Mark de Clive-Lowe

CHURCH NYC returns this Friday @ Drom

2012-01-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

CHURCH NYC returns this friday to DROM! featuring Matt Penman (SF Jazz Collective/Joshua Redman), Nate Smith (Jose James/Dave Holland), Nia Andrews and surprises + DJ Raydar Ellis all in association with Giant Step + Revive Da Live… http://www.facebook.com/events/276379065758100/

http://www.giantstep.net/church

[VIDEO+AUDIO] Live on Morning Becomes Eclectic KCRW

2012-01-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

full video (and now soundcloud audio) of the performance and interview from this morning's KCRW live-to-air

MdCL - keys, electronics, piano
featuring
nia andrews - vocals
tim lefebvre - bass
dexter story - drums

performing songs from the new album Renegades, plus a few treats including a fresh arrangement of an Aaliyah classic....

The Why
Now Or Never
Get Started
(interview)
El Dia Perfecto
More than a Woman
We Renegades

MdCL Live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic by mashibeats

photos courtesy Greg Ponstingl

[VIDEO] Dwight Trible Cosmic Band Live at the Blue Whale

2012-01-17T16:17:00.000-08:00

check this video from the Dwight Trible show we did in October....

Shot live at Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA

Featuring:

Dwight Trible: Vocals
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Viola
Mark de Clive-Lowe: Piano
Dexter Story: Drums
Trevor Ware: Acoustic Bass

Directed by George Goad

CHURCH LA: Official Relaunch! Jan 26

2012-01-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

in association with FROLAB + Fusicology....

On New Year's Day we farewelled our beloved venue Angel's, and now we're relaunching CHURCH LA at a new home and a new day... Thursday 26 January at Del Monte Speakeasy/Townhouse Basement in Venice! Mark your calendars for the 4th Thursday of every month - CHURCH LA!

"CHURCH has earned a reputation as one of the premier jam nights in the city... MdCL is an uncategorizably gifted talent..." - LA Times

Guests at MdCL's CHURCH have included the finest of jazz and soul musicians including Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (Suite for Ma Dukes), Nate Smith (Jose James/Dave Holland), Sy Smith, Chris ʻDaddyʼ Dave (Mos Def/Common), Mark Kelley (The Roots), nia andrews, Jody Watley (Shalamar), Vesta Williams (RIP), Leon Mobley (Michael Jackson), Ohmega Watts, Sy Smith, Greg Hutchinson (Joshua Redman), Dwight Trible (Pharoah Sanders), DJs The Gaslamp Killer, Lefto, Ge-ology, Aaron Byrd and many more....

$5 before 10 / $7 after

Special guests to be announced... surprises to be unannounced!

Fusicology Event Page
Facebook Event Page

if you're not in LA, courtesy of our friends at yowie.com, we've got a live simulcast online too :)

SoulBounce Honors 2011's Producer Of The Year: Mark de Clive-Lowe

2011-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

A quick glance over the SoulBounce archives from the past year is all the proof needed to to explain how our favorite New Zealander nabbed the 2011 Producer of the Year honor. One of today's most versatile producers, Mark de Clive-Lowe transitions between genres with an ease that most would kill for. While churning out good music is nothing new for him (read the full article...)

CHURCH! [Free Download] Mixtape vol.4

2011-12-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Mark de Clive-Lowe presents CHURCH vol.4 mixtape by Mark De Clive-Lowe on Mixcloud

Celebrating the end of 2011 and entering the new year, here is vol.4 of the CHURCH mixtape series. CHURCH is MdCL's monthly clubnite event held in LA and NYC.

The LA edition of CHURCH has been resident at Angel's Piano Bar, but on January 1, 2012 we farewell Angel's with a special New Year CHURCH there featuring special guests Kamasi Washington, DJ Destroyer and more - the new LA home (and date) for the clubnite will be announced that night!

The NYC edition of CHURCH is resident monthly at Drom in the East Village. Presented in collaboration with Giant Step and Revive Da Live, CHURCH NYC is the 1st Friday of the month and features guests alongside MdCL including: nia andrews, Nate Smith (Dave Holland/Betty Carter), Mark Kelley (The Roots) and more. CHURCH NYC returns 1/6/12 @ DROM.

We're super excited for the CHURCH events to come in 2012 including the debut of CHURCH LONDON (word on that closer to the time, late Spring!).

The vol.4 mixtape features a range of artists and music - with some classic MdCL flips along the way. From a classic 1962 Duke Ellington recording to The Roots collaboration with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, the mixtape covers the whole range and gives you a little taste of MdCL's CHURCH.

Soundcloud >> http://soundcloud.com/mashibeats/mdcl-presents-church-vol-4

Free download >> http://www.sendspace.com/file/zsuc3w

Mark de Clive-Lowe presents CHURCH vol.4 mixtape
Herbie Hancock - Tell Me A Bedtime Story
Quincy Jones - Hikky Burr
Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca
Bobbi Humphrey - Uno Esta
Duke Ellington - Caravan
Ramsey Lewis - Summer Breeze
The Roots + Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Antiquity
Verde Amarelo vs MdCL - interlude
Herbie Hancock - Watch It
Hi Tek - LTAH (MdCL's Rhodes flip)
Teddy Rok 7 - Steady
Ahmad Jamal - One

Best of MdCL mix by DJ Spinna !

2011-12-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

The Best of MdCL Mix by DJ Spinna by Tru Thoughts on Mixcloud

SCORED presents Cinematic Improvisation (LA December 12)

2011-12-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/events/205653396180517

We're very proud & excited to present this 12/12 edition of
SCORED as a Tribute to & celebration of the cinematic genius of
Georges Méliès (A Trip to the Moon / le Voyage dans la Lune and so much more !!)

* set live to a completely improvised score by:
MARK de CLIVE-LOWE (MdCL), MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON
& DEXTER STORY w/ visual mix by VJ SYNESTHETE

featuring an array of the diversity & magnificence of Georges Méliès work - from his earliest pieces through to those inspired by his innovation and ground breaking techniques !

* Doors 8pm / $10 gets you 2 unique sets at 8.00 & 9.30pm
or simply join at anytime throughout this magical evening.

It's heartwarming that Georges Méliès the master of special effects and cinemagic is recognized once again by the likes of Martin Scorcese in HUGO, his loving tribute to Méliès (as played by Ben Kingsley) and a period of silent yet extremely visually loud inspiration and technique.
see the TRAILER here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcdEXHIuTxw

+ Méliès' long lost color version of A Trip to the Moon has been gloriously restored in a 10 year process w/ a brand new score by AIR to be released in full as their new album Le Voyage Dans La Lune (out Feb 6) http://www.astralwerks.com/artist/air/
+ a glorious DVD set including the restoration process out in 2012 !

See why the Smashing Pumpkins video Tonight Tonight of 1996 so inspired by A Trip to the Moon became such an award winning smash - no suprise really ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOG3eus4ZSo

* Taking you on this journey of exploration beyond the moon and stopping through the Méliès world of flight, fancy, magic and other worldly creatures whilst spontaneously improvising the score in front of your eyes & ears are none other than jazz futurists & visualists & four of our most favorite artists:

MdCL the keyboard and effects wizard
(www.mashibeats.com)
DEXTER STORY multi-instrumentalist, drummer
(www.dexterstory.com)
MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON viola player, composer, arranger
(http://miguelatwood-ferguson.bandcamp.com/)
with VJ SYNESTHETE in the visual mix
(http://www.synesthete.com/)

MdCL is the wiz around town in many groove formats from his monthly Sunday Church to live dancefloor sets with Sy Smith in LA and around the world. Be sure to check his latest album smash Renegades out now on Tru Thoughts. http://www.tru-thoughts.co.uk/releases/Mark-de-Clive-Lowe/renegades

MIGUEL you may already know from his lovingly arranged full orchestral interpretations of J DILLA's creations in MOCHILLA's TIMELESS Suite For Ma Dukes to his own recent acclaimed large shows with the likes of Flying Lotus, Jose James, Pharoahe Monch, Bilal, Zap Mama and countless others to the mighty Build An Ark. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNV9OSsMiWw
Miguel is currently recording his album for the mighty Brainfeeder !

DEXTER STORY is such a creative force - a multi-instrumentalist performing with numerous different artists in as many different styles, he's one of MdCL's favorite people to improvise and create with bar none.

TODD THILLE ( aka VJ SYNESTHETE ) has been lighting up screens around the world with a unique blend of repurposed media, original creations and generative code. He brings the excitement of live mixing to a foundation in film making and editing.

* Join us for a truly inspired, improvised and Cinemagical Monday eve journey into the magnificent world of George Méliès !

CHURCH NYC + LA: coast to coast

2011-12-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

tonight in NYC is the offical launch of the CHURCH NYC monthly residency @ Drom in the east village... featuring mark kelley on bass (the roots), nate smith on drums (dave holland), guests nia andrews and more... we're going to have a blast!

presented by Giant Step + Revive Da Live

more info here

then on sunday, CHURCH LA returns at Angel's in santa monica... featuring very special guest this month DERF REKLAW on percussion (the pharoahs/ramsey lewis) along with dexter story (drums), trevor ware (bass) and surprises... 8pm-2am + guest DJ rani d (soul in the park) !

more info

Europe Tour Part 1... London to Arte+Manha, Lisbon

2011-11-16T11:27:00.000-08:00

i'm so grateful for times like this. last thursday the europe tour kicked off with a jazz trio set for jazz refreshed at mau mau in london. this was the first time i'd ever played trio in the UK. it's a format that i did in the mid-90s in new zealand, but only reconnected to it again since relocating to los angeles. it was something special to be able to share the trio vibe with the london fam that night - richard spaven on drums and rob mullarkey on bass joined me for a mash up of some favorite tunes in a trio setting. from thelonious monk to some freaked live breaks.

bembe segue came thru on some cosmic and totally unexpected bonus to me, vanessa freeman made it through and jumped up too. i've got the recording on right now and have a feeling that there's going to be music to share from that night :) the flipside of the jazz trio was remix:live on the second night in london with jazzhead chronic at the CLF warehouse in peckham. one of my favorite sound systems in london and a vibing space. great times!

day three and i was on the plane to lisbon, portugal for the live show featuring sharlene hector on mic at arte&manha. from the second we arrived we were so welcomed and at home. a club space in the basement, restaurant/bar on the ground floor, and residence and offices up stairs, arte&manha is the veracious creative's dream place. the live show was dope - amazing sound system, great people and plenty of fun. after the live set i dj'd with the arte&manha crew until well after sunrise - you know it's a quality night when you don't even notice the sun until it's already up!

the next day started as a day off, and somehow ended up being a 6 hour marathon session dj'ing jazz tunes with the arte&manha crew until the morning once again. that seems to be the way here! after a few short hours of sleep, we were up again and setup studio in the basement club space. the room is so perfectly dry sounding, the stage is all wood, it's a perfect space to create and capture music....

set up with the rhodes, juno, maschine and the laptop, i started making tracks and ended up with 5 jamming joints. then it was time to bring in local talent - and what a treat that was. we recorded renato on electric bass on one track and vocals by kika santos, susana travassos and sharlene hector on another before wrapping for the night. the next day we were planning on recording drums, percussion, vocals, horns... i was inspired all the way so changed my flight to brussels to allow us more time here. the second studio day a monumental amount of music was recorded.

i started the session making one more track for the project - a cover of the classic ronnie foster joint. brazilian drummer and percussionist juninho laid his vibe on all of the tracks bringing an amazing brazilian twist to all the music. the music was taking on a whole new life of its own. susanna and kika came back in on mic and brought some really great energy and voice to the music - they'd started writing ideas in english, but because i wanted everything to be in portuguese, they had to flip it and man, did they flip it!! the energy in the studio was infectious.

next came the horn section - ricardo, toni and eduardo on trumpet, sax and trombone respectively. the first track we recorded them on is a deep 6/8 afro vibe and by the time they'd finished with it, it sounded like a lost blue note recording from the past by way of some time in the future. beautiful stuff. from there we dived into a handful more of the tracks and had them bring different elements - from twisted free jazz to soulful horn section.

a couple of hours later and we had one more percussionist come thru - mickey "thunder" who absolutely smashed it on the congas. he brought a deeply african feel to the percussion which worked right in with juninho's brazilian rhythms and the electronic beats i'd made - hearing everything together was a real joy.

it's almost 7am a night later and i've been recording renato on bass on some more of the tracks and started editing all the recordings and twisting a lil this n that ;) the question now is to keep on going or get a few hours sleep before flying out to brussels today! i'm exhausted after the marathon the last week has been, but i feel so grateful and satisfied to be able to have that experience. meeting new people, getting together and making music, sharing a lot of incredible food (i mean... EVERYTHING has been unbelievable in that department!), and here we have a whole lot of new music at the end of it too. the arte&manha experience has been second to none - more to come for sure.

[VIDEO] MdCL Trio @ jazz refreshed

2011-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

thank you jazz refreshed for making this happen - the first ever trio show in the UK last thursday at mau mau. bringing a lil of that #CHURCH vibe to londontown. richard spaven on drums + rob mullarkey on bass. loved this show! :) videos courtesy: Cengiz Ulusahin

#CHURCH NYC - December 2 @ drom
#CHURCH LA - December 4 @ angels
#CHURCH LDN ..... we gotta make that happen soon!

KON vs MdCL debuts in STL Nov 26

2011-11-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

legendary crate digger KON (of Kon & Amir) and MdCL join forces for an all new unlike-any-other live show project creating spontaneous live remixes of classics from the likes of chaka khan, roy ayers, queen, michael jackson, chic and numerous more... coming to wreck a dancefloor near you in 2012! (get to st louis nov 26 for a sneak preview!)

Renegades [FM Dial Album Preview]

2011-11-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Renegades [FM Dial Album Preview] by mashibeats

5 minute preview of the forthcoming new Mark de Clive-Lowe longplayer 'RENEGADES' featuring guests including Omar, Sheila E, nia andrews, Tawiah, Bembe Segue, Ovaosul7, Pino Palladino and more...

Release dates:
Nov 12 - Japan
Nov 15 - USA
Nov 21 - everywhere else!

more info: http://www.tru-thoughts.co.uk
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Renegades-Mark-Clive-Lowe/dp/B005KP6V4E
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005S8AJJ6

Quartetto Fantastico + MdCL: Another Shade of Jade

2011-11-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Quartetto Fantastico recently performed a month of residency at LA's Blue Whale jazz club. Miguel asked me to compose and arrange a piece for one of the shows and guest performing it with them... here it is, the composition is entitled 'Another Shade of Jade', complete with live painting by Joe Wu....

