Rootstime.be Belgium Review (translated): Charles Xavier “Happy Note Records Sampler 2016”

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Well tired! It now seems that the period of ending up all misfits on my plate .. Now there is Charles Xavier (his name he has some Marvel Comic Strip, an area where I though nothing of rejected), aka The xman, a musical centipede from the San Francisco region, which in the course of time under a lot of pseudonyms and with a lot of bands (Satori, Xavier & the Messengers, the X-Man), the strangest tunes released.

 

The sampler, on his own label, gives an insight into some of these forms and is described by himself as “unconventional music for unconventional minds”. More precisely, I can not formulate it: and the maxim in men seems to be that unusual, far from being unusual enough. But … he makes beautiful music, so I only recently discovered.

 

His album “Hollywood and Heaven” this sampler contains three songs from “The Xman cometh” there are two, one of which applicable “Hollywood & Heaven” titled, from “The King Has Come” are the title track and the wonderful ” Stomp’n at Round Midnicht “, from” Perfect Mold “come” I Sat Outside There “and” You Know, You Know “and the Christmas album” Xmas Vibe “are” Christmas Day Is Almost Here “and” Silent Night “on the collection. In itself warrant for someone like me, who has two Christmas songs alone purchasing the collection, but there is more: in early 2017 is “Bosco” from the new full CD of Charles Xavier and as a warm-up before, read “The Dreamer” and “Into the Beyond and Back” between the songs from the past.

 

So hear: Past, present and future blend together, if you are a timeless spirit, like Xavier. These two experiments, now do I already look forward to the full CD, because let’s be clear: this guy is a genius. Period. Just as Zappa was Vandyke and Parks that is, not always visible, but invariably appallingly high level.

 

The list of musicians that are discussed on this compilation, is much, much too long to take him here but you can believe me on my word: if the musical achievements of all those people put together, then scream and a long list of artists from here to imbuktu who took advantage of this masterful misfits. Vinnie Colaiuta, Eric Harrington, Barry Reynolds … these are only a few that I mentioned, but those names do sound sure.

 

I have no idea of the cost of this sampler, but I think there is no better way imaginable to get to know the musician Charles Xavier, then retrieve it in house. That certainly pays well and is coming here already with your comfort …

 

 

(Dani Heyvaert)

Original Text:

Nou moe ! Het lijkt tegenwoordig wel de periode waarin alle buitenbeentjes op mijn bord terecht komen.. Nu is er weer Charles Xavier (zijn naam heeft hij van een of andere Marvel Comic Strip, een domein waar ik ook al niks van afwees), alias The XMan, een muzikale duizendpoot uit de San Francisco-regio, die in de loop der tijden onder nogal wat pseudoniemen en met nogal wat bands (Satori, Xavier & the Messengers, The X-Man), de vreemdste muziekjes uitgebracht heeft.

Deze sampler, op zijn eigen label, geeft een inkijk in een aantal van die verschijningsvormen en wordt door hemzelf omschreven als “unconventional music for unconventional minds”. Preciezer kan ik dat dus niet formuleren: en de stelregel bij de man lijkt te zijn dat ongewoon, lang niet ongewoon genoeg is. Maar…hij maakt prachtige muziek, die ik dus recent pas ontdekte.

Van zijn plaat “Hollywood and Heaven” bevat deze sampler drie nummers, van “The Xman cometh” zijn er twee, waarvan eentje toepasselijk “Hollywood & Heaven” getiteld is, uit “The King Has Come” zijn er de titelsong en het heerlijke “Stomp’n at Round Midnicht”, uit “Perfect Mold” komen “I Sat Outside There” en “You Know,You Know” en van de kerstplaat “Xmas Vibe” staan “Christmas Day Is Almost Here” en “Silent Night” op de verzameling. Op zich rechtvaardigen voor iemand als ik, die twee kerstsongs alleen al de aanschaf van deze verzameling, maar er is meer: begin 2017 komt “Bosco” uit, de nieuwe volwaardige CD van Charles Xavier en als opwarmertje daarvoor, staan “The Dreamer” en “Into The Beyond and Back” tussen de nummers uit het verleden.

Zo hoort dat: Verleden, heden en toekomst lopen in elkaar over, als je een tijdloze geest bent, zoals Xavier. Die twee voorproefjes, doen mij nu al uitkijken naar die full CD, want laat één ding duidelijk zijn: deze kerel is een genie. Punt uit. Net zoals Zappa dat was en Vandyke Parks dat is: niet altijd even toegankelijk, maar steevast op ontstellend hoog niveau.

De lijst van muzikanten, die op deze verzamelaar aan bod komen, is veel en veel te lang om hem hier over te nemen maar u mag mij op mijn woord geloven: als u de muzikale verwezenlijkingen van al die mensen naast elkaar zet, dan krijs en een waslijst aan artiesten van hier tot imbuktu, die hun voordeel deden met deze meesterlijke buitenbeentjes. Vinnie Colaiuta, Eric Harrington, Barry Reynolds…het zijn er slechts een paar, die ik vermeld, maar klinken doen die namen zeker.

