The EP jumps and jits with four phenomenal tracks including “Lottie The Body” and “Black Bottom Stomp”, both mixed by EAPro’s J. Nadir Omowale.

www.UndergroundResistance.com

“Underground Resistance is like Harriet Tubman escaping from the South.” So says rebel leader “Mad” Mike Banks, of his label, musical collective and revolutionary electronica movement Underground Resistance. “She always had to reinvent herself. I’m sure they had to take a million different angles to get out of there,” Banks explains.

Founded in the late 80s by Banks and his former partner, Jeff Mills, UR charted a critical path through the history of music by packaging hard-hitting electro, house and techno with stark imagery, militant rhetoric, and a post-apocalyptic, futuristic vision of life in the streets of Detroit. Originally inspired by the activist hip hop of Public Enemy, the computer-generated funk of Kraftwerk, and the political philosophy of the centuries-old tradition of resistance movements across the planet, UR’s cadre of artists, producers, DJs and musicians continues to plant sonic landmines in dance and hip hop clubs on six continents.

Like Tubman, UR’s underground railroad moves largely under cover of darkness, in their quest to invent the cutting edge of music, and to combat what they see as the oppressive grip of mainstream media programmers. Banks rarely appears in public without a mask, and on stage, the groups perform in the shadows so the audience can concentrate on the music.

Timeline (feat. Jon Dixon & De’Sean Jones): Lottie The Body by nomowale

Timeline (feat. Jon Dixon & De’Sean Jones): Black Bottom Stomp by nomowale

“I’m a firm believer that music is greater than the men who create it,” says Banks. “If you ever needed any form of spiritual assurance, it is music. Certainly music is more powerful than man, because the man fades and goes, but the music – the spirit, and the work – lives on. Beethoven’s been dead hundreds of years, but somebody is playing Beethoven tonight.”

It was the notion of reinvention and evolution that prompted accomplished musicians Banks and Mills to experiment with a melding of techno and jazz music. “I felt like jazz had kind of topped out,” Banks reveals. “Of course, you have to be a great musician to play it, but a lot of times [jazz musicians] are copying [music] innovated in the 40s and 50s, and they’re innovating nothing.”

Influenced by artists like Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock who combined funk and rock with jazz, and employed synthesizers to create jazz-fusion, Mills and Banks applied a similar concept to create the song “Nation 2 Nation” in 1990. After Mills left UR to go solo in 1992, Banks produced the EP “Galaxy 2 Galaxy” which included a song called “Hi-Tech Jazz”, and the style took off internationally.

Banks later shared the concept with Detroit jazz and gospel musicians like “The Deacon” Gerald Mitchell, Derwin Hall, and the late Derrick Jamerson, son of Motown bassist James Jamerson. In 2001, Banks and Jamerson wrote a song called “Timeline” that exploded onto dance floors in the US and around the world. Dancers in Detroit still hustle, ballroom and jit to the tune today.

Then in 2007, Banks recruited keyboardist Jon Dixon, and saxophonist De’Sean Jones, two recent Wayne State University grads, to perform with him as part of Galaxy 2 Galaxy at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

“I know a lot of people who play jazz who have never played the Montreux Jazz Fest,” Dixon marvels, “so here I am 22 or 23 years old, and I’m playing one of the most popular jazz festivals in the world, and I didn’t even know who Underground Resistance was.” When he and Jones heard the song “Hi-Tech Jazz” on the radio in a cafe in Switzerland Dixon was asked by a customer if he was “Mad” Mike. At that point Dixon researched and learned about the rich heritage of electronica of which he was now a part.

After Montreux, Banks, Dixon and Jones added DJ, turntablist, producer and community leader Sicari Ware to the fold forming Timeline. The collective’s mission is to take Hi-Tech Jazz to the next level. Their critically acclaimed first performance was at an opening event for Detroit’s Movement Festival in May of 2010, and the group released its first EP in October 2011.

“The one thing I like about Hi-Tech Jazz more than anything else is that it really embodies what I think music should, which is complete freedom, creativity, flexibility and improvisation while having structure, but also giving the people a good time,” Jones says. He believes Hi-Tech Jazz invokes the spirit of Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, men who are remembered as great composers, and bandleaders, but who, back in the 1940s, played the dance and party music of the day.

At the same time, Dixon appreciates the complexity of the music.  “[Musicians] are looking for something different that they can challenge themselves on,” Dixon says. “Like with any new genre, this is a whole different approach. Everything you know, put that [to the side]. I feel like a little kid again. I can take everything I’ve learned and combine it and it’s just… fun!”

