TVD Austin staff writer Charles Jordan kicks off the start of our picks for SXSW:
After meeting on the Okayplayer.com message boards in 2002, North Carolina rapper/singer/songwriter Phonte Coleman of Little Brother fame and Dutch producer Nicolay began recording and sharing music via AOL Instant Messenger. They eventually formed The Foreign Exchange even though they had never met one another and lived in two different countries. In 2004, they released Connected, an album that is still in heavy rotation on my turntable to this day. This album showcased Nicolay’s smooth, soulful beats that could easily draw reference to J Dilla and Pete Rock and Phonte’s more than adequate singing voice, free spirit, and thoughtful and clever punch lines that channel the Native Tongue movement.
Three albums, a Grammy nomination for the single “Day Keeper” off of 2008’s Leave It All Behind, and various solo and side projects later, The Foreign Exchange are still honing their craft and will be showcasing their talents at SXSW this year. These days, Phonte has been singing more than rapping, which proves true on the 2010 release Authenticity. But never lost in the mix is the artful blend and sound of hip-hop, soul, and electronica that leaves you wanting more.
If you like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Little Brother, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Roots and J Dilla, I urge you to check them out. I might be jumping to conclusions but I think that this show will make my Top 5 after SXSW. Hopefully it will be one of yours ….
The Foreign Exchange is scheduled to play SXSW Thursday, March 17. Location TBD.
*Editor’s note (3/1/11): The Foreign Exchange are no longer listed on the SXSW schedule. Bummer.
