 70s psychedelic rock style. It's a song done in the same vein as Deep Purple or a hazy, drugged out Doors. Really nice trippy, rock track that's worth checking out.
On the other hand, tracks like Liquid Present and The Fine Art of Wasting Time, each have their own distinct category. The former being an instrumental escapade of beautiful guitars while the latter a slow, acoustic slight love song.

Overall, the record is pretty interesting. One of those albums that grow on you; it has quite a few surprises at nearly every turn. Check it out and grab the download.

Related Links:
Gleb Bones on Jamendo
Gleb Bones on Myspace
Gleb Bones on Last FM

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 France License.

A wonderful fusion of rock, funk, folk, jazz, brass with some great sounding guitar, percussion, violin, viola, keyboards, trumpet, sax, bagpipes!?, and yes, even harmonica. It seems that Rei Teytum have it all, except of course for an English version of their bio anywhere on the Internet.
So it is times like this that I wish I spoke more languages to bring you important information about the artists. But since that will simply not happen lets focus on their fantastic album, "Viajeros" ("Travelers"), and the tiny bits of band history I was able to get (courtesy of my friend Google Translate).

"Viajeros" got my attention for one main reason – it is filled with a variety of music styles that, well, seemed to fit perfectly together. From the trumpet, drums and percussion that all of the sudden, in the middle of the song, make you feel like you are listening to jazz only to be followed by a harmonica solo, which than gets back to great rock sound and vocals (No Va!). Or the sound of bagpipes that just for a second makes you forget you are listening to an Argentinian band instead of roaming of the streets of Scotland (Viajeros). And than you have some amazing electric guitar solo among a jazz trumpet in Una Inquietud. Plus how can you not love the sound of violin in the background of many of the tracks.

The band:
Manu Gil (voice, guitar, harmonica)
Andrés “Pitu” Minvielle (bass)
Fran Garriga (keyboard)
Seba Minvielle (drums)
Julián “Tatum” Cueto (bagpipes)
Pablo Fittipaldi (violin and viola)

Guest musicians:
Santi Navamuel (percussion)
Estani Masigoge (percussion)
Guille Vera (sax)
Juano Arteta (trumpet)

The band was born in City Bell province of Buenos Aires, Argentina in April 2006 when Manu Gil, Fran Garriga and Seba Minvielle came together in order to pursue their own musical dream. After some time Julian "Tatum" Cueto joined the band and together recorded the first demo; a fusion of different instruments and genres ranging from rock, funk, ethnic, and folk. Following the release the band got the opportunity to perform in the many great venues of La Plata and Buenos Aires. As the number of performances grew so did the visiting guest musicians from which Pablo Fitipaldi became a permanent member.
In 2009, the band decided that it is time to record their first album titled "Viajeros" (“Travelers”), a task that was completed a year later. So why "Travelers"? According to the official bio the answer is pretty simple; the band wanted to find a 'path to happiness' so they ‘traveled’ through music.

Related Links:
Rei Teytum Official Website
Rei Teytum on Myspace
Rei Teytum on Last.fm

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The Land of Make Believe, an album filled with some of the most wonderfully uplifting and playful sounds I heard in a long while, comes to us thanks to a special collaboration between an accomplished musician, BJ Block, and Dawn Pemberton, one of Vancouver's most powerful voices. And with all the masterfully crafted lyrics and an amazingly refreshing combination of soul, RnB, jazz, and funk, the album might turn to be exactly what most of us were looking for to fill those lovely April days.

With the strong belief that good music is meant to be heard in all corners of the world, Bj and Dawn decided to distribute the album under CC license and with a little help of FrostWire we hope that those delightful sounds will find their way across the oceans.