Mark de Clive-Lowe (composer, piano)

Chris Woods (violin)

Paul Cartwright (violin)

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (music director, viola)

Peter Jacobson (cello)

Marcel Camargo (guitar)

Gabe Noel (bass)

Zach Harmon (drums)

Jose Gurria-Cardenas (percussion)

Live Painting by DJEMBE&CANVAS - http://www.djembeandcanvas.com/collections/shop/products/someday-well-all-be-free

Chris Daddy Dave + Friends LA show - NOV 1 !

2011-10-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

super excited to be part of this event happening in LA this tuesday... chris daddy dave, pino palladino, kamasi washington, myself and who knows who else! ;) biggups to frolab for making it happen!

Facebook

Nov 6: CHURCH LA + Renegades Official Album Listening Party

2011-10-25T14:32:00.001-07:00

Last month we celebrated as CHURCH turned one year old... last week we debuted CHURCH NYC on the east coast with some super special guests... and next week CHURCH returns to Angels to kick off our 2nd year of monthly musical journey-making.

Sunday 6 November 8pm-2am @ Angels - 2460 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica

This month viola player extraordinaire and 'Suite for Ma Dukes' arranger MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON joins us alongside MdCL (piano, electronics, fx), Trevor Ware (bass) and Dexter Story (drums) ...+ more special guests.

After the first live set, sit back and enjoy as we unveil the new MdCL album RENEGADES with the official LA listening party. the album will be released November 15 on Tru Thoughts Records and features guests including omar, sheila e, nia andrews, pino palladino, miguel atwood-ferguson, bembe segue, tawiah and more....

After the second live set we welcome a VERY special secret surprise guest DJ from NYC.... you won't want to miss him!

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From the jazz club to the turntables, CHURCH is a musical journey without boundaries and plenty of surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano and guests... heading into the second set MdCL transitions to the drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a guest DJ set...

8pm - doors
9pm - jazz set (seated)
10.30pm - RENEGADES album listening session
11pm - electronic club set (not so seated)
12.30am - DJ set

$10 at the door

to dine definitely reserve a table >>> 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH!

Fusicology page
Facebook page

Church NYC - Thank you!.. back to LA

2011-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

thanks to everyone who helped make CHURCH NYC happen - first and foremost Mark Kelley (bass) and Nate Smith (drums); nia andrews (vocals), John Robinson (vocals) and Kafele Bandela (trumpet). the vibe was live!! thanks to Revive Da Live and Giant Step for producing the event :) it was really something to bring my LA monthly to NYC and present it to a new audience there.... nia andrews singing our collaboration joint 'now or never' >>

it was great to catch up with east coast friends and fam - loved checking out Matt Garrison's new Brooklyn club Shapeshifter Lab too. NYC fam, keep your ear to the ground - hoping to return with the next Church NYC installment in december and more regularly after that! :)

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straight back to LA and on with the show - last night Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Dexter Story and i performed an intimate improvised trio gig at Petit Ermitage. big thanks to Aaron Byrd for helping make that happen. this is a new trio that came into formation around the SCORED events and Dwight Trible's ensemble. we're super excited about the music we're creating together and can't wait to be able to share that with you when the time comes! in the meantime....

TONIGHT (Mon 24th) and tomorrow night (Tues 25th) i'll be on piano with DWIGHT TRIBLE and his ensemble at the blue whale jazz club in little tokyo... Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (viola), Trevor Ware (bass) and Dexter Story (drums). these shows will be filmed and recorded - come through and be part of the experience! :) Facebook

come wednesday (26th) i'm flipping it from the jazz shows to the dancefloor back at BODYROCK alongside residents Alix Alvarez and Nef Nunez + very special SoleChannel guests Mr V and ReelSoul @ J Lounge... house music and dancefloor lovers, this one's not to be missed! Facebook

EUROPE TOUR November 2011

2011-10-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

two weeks of exclusive MdCL shows in Europe! jazz trio, the solo club sounds of the REMIX:LIVE show, live club shows with guest vocalists... let's go!

November 10 - London UK
MdCL Jazz Trio + RENEGADES Album Listening Party
Jazz Refreshed @ Mau Mau, Ladbroke Grove

November 11 - London UK
MdCL REMIX:LIVE
CLF Warehouse

November 12 - Lisbon PORTUGAL
MdCL Live featuring Sharlene Hector
Arte & Manha

November 17 - Brussels BELGIUM
MdCL REMIX:LIVE
Bar du Matin

November 18 - Paris FRANCE
MdCL REMIX:LIVE + QUANTIC
La Bellevilloise

November 19 - Guimarães PORTUGAL
MdCL Live featuring Bembe Segue
Guimarães Jazz Festival

November 20 - Amsterdam NETHERLANDS
MdCL REMIX:LIVE
Wicked Jazz Sounds @ Sugar Factory

Facebook Event Page

Renegades - Track by Track - Part 4

2011-10-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Part 4 of the new album track by track breakdown. The previous postings are here: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

and of course, the 12" ltd edition vinyl sampler EP is out now worldwide! @ Dusty Groove / Juno / Rush Hour and more....

11 Emergency featuring nia andrews

The beats and music demo for this one was made in London when I was on a Europe Tour and had a day off there. Not wanting to waste time, I made sure I was in studio making music. I think I did 6 tracks that day - 4 of them are on the upcoming new Sy Smith record; 1 is an upcoming Lady Alma track; and the other is right here. I love that loping swing on a head-nod beat - lazy and bouncy at the same time. nia heard the demo when we were doing a show together in San Francisco - the ipod was on shuffle, it came on and she made it clear she wanted to write to this one. I love the different flip she's brought to it - almost a country vibe! Pino Palladino laid bass on the change bringing a whole other vibe to those sections and Mike Feingold took it home on guitar.

12 Everything featuring Ovasoul7

I met Ovasoul7 in NZ back in 2000 - he sang on the original demo of 'Move On Up' I released on Bugz in the Attic's label (I think that original demo was included on the Japanese version of my album 'Six Degrees') and we collaborated a few times after that - on a remix I did for German trumpeter Til Bronner, I also got him behind the mic for the collaboration I did with DJ Spinna, 'Surely' on his BBE album 'Here to There'. We reconnected together with Spinna again on the house joint he put out 'You Should Be Loving Me', but even with all those collabs, we never laid down a straight collaboration track until now. I wanted this track to be the light at the end of the journey, make the listener know that "everything is all right". The vibe is jazzy and soulful - Bembe Segue is on backing vocals along with Richard Spaven on additional live drums and Mike Feingold on guitar complimenting it all perfectly.

13 Interlude II

From the same one-day marathon studio session in Atlanta with drummer Lil John Roberts - this was another of those magic moments that was just too special not to share. It's a twisted, dark jumble of improvised rhythms and harmonies that somehow keeps resolving in the most unexpected ways.

14 Alabi featuring Sandra Nkaké

The album finishes returning to the theme it all started with - this time in full length form. Sandra Nkaké is French-Cameroon and for whatever reason, everytime we get together she goes fully tribal - something of a departure from her usual more soul and jazz styles. The original demo for this track was recorded in Amsterdam on another day-off-let's-hit-the-studio day, this time it was me and Richard Spaven on drums. I got a vibe up on the MPC, we improvised and recorded and there was the basis of the track. Sandra heard the demo and laid the vocals down in 3 straight takes - again, a totally free-flowing vibe. One section made perfect sense as a chorus chant so we tracked that up, and it fitted perfectly - a tribal summoning for everyone to come gather together. NZ guitarist and producer Jeremy Toy laid some guitar one day passing through studio, and the final seasoning was Miguel Atwood-Ferguson's viola solo. After we tracked the strings for 'The Why' he recorded a couple of improvised takes through this track and it was the perfect final element. The resulting flavor is somewhere between afro-beat, free jazz and some sort of cosmic future vibe. I don't think I've heard anything quite like it!

RENEGADES drops worldwide on Tru Thoughts Records NOVEMBER 14 worldwide (Nov 12 Japan / Nov 15 USA / Nov 21 UK / Nov 14 everywhere else!). The next blog post will be on some of the technical aspects of the project and the artwork :)

Listen to snippets from the whole album via amazon here...

Renegades - Track by Track - Part 3

2011-10-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Part 3 of the new album breakdown... catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them :)

the 12" limited edition vinyl sampler is out now at all good record stores

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07 Interlude I

This is the first of two interludes that's from a day Lil John Roberts and I spent in studio in Atlanta just playing and playing. Hardly even talking for maybe six hours, just playing together while the engineer captured it all. Countless magic moments happen on a day like that so it's perfect that I get to share some of them on this album.

08 Hooligan featuring nia andrews

On the music side this song really marries the soul, hip hop and jazz elements that I love so much. I made the beat at my first LA spot in Venice Beach one night with no real intention in mind - just making some new music.. getting a drum groove together, some piano harmony, some synth bass. nia heard it and was all about the moodiness of it straight away. Her song tells of that crazy friend that we've all either had or have "elevating damage to an art". I love how nia's melody tells the story as much as the lyrics - angular and moody from start to finish. Mike Feingold is back on guitars and UK musician Finn Peters laid down some flute to complete the twisted and moody vibe - he's a great musician and composer I've had the pleasure of collaborating a few times. Now that I'm not in the UK so often, it's a bonus to have some of my UK fam on this project :)

Hooligan feat. nia andrews by Mark de Clive-Lowe

10 Push featuring Bembé Segué + nia andrews

Another of the straight dancefloor jams on the album - there's no deep underlying story or meaning to the song, it's a feel-good jump-up jam. Bembé Segué is one of my closest collaborators, from the Tide's Arising album, through to The Politik project and plenty else in-between and after, so it just wouldn't have been a complete album without her making a feature appearance. We don't get to collab as often as we used to, so this was extra special for us. As with 'Get Started', there's additional live drums and percussion by Lil John Roberts and Omar Phillips that we recorded in Atlanta, and guitars courtesy of Mike Feingold. The vibe is straight dancefloor and it's one of the songs I love to drop when I'm DJing - fun synths, Bembé's rhythmic vocal style, nia joining her alongside... it's a little more of that UK flavor!

continue reading Part 4 here...

CHURCH NYC - October 21

2011-10-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

MdCL - piano, beats + electronics
Mark Kelly (The Roots) - acoustic bass
Nate Smith - drums
+ guests including nia andrews - vocals + more

more info here : http://www.giantstep.net/events/1410

Renegades - Track by Track - Part 2

2011-10-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

continuing the verbal preview for my new album RENEGADES (worldwide mid November on Tru Thoughts Records). Part 1 is here if you missed it :)

04 Just Wanna / 09 Just Wanna (Lil More)

A tiny interlude that is, in my own way, a little tribute to Larry Dunn's timeless synth interlude with Earth Wind & Fire. Cyclic harmony, unexpected endings... I love that stuff. I'm on fender rhodes, synths and drum programming (on the track 9 version) and Pino Palladino is on bass. It's one of those magic moments that you can blink and miss, but you catch it and it's a complete earbender :)

Just Wanna (Lil More) by mashibeats

05 Under Orders featuring Tawiah

Tawiah's one of the illest vocalists to come out of the UK. A lot of people have been checking her from her live shows with Mark Ronson to recently guesting with Cee-Lo. She's been performing with me since about 2005 and come on numerous tours and shows all over the planet. We'd never recorded together though, so I'm really happy we were able to make this happen!

This song also started life in a studio jam with a drummer - this time UK drummer Richard Spaven. Rich and I made a habit of hitting studio whenever we could and so much great music came out of those hours. He's one of the guys who has really found his own voice on drums interpolating the contemporary styles that have been created more by beat-makers and DJ/producers than traditional musicians. Once the main drums, keys and synth bass were laid down the vibe reminded me a lot of Dego (2000black/4hero). As a songwriter he's so unique - from 'Hold It Down' to 'Save It' and more - so I asked him if he was feeling the demo would he pen the lyrics ? I gave him something of a brief as to what I was imagining and he came back with a result that totally resonated with me personally. Tawiah brought the lyrics to life, Omar Phillips laced some percussion, Pino replaced the synth bass with his own low end, and the track was a wrap.

06 We Renegades featuring nia andrews

The beat for this track came into existence when my manager sent me a track he wasn't sure if I was familiar with and told me to particularly check the outro. I checked it, sampled it up, cut it into pieces, reassembled it into a boom bap influenced vibe and sent it back to him an hour or two later. The dopest things often take the least time to create - it's more a matter of getting on a vibe and manifesting the inspiration. This was one of those times.

I loved the beat so much and knew the vocal would complete it and make it knock all the more. at first nia didn't hear where she could take it. Bembé Segué knew she could take it somewhere but also, didn't hear it to execute it. Another vocalist slept on the joint completely. All these things happen for a reason. When Pino came through to lay bass on the album tracks, I played him this beat and he jammed a little vibe through it. When nia heard the demo with Pino on it, there were three notes he plays that sparked the whole song in her head and it was done. You just never know where the inspiration is going to come from! The song calls out the pretenders out there - the Emperor's New Clothes so to speak - we see straight through you...

#RENEGADES drops on Tru Thoughts Records mid November.... the 12" limited edition vinyl sampler is out now at all good record stores

continue reading Part 3 here

Renegades - Track by Track - Part 1

2011-10-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

the countdown is on until my new album RENEGADES drops (Nov 21 UK / Nov 14 Worldwide on Tru Thoughts) - for wax heads the 12" limited edition vinyl EP is out NOW. leading up to the album release i wanted to share some words breaking down the album track by track and hopefully give a little bit of insight into what is to come :) .... huge thanks to everyone who's been involved in the process from inception to completion.

01 Alabi (prelude)

Renegades opens with the sound of layered percussion samples on the MPC. Sandra Nkaké's tribal incantation inviting everyone to gather around, along with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson's viola, ride the groove and serve as the introduction to the album. It's a short 30 second prelude - the track gets revisited in full later - here it's opening the door to the album experience. More about how the track was made later...

