The Sa Ra Creative Partners Thread, finally...

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ok, i've dropped their name in like 20threads already, but figured since no one responded that i wouldn't make a thread (as to not take over the Common thread). they really are my favorite act right now.

it's 3 dudes out of LA making retro/future soul/funk. it sounds like prince meets funkadelic meets the neptunes meets the offbeat production style of Jay Dee (Detroit Downbeat, heh). lots of wicked synths and weirdo falsetto harmonized voices.

so far they only have one twelve inch out on ABB Records and one out on Ubiquity. oh yeah, and they just put out some weird remix 12" with Medeski Martin & Wood (that i'm not the hugest fan of). they've done production work for Heavy D, Pharoahe Monche, Bilal, Dr. DRE, Jill Scott, Jurassic 5, Erykah Badu, the Neptunes. there's also a 20 track something or other being passed around that i got (and if you're interested hit me up and i can get it to you, it's totally worth it)

here are some links:
http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/sa_ra.html
http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/ur162.html (audio links and tons of press)

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

You talk a good game, but will I like it?

It sounds like my perfect music.

― Senior Executive/CEO (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:05 (twenty years ago)

I want it!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:07 (twenty years ago)

they're all over the plantlife record, which is really good as well.

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

adam, i feel like i gave it to you already when i gave you that burned cd a few months ago. maybe?

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:18 (twenty years ago)

here's a link to the Plant Life site. you can listen to clips of every song on the album. it's very similar, but not as good to me. they're calling it post A Love Below. the point where hip hop and soul overlap. sorta Cee-lo-ish?
http://www.plant-life.net/main.html

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:19 (twenty years ago)

also some other names that have been mentioned regarding this whole camp of music

Platinum Pied Pipers

The Vanishing System

Jneiro Jarel

unfortunately, these guys seem to be more backpacker than i'd like. the beats are cool, but the mcs are sorta ho hum.

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

I love these guys. I'm a production assistant on KCRW's Chocolate City and the dj turned me on to them last year. Truly wonderful and unique stuff. "Glorious" is a gem.

― Flash (cowboytrance), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

you work with Garth?

my mom works at KCRW. she used to run the KCRW presents concerts but recently "retired" and now just voluteers on Morning Becomes Eclectic

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

I didn't realize ABB was still going. That's good to hear. I bought some records off Beni B once and he was a pleasant guy.

― mcd (mcd), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:56 (twenty years ago)

haha. you are SOOOO wrong about beni. i did their old website and the Peven Everett album cover. i've told the story elsewhere on ILM, but he wasn't that nice of a man to me. </understatement>

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:02 (twenty years ago)

"Glorious" is an incredible tune, like Moodymann getting busy with a funky Beck.

JaXon that Peven Everett cover you did was great :)

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:13 (twenty years ago)

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

I mentioned it on the other thread, but Common mentioned on tv that Sa Ra Creative Partners are now on Kanye's Sony imprint G.O.O.D., which after googling around I found to be apparently true.

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:27 (twenty years ago)

also from that thread, one of the guys is from Sa Ra is in the Common video

http://www.art-ificial.com/indie/sa-ra.jpg

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 00:33 (twenty years ago)

Maybe it was b/c I was handing him money?

― mcd (mcd), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:33 (twenty years ago)

the 2 singles combined make a great EP and probably one of the best records of the year.

I'm relatively new to Los Angeles, but the strongest local scene is this freaky soul/house/hip hip that's going around...Sa- Ra, plantlife and i want to add Cody Chestnutt to this "movement". It's the best soul music i've heard in years.

― Antonio DePietro, Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:48 (twenty years ago)

that is a truly horrible name. will be on the lookout for them, though.

― ()ops (()()ps), Thursday, 10 March 2005 01:51 (twenty years ago)

i fucked up that Vanishing System link. here it is again
http://www.soulseduction.com/common/item_detail.php?ItemCode=B178739

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 02:16 (twenty years ago)

their name translates to "the off-spring of the most powerful energy in the universe"

they're definitely in that bo-ho Hippy Hopper camp. if you read the interviews the stuff they say comes off as a mix of philisophical and dudes who are just stoned out of their gourds.