But Jones also stresses the importance of the message and what UR represents. “Music is do or die. It’s that serious,” Jones says. “It’s a gift, but it’s also a responsibility. If you take music seriously, you understand that you’re an ambassador to the world as a musician. It’s more than just the notes. The notes are just a medium for something much greater.”

For Banks Timeline is about continuing to innovate. “We never get stuck in one sound too long,” Banks says. “If an artist can’t grow, you can’t keep up with UR. Like I said, it’s like being a runaway slave. For us it’s a matter of survival.”

An earlier version of this article appeared in BLAC Detroit Magazine.

The awards show will be held Friday, April 15 at The Fillmore Theatre Detroit, 2115 Woodward Avenue. Cast your vote Today at DetroitMusicAwards.net.

On Thursday, April 14, join Nadir and fellow nominee Eliza Neals for at celebratory toast a Detroit’s Hard Rock Cafe. Nadir kicks of the night with a solo funk set that you won’t want to miss.

Thursday, April 14, 2011 – 8pm
Pre-DMA Rock & Soul Showcase with Eliza Neals & Nadir
Hard Rock Cafe Detroit
45 Monroe Street, Detroit, Michigan
For more info visit HardRockCafe.com

Now with the 2011 release of her long-awaited musical debut, I Am You Are And Love IS…!, IAYAALIS rouses the senses, painting contagious melodies and enlightened lyrics on a canvas of scintillating rhythms and speaker-knocking bass. Eclectic, esoteric and engaging, I Am You Are And Love IS…! offers an aural collage of hip hop, soul and spoken word that elevates the spirit while it heats up the dance floor.

Nashville-based Donalda Antonia Chandler, whose acronymic name, I.A.Y.A.A.L.IS stands for I Am You Are And Love IS (pronounced “i-yall-EE”), emerged from the Middle Tennessee arts community as an award-winning emcee, singer, poet, visual and performance artist. According to The Nashville Scene, IAYAALIS’ lyrical style merges “sensual physicality with deep spiritual insights and a distinctly feminine point of view”. The music infuses a cross-section of hip-hop and soul sounds with occasional flashes of African percussion, dancehall and other worldly vibrations.

Her Nashville Music Award nomination for Best Unsigned Artist sparked frenzied courtships by major labels, but ultimately IAYAALIS refused to compromise her artistry and independence. Finally IAYAALIS partnered with longtime friend and collaborator Nadir Omowale and his Detroit-based indie label, EAPro Inc., to release an album that displays the full range of her artistry.

I Am You Are And Love IS…! showcases the talents of several producers including Salle Vation, J Mink, Nadir Omowale, and Beat Kang Reavis Mitchell, III – co-creator of the Beat Thang music production system. The collection also contains posthumous releases of productions by late Afrikan Dreamland founder Aashid Himons and late Nashville hip-hop pioneer Bruce Dungee.

“For me, I Am You Are And Love IS…! is my expression of who I am and some of the things I’m about,” IAYAALIS says. “This album represents years of hard work, life experiences and hopefully an opportunity to inspire and cause people to think.”

I Am You Are And Love IS…! is available for purchase at IAYAALIS.com, EAPro.net, iTunes, Amazon.com, and other select retailers.

Please visit www.iayaalis.com for more information and updates.

IAYAALIS – the name
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Check out the video below!

It’s been said that nothing sounds as sweet to any person as the sound of her own name.

Names are important because they symbolize who we are. They offer an expression of our identity. The sound of a name sends a vibration that resonates within, calling us to attention. Traditionally, the meaning of the name implies the character and attributes of the individual, something to live up to.

In the case of Nashville-based emcee, singer, poet, and spiritualist IAYAALIS, understanding her name is critical to understanding who she is, what she is about, and why she does what she does.

“The name IAYAALIS is an acronym that stands for I Am You Are And Love IS,” she says. “Basically it’s a formula by which I live.”

Born Donalda Antonia Chandler, IAYAALIS has earned recognition (i.e. “made a name for herself”) as one of the most talented and versatile artists on the Nashville music scene. She’ll release her debut album I Am You Are And Love IS…! in March 2011.

“I’ve done a lot of research into metaphysics and different belief systems… all types of cultures and religions,” she told the Nashville Scene. “The one thing that they all hold as true, the one thing I saw in all of them is, ‘I am, you are, and love is,’ with love being the all-being, whether you call that God or Goddess or father or spirit or Allah or whatever.”