02 Get Started featuring Omar + Sheila E

Drums and percussion heavy from the get-go, this track is pretty much my dream band all together on the one jam. Lil John Roberts is on additional live drums, Omar Phillips from Big Boi's camp is on percussion, Pino Palladino is on bass, and of course Sheila E on bells and timbale along with Omar on vocals. To say i was happy to be able to bring all these people together on one track is an understatement! The vibe is definitely the UK side of me - with an all-star supporting cast.

I made the original demo for the track in studio when I was on tour playing in Tblisi, George near Russia. Omar and I were talking about doing a collaboration so I sent him a few demos to choose from. He wrote and recorded a classic good-times feel-good Omar vocal that it's great to finally be able to share with the world. I reworked the original demo to this version - more of a heavy groove thing than it was originally. I tracked Lil John and Omar on additional drums and percussion respectively in Atlanta and then added Pino on bass. Pino checked the guide bass and brought his own flip and flavor to it - what a monster groove. Getting Sheila E to lace the bells and timbales was really the icing on the cake. We met through our mutual friend Lil John and hopefully this is the first of many collaborations we do together!

03 The Why featuring nia andrews

Something of an epic soul joint courtesy of stellar songwriting and vocals from nia andrews and a typically dope string arrangement by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. nia is a new voice to most people and I'm thankful to have her bring so much flavor to the new album.

This track started life as an MPC and drums jam in studio in Atlanta with Lil John Roberts. It's funny how just a groove can lead the way for everything to come. The main keys and synth bass vibe is definitely influenced by my LA experience complete with mid-tempo head nod factor. I can't really quantify that any more than that! Once the basic beats-bass-n-keys demo was done, nia wrote the song super quickly, it all just seemed to fall into place. The last two elements to be added were guitars by Mike Feingold - mainstay in Erykah Badu's band and Miguel's strings. With the exception of 'Alabi' all the guitars on the album are played by Mike. He's another phenomenal talent with not only musician but also producer ears. That makes all the difference! Miguel and I met at a random jam session in downtown LA - coincidentally the same jam session where nia and i first met. We were there with Zap Mama, Sa-Ra and others from the LA underground scene. I'd wanted to collaborate with Miguel on something and the outro to this song seemed the perfect vehicle. Man, does he make it soar!

The Why feat nia andrews by mashibeats

nia sings about the need for us to reconnect with our "why". Our reasons for doing what we do, being who we are... reconnecting with that before it's too late and we lose everything. For ever.

continue reading Part 2...

[VIDEO] TRUTH - Sy Smith + MdCL live at The Shrine, Chicago

2011-10-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

vocalist Sy Smith and instrumentalist MdCL performing live at The Shrine in Chicago - on the fly live production and performance of their collaboration 'TRUTH'.

MdCL performs on Native Instruments Maschine

Zed Bias feat Toddla T + MdCL 'Koolade'

2011-10-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

check what happens when zed bias, toddla t and me get in the studio....

out now on tru thoughts :)

CHURCH! [Free Download] Mixtape vol.3 + One Year Anniversary Party

2011-09-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

this coming sunday october 2, my monthly LA party CHURCH turns one year old (Facebookers RSVP here). the clubnite is the first sunday of the month at Angel's Piano Bar on LA's westside in Santa Monica. over the course of the night we take the music from a live acoustic jazz trio set to an improvised electronic beats session with special guests and guest DJ sets inbetween and after. you never know who's going to turn up - whether it's the likes of chris daddy dave or ohmega watts jumping on the band stand; louie vega or leon ware hanging out in the audience; robert glasper jamming drums (!) with the guest DJ or some other unexpected surprise, CHURCH is all about taking the music somewhere new.

MdCL presents Church vol.3 mixtape by mashibeats

in commemoration of the one year celebration, i've put together a new mixtape featuring some of my favorite cuts from some of my favorite jazz artists. it's a free download, click the cover image below!

Tracklist:

Sonny Rollins - Round Midnight
Ronnie Foster - Mystic Brew
A Bossa Electrica - Sob A Luz Do Sol
Freddie Hubbard - Neo Terra
Ahmad Jamal - The World is a Ghetto
MdCL - Smoked Something
Kim Burrell - Seeing Over
Mandrill - Movement 5 (Beginning)
Sun Ra - Where Pathways Meet
Charles Tolliver - Ruthie's Heart
Max Roach - Equipoise
Marcus Belgrave - Space Odyssey

feel free to re-post, re-blog, and spread the good vibe :)

MdCL presents CHURCH: One Year Anniversary - Live at Angels
2460 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica
Sunday 2 October 8pm-2am with guests: Dexter Story, nia andrews, Trevor Ware, Sy Smith, DJ Coleman (Mochilla) and more....

Facebook event page | Fusicology event page

The Why featuring nia andrews: FREE DOWNLOAD

2011-09-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

Upcoming shows: CHI-STL-NYC-LA + Indonesia

2011-09-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

MdCL + SY SMITH: Mid-West Triple Hitter

September 22: MdCL + SY SMITH Live @ The Shrine, Chicago, IL

September 24: MdCL + SY SMITH Live @ Lola, St Louis, MO

September 25: MdCL DJ set @ St Louis, MO

LA: SCORED - Live Cinematic Improvisations

September 26: SCORED presents Down The Rabbit Hole @ The Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA

NEW YORK: Exclusive show

September 30: MdCL vs Nickodemus @ Brooklyn Bowl, NY

LA: CHURCH - One Year Anniversary!

October 2: MdCL presents CHURCH - One Year Anniversary Special @ Angel's Piano Bar, Santa Monica, CA

Come celebrate with us as CHURCH turns 1. Over the last year surprise guests have included the likes of Chris 'Daddy' Dave (Mos Def/Robert Glasper/Maxwell), Sy Smith, nia andrews, Kamasi Washingon, Emoni Fela, DJ Lefto (Brownswood/Belgium), Ohmega Watts, Greg Hutchinson (Joshua Redman/Betty Carter), Jody Watley and countless more. Definitely some more fresh surprises (including a secret DJ guest repping for one of my favorite underground movements anywhere) lined up for this birthday special alongside resident friends and family Trevor Ware, Dexter Story, DJ Coleman (Mochilla), nia andrews and Sy Smith.

Sunday 2 October 8pm-2am @ Angel's 2460 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica

8pm doors / 9pm acoustic jazz set / 11pm electronic/beats set - guest DJs inbetween and after

Facebook event page | Fusicology event page

SOUTH EAST ASIA: Exclusive show

October 9: MdCL + SY SMITH Live @ Bekasi Jazz Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia

Renegades: vinly EP drops next week!

2011-09-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

very special limited edition vinyl sampler for the forthcoming full length new album RENEGADES (tru thoughts) drops next week via the mashibeats vinyl imprint. available from all good record stores (and if they dont have it in store, they'll order it for you!). featuring 4 cuts from the album with guests OMAR, SHEILA E, NIA ANDREWS + BEMBE SEGUE

Distribution contact

LA vs WAR: Sept 9/10/11

2011-09-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

i'll be spinning an uplifting soulful set saturday 10.15pm :)

The Why featuring nia andrews

2011-09-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Why feat nia andrews by mashibeats

the first single from my upcoming new album RENEGADES dropping on tru thoughts mid november. featuring nia andrews on vocals, miguel atwood-ferguson on strings... the single drops oct 3 complete with my own club mix and a murderous maddslinky remix... enjoy!

vocals – nia andrews
guitars + chamberlin – Mike Feingold
additional live drums – Lil John Roberts
violin, viola and string arrangement - Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
all other instruments played + programmed - MdCL

NYC headsup! 9/30 @ Brooklyn Bowl

2011-08-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

NYC i'm comin' for you! hitting sept 30 with nickodemus at the Brooklyn Bowl

LA monthly: CHURCH - September 4

2011-08-26T11:37:00.001-07:00

sy smith and i will perform next sunday 4 september in oakland for the gay pride event in the afternoon, jump off stage, high tail it to the airport and get back down to LA just in time to hit angel's for my LA monthly, CHURCH.

this month welcoming guests kamasi washington, trevor ware, paul legaspi, sy smith and guest DJ aaron byrd (KCRW).

fusicology
facebook

see you there! :)

8pm doors / 9pm acoustic jazz set / 11pm beats-club-electronic set

KING 'Supernatural' (MdCL remix)

2011-08-22T23:11:00.001-07:00

no release scheduled for this yet, so enjoy a lil audio preview of it here! :)
the original version on KING's The Story EP - http://weareking.com/
much love to paris, amber and anita

KING - Supernatural (MdCL RMX) by mashibeats

SCORED presents Cinematic Improvisation (LA August 29)

2011-08-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198392820225091

http://fusicology.com/events/?event_id=45461&cid=LA

featuring scenes from 3 classics
Blade Runner / The Fifth Element / Immortel
set live to a completely improvised score by:
MARK de CLIVE-LOWE (MdCL), MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON
& DEXTER STORY w/ visual mix by VJ SYNESTHETE
...
doors 8pm / $10 gets you 2 unique sets at 9 & 10.30pm
or simply join at anytime throughout

We're surely surrounded by androids and aliens, at least so magnificently on the big screen, which has inspired us in this
3rd live edition of SCORED to bring forth the future primitive
underworlds of Blade Runner, The Fifth Element and Immortel
(google it :)

AND who better to be spontaneously improvising the score in front
of your eyes & ears than jazz groove futurists
MdCL the keyboard and effects wizard
(www.mashibeats.com)
DEXTER STORY multi-instrumentalist, drummer
(www.dexterstory.com)
MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON viola player, composer, arranger
(http://miguelatwood-ferguson.bandcamp.com/)
with VJ SYNESTHETE in the visual mix

MdCL, MIGUEL and DEXTER are three of our most favorite musicians anywhere. MdCL is the wiz around town in many groove formats from his monthly Sunday Church to live dancefloor sets with Sy Smith in LA and around the world. You may know Miguel from lovingly arranged full orchestral interpretations of J DILLA's creations in MOCHILLA's TIMELESS Suite For Ma Dukes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh g_fPD-Lhc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNV9OSsMiWw

to his own recent acclaimed large shows with the likes of Flying Lotus, Jose James, Pharoahe Monch, Bilal, Zap Mama and countless others to the mighty Build An Ark.

DEXTER STORY is also such a creative force - a multi-instrumentalist performing with numerous different artists in as many different styles, he's one of MdCL's favorite people to improvise and create with bar none.

Todd Thille ( aka VJ SYNESTHETE ) has been lighting up screens around the world with a unique blend of repurposed media, original creations and generative code. He brings the excitement of live mixing to a foundation in film making and editing.

Join us for a truly inspired, improvised Monday eve with our favorite 'droids and aliens, and YOU of course

From San Jose to Ethio Cali

2011-08-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

it's a full weekend of shows starting tomorrow...

FRIDAY 12 AUGUST
After Hours Live at the Pagoda, San Jose for the San Jose Jazz Festival After Party:
sy smith and i drop the live set for san jose at this great venue
Facebook event page

SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
secret show - MdCL DJ set, San Jose
to be announced on twitter friday night :)

SUNDAY 14 AUGUST
Todd Simon's Ethio Cali Ensemble @ UCLA Fowler Museum, LA:
a free afternoon outdoor concert with MdCL on keys in trumpeter Todd Simon's ethiopian jazz project along with dexter story, kamasi washington and more
Facebook event page

it's official: MdCL + Tru Thoughts

2011-08-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

as announced on Gilles Peterson's Worldwide show last night, the new MdCL album Renegades drops on Tru Thoughts in a few months' time... more news about this here and an exclusive interview with okayplayer's revivalist here... more album news soon !

BODY ROCK LA w/ Alix Alvarez, Nef Nunez, MdCL

2011-08-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

launching a very special new monthly party for LA's house music lovers....

http://fusicology.com/event/bodyrockLA

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137864782968742

MdCL DJ Set @ Jazzercise LA by mashibeats

Weds Aug 31st

BODY ROCK!!!

with Djs
...
ALIX ALVAREZ (Sole Channel Music)
MARK de CLIVE-LOWE (Mashibeats)
NEF NUNEZ (Seed Recordings)

http://www.jloungela.com/

1119 S.Olive St. Los Angeles, CA

+Doors 9pm-2am// $5 before11p // $10 After

Alix Alvarez

A New York native currently residing in Los Angeles, this globetrotting Dj/producer is CEO & Co-Founder of SOLE channel Music (along with his partner Dj Mr.V) and Co creator, alongside Realtone Records maverick Franck Roger, of the 5 Beats events in Paris France. His Discography stretches far and wide with work ranging from his acclaimed remixes of Amy Winehouse on Universal records to his current work on Josh Wink's iconic electronic dance label Ovum Recordings. Alix's music is on rotation on some of the most revered Dj's playlist worldwide and his Dj performances reach all corners of the globe from London to South Africa from Japan to the US. Alix's sound continues to push boundaries and move forward.

Mark de Clive Lowe

'…The man behind a million great tunes' - Gilles Peterson/Radio 1 Worldwide [UK]
Mark de Clive-Lowe (MdCL) is a NZ-Japanese musician and producer now based in LA after the last decade in the UK. He's a devastating Dj/live performer creating studio production on stage from scratch using drum machines, keyboards and effects - live remixes created on stage for each and every gig. As well as performances at clubs, festivals and parties worldwide, he's on over 250 releases for Masters At Work Records, Verve, Impulse and collaborating with as diverse a range of artists as Jody Watley, Sheila E (Prince), Omar, Pino Palladino (D'Angelo/The Who), Leon Ware (Marvin Gaye/Michael Jackson), Dame Shirley Bassey, Sandra St Victor (The Family Stand/Chaka Khan) and plenty more, MdCL is one of the most innovative producers and live performers you'll find anywhere.

Nef Nunez

Flying up the ranks to become a top-tier producer, his music is best described as a blend of soulful, deep, and minimal Tech. Pushing the envelope musically with a well-attended audience and eclectic DJ's with the same vision, Nunez has played along side Dennis Ferrer (Objectivity) The Martinez Bros (Objectivity), MrV (SoleChannel Music), Frankie Feleciano Ricanstruction). Nef has also released music on various labels working alongside producers such as Quentin Harris, Scott Wozniak & FilSonik to name a few. Nef Nunez is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

[FREE DOWNLOAD] Hooligan feat nia andrews

2011-08-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

a lil preview for the new album courtesy of the Label Love compilation series :)

Hooligan feat. nia andrews by Mark de Clive-Lowe

also check >> niaandrews.com

2 great LA shows this week...