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 02:26 (twenty years ago)

Jason (and others into this stuff), you would probably love the new Crown City Rockers (formerly Mission:) record.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 10 March 2005 03:02 (twenty years ago)

gah, i feel like a chump, but i'm friends with those guys (three name drops in one thread). one of my closest friends Fabian does most of their design work and i almost did their website (fell through the cracks at the last minute). CCR's new one went from a CTI vibe to more of an Impulse sound. it's probably from the addition of saxaphone.

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 03:57 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, there are a couple of hot tracks upfront and then it sort of bottoms out into the laid back jam vibe. A little too laid back for me, but the rhythm section (Max esp.) is always killin', and they're great live of course.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 10 March 2005 04:04 (twenty years ago)

sa~ra are the shit. That cover of "Just Like a Baby" is sweet.

― Star Hustler, Thursday, 10 March 2005 06:25 (twenty years ago)

I a interested in what you say and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

― Austin (Austin), Thursday, 10 March 2005 07:59 (twenty years ago)

love the music, songs are a bit ho hum, apart from a few here and there, but theyre better producers than songwriters. love the production.

their sly cover is ok but just like immaculate karaoke.

― ppp, Thursday, 10 March 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)

but theyre better producers than songwriters

this is the criticism i hear the most, but i just don't see it - or maybe i don't get it. i think the "problem" is that i like music that most people say has no songwriting (i love Cherrywine and the new Mos Def). i don't even know what poor songwriting means.

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Thursday, 10 March 2005 17:59 (twenty years ago)

i don't even know what poor songwriting means.

OTM.

Good songwriting is mostly a myth as far as I am concerned.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 10 March 2005 18:23 (twenty years ago)

The album is sounding great. They should at least get as much press as Amp Fiddler or Peven Everett....

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 11 March 2005 23:11 (twenty years ago)

come on, now. it will be much bigger than amp or peven. this is going to blow up. as gill can attest, take the glorious beat and drop snoop's "drop it like it's hot" acappela over the top. wikked.

much more jay dee than moodymann.

Is the full-length coming out on Ubiquity? Jay-Z line three.

― david day (winslow), Friday, 11 March 2005 23:18 (twenty years ago)

holy crap, my friend just got a cdr of new jay dee beats. weird is the first word that comes to mind. bad is the second. lots of chopped vocal loops. sounds like he's copping a kanye vibe. we'll see.

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Friday, 11 March 2005 23:27 (twenty years ago)

mullygrubbr, did you get my email? the one on this thread got sent back to me. if not, email me.

― The JaXoN 5 (JasonD), Friday, 11 March 2005 23:29 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

loving it

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

that's right!

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

Release the album already!

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

the plantlife record is doing it for me too. its way less skewed but it makes me smile.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:28 (twenty years ago)

yeah, plantlife took a minute to grow on me, but i really love it now. i thought just because it was a bit more "straight" that it wasn't worth listening to, but i was wrong.

i don't think Platinum Pied Pipers is very good. decent beats, but bad mc/vocalists.

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:33 (twenty years ago)

gary, did you listen to the Jneiro Jarel? has anyone?

doesn't look like it

The Jneiro Jarel "Three Piece Puzzle" album is like whoa!

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

jaxon, i think you should try to track down this "cornerstone promotions" mix dj language did for nike if you can. it's probably one of my favorite records this year (oh the shame) and it's a nice mix of this stuff, broken beat, and related satellites.

― strng hlkngtn, Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:47 (twenty years ago)

i listened to half of it yesterday...kept waiting for him to flow.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:50 (twenty years ago)

xpost

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:50 (twenty years ago)

related satellites = spacek, stone's throw rap, slum village-type stuff, saadiq-soul

it's very...hazy. middle of august on the blacktop, hazy.

― strng hlkngtn, Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:50 (twenty years ago)

hazy is amongst my favourites

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:51 (twenty years ago)

jess, have you heard the full sa-ra yet? (it's downloadable if you want it)

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:55 (twenty years ago)

i downloaded something called "unreleased cd-r" a while back and listened to it once or twice. is that what you mean?

("once or twice" isn't a commentary on its quality, btw, just my lack of time.)

