Keeping things moving after just releasing We Get It In True last month,
the “T” in TxE – TOPE
is set to release his follow-up solo album, Until The Next Time We Meet,
on PRTLND indie rock label, Amigo/Amiga Recordings, on March 27th.

Giving FRSH SLCTS an exclusive first look into the album -
TOPE blessed us today w/ the video premiere & free download
of the album’s first official single,
“Midnight”
featuring a guest verse from L.A. spitter, TiRon
+ singer Caitlin Cardier on the hook
& PRTLND slapsmith, TROX on the beat.

One of TiRon’s biggest supporters in the NW,
TOPE actually first linked up w/ Ronnie thru a Twitter conversation
regarding whether Asher Roth sucks at rapping or not
(he of course does – but thats beside the point).
After that TOPE sent him the track,
‘Ron said he was feeling it & the rest was magic.

For the video, TOPE again linked up w/ Noah Porter
& stuck w/ the champagne theme of another Until The Next… track
(its also pretty much a recurring theme in TOPE’s life in general)
for a quick one & a half verse preview of whats to come for the solo artist.

You can watch the full video,
check the album’s tracklisting
(w/ one of the best production line-ups in PRTLND history – quote me on that!),
download the full song
& catch two bonus videos all below.

1. Since The Last Time We Spoke (prod. Tony Ozier)
2. Midnight (feat. TiRon & Caitlin Cardier | prod. TROX)
3. Come True (prod. Mark Steez)
4. Life Of The Party (feat. Epp of TxE & Prem of Living Proof | prod. Stewart Villain)
5. Digits (feat. Michele Wylen | prod. G_Force)
6. Goodness (prod. Hi-Res)
7. Leave You (feat. Reva Devito | prod. Frankly Esquire)
8. Headed For Heartbreak (Alt 2.0) (prod. Lawz Spoken)
9. Until The Next Time We Meet (prod. Sam Cravens)
10. Celebration (prod. devonwho)
11. Kelli Schaefer – Home (TOPE’s Remix)

Following up on a FRSH KPT SCRT alumni from last October,
Chicago-based singer/songwriter/jazz trumpeter Sam Trump
returns w/ his debut music video for the song, “Daydreaming.”
The title track from his forthcoming album w/ TxE producer,
G_Force (aka Calvin Valentine) -
the song is the public’s first preview of the full-length album
which we all hope will make good on the promise of his earlier EP.

Recorded in just over a week in G_Force’s home studio in SE Portland last summer,
the Daydreaming album shows both artists stepping up their respective games,
venturing just slightly out side of their natural comfort zones
to form an interesting new sound that combines both of their own known styles,
but also breaks some new ground for each other as well.

While simultaneously holding down successful stints in numerous groups -
including the live multi-genre band, Sidewalk Chalk,
the Chicago x Oregon rap conglomerate, Fang Tshida (more on them coming soon),
& a handful of others -
its good to see that Sam is still pushing thru as a solo artist as well,
w/ “Daydreaming” being just another well-placed step towards his surely bright future.

In what started out as G_Force chopping old up an old soul sample
& leaving it looped in a Donuts-esque fashion,
Sam wrote to the beat in Chicago
before flying out for the recording sessions in PRTLND,
at which they both agreed that the track needed something different.
So G_ started to play an organ over the loop
& they decided to go with the more organic/”less is more” approach,
keeping the new chords & taking out the original sample altogether.

Shot on location in Pittsburgh, PA -
the clip for “Daydreaming” is unfortunately ripe w/ R&B video clichés galore,
including about a dozen sing-reaches & pointing motions towards the camera
& at least one way over-the-top pillow grab during the performance scene,
but it is well shot & definitely does get the point across
that Sam Trump is a name to remember in 2012.

You can view the video for yourself
& download Sam’s self-released EP for free all below.

After dropping their debut album earlier this month,
PRTLND supergroup TxE now offer up the video for “The First One” -
which marks both the first visual from,
as well as the first track on, We Get It In True.