2011-07-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

my monthly event CHURCH returns to angels piano bar in santa monica sunday 7th featuring special guests + guest DJ mona-lisa. 8pm-2am. more info here and facebookers >> here

and also this week, sy smith and i reunite our tag-team live dancefloor mashups at the little temple for nu thursdays. more info here and facebookers >>> here

add to that san jose (aug 12), dayton ohio (aug 20), oakland (sept 4), chicago (sept 22) and plenty more! info to come as it happens :)

[VIDEO] REMIX:LIVE x4 at Southpaw Brooklyn

2011-07-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

four clips from the recent REMIX:LIVE show at southpaw in brooklyn. acapellas on serato, and everything else created live as it happens. on the fly. from scratch.

Afronaut feat Melissa Brown 'Transcend Me' (MdCL's REMIX:LIVE version)

Bugz in the Attic feat Wumni 'Zombie' (MdCL's REMIX:LIVE version)

MdCL 'El Dia Perfecto' (MdCL's REMIX:LIVE version)

Lady Alma 'Running for Nothing' (MdCL's REMIX:LIVE version)

the gearlist:

Akai MPC3000
Korg KP3
Korg Radias
Moogerfooger Ring Modulator
Akai H2
Fender Rhodes Mark 73 Stage
Nord Electro 2
Korg MS2000

acapellas played from Serato on the Rane 57 mixer

some more audio to come soon as well... ;)

enjoy!

LA happenings... save the dates!

2011-07-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

i'm just back from an amazing week in brooklyn - the REMIX:LIVE show at southpaw was really great fun (videos from that to be posted soon!) and wrapped up with a spontaneous jam session with nickodemus on turntables and amon on percussion. good vibes :) was great to catch up with a lot of east coast fam and meet some new people too. biggups to nickodemus, chris annibell, amon, mariella, vinia mojica, aaries, dj spinna, dj scratch, victor axelrod, ant demby and all the dubspot crew. already planning the next trip to NYC and hopefully it'll be sooner (and more regular) than later!

no time to rest, it's straight back into it in LA. a couple of remixes to get done in the studio and then it's a string of great events and musical happenings...

sunday 24 july - secret show (ummm... what more can i say?! lol)

monday 25 july - SCORED presents the wizard << live improvised soundtrack performance at the blue whale jazz club. a visual mash up of the cinematic classic THE WIZARD OF OZ with the music improvised by MdCL + Miguel Atwood-Ferguson + Dexter Story
Fusicology
Facebook

friday 29 july - SATELLITE - MdCL DJ set at the alexandria hotel, DTLA along with DJs aaron byrd, plann.b + haylo
Facebook
Satellite Blog

saturday 30 july - DWIGHT TRIBLE @ african american museum - i'll be on piano alongside dwight with karen briggs, justo almario, james leary + dexter story and then straight on to... >> saturday 30 july - HEADSPACE - MdCL DJ set @ the falls bar, DTLA

august kicks off straight away with some very special live shows in LA and san jose including of course, CHURCH live at angels august 7 with very special guests and surprises (still buzzing from chris daddy dave joining us last month!).

July is ON! + NYC next week

2011-07-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

only 9 days in and july is already making itself known in no small way :) i'm constantly thankful for the opportunities and experiences that are coming my way.

a lil soundtrack for the moment too... ;)

the month kicked off with the dwight trible show at the blue whale here in LA. the blue whale is my favorite jazz club here - an amazing environment for live music and especially acoustic music. playing with dwight is a great experience and one of my favorite bands right now - with trevor ware on bass and dexter story on drums. for this show we were also joined by miguel atwood-ferguson on viola. what a sublime night of magical music! documented on camera by farah stop (more pics here)

the next night i was back at angels piano bar for my monthly event CHURCH. we decided to make it an extra special one for the july 4 holiday weekend - dwight joined trevor, dexter and me for the first set reprising the vibe from the previous night at the blue whale, rani d was on decks djing in between sets and after, and sy smith and dexter joined me for the 2nd set - the mpc heavy improvised jam session beatdown :) half way thru the set and i hear sy shouting out to people in the house - robert glasper and chris daddy dave. both fantastic musicians. chris dave jumped up on the drums and jammed the end of the set with us - what a vibe and a great way to wrap up the weekend! that's a big part of what i love about CHURCH - you never know what is going to happen :) CHURCH returns to angels first sunday of the month - next one is AUGUST 7.

truly a special and memorable night for LA :) - and plenty more to come!

the next day and i was on the plane heading to rotterdam via london and amsterdam to perform to shows - one guesting with the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra big band and another with trumpeter Rob van de Wouw. the RJO and i had done a couple of shows 2 years ago so it was fun to get back with them - there's nothing like the power of 20 musicians on stage blowing together. we did big band arrangements of my tunes including 'relax unwind', 'money (don't let it catch ya)', 'el dia perfecto' and more. there's an album in the pipeline with that project too ;) i produced rob van de wouw's last album 'tunnelvision' and the gig the next night in rotterdam was the first time i got to perform that material with him. he's got a killing band and it really was fun to play with them all. hopefully more of that to come too :)

i was trying to stay in rotterdam an extra night and play the late night jam session for the opening of the north sea jazz festival, but it wasn't to come together this time. no worries tho, plans are already underway for north sea jazz fest 2012! it's an amazing lineup this year and i know everyone there is having a BALL. btw - THE winning hotel in rotterdam >>> ss de rotterdam

i'm back in LA for a few days now before heading to new york for a week (no sleep til brooklyn!). i'll be doing a REMIX:LIVE show there (possibly with surprise guests too) at southpaw july 15 alongside DJs nickodemus (turntables on the hudson) and chris annibell (afrokinetic). looking forward to catching up with my east coast fam, hitting some parties, some studio... who knows what else :)

The June Wrap Up!

2011-06-29T22:29:00.001-07:00

one day left in the month and wow... what a month it's been!! (how much can one humanly fit into 30 days?). 2011's really bringing treat after treat and surprise after surprise. i'm thankful to say the very least :)

the month started off with a handful of shows - two nia andrews shows, firstly at hotel cafe in hollywood and then at footsie's for the soul in the park night (what a killing vibe that was!! loved every minute of it, special thanks and shout out to rani d for putting such a great event together); the lift party in san francisco where i did the REMIX:LIVE solo live show and doubled billed with marques wyatt stepping up in karizma's place; my monthly CHURCH at angels (ohmega watts absolutely smacked the vibe that night, thank you fam!) and the lift LA party - another REMIX:LIVE set but this time alongside my good friend and legendary DJ, dj spinna. <-- gotta give thanks and a shout out to wiseacre and jeremy sole for continuing to make the lift one of the freshest parties anywhere. (photos courtesy of farah stop)

as if all the gigs weren't a busy enough start to the month i was in studio for a week with brooklyn singer mariella who had come to LA to work on her new EP with me and nia andrews on co-writing duties. we got three songs mostly finished and had a fun and productive week seeing that all come together. the EP's getting finished and mixed down over the next month. mariella also joined me at CHURCH and the lift LA parties on a lil microphone action, joined by sy smith for the lift LA. great vibes all round and special for me to have sy smith back on the mic after a long stretch of both being too busy to connect it up together.

in between short sleeps and long days i managed to catch a bit of the playboy jazz festival at the hollywood bowl. notably, the san francisco jazz collective paying homage to stevie wonder with a set of heavy jazz-head arrangements of his classics. my first time at a concert at the bowl and it was really great - what an amazing environment to get to check out live music :)

a few days later and i was at the blue whale jazz club in LA for the inaugural SCORED night - a concept monthly bringing live soundtrack performance to the fore. for this one, i revisited 1913 italian silent film 'the extraordinary adventures of saturnino farandolo'. i'd performed an improvised soundtrack to this film once 3 years earlier in warsaw (that time with sandra nkaké, richard spaven and soweto kinch). this time i was joined by dwight trible and dexter story for two back-to-back adventures in music improvising along to the crazy film. we had so much fun with that and really looking forward to more cinematic soundtrack adventures with the SCORED crew.

before the next weekend's shows i was in studio remixing sandra nkaké's gil scott heron tribute 'a place for you'. that was a fun remix - taking the original parts all the musicians had played, speeding up the tempo and giving a hip hop bump to the whole thing. check it below - it's a free download too :)

A Place for You (GIL SCOTT HERON TRIBUTE) (MdCL remix) by mashibeats

no rest for the wicked and a couple of days later and i was doing the REMIX:LIVE show in pomona for the senses party. it's not too far from LA proper, but definitely a whole other vibe out there. it's been really interersting to me seeing the REMIX:LIVE project develop - exploring the format of improvising a whole set of dancefloor remixes live with no safety net. sometimes things go wrong, technology lets me down, the unexpected happens, but it's all about flipping that to make it work. it'd be great to start recording these shows - complete albums of all new remixes at the end of every gig!

after banging beats in pomona the next day was a complete 180, playing piano with dwight trible and his group at a church in pasadena. dwight's such an incredible talent and i'm loving the music and learning that is constantly happening working with him. we had a rehearsal today for his next show and the pure joy in creativity that everyone brings to the music is so great.

with a day in the hand to deal with everything non-musical in life as well as squeeze in a keys session for jungle master a-sides - hear the track below)

Broken Jazz (Ft Mark de Clive-Lowe) Clip by djasides

(and celebrate DEGO's debut album release) it seemed like only a handful of hours before nia andrews and i were on the plane japan bound for a week there. what an amazing week it was. great experiences, people, food, travels, sights and sounds.

from the daibutsu great buddha of kamakura to parties in tokyo and osaka it was an unforgettable week. special thanks to shuya and yoshihiro okino, hajime yoshizawa, mari kimura, ai hanadate, the room, noon and alfie. we wrapped up the week at hajime and shuya's CIRCLE party at alfie - a jazz club in the roppongi district of tokyo. i'd actually been there almost 20 years earlier (!!) to watch a show and that made it all the more special to be playing on there, as well as reuniting with my original 1997 Tokyo Trio - tomo sugimoto on bass and nobu fuji on drums. we played an acoustic trio set, nia joined us for some vocal numbers, and hajime joined us on rhodes for a jam session after. we brought the CHURCH vibe from LA to tokyo :) in light of recent tragedies in japan, we were so happy to be able to bring the music to the people there and lift spirits. really can't wait to get back again!

behind the scenes, the new forthcoming album, RENEGADES, is in its final stages or preparation - artwork is underway now, and a release date should be announced soon enough. i'm bugging to start leaking info about it, maybe i'll start on that sooner than later ;) and definitely excited to share it with you all when the time comes. hoping for an october worldwide release...

i'm wrapping up june, and welcoming in july with three great events:

thursday 30 june - djing alongside coleman (mochilla) and rani d (soul in the park) at the short stop

saturday 2 june - playing piano in the dwight trible quartet at the blue whale jazz club alongside dwight, miguel atwood-ferguson (viola), trevor ware (bass) and dexter story (drums)

sunday 3 june - back with my monthly CHURCH at angels in santa monica, joined by dwight trible, sy smith, rani d, trevor ware, dexter story and some surprises :) - Facebook

if you're in LA, hope to see you at one, two or three of these great happenings!

july's going to be another crazy month - next week in holland, the week after in new york, plenty of studio madness and mayhem, and a very special LA surprise in the pipeline for july 24 ;) news on the upcoming dates here...

peace and music,
MdCL

LA monthly: CHURCH - July 3 - Holiday Weekend Special Edition

2011-06-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Facebook event page
Fusicology event page

The tenth installment of MdCL's monthly clubnite in LA, CHURCH, returns to Angels Piano Bar Sunday July 3.

This month features guests: Dexter Story (drums), Trevor Ware (bass) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Jody Watley, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Leon Mobley jump up - who's next?!). We welcome DWIGHT TRIBLE as special guest in the acoustic jazz set and welcome back SY SMITH on mic for the 2nd set as well as a some more very special surprises in both sets. Plus this month's special guest DJ: Rani D (Soul in the Park).

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month is a musical journey without boundaries with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano and guests. At 11pm for the second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30pm - DJ set (DJ Rani D)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30am - DJ set (DJ Rani D)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

[FREE DOWNLOAD] MdCL DJ set @ The EndUp San Francisco

2011-06-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

enjoy!
MdCL DJ set @ The EndUp San Francisco April 17, 2011 by mashibeats

A Place for You (Gil Scott Heron Tribute - MdCL remix [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2011-06-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

A Place for You (GIL SCOTT HERON TRIBUTE) (MdCL remix) by mashibeats

Paris-based vocalist Sandra Nkaké and friends created 'A Place for You' as their tribute to the late Gil Scott Heron (RIP). Based on Gil's cover of 'Inner City Blues' the tribute features Jean Phi Dary on rhodes, Antoine Berjeaut on trumpet, Matthieu Ouaki on guitar, Jî Drû on flute and of course Sandra Nkaké on vocals.

Sandra asked me if I'd remix the song as part of their tribute - my remix is available for FREE DOWNLOAD along with the original and other remixes here.

'thanks for this. It's dope. Absolutely love it' - Ashley Beedle
'Wow! this is heavy! rough vibe...like it very much!!' - Ezel
'Oh shit. The best tune I've heard since the last Thundercat leaks - lifts me up!:)' - Maceo Wyro (Innocent Sorcerers)

Dego "A Wha' Him Deh Pon? > 7 days til the drop

2011-06-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

preview DEGO's debut LP... georgia anne-muldrew, nia andrews, taylor mcferrin, nadine charles, kaidi tatham... nuff heaviness here

Dego "A Wha' Him Deh Pon? by SOUNDROTATION

drops june 20!

http://www.facebook.com/2000blackrecords
http://2000black.com
http://twitter.com/2000black_dego

grab the dj brainchild free mixtape of dego past, present and future classics now...

SENSES July 18 + Live MPC studio jam (Free download!)