― strng hlkngtn, Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

yeah, that should be it? it has like 20 tracks. i didn't know if you were basing your previous "meh" judgements on one or two songs or the "album"

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:05 (twenty years ago)

I don't think those are the final versions- definitely the version of "Double Dutch (Co Co Pops)" is a much less layered production than the 12" release. And it doesn't seem like it's a separate single version and album version either, just that one is more finished-sounding than the other.

― Telephonething, Friday, 24 June 2005 00:01 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

FOUR TET & SA-RA: Sun, Drums & Soil 12"

"The hottest UK star pushing against electronic-ecstatic jazz boundaries has just hooked up with next planet's saviors of soul. This is Four Tet vs the Sa Ra Creative Partners! Colliding in a 'Contusion' of Calypso-inflected tack-synth-melodies, squelchy rude basslines and utterly serious 'supercool' speak, this is the most explicit fun anyone's had with Four Tet's musical parts since Jay Dee got involved last year! We're also treated to Four Tet's own 'Sun Drums and Gamelan' remix of the track, which recalls 'Rated X' era Miles Davis."

Anyone heard this yet? Thoughts?

― Mika, Tuesday, 26 July 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

no. i like the jay dee four tet thing though.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 02:41 (twenty years ago)

I've got the Sa-Ra remix on a 3" promo cd dealie...it's quite nice. Anyone want a YSI?

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 77 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

But not as much as listening to this stuff makes me want a new Moodymann.

― admrl, Friday, 20 April 2007 19:50 (eighteen years ago)

k, getting near the end of the record and the latter tracks are way better. way less commercial. Tracy's pretty good.

― jaxon, Friday, 20 April 2007 19:59 (eighteen years ago)

I am never high, but I always like listening to the album -- or at least the version with the songs I zapped out. I also like a fair amount of commercial R&B and have a high tolerance for HOT when hot/MEH when meh types.

― Andy K, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:08 (eighteen years ago)

can you translate the last part of yr sentence for me?

― deej, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:18 (eighteen years ago)

not trying to be a dick here! genuinely don't understand

― deej, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:18 (eighteen years ago)

he has a high tolerance for people where their great tracks are GREAT and their less than great tracks are LESS THAN GREAT

― strongohulkington, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:20 (eighteen years ago)

oh ok thnx

― deej, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:23 (eighteen years ago)

I am not hi that much, I have too many adult responsibilities. Just happened to hear that song once when very hi and it felt like I was walking backwards through an afro-futuristic airlock.

― admrl, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:55 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

― abusive comments (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 7 October 2008 04:21 (sixteen years ago)

― abusive comments (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 7 October 2008 04:26 (sixteen years ago)

goddamn those are good

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 06:59 (sixteen years ago)

I wish I could find a decent version of Hummer and Glorious on youtube. Those just destroy.

― abusive comments (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 7 October 2008 14:44 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

I hope "Fantastic Vampere" ends up on Nu AmErykah part 2.

― Eric H., Monday, 22 December 2008 07:42 (sixteen years ago)

what is "Fantastic Vampere"?

― The Reverend, Monday, 22 December 2008 07:47 (sixteen years ago)

http://www.rappersiknow.com/2008/10/19/sa-ra-creative-partners-fantastic-vampere-featuring-erykah-badu-herbie-hancock/

― Eric H., Monday, 22 December 2008 07:52 (sixteen years ago)

I xposted it to here: itt: kinda out there, maybe kinda experimental, maybe kinda pretentious modern r&b

Amazing stuff, but 3 years old and way more Sa-Ra f/ Badu than the reverse, so I don't have any reason to believe it might show on New Amerykah 2

― The Reverend, Monday, 22 December 2008 08:23 (sixteen years ago)

Yeah, 3 years old but still haven't gotten a good clean copy of it. (The one on imeem sounds like a first draft, but it whooshes through the headphones like damn!)

Point taken on the "featuring Badu" aspect, tho.

― Eric H., Tuesday, 23 December 2008 00:12 (sixteen years ago)

i saw ommas perform at a club earlier in the year - hilarious stuff. nice little (as in tiny, borderline white stripes numbers) band too.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 23 December 2008 00:16 (sixteen years ago)

The version posted on rappersiknow certainly sounds finished.

― The Reverend, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 00:32 (sixteen years ago)

(It's downloadable btw)

― The Reverend, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 00:33 (sixteen years ago)

Finished, but highly compressed/muted somehow.