When in the spring of 2010, BJ Block started thinking about putting together his second album he never imagined it could turn into anything like The Land of Make Believe is today. The reason was simple; the album was meant to be yet another instrumental masterpiece with the occasional addition of background vocals for added ambience. However, after several performances with a staple of Vancouver RnB, Funk, and Jazz scene - Dawn Pemberton and a number of highly successful musical experiments, the two soon-to-be recording partners decided that what the album needed was lying somewhere in the middle; what it needed was an equal contribution of mesmerizing vocals and an amazing instrumental depth.

It took only one writing session and one whole week for Just Be to emerge as the first single of new album. Soon after, the remaining seven songs with its funky/soulful overtones and Block's distinctive guitar work were included and the tracks released to the fans.
And although all of the tracks bring with it its own character and individuality, You Happy?, featuring a little kid's voice sample appearing throughout the song (and certainly fitting the main take on the album, which explores the challenges that adults face through the eyes of the child), will definitely be the one I will singing in my head for the rest of the week.

BJ Block's love affair with music started at a age of 15 when after seven years of studying classical piano he went across his very first electric guitar. During his time at Berklee College of Music and several years with The Ernest Goodlife Band, which would soon record its album and tour expensively throughout the East coast, this love soon turned into a life long passion. But even though the eventful times with the band had to come to an end, BJ's musical adventures where just catching a momentum of its own. Now residing in Vancouver, BC, CA, BJ is actively performing at various venues around the city while composing and recording his very own music. His debut album, Glitterball - an instrumental blend of dance grooves and ambient songs highly reminiscent of the 60s and the early 70s, paved a way for second release and what was soon to be a wonderful collaboration between a great musician and an amazing vocalist, Dawn Pemberton.

Similarly to BJ Block, Dawn Pemberton started playing piano at a very young age but unlike her future recording partner she found herself following a slightly different musical path. The vibrant and soulful vocalist soon took her powerful voice on a unforgettable journey through gospel, soul, jazz, world, and funk becoming a prominent figure in the Vancouver music scene. Already appearing in over 30 recordings, Dawn is constantly on a move sharing her experience and expertise as a teacher, facilitator, choir director, and a hired professional for live and studio performances. A passionate songwriter and performer Dawn crafts her music with a sense of adventure, quirkiness, and serious groove and shapes it into her own unique and dynamic package.

Related Links:
BJ Block on Facebook
BJ Block on Myspace
BJ Block on YouTube
BJ Block on Twitter
Dawn Pemberton official website
Dawn Pemberton on Facebook

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

BNegão & Seletores de Freqüência come from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a mix of Hip-Hop, Regge, Dub, Jazz, Samba, Soul, Rock, Dance, Metal, Baile Funk and as a description on the artists' myspace page reads their music is often characterized as explosive. In fact 'explosive' is just what I though when I first listened to their album Enxugando Gelo ('Drying Ice').

Enxugando Gelo originally posted as a free download on Overmixer (a Brazilian collaboration between Overmundo and ccMixter) in 2003.

The album soon became one of the most acclaimed Brazilian releases of the year and one of the most prominent examples of Creative Commons-licensed music in Brazil leading the band on a long tour in major capitals across S. America and Europe in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Rapper BNegão joined Seletores de Frequência (”Frequency Selectors”, in portuguese) after leaving the Brazilian hip-hop collective Planet Hemp, where he shared lead vocals with Marcelo D2. BNegão, however, is mostly known for being a great lyricist. His lyrical wit can be even seen in the 2003 album with tracks such as "Nova Visão", "Enxugando Gelo" and "A Verdadeira Dança do Patinho" for which words are set forward to criticize the Brazilian government.

Seletores de Frequência includes six members featuring Gabriel Muzak on guitar, drummer Pedro Garcia, Kalunga on bass, DJ Rodrigues, Paulo dos Santos on vocals and Pedrão on trumpet.

If you would like to follow the lyrics, you can find them here.

Related Links:
BNegão & Seletores de Freqüência on MySpace
BNegão & Seletores de Freqüência on Free Music Archives
BNegão & Seletores de Freqüência on Facebook