2011-06-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

i'll be doing the REMIX:LIVE show in pomona at the SENSES party next weekend. the crew came round to the lab to chat to me about my live setup and film a little spontaneous MPC+keys improvised jam. check it out here:

if you'd like to hear the full length straight audio (it was edited down a little on the video), check it on the soundcloud here (download enabled):

Senses MPC jam (spontaneous improv) by mashibeats

SCORED presents Cinematic Improvisation (LA June 15)

2011-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 15 · 8:30pm - 11:30pm
@ blue whale, 123 Astronaut E, S Onizuka St, Los Angeles
screenings: 8.30pm + 10.30pm

three years ago i played at the warsaw silent film festival where i was invited to perform an improvised live soundtrack to the 1913 italian silent film: The Very Extraordinary Adventures of Saturnin Farandoul (here's the blog i wrote just before that show).

it was such a unique and memorable show - i was joined by sandra nkake, soweto kinch and richard spaven and we improvised a beats and jazz soundtrack to the film. i'd never done anything like it before and the marriage of mediums really took a life of its own to become something new. it was something i really wanted to do again, and next wednesday 15 june here in LA, it's finally going to happen! thanks to SCORED and jonathan rudnick, i'll be revisiting Saturnin Farandoul at little tokyo's jazz club the blue whale. joining me will be two of LA's finest: Dwight Trible on vocals and Dexter Story on drums - two great musicians and creative improvisers who i'm looking forward to exploring the unexpected with :)

if you're in LA, hope you can come out for what's sure to be a very special night - two sets with two complete improvisations of the one-hour film. Spread the word!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105357152887767
Fusicology: http://fusicology.com/event/scoredcinematicimprov

JAPAN - 3 exclusive shows this month

2011-06-05T09:34:00.001-07:00

my long-overdue trip back to my motherland to do 3 exclusive shows uplifting minds, bodies and spirits in tokyo and osaka... :)

June 24 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE + special guest nia andrews @ The Room, Shibuya Tokyo
June 25 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE + special guest nia andrews @ Noon, Osaka
June 26 - MdCL Jazz Trio + special guest nia andrews @ Alfie, Roppongi Tokyo

the REMIX:LIVE shows will be at two of my favorite spots with the Okino brothers (aka Kyoto Jazz Massive/Especial Records and more Japan fam), and the jazz trio set will be with two great japanese musicians: Tomokazu Sugimoto (bass) and Nobuaki Fuji (drums). we started playing trio together in 1996 so it's going to be an extra special reunion on that tip.

special guest nia andrews will be making cameos on each show too!

i'm really looking forward to catching up with friends, fam and crew, good times, great music and inspiring food :))

4649!

LA monthly: CHURCH - June 5

2011-05-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

The ninth installment of MdCL's monthly clubnite in LA, CHURCH, returns to Angels Piano Bar this Sunday June 5.

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Fusicology page

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month will be a musical journey with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano and guests. At 11pm for the second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

This month features guests: Paul Legaspi (drums), Trevor Ware (bass), Nia Andrews (vox) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Jody Watley, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Leon Mobley jump up - who's next?!)... plus this month's special guest DJ: Ohmega Watts (Ubiquity).

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30pm - DJ set (DJ Ohmega Watts)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30am - DJ set (DJ Ohmega Watts)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

[VIDEO] Freesoul Sessions 3rd Birthday (Nov 2007)

2011-05-29T11:15:00.001-07:00

i was clearing out the hard drive today and found a few treats that i'd forgotten about, starting with this: Freesoul Sessions 3rd Birthday at the jazz cafe, london

Improvised live on stage November 3, 2007

Freesoul Sessions is MdCL's live improvised jazz-meets-electronics clubnite. Launched in London in late 2004, the clubnite evolved with a rotating cast of musicians and vocalists all joining MdCL in creating complete sets of live club-jazz music with no rehearsal, preconceptions or gameplan. Taking a monthly residency at London's Jazz Cafe, this was the venue for the 3rd Birthday Celebration:

MdCL - MPC3000 drums, rhodes, piano, synth bass, fx
Richard Spaven - live drums
Byron Wallen - trumpet
Vanessa Freeman - vocals
Bembe Segue - vocals

Buy Freesoul Sessions Live recordings online - http://freesoul.bandcamp.com

Essential Reading...

2011-05-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

http://thequietus.com/articles/06318-how-the-music-industry-is-killing-music-and-blaming-the-fans

June Happenings!

2011-05-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

hardly time to catch my breath before june kicks off and bwoyyy is it gonna be a busy one! with shows in LA from straight dancefloor clubnites, the jazz explorations of CHURCH, a live improvised silent movie soundtrack event to shows on keys for the likes of nia andrews and dwight trible; two LIFT parties with two of the illest DJs there are (DJ Spinna for the LA one and Karizma for the san fran one); and three shows in Japan, there'll be no sleep til BROOKLYN! (aka #savethedate july 15)

this saturday (28th) i'll be spinning some tunes at The Falls Bar downtown LA with the Headspace crew (free entry!) and then welcoming in the new month with....

June 1 - nia andrews @ Hotel Cafe, LA

June 3 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE + Karizma @ The Lift San Francisco - Mighty, SFO

June 5 - MdCL presents CHURCH Live at Angel's Piano Bar + special guests, Santa Monica

June 8 - nia andrews @ Soul in the Park - Footsie's, LA

June 10 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE + special guests + DJ SPINNA @ The Lift LA - venue tbc, LA

June 11 - MdCL DJ set + Headspace crew @ The Falls, Downtown LA

June 12 - SY SMITH + MdCL Live @ LA Pride, LA

June 15 - SCORED: Live improvised cinematic soundtrack - MdCL + special guests Dwight Trible + Dexter Story @ The Blue Whale, LA

June 18 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE @ SENSES, Fox Theater @ Pomona, CA

June 19 - Dwight Trible @ Calvary CME Church, LA

June 24 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE + special guest nia andrews @ The Room, Tokyo JAPAN

June 25 - MdCL REMIX:LIVE + special guest nia andrews @ Noon, Osaka JAPAN

June 26 - MdCL Jazz Trio + special guest nia andrews @ Alfie, Tokyo JAPAN

and to top that all off, the studio's going to be busy in june too with 'Lovesick' vocalist Mariella coming in from brooklyn to work on her new EP i'm producing as well as which there'll be some bits n pieces getting done for the likes of Olatunde, A-Sides, and who knows what else ;)

The Europe Tour: Wrap Up

2011-05-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

the couple of days off in london were so much needed. it's been such a non-stop schedule this tour, it was great to spend those days chilling, sleeping, eating, catching up with friends and enjoying being in one of my old home-towns. home cooked meals and even just being in a home instead of a hotel have got to be the highlight of any time on the road so special thanks to my friends who made that happen!! :)

i caught up with pino palladino the other day too - always great to see him, hang and vibe some. we spent much of the day listening to music and hanging in his studio. heard some ridiculous recordings - including pino with herbie hancock at the hollywood bowl tearing up actual proof with vinnie colaiuta on drums and a recent work-in-progress rough of him with two giants - james gadson and d'angelo... great just to hear the man back at work :) we got to lay some stuff down too - pino lacing up bass parts on the olatunde EP joints i recorded at nick doe's spot last week, and me laying rhodes on some ridiculousness with pino on bass and chris daddy dave on drums. wrapped it all up with a great home cooked meal - days like this make me all the more thankful :)

with a 4.30am check in time at heathrow, sleep wasn't much of an option so it was some zoned out traveling the next day. heathrow to vienna / 6 hr layover there watching paint dry / vienna to sofia. LONG day traveling, especially with no sleep.

i'd been to sofia once before and it was great to be back again. sharlene hector was on mic with me for these last two shows of the tour - she's an incredible vocal talent so all the more special for me to be wrapping the tour with her on board. we hit soundcheck at the venue - sofia live club - and i have to say, when everything is just easy and happening, everything's a pleasure. great crew, equipment was all there, and the sound was fantastic. great sound is so often overlooked. warm, fat bottom end, mids and highs sitting in just the right place. when it's like that your ears don't get tired and the music has a chance to sound how it's meant to :) that left us both really looking forward to the show.

not really knowing what to expect the show was a really pleasant surprise. a good amount of people, all up for the vibe and the party. we flipped some favorites - heartbreak hotel, gabrielle, good life...and of course sharlene smacked up 'leaving this planet' :) all in all a great day and night in sofia.

the day off in vienna was perfect - beautiful weather, dope hotel, amazing japanese food for dinner and wrapped up the night at a garden party with the Loud Minority DJs and some flavorsome wine :) no complaints from me! the show the next night was great fun - sharlene and i dropped the full-on party club set for the vienna heads and dancers. the mission wasn't over tho - we finished the show and went straight from the club to the airport to fly back to london. a 1/2 day lay-over in london not really seeing or thinking straight and the tour's officially wrapped. air nz, take me home! :)

huge thanks to everyone who was part of this trip - the promoters, venues, sound engineers, collaborators, friends and fam - you're appreciated! :)

Favorite Show - Sofia Live Club, Sofia Bulgaria and Roxy, Vienna Austria
Favorite DJ set - Benji B @ Lefto Presents, Vooruit, Ghent Belgium
Best Sound - Sofia Live Club, Sofia Bulgaria
Best Hotel - Hotel Amour, Paris France - it wasn't the most flash one, but the vibe, food, staff, location. definitely a top pick. Close second place: Brillibriliant Hotel, Vienna Austria
Best Meal - it's a tie between two home-cooked meals. the restaurants didn't stand a chance this time!
Best Airline - Air NZ... always a favorite + their new Sky Couch is revolutionary - a fully flat full size bed in economy !?
Favorite City - Paris - starting the tour waking up on a sunny spring day in Paris, can't be beat :)

AAries - Don't Give It Up (MdCL remix) < preview

2011-05-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

AAries - Don't Give It Up (MdCL RMX) by mashibeats

Philly duo Aaries dropped a gem of a joint recently - check the original version below - and i got in the mix flipping the joint for the remix.
No scheduled release at this stage, so enjoy it here!

The Europe Tour: Part 2

2011-05-16T07:13:00.003-07:00

taking a minute to catch my breath - it's amazing how fast time goes when there's so much good good packed into it :) i've been pretty much non-stop since the last blog post.

kicked off with a great studio day at trinity studios here in london recording percussionist OLATUNDE for his EP i'm producing. started the session about 2pm and by 7 we had 3 tracks done - pre production beats and basslines, a whole range of heavy percussion and vocal parts. 5 hrs later and the EP's mostly done! i'm looking forward to pulling that session up and doing the final edits and arrangements. if you dig the deep afro-tribal house flavor, you're going to love the EP. really enjoyed working at trinity as well - thanks to nick doe, alex and the crew there.

not too many hours later and i was heading to heathrow airport with bembe segue to fly to warsaw. every show i've done in poland has been a fun vibe, so i was looking forward to this one too - pat of warsaw music week along with the likes of goldie at the warsoul 2nd birthday party, a double bill with amalia + opolopo. it was a pretty out vibe not sleeping the night before, flying there and still not sleeping (note to self: sleep is GOOD) but i managed to pull thru it! we had a fun night playing the party, and great to hang with maceo and the warsoul crew and friends amalia and opolopo. the gig culminated in a jam with both of them plus polish bass player bartozzi wojciechowski. thanks to the warsaw fam!

a handful of hours and a brunch later, and we were on the plane back to london. motet picked us up from heathrow and it was straight to the venue for the london show with the uprock crew. arnold's is a new spot in the central city - nicely set up for the dancers with an all wood floor. once we had a couple of additonal subs in place, the room sounded nice too. definitely a good vibe spot. uprock/jazz refreshed crew are my london fam from way back, so it's always a real pleasure to catch up with them and do a party together. great to see so many friends and uk fam come out that night to hang, party, dance and enjoy it all :) i ended up crawling into bed after sunrise... a sure sign of a big night!

not quite sure how i managed to pull myself out of bed the next day but plans had been made so i was up and after helping re-wire bembe segue's studio (she's all ready to go now, hopefully that means new tunes soon!!) i was back at trinity studio this time to collab with nick doe and louise golbey on a brand new joint. we really enjoy the collaborative process, sharing ideas, bouncing vibes around and seeing what can be created together. the track's sounding great and really looking forward to hearing them finish it up.

thankful to have a bit of a chill today - the schedule's been pleasantly relentless. i'm loving keeping busy and productive, but it's priceless to be able to stop for a minute and catch up with myself. one week to go before heading back home to LA - looking forward to some studio hang with pino palladino tomorrow, and the final two shows of the tour: sofia bulgaria thursday and vienna austria saturday, both featuring sharlene hector (leaving this planet!) on mic :)

The Europe Tour: Week 1

2011-05-11T04:28:00.000-07:00

one week into this tour i thought it would be a good time to do a blog reporting on the goings on so far.

after 20 hours in the air (gotta shout out air NZ's new sky couch seating - a flat bed in economy class?! who would've thought!), waiting at airports and on the ground, i got to paris last wednesday afternoon. i was too tired to do little more than eat before sleeping, but being in paris, even that was a real treat. the french just do something to their food that makes it taste so, so good! the spot i was staying at, hotel amour, is a great little hotel in a really vibrant area and after all that travel the biggest treat was waking up the next morning to a full day there. it's so rare on tour that i get days off in different cities. paris is one of my favorite cities anywhere and on a day like this - beautiful spring weather - it's really at its best.

walking around the marais, by the river, taking in the sights and sounds of the city - a perfect first day in europe.

the party that night was at the legendary REX club - hand in hand with laurent garnier, a huge part of clubland history in france. i'd gone there once waaay back in '98 when i was hanging out in paris one time, but never did a show there. banging soundsystem, and a room made for the dancers we were ready to have a great night. it was the first time i did the REMIX:LIVE show in europe - still a relatively new show to me having only done it ever twice before that, and i'm really enjoying it evolve and grow. with a crate full of accapellas on the turntable and building live remixes for them on the fly on my live rig, it's fun to see what comes out each time i do it. seiji was spinning after me at the paris party, great to see him, catch up and hear his new sounds. there's definitely a lot of sounds that just don't get played stateside.

after very little sleep it was off to the train station to head to brussels, belgium - only a 90 minute or so train ride, and then another 30 min in the car to nearby gent. belgium dj and curator lefto hosts his monthly 'lefto presents' party there at the vooruit. a decent sized room (holds about 1500) with MASSIVE sound. lefto had assembled a really interesting lineup for the party - along with my REMIX:LIVE set was warp artist bibio, onra, benji b and jamie xx. always great to catch up with benji - he and jamie xx smashed the room with plenty of bass heavy bashment and beats. really enjoyed hearing such a wide range of sounds that night and seeing the crowd really get down with it :)

no rest for the wicked... a few hours of sleep later and i was back on a train, this time the eurostar to king's cross station london. motet scooped me from there and we hit the road toward somerset for the southport weekender. SP is one of the best dance music festival events on the planet - an annual (plus an annual one in croatia) UK event it goes on for 3 days in 4 rooms with a lineup that would leave any soulful dance music fan salivating before they got past the first few names. we arrived there in time to catch the saturday night parties but by then the need for real sleep got the best of me and i wasn't able to check benji b, dj spinna, karizma or kenny dope (yes, it's that kind of party where EVERYONE is there!). the next day was the closing parties and after parties - i did the REMIX:LIVE set at the after party with phil asher, kev beadle and rahaan also spinning. full crew hanging out - karizma, kenny dope, john morales... if you're a fan of the music, you owe it to yourself to one day make it to a southport weekender! :) really fun playing there, and was especially good to catch up with friends from around the world who'd come to all spin there.

after a day off catching up with the politik collboration partner bembe segue in london, yesterday i was back at it, this time in studio at the red bull studio in london bridge. i've used this spot a few times to jam out, make tracks, build ideas and collab with people (check the soundcloud for some of the tracks that have been made there including 'the calling feat olatunde' and 'all i ever wanted'). every time i'm in london and have the time to spare, i try and get in there and create some newness. bembe recently hipped me to a great young london band called united vibrations. check them on youtube to see what they're all about. i was digging their vibe straight away so reached out and invited them to come through the studio and we could get a little collabo on.

i put together a couple of beats on logic and we jammed ideas around them, ending up with two really great joints. one's on the broken tip, one is on the more downtempo vibe and i'm excited to see how they come together to finished tracks. some editing to be done still and then a couple of vocal guests to rope in, but it's definitely in the pipeline :) that was a fun-filled day of creativity and good hanging. i often think how much of a treat it is to be able to start the day knowing that by the end of it new music will exist that not only didn't exist before, but until it happens, i have no idea what it will sound like.

picture highlights from the session

today's a much needed lazy day before the schedule continues.... hitting studio tomorrow with olatunde for some more collaboration vibes, friday is the show in warsaw with bembe segue on mic, then saturday, london fam headsup! the exclusive london REMIX:LIVE show with the uprock crew :)

loving this sun!