The first single from I Am You Are And Love IS…! fittingly is “the name”. “The song ‘the name’ is an expression of all the various things that comprise my world. It’s about the things that I’m attentive to, and that I resonate with, and that are real to me in my world.”

Learn more about IAYALLIS at iayaalis.com

Nadir thanks the fantastic musicians who have made him sound so good over the past few years: Joe Abrams, James “Jamalot Indeed” Anderson, Yaminah Brock, Alesha Brown, Phred Brown, Derek Buford, Chef, LaMont Davis, Duane Dawkins, Dan Eichinger, Jason Gaddies, GT, The Reverend Dr. Brandon Holland, Kamau Inaede, Tammy Jones, Kris Kurzawa, Niko Marks, Topher Mohr, Earl Orr, Jr., Chris Sego, Freeman Spells, Jr., Ping Spells, Joey Spina, Chris Spooner, Mia Treadwell, and Rudy Washington.

Special thanks to publicist Nancy J. Phares and Spark Art Marketing, manager Cornelius Harris and Alter Ego Management, Michele Bateman of Decent Exposure, Hubert Moser of Miracle Dread Productions, Corbin Dooley of Bikiniwax Records, DJ Butterface, Reavis Mitchell, Neal Cappellino, Daniel Lee, Michael Bohannon, and all the other talented producers who have contributed to Nadir’s albums, Emily Rogers for being (as Yorg says) “the Tawny Kitaen” of Nadir videos, Ryan Myers, Jason Schultz, Landmine Design, Zeina by Design, Lisa Luevanos, Ron Harper, Bob Davis & Soul-Patrol.com, Chris Rizik & SoulTracks.com, Pierre Dumas, the 1440 Collective, Change::The Music, the EAPro Family, Mom, Kevin, all other family and friends, and most importantly, the Queen of Sheba, Akanke Rashad-Omowale. All praise be to the One Most High.

Check out this live performance video of “Workin’ For The Man” by Nadir from the 2010 St. Michael’s We Care Telethon in Monroe, Michigan. The video was produced by WUPW – Fox Toledo.

St. Michael’s We Care offers monetary and other assistance to individuals residing in Monroe County, Michigan with a life-threatening illness to be paid after the use of insurance (if any), other organizations, and/or money derived from other sources is exhausted.

This performance happened at the height of the US health care reform debate. We felt it was important to do this benefit in support of a great organization that offers aid to families and individuals in their time of greatest need.

The band is Alesha Brown (keyboards & vocals), Mia Treadwell (drums & vocals), Chris Spooner (bass & vocals), Nadir Omowale (vocals, guitar). “Workin’ For The Man” was written by Daniel Lee (aka The Invisible Kid) and Nadir Omowale. It’s the title track of the Workin’ For The Man album.

EAPro’s Nadir Omowale is a featured music columnist for BLAC Detroit magazine (formerly African American Family). Since January 2009 he has written about some of the Motor City’s most notable veterans and its most promising up and comers. He’s also penned features about the unsung heroes of Motown and Grammy winner John Legend.

Click below for a sampling of Nadir’s writings (in PDF format).

FEBRUARY 2010 Cover Story:
John Legend – “Star Light”

JANUARY 2010 SOUND:
David Blair – “Blairing Urban Folk”

SEPTEMBER 2009 SOUND:
Lola Morales – “The Melange of Lola Morales”

OCTOBER 2009 SOUND:
Pathe Jassi – “Son of Senegal”

This urban theater project is a collaboration between 4TheatrSake, the 1440 Collective, the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center, the Cedi Collection, Detroit film-maker Ryan Myers and Plowshares Theater Company. Directed by Wyldchild L. Chemist, the soundtrack for this staging features original music by EAPro’s Nadir Omowale.

Written like final round slam poetry, In the Blood keeps it real in the “here and now.” Hester is a homeless single mother who is devoted to her five children, and struggles to find ways to feed them. Five actors play her five young treasures. The same actors also play the adults who help or hinder Hester in her quest to “get a leg up”. Lovingly comical moments are juxtaposed by the harsh world of poverty in this modern masterpiece.

The idea for the Detroit staging is to provide an all-inclusive social theater experience where audiences will witness compelling performances by 4Theatrsake’s actors as they illustrate the challenges faced by Hester, and the characters that surround her. Following the performance, the actors will remain on-stage (in character) to allow the audience a chance to react to and ask questions about the story they’ve just witnessed. Moderated by Oneita Jackson of O Street, this after-drama forum will focus on poverty, disease, human trafficking, race in a post-racial society, and what we can do to bring change.