Directed by Noah Porter,
the video was shot on-site at Franklin High School in SE Portland,
giving the video almost an updated De La Soul “Me, Myself & I” feel
minus all the extras & classmates,
& instead letting the groups personality take center stage.

Never ones to stay stagnant -
since the release of #WGIIT just over a week ago,
TxE member Calvin Valentine has already released his second solo album,
Red Eye Flights, earlier this week,
w/ TOPE’s sophmore solo,
Until The Next Time We Meet,
set to follow up next month thru local indie rock label Amigo Amiga,
& numerous projects from Epp already in the works for 2012 as well.

But before all of that could happen… TxE still had to Get It In like The First One.

Raps by Epp x TOPE
Blaps by G_Force AKA Calvin Valentine
Video Directed by Noah Porter
Screen Shot Art by Nate James

Today’s offering brings us a new mix
introducing the world to a collaboration that I’ve much looked fwd to -
The Steoples.

A new duo marking the official coming-together
of two longtime collaborators in the L.A. music scene -
producer GB &
singer/writer A Race Of Angels -
have been appearing on each other records for at least 8 years by now.

And while the two had previously joined together as The Othaside in 2008,
nothing has officially been released until just last week
when the self-released Steoples EP hit digital outlets
(w/ a promise of vinyl copies to follow shortly).

In just four tracks, the new EP
channels the more minimally-flourished & dance-focused
side of GB’s wide range of styles,
& melds them perfectly w/ Yeofi of AROA’s unmistakable falsetto -
mapping out an interesting new soundscape for them both,
& quite honestly – for us all.

To mark the occasion,
FRSH SLCTS and GB haved joined forces
to present a short history of the two ever-elusive artists,
compiling some of their more well-known collaborations together
w/ some unreleased tracks from the “Othaside” era
+ exclusive alternate takes from the new album
& more -
all in one concise mix.

You can stream the mix in full before downloading below.

1. The Steoples – You’ve Got To Agree 2008
2. The Steoples – Nature Of The Soul* (subdued version) 2012
3. Build An Ark – When Ancestors Speak (Steoples’ Nu Waves Remix) 2009
4. GB – We Can See You 2011
5. A Race Of Angels – Lady Of The Sun (w/ Thundercat) 2009
6. The Steoples – The Othaside 2008
7. A Race Of Angels – We 2005
8. GB – Otherworldly (alternate version) 2005
9. GB – Sketches Of Crop Circles (edit) 2010
10. A Race Of Angels – The Main Attraction (GB Interpretation Remix) 2005
11. GB feat. A Race Of Angels – Love Is The End (lite) 2004

Compiled & Mixed by GB for The Steoples
Artwork by Nate James
Selected & Executive Produced by KNNY FRSH for FRSH SLCTS
*original version appears on The Steoples EP

Just released today is a landmark release
from two meteoric rising talents from Washington state.
Olympia’s #RARE talent Giorgio MoMurda
- producer for Lil B The Based God, Main Attrakionz and more,
& Kirkland (a Seattle suburb)’s dynamic duo Kung Foo Grip
- two of the rawest young spitters to come out of the NW in years,
all come together for the impressive 6-track EP,
Indigo Children: Tales From The Other Side.

With all parties involving hovering at just about 20 years old each,
and it being Giorgio’s first properly mixed & mastered project & full-length collaboration,
& Kung Foo’s first release to be handled by just one producer -
Indigo finds both entities making huge leaps from their earlier potential.
Establishing the perfect medium between raw, bare-bones hip-hop
and the tripped out appeal of all things #BASED and “cloud” -
KFG x GM carefully etch out a nice niche for themselves in today’s soundscape,
before kicking in the door & bumrushing the show completely.

