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Cuba Opens Its Doors to the Rolling Stones, Our Writer Was There

Posted on by Mixologi - The Art of Diversity

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It’s a Friday morning in Habana, and I’m taking one more walk through La Habana Vieja since it’s probably my last chance to take photos there before my departure the following day. As I walked through the streets, I couldn’t look in any one direction without seeing a shirt or hat with the famous Rolling Stones red-lips-with-the-tongue-out logo. The energy and excitement had been building all week amongst locals and foreigners alike for this historic concert

Throughout the week many locals would see me shooting photos around town and ask, “estás aquí para los Rolling Stones?” I explained that they weren’t the only reason I came, but I was definitely looking forward to going and covering it. Everyone I talked to kept saying that all of Habana was going to be there. Official estimates were over half a million people. Sure enough, the official estimate post-concert was 700,000.

Amidst rumors of people camping out as early as the day before, a few friends and I decided to go a few hours early to secure some lawn space for the group. As we arrived to the Ciudad Deportiva, where a few days prior Obama had watched a game of béisbol, I could see the enormous stage towering over the field behind the stadium. Even at 4pm it already seemed as if there were a couple hundred thousand people there, eagerly waiting.

Although the majority were Cubans, many of whom had never seen a concert of this magnitude, there were also people from all over the globe (many of whom brought their own country’s flag and the Stones shirt from when they played in their country – Brazil, Mexico, the U.S.), giving off a very worldly vibe. The concert also transcended generations – from grannies to little babies, I could count at least four, all there to witness the historic show.

Usually festivals and concerts I’ve attended are blatantly fueled by drugs and alcohol, but not this one. Besides the fact that they were searching bags on the way in and alcohol wasn’t permitted, I was surprised to find that only a handful of people were sneaking it in. This concert was refreshingly very sober. The people were genuinely there for the music and the spectacle.

After hours of a looping documentary and a playlist of classic rock, the lights went out, and everyone began to cheer. Phone screens lit the field up. The stage suddenly came alive right as Keith Richards strummed his first chord. The crowd went WILD!

The show lasted over two hours, and I have to say, for how long they’ve been doing it, Jagger still has the moves and Keith is still a beast on the guitar. In between songs, Mick sang to the crowd completely in Spanish. He touched on the historic week that had passed, the beauty of Cuban culture, and thanked Cuba for all of the beautiful music it had gifted to the world.

The show ended abruptly after playing “I Can’t Get No”, just to come right back for a 3-song encore including “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. The energy was immense, just visualize over half a million people in the field and surrounding buildings singing along. I felt so blessed to be there that night, sharing this experience with the Cuban people. Needless to say, the Stones carved out a space in every Cuban’s heart in attendance that night. What a time to be alive indeed.

 

Tweet is Back with Charlene

Posted on by Mixologi - The Art of Diversity

Before there was Twitter there was Tweet, the brown-skinned beauty with a voice as rich as mahogany. A voice that felt as familiar as an aunt who was always singing at all of the family functions, birthday parties, dinners or funerals. That’s who Tweet has always been, and now, without much of a warning, she has come back to our ears with her third album, Charlene.  

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Charlene is Tweet’s first album in over a decade and for many including myself, a great reintroduction. Of the album, Tweet told Billboard Magazine,

“In 2005, I was really in a bad place. I kind of hit rock bottom. So on Charlene, you’ll probably hear a lot more secure Charlene. I’m fine with who I am and secure as the woman and artist. I’m not afraid. Spiritually, mentally, I’m just in this whole other place, and I’m excited and I’m ready for whatever is to come.”

And listening to the album, the confident woman that Tweet claims to be is exactly who listeners will actually hear. Covering topics that explore the various stages and feelings that come with relationships, Tweet sounds very in touch with who she is on both an emotional and spiritual level. Honestly speaking, this is an album that you will go through the emotions and levels with. You can feel what it is she is actually singing about. It’s a very mature and honest album, and the production on the album serves as the perfect backdrop. Overall, this album just feels very raw and shows tremendous growth for Tweet.