The cast and crew of In The Blood represent Detroit artists from diverse backgrounds. Actor, director, writer Wyldchild L. Chemist was recently invited to join Plowshares Theatre Company’s new ensemble as an artistic associate. He will be participating in The Kennedy Center’s fellowship program for Theater Capacity Building in Culturally-Specific Organizations.

Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most exciting and acclaimed playwrights in American drama today. She is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for the Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog and is a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, among her many other honors.

In The Blood by Suzan Lori-Parks
Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center
311. E. Grand River
Detroit, Michigan

Performance Times:
Friday, January 8, 2010 – 8pm
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 4pm & 8pm
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 4pm
$40 admission
BUY TICKETS NOW

(Your treat for reading the post all the way through: Use promo code “A” to save $15 off the ticket price!)

Beat Thang Virtual provides the fastest, easiest way to produce professional dance, urban and hip hop music for veteran and novice users alike. Loaded with over 3000 sounds, a sampler, 16-track sequencer, digital FX and waveform editing, Beat Thang Virtual software makes beat making accessible by turning any Mac or PC into an easy to use music production station.

Over the last 17 years Rockwilder has produced major hits for artists like Jay-z, Beyonce, Lil Kim, Method Man, Redman, Lil Wayne and many others. The multi-platinum record selling producer is currently using Beat Thang Virtual as his primary music production system on his production of upcoming releases by emcee Redman and the queen of hip hop soul, Mary J. Blige as well as other projects. Rockwilder is also the producer of the new 50 Cent single “Do You Think About Me” from the 2009 LP Before I Self Destruct (Shady/Aftermath Records).
“I’m damn near doing all of Method Man’s new record with Beat Thang Virtual,” said Rockwilder (born Dana Stinson). “The sounds are so good, I haven’t even loaded my own sounds yet.” In addition to the native sound library, Beat Thang Virtual allows producers to import their own sounds for use in the desktop software’s intuitive interface.

“We are excited that someone with such talent and so many classic records is having fun and making hits with our product,” said Aja Emmanuel, president of the Nashville-based Beat Kangz Electronics.

On RocBattle.com, artists and producers meet to buy and sell beats, and producers “battle” by pitting their best tracks against one another with users voting to determine the winner. All customers who purchase Beat Thang Virtual will receive a free exclusive membership to RocBattle.com, and a copy of Rockwilder’s video Sell More Beats Online: What Every Producer or Beat Seller Should Know About How To Be Successful Selling Beats Online.

According to Emmanuel, the pairing is a win for customers as well. “Partnering with RocBattle.com will immediately empower our customers,” he said. “They will not only have the tools to create their music, but an outlet through which to sell it.”

Rockwilder agrees. “For the price of the Beat Thang Virtual software and all that it has to offer, I feel it can be a tool to empower artists and producers to make a mark in the music industry without spending thousands of dollars to do it.”

A common mission for both companies is to provide up and coming artists and producers with the professional tools needed to create and promote their music. In that spirit, the partnership also announces the KANG OF ALL BATTLES, a contest where one artist and one producer will win over $30,000 in cash and prizes.

The two winners each receive $10,000 cash, a full-page ad in XXL Magazine, a custom Beat Thang hardware unit, tickets for two to the BET Hip Hop Honors, their own Beat Kangz PLAYA THANG iPhone APP, a photo shoot, image consulting, graphic design, their winning track on an upcoming Beat Kangz mixtape, and an all expense paid trip to Nashville for a meeting with industry heavyweights like Rockwilder, Beat Kangz board member, producer Bob Ezrin (Jay-Z, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd) and The Beat Kangz. The top artist will also receive a song produced by Rockwilder.

An industry panel will pick the top five producers and top five artists. Two runners up will receive free Beat Thang hardware units and a spot on an upcoming Beat Kangz mixtape. All entrants must use the Beat Thang or Beat Thang Virtual to create their tracks so the playing field is level. Producers must only use Beat Thang sounds. Artists may use original Beat Thang beats, presets, or monthly Rockwilder beatz. “No one has an advantage because of money or status,” says Emmanuel. “Straight Skill, Creativity and Hustle will determine who wins THE KANG OF ALL BATTLES!”

For more information click HERE to visit BeatKangz.com