Ik heb geen idee van de kostprijs van deze sampler, maar ik denk dat er geen betere manier denkbaar is om de muzikant Charles Xavier te leren kennen, dan deze in huis te halen. Dat loont zonder twijfel de moeite en u komt er alvast even mee uit uw comfortzone…

(Dani Heyvaert)

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MidwestRecord.com Review: FloRocker “Rich in the Heart”

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FLOROCKER/Rich in the Heart: Vet beat maker is now rapping for his supper and it seems like the first lesson he’s learned from all his years in the game is to make the lyrics intelligible. With annunciation being prominent, it gives you the chance to decide if you like the content or not and whether to get upset by it or not—but that’s just his old skool skills speaking. Sure, it’s a young urban sound, but it’s some of the smokingest street level stuff since the Geto Boys were in their prime. Releasing this on his own label to reflect his own bottom up take no prisoners ethic, now that “Hamilton” has opened non rap fans ears to rap, take this ride down some back alleys for the real deal. Well done.

http://www.midwestrecord.com/MWR1145.html

New Music Video World Premiere: Cure For Gravity “BlackMetal”

Check out this amazing new video for the song “BlackMetal” from Cure For Gravity!

 

Preorder the album on iTunes now at:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cure-for-gravity-ep/id1154669103

 

And a fantastic new review of the album from annecarlini.com:

http://annecarlini.com/ex_cd.php?id=2053

Title – ‘Cure For Gravity’ [EP]
Artist – Cure For Gravity’

Hailing from Oakland, CA, Cure for Gravity– Chris Gamper, Drums & Cymbals; Joe Markert, Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keys and Programming; and Dave Walcott, Lead Guitar – delivers an entrancing amalgam of atmospheric synth-rock with a cinematic vision here on their simply divine new self-titled EP, Cure For Gravity.

Indeed, this trio – and seemingly with ease – create a stunning brand of synth/alt rock that evokes bands like Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Elbow and even, for my money, Red Hot Chili Peppers, at times.

The album opens with the chilling, atmospheric pre-lift off countdown amalgamation of crisp, resonate sounds within ‘Tonight’ before the drums and vocals kick on and bring us a more choral pop-sense of a track. ‘Sunspots’ is the perfect follow on to that track, and that in turn is backed by the euphoric ‘Just Like Candy.’

‘Black Metal’ is one of the longest tracks on this EP, and deservedly so as once the jangling guitars have stopped, the laser sounds of an 80’s arcade game have subsided, the music that follows is hypnotic and compelling, to say the very least. The countrified track ‘Push’ is one of my own personal favorites. The flow is perfect, the vocals sublime, the lyrically prose seductive, scene-creating and magnificently grounded. The EP ends with ‘Killing For The Queen’, yet another stalwart track that would not be out of place on say, well, the new RHCP album, that’s for damn sure.

www.cureforgravity.net

www.facebook.com/CureforGravityBand

Cure For Gravity’s “BlackMetal” Music Video World Premiere Tuesday 9/27

Independent Distribution Collective band Cure For Gravity‘s new BlackMetal video will be premiered on 4 different international websites on Tuesday 9/27. Check out the event page below for all the info!

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Facebook Event Link

Cure for Gravity band page

Cure for Gravity Bandcamp

CURE FOR GRAVITY: S/T

Great review for Independent Distribution Collective​ artist Cure For Gravity​’s new one on Altered Frequencies.com Check it out!

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Cure for Gravity is Chris Gamper (drums), Joe Markert (vocals, keys, guitars) and Dave Walcott (guitars, vocals), and with Dan Feiszli on bass. Hailing from Berkeley, CA this trio delivers an entrancing amalgam of atmospheric synth/alt rock that is reminiscent of later Tears For Fears in sound and vocals.

I put on this six song album and after hitting play, I was transported back to the late ’80s, early ’90s when bands were still melodic and used keyboards with finesse, before the grunge bands came in and knocked this kind of music out of the charts and out of people’s radar. These guys bring those days back, but still manage to sound modern and exciting with catchy songs with soulful vocals that pull you in and get trapped in your ears. With atmospheric songs like “Tonight,” this band really takes you on a trip that makes you close your eyes…

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JP’s Music Blog Review: Cure For Gravity “Cure For Gravity”

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http://jpsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/cd-review-new-music-from-livesays-neon.html

From Oakland, CA comes the debut album from the progressive rock trio Cure For Gravity. Their new self-titled release features only six tracks, but as one song leads into the next, it feels like one continuous song. Beginning with “Tonight,” the song’s spacey build-up, leaves little room for vocals as you are taken on a sonic journey that shifts along with the exciting instrumentation of “Sunspots.” The album’s lead single, “Black Metal” has a classic prog-rock feel as Cure For Gravity use their influences to balance between their mainstream and experimental sound. The short 30-minute album closes with the steady tempo of “Killing For The Queen” as you wish for more from this rising young band. To find out more about Cure For Gravity and their new debut album, please visit cureforgravity.net.