As Larry Mizell, Jr. from the Seattle weekly, the Stranger, put it…

425 stand the hell up: Kirkland’s full-bore beasts KFG and Redmond’s cloud rap maestro MoMurda have teamed up to deliver some cutting-edge NW sounds. KFG’s young Honor Roll hungries Greg Cypher and Eddie Brock (FKA FisH) perforate the vaporous, steamed-up jungle canopy beat with their semi-auto stippling. Their upcoming Indigo Children: Tales From The Otha Side release is already, without a doubt in my mind, the single greatest work of hiphop music to emerge from the east side of Lake Washington; that’s not to downgrade their work at all, but to illustrate their achievement. This is what putting on for one’s city looks like.

Named after a New Age psychological term coined in the 70′s
for youth w/ supernatural abilities (think more Professor Xavier than Smart Guy),
Indigo Children is less the three young artists pleading their own case
as it is a DONDA-esque rebel yell recruiting their peers.

Or better yet, as KFG themselves put it…

This is the soundtrack to a new generation of young Artists, Thinkers, & Architects. The Dreamers & The Scientists. The Everyday People. Welcome to INDIGO.

Can’t wait to see where they take it from here.

You can stream Indigo Children,
get a free download of the first single, “FVCKV9TA5”
& pay-your-own-price thru Bandcamp for the rest -
all below.

All Raps by Kung Foo Grip (Greg Cypher and Eff Is H)
Produced by Giorgio Momurda
Mixed & Mastered by Elan Wright @ The Firestation
Artwork by Nate James for FRSH SLCTS

Just in time for the holiday,
we’re proud to debut this quick interlude from the one & only Tiombe Lockhart.
Think of it as a stolen kiss in a rainy phonebooth,
or to be more Tiombe-esque –
maybe a quickie in the backseat of a space cab.

Still riding the high from Cubic Zirconia‘s fourth-quarter release, Follow Your Heart,
Tiombe steps aside for a quick breath w/ this -
her first solo offering since 2007′s self-released Queen Of Doom EP.

Coming in under 10 minutes
but already proving to be infinitely longer in replay value,
Augustus & Me plays like a somewhat trippy, lo-fi love letter -
one that was crafted at home over some riddims by dub master, Augustus Pablo.
From pillowy whispers to an unbridled roar,
in classic Tiombe fashion,
the EP bleeds & bruises just as much as it eases & swoons -
moving thru the stages of blind optimism,
to a worry-filled devotion,
& ending w/ a sludgy, debris-filled closer
that could either be the breakdown or the climax (or both) -
either way, it begs for “a little more…”
& leaves us feeling just the same.

You can stream all three songs
before getting your free download below.

1. A Love Like This
2. Baby, I Love You So Much (Jacob Miller)
3. And All The Walls Fall

Written by Tiombe Lockhart
Arranged by Tiombe using original works by August Pablo

When setting out to create one of the first classic albums from/for your city,
there’s bound to be some disagreements.
Nearly a year in the making at this point,
I could fill pages with how many changes this album has gone through.
Originally meant to be a FRSH SLCTS re-release & re-mix of their self-released EP
matched w/ half new/previously unreleased tracks recorded around the same time -
the group has since taken the project over themselves
& decided to mix some of their newest songs in w/ some of their first
for a more 360 degree of exactly who the Portland trio, TxE is.

Now included is a little bit of every style the group has incorporated to date -
from the region-defining back to basics boom bap of “Get It Back”
& the new official Trailblazers anthem, “The Basics”
to the talkbox-funk of “Around The World”
& gritty, trap-influenced trunk rattle of the Stewart Villain-produced “Laying Low,”
to the more downtempo introspection of “Sleepwalking”
& the live trumpet-assisted “End Of The Beginning” w/ Sam Trump -
TxE are definitely raising the bar for style & diversity
in a city that all too often can be stuck in the past
trying to recreate the sound of the early 2000′s underground acts,
or trying to perpetually catch up to whats “hot” at the moment w/o making it their own.

Mixed & Mastered by the group’s honorary 4th member, DJ FlipFlop
& artwork handled by Calvin Valentine himself,
We Get It In True is a true TxE effort through and through -
& the sound they’ve cultivated throughout it is nothing else if not their own.

