Finally! Longtime friends Theophilus London and Jesse Boykins III make it legal with new PARIS 96 collaborative project. First track “Afternoon” is the perfect mix of JBIII’s sophisticated R&B stylings and T. London’s percussive rhyming playboy thing. Expect an EP from these two in April. Psyched!
PARIS 96 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
Check out the soulful (& awesome) hip hop-informed space pop of Natural Self a/k/a Brighton-based producer Nathaniel Pearn and his track for “Machine”. The single will be available Feb 18th on Tru Thoughts. Get familiar. (TLOBF)
Natural Self (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
Forte Bowie, who was recently featured on Trinidad James’ (all gold blah blah blah) “Southside” record, lets loose the first track from his forthcoming Vice Haus EP, “Gucci Mane”. First, “Gucci Mane” (burr burr burr burr) is an incredibly varied (and unexpected) track. The track & Fort adeptly run through gear after gear after gear, from trap-influenced verses, an R&B middle bit, an Ellie Goulding sample to a great 90’s-styled hook. Look out for more from Fort Bowie when Vice Hause drops on the 18th.
Forte Bowie – Gucci ManeForte Bowie 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.2
Johnbear & Bria out of Leeds UK offer a five-star 90’s house remix of Janet Jackson’s great “Someone to Call My Lover”. Big up.
Johnbear & Bria – Call Me Your LoverJohnbear & Bria (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
b3 faves The 1975 come through with possibly their most challenging track to date with “Head.Cars.Bending.”. The R&B influence hinted at in earlier songs like “You” & “Chocolate” is dialed up further here with the band embracing more untraditional song & rhythm structures for indie pop. “Head.Cars.Bending” is quite unlike anything we’re heard before (in the best sort of way) and we’re definitely co-signing this particular lane for the band. The 1975’s s/t EP is due March 3rd on Dirty Hit.
The 1975 (Facebook)
Rating 8.2
It’s Ghost Beach, duh! The great Shook takes “Been There Before” on the Caribbean cruise of its dreams; we’re talking co-ed competitive shuffleboard, tours of the captain’s bridge & quarters, waterslides, and all the conga lines to Buster Poindexter’s “Hot Hot Hot” one can handle.
Shook 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
L.A.-based Banks does dark pop to perfection on new track “Before I Ever Met You”. (And we mean this in the most complimentary way) If Fiona Apple were 15 years younger and just emerging into music right now, her sound likely wouldn’t be too far from Banks on “Before I Ever Met You”. We are in love.
Banks 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.6
R&B remixer of the moment Kaytranada tries his hand at a restyling the vocals of b3 fave Teedra Moses’ (Dear, Def Jam. Could we please get that MMG album of hers released? Thx!) track for “Be Your Girl”. Much in the same vein as his previous remix work, Kaytranada keeps it 3 A.M., soulful & A+. Get with it below.
Teedra Moses – Be Your Girl (Kaytranada Edition)Kaytranada 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
Balthazar, a duo out of the UK, make their b3sci debut with the Leonard Cohen meets Dangermouse sound of “The Man Who Owns The Place”. The spaghetti western, heat of summer sweeping textures of the track’s production and arrangements provide a really sharp counterpoint for the Cohen/Gainsbourg/Zimmerman lane stylings of “The Who Owns The Place”s melodies. The band will be supporting Local Natives later this month on their European Tour, and you can sample the particulars (as well as the track) below.
Balthazar – The Man Who Owns The PlaceTour
Friday 8th Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
Saturday 9th Edinburgh, Electric Circus
Monday 11th Dublin, Whelan’s
Tuesday 12th Liverpool, Kazimier
Wednesday 13th Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
Thursday 14th London, Scala
Tuesday 19th Copenhagen, Vega
Wednesday 20th Gothenburg, Pustervik
Thursday 21st Oslo, John Dee
Saturday 23rd Stockholm, Debaser Medis
Balthazar 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
London-based Citizen drops off his latest, the soulful 90’s-influenced house of “Worship + Tribute”. Citizen will be releasing his Citizen Trax project on Love Fever Records at the end of the month. You know you want to dance.
Citizen (Facebook)
Rating 8.3
R&B upstart Phil Beaudreau and producer Dawaun Parker convert another track to the gem category (each track’s been a diamond thusfar) with the beautiful conscious-driven “This Is Why”. The production (between the soulful horns and gloomy textured atmospheres) is absolutely lights out; and that dreamy falsetto chorus hook? Heavenly. Get familiar ASAP.
Phill Beaudreau – This Is Why (Feat. Dawaun Parker)Phil Beaudreau (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.7
Radio host Abbey Braden recently caught up with Matt Cauthran of The Bronx to chat about the band’s new album IV, roman numeral education, ‘piping hot’ nachos, Disney Land hook-ups and more! It’s pretty hilarious stuff… give it your ears below.
*Tune into Virgin Mobile Live for more interviews and killer jams with Abbey Braden daily on VML.