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Richmond, California Rapper and Producer FloRocker Announces the Worldwide Release of His New Full Length Album “Rich In The Heart”

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Richmond, California Rapper and Producer FloRocker Announces the Worldwide Release of His New Full Length Album Rich In The Heart 

For Immediate Release – Richmond, California – Over the past quarter-century there has been a huge upsurge in Hip Hop and Rap music emanating from the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area. The trend continues to this day with some great new artists and labels popping up not only in San Francisco and Oakland, but in the adjacent suburbs of Vallejo and Richmond, California.  This includes FloRocker, a dynamic artist and producer who has been in the game for many years, and is proud to announce his new 12-track debut album, Rich In The Heart, due for worldwide digital and physical release on October 28, 2016. FloRocker is releasing this album as a celebration of life, spanning club songs to street records, and with a variety of genres represented including Rap and Hip Hop.

FloRocker was born and raised in Richmond, California, and the city will always be in his heart, regardless of what people hear or think about the place that raised him. As a child FloRocker was fascinated with how music was created rather than who was actually singing the songs that he heard on the radio, and his unique sound comes from trying to make a different kind of music than everyone else. Flo has always explored new sounds with every track he has written and produced.

Originally deep into creating tracks that were intended for other artists to record on, Flo found that his music started speaking to him, and the more tracks he produced, the more new and different production and lyrical ideas came into his head. Several months later the album Rich In The Heart was created. The album was co-produced by Bentley and featured vocal guests on the album include K-Rob the Singer, Ms. DeNaro and Brothers 4 Life.

A strong inspiration for Flo’s album came from his mother passing away after a battle with stomach cancer. Flo’s mother raised him and his brother to follow their dreams, and she has been in his thoughts as he did so throughout the entire production of Rich In The Heart. No matter what he is doing or where he is, his mother’s spirit is there to guide him.

FloRocker’s musical skills are matched only by his work ethic. To release his debut album, he has created his own independent record label, FloStyle Entertainment, and will be performing and continuing to produce music and additional releases throughout the coming months and years.    Co-Executive produced by FloRocker’s partner K-Rob, this team has more great artists and music on the way in 2017 and beyond.

Music videos for two of the songs from Rich In The Heart will be released leading up to the album’s release. This dynamic Bay Area artist is on the rise, and his groundbreaking music is guaranteed to turn some heads.

FloRocker is here now to wake up those who were sleeping.

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For Music Samples or to pre-order Rich In The Heart please visit:

https://flostyleentertainment.bandcamp.com/

 

For more information and touring schedule please visit FloRocker’s website:

http://www.flostyleentertainment.com/

 

Hip Hop and Rap Publications please contact Brendan Blandy at Connective Marketing:

Email: brendan@connectivemkt.com     Website: http://connectivemkt.com/

 

For Media Interview requests please contact Billy James at Glass Onyon PR:

Email: glassonyonpr@gmail.com      Phone: 828-350-8158

 

For Live Performance Bookings and Management please contact FloStyle Entertainment: flostyleent@yahoo.com

 

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Keys and Chords (Belgium) review for Charles Xavier: Happy Note Records Sampler 2016

Check out Keys and Chords’ feature on Charles Xavier‘s Happy Note Record Sampler 2016

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Happy Note Records is a music production company in San Francisco, founded in 2005 by Charles Xavier. Xavier, also known as “The Xman” is a visionary producer, composer, electronic musician and percussionist from the Bay Area. Here he brings his sixth album, which covers 20 years of his releases featuring contributions from Satori, The Messengers, and including music genres  of Jazz, Electronic, Ambient and New Age. In the past 30 years Xavier has set up several issues, including the aforementioned Happy Note Records under the title “Unconventional Music for Unconventional Minds”. On the album, there are a lot of national and international artists including smooth jazz saxman Sam Riney (Freddie Hubbard, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan), trumpeter Warren Gayle (Joe Henderson), drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney), percussionist Jackie Bertone (Brian Wilson, Stanley Clarke, Tower of Power), guitarist Barry Reynolds (Grace Jones, Marianne Faithful, Black Uriah), Frankie “Blue”Sposato (Trick, Garbage, Jamiroquai, The Rembrandts), bassists Tony Newton (Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Tony Williams) and Steve “Liberty” Loria (Spirit, Tricky), keyboard player Richard Larsen (Berlin, Erasure, Atomic Clock) and Hayden Clemente (Huey Lewis, MC Hammer) and harpist Carol Robbins (Billy Childs, Jose Feliciano). The project was recorded in different studios. The single is out “The Dreamer,” which already won a nomination on hold as “Best Dance Recording and Best Instrumental Composition”for the Grammys. This number is the upcoming album Bosco for 2017. Maybe something for the people who like crossover?

charlesxavier.com

Bandcamp: Happy Note Record Sampler 2016