As to whether or not WGIIT is the PRTLND classic the city had all hoped for -
only time will tell.

You can stream the whole LP before downloading below.
Be on the lookout for much more from the crew coming soon -
including WGIIT music videos, solo albums & side projecets from all three members & more.

1. The First One
2. Get It Back
3. Nothing New
4. Around The World
5. Higher (feat. Phil The Agony & Illmaculate)
6. Varsity
7. Ruben Patterson (feat. Young X)
8. All Of The Above (feat. Illmaculate)
9. Laying Low
10. Sleepwalking (feat. Caitlin Cardier)
11. So Alive
12. The Basics (feat. Illmaculate)
13. End Of The Beginning

All Raps by TOPE and Epp unless otherwise noted
Produced, Arranged & All Instruments by G_Force (AKA Calvin Valentine)
except “Laying Low” produced by Stewart Villain
& trumpet on “End Of The Beginning” by Sam Trump

Mixed, Mastered & Scratches by DJ FlipFlop
except scratches on “Varsity” & “All Of The Above” by Celsius
Front Cover by Calvin Valentine & Craig Sprecher
Back Cover by Grant “Verbz” Stolle

For the third installment in our series of FRSH SLCTS x 101 Apparel co-premieres,
following up on last year’s mixes by Waajeed and DJ Spinna -
today, we have an exclusive preview of the new mix by international tastemaker, LeFtO.

An essential member of Gilles Peterson‘s Brownswood family & label,
Belgian DJ, LeFtO is world-reknowned for breaking new talent across all genres,
w/ a strong foundation built on years of respect earned thru his work at Music Mania -
the most well-trusted record store in his hometown of Brussels & beyond,
as well as his own show on the premiere Belgian radio network, Studio Brussels.
Both have led to work and collaborations w/ labels such as
Blue Note, Stones Throw, Jazzy Sport, !K7 Records and more,
as well as regular DJ dates spanning all across the globe -
almost all of which he documents on his extremely well-kept Vimeo page.

For his t-shirt and mix collobration w/ 101,
entitled Universal Magnetic,
LeFtO compiles the best of his most recent musical findings from his travels
& seamlessly blends them all into a concise 70 minute mix
that takes listeners everywhere from the US to Europe, Asia, Africa,
& pretty much everywhere else in between.

He explains it a little bit better himself in his artist statement below:

“To me, music is universal, it has the capability of connecting like minded people all around the world without even speaking the same language and it all works as a magnet. Today, thanks to the internet, musicians are able to meet and work with other musicians on a global scale, people are listening to music in shuffle mode and musical styles mix up to create new styles. This mix is what I do, mix up styles, blend them into different styles of music to create one sound, one world. When 101 Apparel asked me to do a mix, the minute after that I had the concept ready and here it is. Make sure you have your passport ready for this mix and enjoy this journey around the globe.”

- DJ LeFtO (Brownswood Recordings)

You can stream the first 12 minutes of Universal Magnetic thru Soundcloud
before getting your exclusive download of it below.
Also provided is the full mix’s tracklisting
(the songs w/ links & in bold being the ones included in the preview)
+ LeFtO’s self-shot recap of him performing at the PRTLND edition of
Adidas Originals’ The Do-Over party
@ Produce Row Cafe in September of 2011,
as well as the official music videos from two songs that appear in the mix.

