If you’ve been hoping, wondering and waiting for a new female voice to sweep in, seduce and tantalize at the dawn of the new year, your wishes has been granted in Moroccan-born, Paris-based Hindi Zahra. This multi-talented and multi-cultural siren of Berber-soul writes infectious and hip songs that perfect spark of intimacy.

Hindi’s spontaneous yet well-honed debut, Handmade is jazzy and soulful with Arabic sounds and a gritty, bluesy Berber pulse. “I wanted a space where I could break all the barriers, where I could put all the music I knew and loved together. Where I could mix it all,” Hindi explains.

Hindi grew up in southwest Morocco improvising melodies at her relatives’ urging; singing along with Egyptian hits on the radio; and drawing inspiration from her hardworking father and the rugged ranges and verdant valleys surrounding her village. For the young Hindi, natural beauty was part of her daily existence. The places around her were filled with spirits, and the mountains reminded her of “plump and generous old ladies,” she recalls fondly. They became her first audience, as she sang to them.

With a singer and actress for a mother and uncles who loved to jam on guitars and percussion, Hindi found her own voice early. “I had to go to my room, close the door, and practice making up melodies on my own,” Hindi explains. “I had to be alone, with only my voice.”

New York, November 3, 2011 – Brice Rosenbloom of BOOM Collective (formerly boomBOOM Presents) is proud to announce the 2011 NYC WINTER JAZZFEST lineup.  The festival is to be held on January 7th & 8th, 2011 in New York City.  The NYC Winter Jazzfest will take over threeWest Village venues, (le) Poisson Rouge, Kenny’s Castaways and Zinc Bar on Friday January 7th, and five venues, (le) Poisson Rouge, Kenny’s Castaways, Zinc Bar, Sullivan Hall, and Bitter End on Saturday January 8th.  This marks the seventh year of the annual NYC WINTER JAZZFEST, and our continued mission to showcase top quality jazz and experimental music.

Abacus, LAL, and Ivana Santilli. In the process, Moonstarr has gained worldwide acclaim for his music from veteran DJs such as Gilles Peterson, Rainer Truby, Laurent Garnier, Marc Mac, Derrick May, and DJ Spinna and from various publications like Straight No Chaser, XLR8R, Montreal Gazette and Exclaim, and has scored for the cult hit film Next: A Primer On Urban Painting.

Digging through dusty boxes of old cassette tapes, floppies and DATs, Moonstarr decided to compile some unreleased and classic joints from The Archive. This nostalgic look back reveals signature vinyl-only dancefloor jams praised by DJs and tastemakers the world over, as well as unreleased joints that are just now escaping Moonstarr’s studio walls.

Jazzanova’s Alex Barck whips up a massive Christmas mix with classics in soul, funk, jazz and pop. [soundcloud […]

As a poet and performance artist, Ursula Rucker has enchanted critics and fans across the globe with her diverse repertoire, captivating vocals and accessible poetic verse.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, she began documenting her observations of the world when she was just a girl. A graduate of Temple University’s journalism program, Ursula kept her creative writing as a prized, personal possession until she was prepared to share with the world. In 1994, she introduced an open-mic night audience at Philadelphia’s Zanzibar Blue to the beauty and urgency of her poetry.

Word quickly spread throughout the city of Ursula’s poetry and stage performance, which has been described as “strong, vulnerable, wounded and raging.” Producer King Britt invited her to create her first recording, the 1994 single, “Supernatural” (Ovum/Slip N Slide UK).

Fort Knox Recordings is proud to present Sabor Tropical, (out January 11, 2011) the debut album from the Empresarios. The band was originally introduced on the 2009 label compilation The New Gold Standard 2, with infectious tunes that just begged to be remixed and reworked. The Empresarios are the first new artist to release their own full length album on the ever-growing Fort Knox roster.

With Sabor Tropical, they have set the bar very high for the new generation of artists to follow. From the opening track on Sabor Tropical, you already know you’re in for a diverse ride of styles. The album smoothly combines latin funk, cumbia, dub and reggaeton on a grooveoriented tip, perfectly balancing beats for both the headphones and dancefloor.