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MOBIUS COLLECTIVE

Just as in a hologram the whole is contained within each piece, so too is the makeup of the New York crew consisting of artist who've collaborated with the likes of Lauren Hill, Lee Scratch Perry & The Roots to name a few. Mobius NYC formed as a result of a 4 year residency at Rose Live Music in Williamsburg BK until the venue shut its doors in 2011. Saxophonist & Director Troy Simms along with Keyboardist Borahm Lee & Trumpeter Omar Little formed the core of the NYC cipher along with a cast of rotating musicians. Having New York City as an incubation chamber in which to experiment and constantly showcase in front of an international audience has truly made the NYC collective trusted Brooklyn ambassadors.

SKYLINES

This happy accident, experimental R&B project began in the spring of 2014 out of the minds of vocalist Deva Mahal and performance artist and producer Mike McFadden.

VALERIE TRIANTIS

I create bodies of work with significance, intensity, love, and the energy of the universe. Each piece explodes with passion and unleashes a path that has not yet presented itself.

ILLSPOKINN

The World...According to iLLspokinn

One show. That's all it takes to recognize that the artist known as iLLspokinn is not your average emcee. As he explains, when it comes to motivating crowds, "It just takes one show for them to knowwhat I do."

Since relocating from Taunton, Massachusetts to New York City a little over a decade ago, iLLspokinn has moved crowds from Brooklyn to Budapest, compiling the type of resume and audience most artists dream about.

With a focus on staying true to Hip Hop's roots while also propelling it toward the future, iLLspokinn has garnered a worldwide following, both through the two albums (60 Minute Spin Cycle and Spokinn Movement) he released as leader of the band Spokinn Movement, who was named one of the "Rawkus 50 (next important Hip Hop artists)", and maintaining an extensive international touring schedule.

An unofficial ambassador of Hip Hop, iLLspokinn's talents have literally taken him across the world, with a particularly strong following in Europe. To date, he has performed in China, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Denmark.

In Barcelona, his single, "Last Call," remained at number one on the FlaixFm dance charts for fourteen weeks. When in Budapest, his live shows reliably sell out. In France, he has an equally enthusiastic following. Indeed, he is so well established in the global Hip Hop community that the Atlanta Hawks organization recently flew him to London just to emcee an event. 2014 will expand his audience even further, with offers to perform in Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Croatia, Israel, Ireland and Norway.

Closer to home, iLLspokinn is producer and co-host of the raucous and wildly creative "Freestyle Mondays", one of the longest running Hip Hop events in New York City. The popularity of the series extends well beyond U.S. borders, as iLLspokinn has recently launched satellite versions in the Czech Republic and France.

Although he is well known for his own stellar "freestyles," iLLspokinn is an equally talented writer, crafting short stories in poetry form as early as his middle school years. He describes his style as 'clever and confessional'. As he explains, "I like to bleed on 'em."

Music is a passion he is also willing to bleed for. "I have a strong urge to follow my dreams, and when I don't, I feel a pull, and it achesThere's a lot of other shit I could be doingbut that's not what makes my heart and soul dance. I want something biggerbetter!"

To that end, when he's not rocking a mic, he's an in-demand DJ, rocking the decks of some of the world's hottest venues, including Toshi's Living Room & Penthouse (NYC), B.B. King's (NYC), Webster Hall (NYC), Le Poisson Rouge (NYC), A90 Festival (Belfort, FR), Otkert (Budapest, HU), Instant (Budapest, HU), Fat Black Pussy Cat (Strasbourg, FR), and Jamboree (Barcelona, SP).

It's this versatility and indisputable musical prowess, combined with the openness and honesty prevalent in his work, that has led to collaborations with a plethora of artists, including Grammy award-winning vocalist Maya Azucena, and legendary rapper Sadat X. "Each part of what I dowhat I've done as an emcee, as a DJ, as a writer, and just as a human being, has contributed to my success on a larger level...Each element of what I do has opened doors for other elements in other areas."

A major door recently opened when iLLspokinn's single "Here We Go Again," a collaboration with production duo Mr. Naps, was chosen by NBC as the promotional theme song for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, and featured on both the critically-acclaimed Amazon.com series "Alpha House", starring John Goodman, and the Fox hit series, "The Mindy Project".

It's an appropriate segue into the next phase of his career: the transition from frontman to solo recording artist. Despite an over-decade-long impact in independent music scenes around the world, "(there have been) no albums as iLLspokinn," he notes.

That is about to change, with several solo recordings set for release between 2014-2015.

The first of these projects, which features music by SoulClap Budapest, is due to be released in the summer of 2014. It's an album iLLspokinn describes as "smooth and clear." A 7'' vinyl EP released by Vinylize Records is already available, and features the singles "Let's Get It Together" and "Mic-Flight-Check."

Its follow-up will be an album he recently completed with longtime collaborator DJ Zajazza of Lyon, France. By contrast, this album has a focus on being upbeat and funky.

2015 will see the release of albums produced by Lunchbox Beats and Fresh Kils, respectively. Despite the diversity of sounds and styles, all of these releases will accomplish a singular goal: cementing iLLspokinn's musical identity as a solo artist.

For each of those releases, he will continue to tour worldwide, as he has every 3-4 months for the past several years, adding new destinations to his growing world stage. For iLLspokinn, it is on stage where the audience is won, the expectations exceeded, and where he feels most at home.

His is the confidence of a veteran, an artist who has created his own success at every turn. This is iLLspokinn, and when he grabs the mic, prepare yourself for something special:

"I want people to be excited about what they are going to hear and see next. During a live show, I want EVERY single person in the audience to feel like I know they are therelike I actually could be speaking directly to them. I want the people that can relateto relate. I want people to walk away from my show like, 'DamnI can't do what he just did.'"

Location

The Wythe Hotel
80 Wythe Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11249
United States

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Owner: Deva Mahal

On BPT Since: Dec 02, 2014

deva mahal

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