1. Soosh – Us (Jameszoo Remix) (SCOTLAND/NETHERLANDS)
2. Pac Div – Posted (prod. Like & Dahi) (USA)
3. The Two.Fifteens – Patch’dUppRugbySlapp (USA)
4. Lunice – Bricks (CANADA)
5. GREMS feat. Starlion – Toast (prod. NOZA) (FRANCE/BELGIUM)
6. Buda Space – Good for (JAPAN)
7. Simo & Mood Schula – Sliceslice (SOUTH-KOREA)
8. I.N.T. – Jaipogan (NETHERLANDS/INDONESIA)
9. Quantic y Conjunto Los Miticos del Ritmo – Cuarta con Cuarta (COLOMBIA)
10. Dorian Concept – Yorktown Recreation (AUSTRIA)
11. Huss Und Hodn – Du Bist Nackt (GERMANY)
12. L.Gruznov – T.K.K. (ESTONIA/RUSSIA)
13. 2morrows Victory – Food Fight (UK)
14. Zara McFarlane – Mama Done (UK)
15. DaM-FunK – Forever (USA)
16. Onra – Keep On Loving Me (FRANCE)
17. Inkswel feat. Zackey Force Funk – Glass Tear Groove (AUSTRALIA)
18. Vakula – Mama Said Go Slow (UKRAINE)
19. Ray Stephen Oche – Ikwunkomon-Okoitiho (NIGERIA)
20. Bixiga 70 – Balboa Dub (BRAZIL)
21. Alliace Makiadi – Passeio por Luanda (ANGOLA)
22. Orchestre Tout Puissant Likembé Konono N°1 – Muanga ( CONGO)
23. FCL – Let’s Go (BELGIUM)
24. Sohail Rana – Soul Sitar (PAKISTAN)
25. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou – Iya Me Dji Ki Bi Ni (BENIN)

Compiled & Mixed by LeFtO for 101 Apparel

I know, I know, I know…
we’ve been promising this album for almost a year now,
but we really really mean it this time.
We Get It In True -
the full-length debut from Portland golden childs, TxE
WILL be available for free download right here soon enough.

Making good on that promise,
first thing we have to offer from the project is
the first single, “Higher” –
a longtime crowd favorite at live shows,
released here for the first time
in its full form w/ a lead verse from none other than
Strong Arm Stead-ian, Phil The Agony
& an assist from Illmaculate – the official 5th member of the 3-man TxE squad.

Produced by G_Force – the team’s one-man band,
the synth-heavy, anthemic chugger
is the perfect cannon for a live one from Phil -
who shines here in rare form right from the song’s jump,
sending a nice alley-oop to TOPE for the second verse
& then a strong victory lap of a third from Epp.
Add to that some shit-talking phoneticism from Ill on the hook,
backed by some Big L and Phat Kat quotes cut up by 4th member DJ FlipFlop
& there you have it -
the bar for PRTLND has officially been raised
Higher.

Now go ahead & talk it out.

Raps by Phil The Agony and TOPE & Epp of TxE
Hook by Illmaculate
Produced by G_Force of TxE
Mixed, Mastered & Scratches by DJ FlipFlop
Artwork by Nate James for FRSH SLCTS
Photography by Arian Stevens

Today we have the exclusive premiere
of a brand new leak track from St. Louis vet, Black Spade.
“Spand” finds Stoney Rock himself using the Knxwledge beat by the same name
(from last year’s self-released Komposure.EP)
as the springboard for a lament on the struggle of his upbringing
& how it still effects his everyday life,
as he reflects on the calm before a long summer ahead -
one already “reeking of drama.”

W/ still much to look fwd to before said summer,
Spade promises that “Spand” is the first in a new series of leaks still to come,
intended for fans to be able to compile their own mixtape at the end of the run,
as he is no longer making his own after 2010′s Build & Destroy -
all leading up to Black’s longawaited official sophomore album,
the follow up to the personal classic, 2008′s To Serve With Love.

Given the official thumbs up from Knxwledge for use of the track,
this is just the first in a few very exciting collaborations Knx has in store for 2012.
We’ve been sworn to secrecy regarding the details of his next move,
but stay tuned for some big news on that front in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, you can download “Spand” below -
& as a bonus, you can catch two videos of Black Spade
from his feature in Converse’s Rubber Tracks campaign,
showing him in the same studio which “Spand” was recorded at.

Rap & Vocals by Black Spade
Produced by Knxwledge
Mixed by I, CED
Recorded @ Rubber Tracks Studio by Leon Kelly
Artwork by Nate James for FRSH SLCTS