The entire album is great, making it difficult to identify the highlights. Both “The Outro: I Struggle” and “Dadada… Struggle” are such beautiful songs that I wish were longer. The lyrics and production on both are beautiful and give a great background for Tweet’s beautiful voice. “The Hardest Thing” is a song that makes you really want to walk into a Baptist Church. I’m sure in context, this song is about letting go of a tumultuous relationship and not settling, but in delivery it feels like a somewhat religious experience. With lyrics like, “I’m tired of disappointments/ want to leave them all behind me/ move forward without regrets / But I don’t know how hard all of this would be” it just feels like a clean slate, and clear palette. “Priceless” is a masterpiece from beginning to end–literally, from when the music starts to when Tweet starts singing. This exact sentiment is felt again for the track “Magic”, which was produced by Bereal. Not only is the production flawless, but this song also makes you want to feel in love without the cheesy you-make-me-see-butterflies aspect that most songs include these days.

Another highlight comes in the form of the Missy Elliot assisted “Somebody Else Will”. We all know Tweet and Missy make magic – think: “Oops (Oh My)” and that same magic can be felt on “Somebody Else Will”. Of the song, Tweet told Billboard: “When Missy wrote ‘Somebody Else Will’ she sent it to me and I had to have this record. I love the message behind it because I’m all about revelation and girl power and knowing that you don’t have to stay in a situation that’s not good for you. I loved the song, so I had to do it.” Not to mention, the production laid down by Timbaland, will have your head bopping the whole time with a stank face.

Charlene is a great album and a great way to introduce herself back to the industry. In a climate where people are constantly getting so much music fed to them, yet complaining about things like how soul music dying, this is testament that the feelings about soul aren’t necessarily true.  I definitely highly recommend this album.

A$AP Ferg Announces Album Release Date And Premieres New Music

Posted on by Mixologi - The Art of Diversity

A$AP Fans, the wait is over.

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A$AP Ferg will be dropping his album in late April. Last night on Twitter, the rapper announced that his highly anticipated project Always Strive And Prosper will be released on April 22nd.  The announcement was made the night before the release of A$AP Rocky’ new track “Goldie Mack”, which happens to be a new installment of A$AP’s fresh weekly tradition, Wavy Wednesdays.

Not only did Ferg announce the release date for his album, but the New York rapper also announced that he is dropping a new track with Schoolboy Q. The single, titled “Let It Bang”, premieres sounds of both Ferg and Q. It’s a banger, but it has that darker tone that Schoolboy Q has established and mastered throughout his music catalogue, from Setbacks to Oxymoron. 

While A$AP Ferg has collaborated with a plethora of artists from SBTRKT to Meek Mill in between albums, Always Strive And Prosper is the rapper’s first album to release since Trap Lord.

You Should Start Listening To Wavy Beats By UK Producer, More//Night

Posted on by Mixologi - The Art of Diversity

There’s millions of producers on SoundCloud who have a sound completely new to the world, but if there’s one that you should probably watch out for, it’s More//Night. I stumbled upon his music while listening to some SoundCloud gems on shuffle, as many do. The UK producer, whose real name is Adam Roberts, has managed to provide some electrifying music for someone who seems to have just started five months ago (judging by his timeline). More//Night’s futuristic vibe is only the base of his sound, adding features from deep house and electronic dance music to create a new sound to keep you grooving.

If there’s ever been  a good time to learn about More//Night, that time is now. Earlier this week, the producer went on a reposting spree of all the work he covered over that last couple of months. Although his listening numbers are already massive (so there’s people who are already hip to his dopiness), there’s a chance you might’ve overlooked him. The songs he reposted included work for several online entities, including Ireland-based SoulEtiquette, Raw Records, and TreeHouse Vibes, radio shows that all share new wavy music. Check out the music below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!