LONDON! exclusive show - MdCL REMIX:LIVE May 14

2011-05-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

jazz re:freshed present.. Mark de Clive Lowe REMIX:LIVE & uprock PARTY!

Saturday 14 May 9pm-3am
Arnolds live music venue
24 Bride Lane, London, EC4Y 8DT

Introducing the all new MdCL REMIX:LIVE show. One man meets the machines for a fully improvised dancefloor set of remixes produced live on stage. MdCL builds the beats and b-lines from thin air on his MPC3000, synth bass, keyboards and toys, dropping acapellas on top for a one-time-only mash-up mixtape of live MdCL Remixes. Some of your favorite MdCL productions and collaborations plus some very special exclusives courtesy of the like of Jody Watley and AAries get the MdCL Remix treatment right before your eyes, ears and feet... "Genius..." - James Poyer (D'Angelo/The Roots/Erykah Badu)

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MORE TOUR DATES from the May Europe Tour

The Calling feat Olatunde [PREVIEW]

2011-05-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

this is a track i've been loving playing out when i DJ - it's forthcoming on Recloose and Frank Booker's Hit It & Quit It compilation and is otherwise exclusively available on the merch-only CD version of the Leaving this Planet EP (9 tracks on the CD version including this and other bonus joints), only available from me at my shows.

olatunde and i first worked together on charlie dark's african beats project - an afro-beat meets the electronics project we toured around the UK. since then we connect whenever we can. last time i was in london recording at the red bull studios, he came through and we laid down this joint. ed mowat contributes a guitar vibe as well...

The Calling feat Olatunde

Olatunde - hand drums + vocals
Ed Mowat - guitar
MdCL - MPC3000 drums, bass, synths, dirty rhodes

Produced by Mark de Clive-Lowe

The Calling feat Olatunde by mashibeats

it's a tribal house vibe but with our own kind of twist on it. olatunde's percussion and vocals take the vibe to the heart of the matter straight away. this track came out great so we're cooking up the plans to make a full olatunde EP produced by me. recording session already scheduled for next week in london :) keep an ear out!

in the meantime, enjoy the soundcloud preview :)

[VIDEO BLOG] Red Bull Music Academy Workshops Latvia

2011-04-28T16:08:00.001-07:00

MdCL presents CHURCH: May 1 (LA)

2011-04-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

Facebook event page
Fusicology event page

The eighth installment of MdCL's monthly jazz clubnite in LA, CHURCH.

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month will be a musical journey with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano and guests. At 11pm for the second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

This month features resident guests: Paul Legaspi (drums), Nia Andrews (vox) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Jody Watley, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Ohmega Watts jump up - who's next?!)... plus this month's special guest: DJ Aaron Byrd (KCRW).

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30pm - DJ set (DJ Aaron Byrd)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30am - DJ set (DJ Aaron Byrd)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

MdCL Europe Tour May 2011

2011-04-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

it's always a special occasion when i get to hit the road and may is no exception. after a heavy 2 nights in LA finishing off april (30th @ the vanguard alongside louie vega, marques wyatt, vikter duplaix, garth trinidad and more) and kicking off may (1st @ angels for my jazz monthly CHURCH), i'll be heading to europe for three weeks shows and some exciting studio collabs. there could be a couple more dates still to be announced but here's the info for now - this post will be updated as it happens

** Promoters ** there's still a few dates open for shows... message me here if you want to link it up!

this tour introduces a new show as well - MdCL REMIX:Live - a one man, fully improvised, dancefloor remix experience. i'll be rocking the live rig as expected (MPC drum machine, various keyboards and toys) and live remixing accapellas for a spontaneous one-off rework of some dope vocal joints :) there'll also be guests on select gigs - motet (bugz in the attic), bembe segue, sharlene hector, and London fam headsup... the MdCL Remix:Live show will be happening, MAY 14. can't wait to share the music!

May 5 - EDIT @ The Rex Club, Paris (France) - MdCL REMIX:Live + Seiji

May 6 - Lefto presents @ Vooruit, Gent (Belgium) - Jamie XX, Bibio, Onra, Benji B, MdCL REMIX:Live

May 8 - Southport Weekender @ Minehead (UK) - MdCL REMIX:Live + special guests and Phil Asher + more

May 13 - Warsoul Sessions 2nd Birthday @ Cafe Kulturalna, Warsaw (Poland) - MdCL REMIX:Live + Bembe Segue and Amalia + Opolopo

May 14 - MdCL Remix:Live vs Uprock @ Arnold's, London (UK) - EXCLUSIVE London club show - 24 Bride Lane, London, EC4Y 8DT

May 19 - Sofia Live Club, Sofia (Bulgaria) - MdCL Live feat Sharlene Hector

May 21 - The Roxy, Vienna (Austria) - MdCL Live feat Sharlene Hector

in between shows there's going to be some studio heaviness going down - four or five days of collabs with different people and crews that will no doubt be shared with ears worldwide when they're ready. i'll be blogging about the sessions and keep up to date on the twitter or facebook posts.

Track 5. Eight

2011-04-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

the last day of the track by track Leaving this Planet EP breakdown :) the EP is only being sold on digital via my bandcamp page >>> http://mashibeats.bandcamp.com

"this ep is crazy!!!! Koko and Eight are my faves… so dope!!!" - Isoul8 (Archive/Italy)

Leaving this Planet EP by Mark de Clive-Lowe presents...this instrumental cut started life at a studio session in atlanta where i was tracking with outkast/dungeon family percussionist omar phillips (also heard on 'koko + lee roe' on this EP). occasionally i'll work on a track where i'll record some parts but end up switching things up in a completely different direction from the original intention. this is one such track. months after tracking the percussion, i was in london working in studio at uprock's lab and 'cracked the code' so to speak with this track - reworking it pretty much from scratch.

the beats were programmed on logic using battery, flipping the percussion too to all fit together. it just felt like it wanted to be a darker vibe than a lot of other joints and i knew i didn't want to use any rhodes, so i built up an oblique kind of harmony using synth pads. once the basic rhythm track and harmony is in place on a track, the rest is kind of just like filling the gaps for me. finding the bass line that humps the beats properly while anchoring down the harmony; building up keyboard parts that lift the edges of the harmony with little melodies and seasonings... i ended up adding some piano to this one as well - something i haven't been doing too often.

once the track was finished and ready for mixdown, i played it to dego (2000black/4hero) - he was digging the vibe straight away and asked me for the stems so he could do a mixdown. the rhythm and musicality of the track already had a signature to it and dego's sonic sensibility added the final touches - keeping it dark and dense. he brought the final touches to it perfectly, where a different mixdown might have lost some of those elements.

it's been fun to revisit each of these tracks and share some of the process - hope it's been interesting and informative for you too. support the EP if you dig it and tell your friends and music loving fam! a few people have asked if these tracks will be on the forthcoming longplayer album Renegades, and the answer is no. these tracks are exclusive to this EP and maybe give a little hint to what's coming with the LP, but there's most definitely a whole lot more to come! i'm hoping to be able to announce the album release details soon enough.

in the meantime, enjoy 'Leaving this Planet'!

special thanks to everyone involved in creating the EP... Bembe Segue, Tawiah, nia andrews, ovasoul7, Sharlene Hector, Nova Lima, Omar Phillips, Lil John Roberts, Richard Spaven, Mike Feingold, Toni Economides, Dego, 800East Studio, Uprock Studio and Solar Sound Studio

Track 4. Leaving this Planet feat Sharlene Hector

2011-04-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

day 4 of the track by track EP breakdown :) the 5 track EP of exclusive tracks is only being sold on digital via my bandcamp page >>> http://mashibeats.bandcamp.com

"Once again MdCL ticks all the boxes, innovation, soulfulness,quality. Five great tracks, but the title track, an awesome rework of Charles Earland's classic with a lovely vocal from Sharlene Hector, and a new version of The Politik's "Dreams" with the ever brilliant Bembé Segué, steal the show!" - Patrick Forge (UK)

Leaving this Planet EP by Mark de Clive-Lowe presents...this is a reinterpretation of a joint by organist/keyboardist charles earland from his album by the same name 'Leaving this Planet'. the album's truly amazing - legendary musicians joining earland like harvey mason, joe henderson and freddie hubbard along with, on the title track, highly under-rated vocalist rudy copeland. here's the original - a whole different vibe than how i've interpreted it...

recorded in 1974, the earland LP has been a favorite album of mine for a long time and the title track has been part of my live shows for a long while as well. the really simple and real sentiment of the lyric rang true with me, rudy copeland's voice gave me shivers, and the band is simply KILLING on it. i started incorporating a version of it into the live sets around the same time that i started having UK vocalist sharlene hector on the gigs. sharlene is one of my favorite singers anywhere - truly the voice of an angel! she'd been heard on a national TV commerical for coca cola and vocalling the reel people anthem 'the rain' and it was a complete joy to have her as part of the live show with me. it was filmed at a 2006 show in tokyo, a night when all of us had sharlene giving us goosebumps with this rendition...

as much as it was a staple of the live set, i never made a studio version of it. every time we performed it, it was a bit different, the one constant was that i liked to start it really slow and push the tempo up (in the live in japan video, the tempo gets pushed right up until the jam segues into bembe singing the duke ellington classic 'caravan'). to create the studio version, i did some basic pre-production - drums/bass/rhodes and created a tempo map that pushed the tempo up every couple of bars by a few bpm. the outro groove was a different flip that just came together spontaneously as i was playing and programming. i recorded my regular UK drummer richard spaven playing additional drums and then got sharlene to vocal it. every time she's sung it, she brings a different approach to it, so it was exciting to hear how it would be this time. we added a little bit of backing vocals, built up the outro a bit, and the vocals were done. sharlene's the kind of singer who i might record an alternate take with, but it wouldn't be in order to fix any mistakes, just to be able to choose whichever one i felt the vibe of more. once that was done, i added the final additional synths and effects, and the joint was ready for mixdown.

it's a real pleasure to finally be able to share a studio version of Leaving this Planet :) enjoy!

Track 3. What It Is

2011-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

day 3 of the track by track Leaving this Planet EP breakdown :) the EP is a 5 track EP of exclusive tracks that is only being sold on digital via my bandcamp page >>> http://mashibeats.bandcamp.com

"Where exactly is this directed? We believe somewhere further then our Spiral Arm? Maybe beyond the eighth Galaxy From our current solar orbit ? Leaving This Planet EP will satisfy all who dance for the launch - Significant steps for Mankind - MdCL goes Galactic..." - Lazer Cru (UK)

Leaving this Planet EP by Mark de Clive-Lowe presents...
Track 3. What It Is
What It Is (Leaving this Planet EP) by mashibeats

messing with tempos is something i love. i never really understood the genrefication of music based on bpm, but that's very much the world we live in now. house, hip hop, drum'n'bass, dubstep, etc - so many styles that are pretty strictly ruled by specific bpms (with exceptions of course). growing up as a jazz musician, we'd always be playing different tempos and feels. i do love the linear vibe too - house or jungle nights where the tempo doesn't vary that much, but the DJ can still create a journey out of it, taking advantage of those constraints - creativity loves the challenge of limitation. often when i'm playing live, programming the MPC on the fly and improvising full studio production on stage, i'll mess with the bpm/tempo. starting something super slow, moving it through hip hop tempos, to boogie tempos, to house tempos and up to something manic. or the reverse - slowing it down bit by bit but keeping that transition really organic. it's something you'll hear me do almost every show in one way or another, but not something i'd done on a studio production before (there's two joints on this EP that have this element, going in opposite directions).

the first time i heard this done with beats was on a classic J-Live joint produced by Grap Luva - two hip hop legends right there. i got to meet grap in DC a few times and really dig his vibe and energy. as a producer he's super underrated. as an MC too - I.N.I. for those who aren't hip! 'them that's not' was out in about '99 and was a cult classic all over the place. the tempo build and breakdown was something so fresh and exciting to hear...

that was a great lesson in not needing to be constrained by ANYTHING when working with electronic music/sampling/programming.

in this case, 'what it is' is a soulful, instrumental house kind of vibe, but as it goes on, it slows down more and more, with the beats changing to a more head nod kind of thing, and when you think it isn't going to slow down any more, it does. until it's a crawl near the end. i love spinning this joint out and seeing the dancefloor change and morph. the girls swaying as it slows down... love it :)

the whole track was programmed, played and created on logic... (listen using the bandcamp player at the top!)

Track 2. Dreams featuring Bembe Segue

2011-04-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

continuing the track by track Leaving this Planet EP breakdown :) the EP is a 5 track EP of exclusive tracks that is only being sold on digital via my bandcamp page >>> http://mashibeats.bandcamp.com

"Always keeping it fresh & funky! Really digging "What It Is" and "Dreams" - Kudos man!" - Anthony Valadez (KCRW/LA)

Leaving this Planet EP by Mark de Clive-Lowe presents...
Track 2. Dreams featuring Bembe Segue

in a way, this track started life when Peruvian group Nova Lima asked me to drop a synth solo on a track for their 2009 album Coba Coba. i did a couple of different solos for them to choose from, and it wasn't long til they had done some percussion for me to return the favor. being from Peru, they've got their own percussion vibe - both as far as instruments goes and rhythms. working with the percussion parts they created i built drum parts around them - a simple but effective afro-slightly broken-slightly house kind of groove. i can't remember if i messed with the tempo of the original percussion parts, but it was basically loops that i could deconstruct and reconstruct until i had the whole drum track bouncing.

Dreams feat Bembe Segue (Leaving this Planet EP) by mashibeats

bembe segue and i have had a long collaborative relationship - the first time we were on a track together was before she had even taken on her moniker and i was in studio with IG culture back in early '98. i got back to the studio the next day and she'd laid down some dope vocals. we reconnected when i started making the tide's arising album. that was really the start of our deeper creative connection. her own style is a blend of seemingly disparate influences - prince, ursula dudziak, brides of funkenstein, flora purim and jean carne are some of the really key ones - and she's brought them together to really find her own voice, both as a singer and songwriter. as well as tide's arising, she was an integral part of my improvised clubnite freesoul sessions and we created a joint unit The Politik. that was really the peak of our creative collabration - we recorded almost the whole album in 5 days in vancouver in between shows. that was the kind of pace we could work at with the synergy flying :)

now that i'm based in LA and bembe is back in London we don't get to collab that often these days. that's something we're going to be rectifying (for politik fans - the remix album is STILL awaiting release and we're looking at making a follow up record), but in the meantime is this joint, Dreams. the vocal was recorded before i made the move to LA, but the track has been waiting for the right time to see the light of day. whenever i record with bembe, we'll triple track everything and usually always add another harmony. then another. then another. the logic arrangements can get out of hand if i'm not on top of it as we create!!

with bembe's vocals recorded and the drum track doing the rest of the work, i didn't feel like this joint needed a whole lot of music. a simple bass line, a few keyboard parts to raise the dynamic here and there and it was done. that's an important thing for me whenever i make music - to be able to feel what is and what isn't needed track to track. it's like the less-is-more lesson that jazz greats like ahmad jamal represent, but transposed to a whole other genre with other sensibilities.

as it happens, i've started messing around with a remix for this joint. maybe there's a leaving this planet remix EP to come... we'll see what happens ;)

as a closer, check out some of nova lima's own work... they have a new album dropping this year as well...

Track 1. Koko + Lee Roe

2011-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

the Leaving this Planet EP officially drops TODAY! :) it's a 5 track EP of exclusive tracks that is only being sold on digital via my bandcamp page. it will not be on itunes, amazon or any other store, so there's only one place you can cop it! >>> http://mashibeats.bandcamp.com

"serious tings as usual...#genius" - James Poyser (Badu/D'angelo/The Roots)

thanks to everyone who's checked it out so far. if you've already bought it, tell your friends, tell your family, tell the person in front of you in the line at the post office... fresh music for your ears!! :)

Leaving this Planet EP by Mark de Clive-Lowe presents...
starting today i'm going to blog about each track on the EP and give a little back story and any anecdotes as to how it came to being, kicking off today with Track 1.

Koko + Lee Roe (written by a cat named J. Peters)

the first time i heard Gene Harris' album Nexus i was BLOWN AWAY. it remains one of my favorite synth-jazz-funk albums of all time. it was released on blue note records in 1975 and still sounds super fresh. along with the work of his peers at the time like the mizell brothers, george duke and herbie hancock, this album's a giant. every track has its vibe, but one turned my head straight away and has been a perennial favorite....

i'd wanted to cover this for a while, and actually tried to do so one time earlier. it was around the first time i played the southport weekender festival in the UK maybe 4 years ago or so. we actually jammed it in soundcheck there but didnt play it in the show. i was in studio in london around that time one day and tried to start cutting a studio version of it. for whatever reason, it wasn't to be the right time - i just wasn't feeling the way it was shaping up.

fast forward to a studio session in atlanta early last year - i was there cutting tracks in studio for my new album (forthcoming this summer) and recording two really fantastic musicians - drummer lil john roberts and percussionist omar phillips. john has played with everyone from herbie and george duke to lucy pearl, jill scott and janet jackson. omar has been the percussionist for the dungeon family/outkast/big boi camp for a long time, so both have a serious pedigree. while we were cutting for the album, this was one thing that i wanted to have a go at. i'd done some pre production on logic - the main drum part, synth bass and rhodes i think, and recorded lil john and omar to that. there were a few different approaches with john - some more lazy, some more tight, i ended up going with the more tight vibe. i liked the way it sat with the programmed drums and it gave it a real difference to the pulse of the original. i pushed the tempo up a bit from the original as well. john killed it - brought in those fills, crashes and his own kind of hump. omar laced it up amazingly too - bringing in the colors and extra rhythm support with the percussion. we recorded a huge amount of music together over these sessions, so this is a lil bit of a preview of more to come ;)

i continued work on the track back in the lab in LA along with the music that's forthcoming on Renegades this summer. koko was actually intended to be on the album, but last minute i decided it didn't fit. that worked out perfect as it's a great way to kick off this EP. i got mike feingold - a great guitarist who is regularly on stage with badu, i met him through an introduction from james poyser - to cut guitars for the album tracks i wanted guitar on. he has an amazing ear and a great sensibility for sounds, sonics and production concepts so he fit in perfectly :) we had a lot to reference to as i wanted the musicality of this new version to really reflect the original.

for my part, a big amount of the track was about detailing the pre-production parts i'd done with the synth leads, piano, arp strings, etc. i tried to stay pretty faithful to gene's original version with all these elements, so in a way it became a bit of a study - breaking down the original part by part and replicating it, but at the same time trying to keep a lil MdCL flavor in there. sorry to disappoint the purists(!), but a lot of the sounds on this track are soft synths. when i made tide's arising i used an arsenal of analog keys - pretty much every board i'd ever wanted to mess with. over the last year or so i've moved more and more into the soft synth world and working out how to get the same kind of characteristics and dynamics out of soft synths that i love getting out of analog boards. the rhodes is real, that's something i can't find a reason to substitute ;)

all that done, that left the vocals - a simple so, so 70s chant "get on down to the music". the vibe of the original is partly thanks to having a group of different people singing together. that's something i think we lose a bit now with everyone liking to multitrack their own backing vocals and less and less vocal groups being around. i basically got everyone who came thru the studio cutting vocals for Renegades to jump on the hook for koko. some of the album vocals were recorded elsewhere so i couldn't get literally everyone, but thankfully, had nia andrews, tawiah, ovasoul7 and bembe segue around to bring that big chorus sound. each vocalist was recorded in triple track and in octaves.

once everything was recorded, edited, and every detail dealt to, mixdown was in the hands of my regular mix engineer toni economides. toni's mixed everything of mine since and including the tide's arising album - probably a good 200 or more tracks by now, so he really understands how i like things to sound and we have a great working relationship to get things done just how i want them.

that was the story of track 1! i'm gonna leave you with the original version - it's such a classic piece of music and 70s history to me. this new version was never about trying to better it or challenge it, but to pay homage to it and to a great time in music... enjoy :)

[PREVIEW] Leaving this Planet EP - new release!

2011-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

there's been so much new music going on and i finally get to let a little more of it out :) this new 5-track EP will be a bandcamp only exclusive dropping MONDAY 18 APRIL as a little warm up before the new full length MdCL LP 'Renegades' dropping this summer.

MdCL: Leaving this Planet EP

1. Koko + Lee Roe
2. Dreams featuring Bembe Segue
3. What it Is
4. Leaving this Planet featuring Sharlene Hector
5. Eight

Leaving this Planet EP [PREVIEW] by mashibeats

Release Date: Monday 18 April, exclusively on Bandcamp

Mark de Clive-Lowe - keys, synth bass, drum programming / Bembe Segue, T____h, nia andrews, ovasoul7, Sharlene Hector - vocals / Nova Lima (Dreams), Omar Phillips (Koko + Lee Roe, Eight) - percussion / Lil John Roberts (Koko + Lee Roe), Richard Spaven (Leaving this Planet) - live drums / Mike Feingold - guitar (Koko + Lee Roe)

Produced by Mark de Clive-Lowe
Mixed by Toni Economides except 'Eight' mixed by Dego for 2000Black
a Mashibeats Bandcamp Exclusive

the 'Leaving this Planet' EP is a collection of studio joints featuring friends and family from LA, Atlanta, London and Peru. two tracks are covers paying homage to two great keyboard players - charles earland (flipping 'leaving this planet' with the UK's sharlene hector on vocal duties) and gene harris covering 'koko + lee roe' with a full cast of crew including bembe segue (The Politik), tawiah, nia andrews, ovasoul7, omar phillips (Outkast/Dungeon Family), mike feingold (Erykah Badu) + lil john roberts (George Duke/Janet Jackson). also included on the EP is 'dreams' feat bembe segue with peru's nova lima on percussion (previously released on an exclusive japanese vinyl 12" under our joint guise The Politik); and two instrumental cuts - one is on of my favorite jams to play out at the moment morphing the dancefloor from a soulful house bounce down to slow slow head nod ;), and the other 'eight' is a dark west-london flavored jazz break, with additional sonic flavor courtesy of a mixdown by 2000black's dego....

enjoy the tunes, enjoy the journey... and keep your ear out for news on the LP 'Renegades' very soon!

"presents his new EP: bit.ly/atWulQ serious tings as usual...#genius" - James Poyser (Badu/D'angelo/The Roots)

"Leaving This Planet is one of those inspiring and beautiful EPs I've heard in ages. The production and vocals are rich and rewarding. This is a high point in MdCL's already shining career. Out to the vocalists -- y'all sounding stellar too!" - DJ Tomas (Friday Night Session/Umoja/XLR8R/SF)

"this ep is crazy!!!! Koko and Eight are my faves… so dope!!!" - Isoul8 (Archive/Italy)

"yesssssssssssssss. dopesque maestro" - Alex Attias/Mustang (Switzerland)

"an absolutely quality release! Great performances" - Favouritizm (UK)

"Once again MdCL ticks all the boxes, innovation, soulfulness,quality. Five great tracks, but the title track, an awesome rework of Charles Earland's classic with a lovely vocal from Sharlene Hector, and a new version of The Politik's "Dreams" with the ever brilliant Bembé Segué, steal the show!" - Patrick Forge (UK)

"Where exactly is this directed? We believe somewhere further then our Spiral Arm? Maybe beyond the eighth Galaxy From our current solar orbit ? Leaving This Planet EP will satisfy all who dance for the launch - Significant steps for Mankind - MdCL goes Galactic..." - Lazer Cru (UK)

"Always keeping it fresh & funky! Really digging "What It Is" and "Dreams" - Kudos man!" - Anthony Valadez (KCRW/LA)

Probe dms: Life is a Movie [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2011-04-08T10:26:00.001-07:00

production don and MC probe dms out of NYC has dropped a banger of an album today for free download - Life is a Movie. he's handling all the beats + the mic and there's a dope roster of guests. i got in there on one joint to contribute a lil music vibe too... spread it around. certainly will not be the last you'll hear from probe

FREE DOWNLOAD

oh yeah... for those not familiar at all... it's a hip hop record. plenty of bounce and bang and for the sensitive of you out there, consider it with a Parental Advisory sticker ;)

Upcoming April LA + San Fran Events

2011-04-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday 9 April - Stussy + Union Japan Benefit (performing with Nia Andrews)
Bootleg Theater, Silverlake

Sunday 10 April - Japan Benefit (DJ set with Moni, Valida, Mona Lisa)
E 3rd St Steakhouse, Los Angeles

Wednesday 13 April - UNDERGROUND: Alix Alvarez + MdCL + Coleman
Townhouse Basement, Venice, LA

April 17 - The EndUp (DJ Set)
San Francisco

April 30 - Dance Ritual @ Deep - Louie Vega / Marques Wyatt / Vikter Duplaix / MdCL / Garth Trinidad (DJ set)
The Vanguard, Los Angeles

UNDERGROUND: Alix Alvarez + MdCL + Coleman - April 13 (LA)

2011-04-04T13:09:00.001-07:00

an exclusive night of house + dancefloor flavor for the music lover

$7 before 11 / $10 after

Facebook page

The Del Monte Speakeasy (Townhouse Basement)
52 Windward Avenue, Venice, California 90291

LA monthly: CHURCH - April 3

2011-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

The seventh installment of MdCL's monthly clubnite in LA, CHURCH.

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month will be a musical journey with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano and guests. At 11pm for th e second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

This month features resident guests: Trevor Ware (bass), Paul Legaspi (drums), Nia Andrews (vox), Sy Smith (vox) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Jody Watley, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Ohmega Watts jump up - who's next?!)... plus this month's special guest DJ Moni (Friends We Love/NYC).

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30pm - DJ set (DJ Moni)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30am - DJ set (DJ Moni)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

Fusicology event page
Facebook page

Mariella - Lovesick (MdCL remix) - Tru Statement Records

2011-03-23T12:23:00.001-07:00

Lovesick (MdCL remix) - Mariella by mashibeats

always nice to get a call out of the blue from someone i've never heard before and actually dig what i'm hearing :) mariella's from brooklyn and has a great thing going on with her solo project (in tandem with tru statement records). she asked me to remix her song LOVESICK and here's the result. it's a deep dancefloor bump with a trademark mashibeats soulful flip along the way. really had fun putting this one together, and there's more MdCL-Mariella collaborations in the pipeline - next up a beautiful downtempo joint i produced for her EP featuring none other than Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on string arrangement + strings. Sublime! Keep an ear/eye out for Mariella... www.themariellashow.com

Mariella - Lovesick (MdCL remix) - out now via Traxsource

LA - 3 x DJ sets this week...

2011-03-21T18:01:00.001-07:00

straight off the plane from the baltic states tour and it's straight back into it... spinning 3 nights this week in LA. all for a good cause (MUSIC) and one for a great cause (Japan Relief)...

Thursday 24 March
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160706470649841
Nu Thursday Japan Relief Benefit @ Little Temple

Friday 25 March
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206886459323134
Soul Sessions @ Grand Star

Saturday 26 March
Headspace @ The Falls Bar, Downtown LA

Nu-Thursdays' Japan Relief Fundraiser [LA]

2011-03-17T01:33:00.000-07:00

the ongoing tragic events in Japan are unimaginable - we've all seen the images of destruction from the quake and tsunami and the nuclear power plant fears and issues are ongoing and unpredictable. Japan is my motherland - i'm half Japanese and have spent a good amount of my life there, traveling there every year since 1984, doing some high school there, work experience and in the last 15 years touring there with music. to say that it's close to my heart is an understatement. if you're in the LA area, i hope you can make time to come through and support this cause...

--

Nu-Soul Magazine + Little Temple present
A NU-THURSDAYS SPECIAL EVENT: JAPAN RELIEF
Thursday March 24, 2011

Join Nu-Soul Magazine in our efforts to support the people of Japan in the wake of devastating natural events. With 2 rooms of sound at our disposal we will take you on a journey through all the genres of Nu-Soul from future soul, hip-hop, and house to drum&bass, breakbeat and dubstep.

Come check out your favorite (and soon to be favorite) DJs and live performers in a genre-bending experience with all proceeds from the door going to Direct Relief International. This will be a unique night where we can stand as one for a higher cause!

DJ Sets by
MARK DE CLIVE-LOWE / DESTROYER / MONALISA / ABDUL SHAKIR / EVA / JAYVON / SEANO / MZA / DJ PETE / SUNNY CHIBA / SCHPILKAS / LIGHTOUT / NATTU DAOUD + MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

And Special Live Performances from LA’s Finest Soul Music Talent

$5 Minimum Donation (feel free to donate as much as you wish)
21+
9pm-2am

Little Temple
4519 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
http://littletemple.com
http://nu-soulmag.com
http://directrelief.org

Red Bull Music Academy Workshops + Shows [BALTIC STATES]

2011-03-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

this week i'm headed to the baltic states for three days of masterclass workshops and clubnite shows in tandem with the red bull music academy. this year's RBMA will be in tokyo in november so this is about giving people a little taster of what's to come there... upcoming music-makers, DJs, producers, get your application on!

for the workshops i'll be talking about my background and path as a musician and producer, demonstrating and explaining the live rig part by part and doing a question & answer session.

thursday 17 march
tallin, estonia @ CLAZZ
MdCL workshop/interview/Q&A session
MdCL Live featuring Sharlene Hector

friday 18 march
riga, latvia @ NABAKLAB
MdCL workshop/interview/Q&A session
MdCL Live featuring Sharlene Hector

saturday 19 march
vilnius, lithuania @ HAVANA SOCIAL CLUB
MdCL workshop/interview/Q&A session
MdCL Live featuring Sharlene Hector

KING: The Story < freshest new music i've heard in a LONG time...

2011-03-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

once in a blue moon... hell, not even that often, i hear some new music that not only resonates with me but takes me by surprise, excites and inspires me. a tweet from @SOUNDROTATION yesterday got me checking out this trio based out of LA called KING. the history is all up in this jam - stepney, quincy, george duke. the future is there too cause they've made it all their own. hearing music like this gives me chills!! :)

www.weareking.com

LA monthly: CHURCH - March 6

2011-02-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

The sixth installment of MdCL's monthly clubnite in LA, CHURCH.

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month will be a musical journey with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano and guests. At 11pm for th e second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

This month features resident guests: Trevor Ware (bass), Paul Legaspi (drums), Nia Andrews (vox), Laurnea (vox) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Jody Watley, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Ohmega Watts jump up - who's next?!)... plus this month's special international guest DJ: Lefto (Brownswood/Belgium).

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30pm - DJ set (DJ Lefto)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30am - DJ set (DJ Lefto)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

Fusicology event page
Facebook page

Ask me a question...

2011-02-15T00:42:00.000-08:00

Pretty simple, ask whatever you want to know about. Try to keep it appropriate, but otherwise, just be yourself!

Ask me a question here... http://mdcl.fanbridge.com/fan_questions/

[VIDEO] Herbie Hancock Headhunters Live in '74

2011-02-09T09:33:00.001-08:00

i dont know if i've ever seen hi-def footage of one of herbie's greatest bands and one of my biggest influences... jaw dropped when i came across these yesterday....

Happy Birthday J Dilla - Rest In Power - Still Shining [VIDEO]

2011-02-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

every day and any day and especially today, celebrating one of the greatest beat makers there ever was... inspiration ? that's a massive understatement. a complete game changer.

--

"Created in 2006, this remembrance piece is created as a tribute to the memory and legacy of James "J.Dilla" Yancey. This is a piece designed for his fans and supporters who knew of his accomplishments before February 2006 and those that have grown to appreciate his genius. Here, we gain a greater insight and understanding about our musical icon.

J.Dilla is Still Shining."

"J.Dilla: Still Shining" from B.Kyle on Vimeo.

(2:55) - Work Ethic Starts In The Basement
(7:35) - What To Listen For in A Dilla Beat
(9:10) - J.Dilla's Range As A Producer. The King of Reinvention
(12:16) - Going Beyond His Influences
(14:39) - The Dilla Approach To Production
(20:21) - Jay The Producer vs Jay The MC
(26:08) - The Personal Side of J.Dilla
(29:04) - A Soldier Unstoppable!
(32:05) - Venturing Out. (as explained by Phat Kat)
(33:59) - Heading Home... Job Well Done.
(34:48) - We Salute You.

LA monthly: CHURCH - February 6

2011-01-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

Facebook event page
Fusicology event page

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month will be a musical journey with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano...... and guests. At 11pm for the second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

This month features resident guests: Trevor Ware (bass), Paul Legaspi (drums), Nia Andrews (vox), Sy Smith (vox) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Jody Watley, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Ohmega Watts jump up - who's next?!)... plus this month's special guest DJ: Coleman (Mochilla).

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30-11pm - DJ set (Coleman)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30-2am - DJ set (Coleman)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

Please email list@mashibeats.com to be on the email mailing list and not miss out on anything! :)

Artwork courtesy of Bernard Hoyes - http://www.bernardhoyes.com/

Beatmakers... flip yourself some rhodes

2011-01-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

i posted this initially for Ty's facebook group 'The Beat Inn ©'
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_174273482614383

posted it there for beatmakers to download, chop, flip, freak and make a track with. so, feel free to grab it, flip it, and upload your beat(s)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5pje6x

MdCL raw rhodes 104bpm by mashibeats

oakland, WE LOVE YOU

2011-01-24T17:01:00.001-08:00

i've been lucky to play in more cities and countries in the world than i can count. at festivals, clubs, bars, warehouses, lofts, sweatboxes and more. after all that, it's not often that an event truly takes pole position above all the others. last saturday in oakland was one of those. huge thanks to the people (yep, that's the name of the crew) for getting me and sy smith to the party - i'd been wanting to play it for 3 years and i guess all good things come in good time cause that was OFF THE HOOK. 500 people inside with the venue rocking to capacity. 400 outside wondering why they cant get in. heavy heavy sound system. and a party just asking to blow up... more pics and video to come hopefully (i'll update this post as i get them), but for now, check this clip courtesy of BLK PXLS.

oakland, WE LOVE YOU.

oh yeah... in case i need to mention, every live show is created, played and programmed on the spot. no preparation, no backing tracks, everything improvised and created on the fly. to say that we were responding to the energy and vibe of the room and party is an understatement ;)

BLK PXLS FILMS 001 - The People Mark De Clive-Lowe w/ Sy Smith from BLK PXLS on Vimeo.

MdCL presents Uplifted vol.1 (Reel People Music)

2011-01-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

an all new 3 track EP of soulful house loveliness dropping on Reel People Music next month... MdCL presents Uplifted vol.1

Traxsource Promo : 23rd February 2011
Full Digital Release : 21st March 2011

two vocal cuts featuring Ovasoul7 (and BVs from Devi Soleil) and Tosin Tao, and one synth laden instrumental.

produced by Mark de Clive-Lowe
all instruments played and programmed by MdCL
mixed by Toni Economides

previews...

[PREVIEW] MdCL presents Uplifted vol.1 EP - feat Ovasoul7 and Tosin Tao by mashibeats

MdCL feat Ovasoul7 - 'Feels Like Home'

MdCL - 'Uplifted'

MdCL feat Tosin Tao - 'Everything I Need'

Seattle, Oakland, LA... headsup! Live shows feat SY SMITH

2011-01-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

last night's jazz set at SOUL IN THE PARK was off the hook! thanks to rani and all the crew for having us perform. was one of my favorite jazz sets in a while - merging the different worlds with the live trio + a lil MPC drum machine action and guest vocals from nia andrews :) more to come!

next up tho... pacific north west shows to freak the dancefloors of seattle and oakland with SY SMITH featuring on microphone... and an LA bonus...

SEATTLE: January 20 at Nectar Lounge with Suntzu Sound

Facebook page

OAKLAND: January 22 at The New Parish for The People Party

venue website
Facebook page

LOS ANGELES: January 26 at Zanzibar supporting Ursula Rucker's new album release

Facebook page

a lil preview vibe from the live show in washington DC....

MdCL Jazz Trio - Live in LA this Wednesday [FREE]

2011-01-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

going to have fun with this one! taking a lil of the CHURCH vibe to LA's eastside... a trio set with charlie domingo and paul legaspi joining me on rhodes plus maybe a bit of mpc action ;)

SOUL IN THE PARK

- wednesday, 01.12.11 -

a special live performance by:

MARK DE CLIVE-LOWE (rhodes+mpc),
CHARLIE DOMINGO (bass),
PAUL LEGASPI (drums)
+ special guest

resident selector:

RANI D.

FREE / 21+ / 10pm-2am

@ Footsie's Bar
2640 N. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90065

Fusicology page

Facebook page

--UPDATE--

a lil cellphone video that was posted on twitter from the gig...a lil contemplation courtesy of mccoy tyner and a taste of butterfly. hats of to herbie! enjoy :)

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work (MdCL remix)

2011-01-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

exclusive MdCL remix for Irish indie pop band Two Door Cinema Club... watch out for it in the coming weeks online via Glassnote.

Something Good Can Work (MdCL remix) - Two Door Cinema Club by mashibeats

Produced by Mark de Clive-Lowe

the original TDCC version....

for me, a remix is about recontextualizing the original version but in respect to where the artist is coming from so i did something a little different with this one. TDCC is an indie pop group through and through so, listening to the original parts, the vocal and the jangly guitar hook were the elements i wanted to build around, remixing it with new drums, synth bass and synth keyboard parts... enjoy!

biggup nick d on george fm breakfast in nz who spun the worldwide premiere!

two door cinema club hit canada and the US for a north america tour this month...

JAN-FEB dates announced...

2011-01-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

January 12 - LOS ANGELES
MdCL Jazz Trio Set @ Soul in the Park
Footsie's
2640 North Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90065
Trevor Ware (bass), Paul Legaspi (drums)
10pm
Facebook

January 20 - SEATTLE
MdCL + Sy Smith LIVE @ Nectar Lounge
Seattle, WA
with support DJs Suntzu Sound
Facebook

January 22 - OAKLAND
MdCL + Sy Smith LIVE @ The People Party - The New Parish
Oakland, CA

January 26 - LOS ANGELES
MdCL + Sy Smith LIVE @ Zanzibar
supporting Ursula Rucker LIVE (Album launch)
Santa Monica, CA

January 29 - ATLANTA
MdCL DJ set @ SoundTable
Atlanta, GA

February 6 - LOS ANGELES
MdCL presents CHURCH - Live at Angel's
2460 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
Fusicology page

Sy Smith's Tribute to Teena Marie [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2011-01-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

last week soul and R&B legend teena marie passed away at age 54 in los angeles - a tragic loss to the music world that impacted on artists and music lovers all around the planet.

in tribute to teena marie, sy smith recorded a completely reimagined version of 'lovergirl'... free download, and read sy's words about the track and teena marie on the bandcamp page.

read about teena marie's life, background and music here

check out teena marie on youtube here

This is a free download, but feel free to support and....

LA monthly: CHURCH - January 2

2010-12-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

MARK de CLIVE-LOWE presents CHURCH
Live at Angels Piano Bar, Santa Monica
Sunday 2 January 2011 8pm-2am $10 entry
Guest DJ: Miss Jack Davey (J*Davey)

Angel's Piano Bar 2460 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica CA

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170480819655370

Fusicology event page: http://fusicology.com/event/mdclchurch

Kicking off the New Year with the fourth installment of MdCL's monthly clubnite in LA, 'CHURCH'. First Sunday of the month at Angel's Piano Bar, Santa Monica - next party: January 2, 2011.

From the jazz club to the turntables, each month will be a musical journey with surprise guests and features. Come in early for some dinner, drinks and dessert - the live music kicks off at 9pm with a live acoustic jazz set led by MdCL on piano... and guests. At 11pm for the second set MdCL transitions to his rhodes, drum machines, synths and electronic toys for a twisted club set of jazz-infused beats, and the night wraps up with a DJ set from MdCL and guests.

This month features resident guests: Trevor Ware (bass), Paul Legaspi (drums), Nia Andrews (vox), Sy Smith (vox) and some spontaneous surprises (we've had Dwight Trible, Emoni Fela, Vesta Williams, Todd Simon, Ohmega Watts jump up - who's next?!)... plus this month's special guest DJ Miss Jack Davey from J*Davey.

9pm - acoustic jazz set (seated)
10.30-11pm - DJ set (Miss Jack Davey)
11pm - MPC club set (not so seated)
12.30-2am - DJ set (Miss Jack Davey + MdCL)

$10 entry

if you would like to dine definitely reserve a table directly with the venue: 310-828-2115

Spread the word to your friends and family - CHURCH is your unmissable monthly music fix.

Artwork courtesy of Bernard Hoyes - http://www.bernardhoyes.com/