― Eric H., Tuesday, 23 December 2008 00:33 (sixteen years ago)

I mean, good enough that I've been listening to it on repeat for the last two months, but still ...

― Eric H., Tuesday, 23 December 2008 00:33 (sixteen years ago)

What was the Monch track? It's off youtube now. I haven't found the two or three things I've half-listened to by these even interesting, but Hey Love is really nice, maybe i've been missing out.

― subroc back to haunt, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 16:25 (sixteen years ago)

Am I behind in this convo is is Monch's Agent Orange in question here?

― n/o_O (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 23 December 2008 16:27 (sixteen years ago)

Oh right I either didn't realize or i forgot that they produced that. Thought what you posted must have been a remix of a Desire track. Thanks.

― subroc back to haunt, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 16:33 (sixteen years ago)

Seems counter-intuitive that when Monch returned with much more soul and horns than I expected, sa-ra of all people were partly responsible for an expectation of stuff that was a bit more raw.

― subroc back to haunt, Tuesday, 23 December 2008 16:45 (sixteen years ago)

six months pass...

new album is out.

http://ubiquityrecords.com/shop/products/THE-SA%252dRA-CREATIVE-PARTNERS-%252d-NUCLEAR-EVOLUTION%2C-THE-AGE-OF-LOVE.html

― (jaxon) ( .) ( .) (jaxon), Wednesday, 24 June 2009 23:09 (sixteen years ago)

yup. there's some great stuff, but overall it's a bit too much

― but hey, that would be going into sexual details ... (The Reverend), Wednesday, 24 June 2009 23:24 (sixteen years ago)

and it isn't titled Pubic Cube (in Space): Book I of IV ;_;

― but hey, that would be going into sexual details ... (The Reverend), Wednesday, 24 June 2009 23:24 (sixteen years ago)

Just got this from emusic... Halfway through it and I think it might be pretty great. The first few songs just kinda floated by, but ten tracks in I'm completely on board. "Love Czars" is awesome.

― Professor Respect, Thursday, 25 June 2009 01:08 (sixteen years ago)

I think "He Say She Say" is my early favorite

― blap-and-trade system (The Reverend), Friday, 26 June 2009 07:10 (sixteen years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3144&Itemid=26

Shafiq Husayn , one third of California beat unit Sa-Ra Creative Partners, will release a solo album via K7/Plug Research on September 15.

― jaxon, Wednesday, 29 July 2009 22:27 (sixteen years ago)

the single is ridiculously awesome, and i was never hugely into sa-ra per se before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_7gDhLqpE

interviewing shafiq tonight...

― lex pretend, Thursday, 6 August 2009 10:05 (sixteen years ago)

post the interview when its out... i like that song a lot too.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Thursday, 6 August 2009 10:18 (sixteen years ago)

that track is super rad

― jaxon, Thursday, 6 August 2009 17:50 (sixteen years ago)

Even though most of the new album doesn't really do it for me, even after repeated listens, I can't get enough of "He Say She Say" -- it is absolutely, deliriously magnificent.

― Goethe*s Elective Affinities, Monday, 10 August 2009 21:06 (sixteen years ago)

six months pass...

listening to that shafiq album. these guys are so pastichey. almost everything they do sounds slightly deriviative. and i get the feeling its almost deliberate, their way of tipping their hat. but it just sounds slightly drab or like a damp squib. so mish mashy. plus their vocals are really shit and flat. this album should be on ninja tune.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Thursday, 25 February 2010 16:34 (fifteen years ago)

actually the main prob with this album is that surprisingly it seems overproduced. and then theres something about the production thats almost too slick and perfected, with all the grit and rough edges sanded off.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Thursday, 25 February 2010 16:35 (fifteen years ago)

lil girl is the standout. this could be a good ep.

― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Thursday, 25 February 2010 16:36 (fifteen years ago)

four months pass...

More thoughts on "The Nuclear Evolution"?

― European Bob (admrl), Thursday, 22 July 2010 16:21 (fifteen years ago)

melodee n'mynor is a dope track

― johnny crunch, Friday, 23 July 2010 23:37 (fifteen years ago)

ten years pass...

Who is mad amped?

HOOS is mad amped.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Wednesday, March 21, 2007 2:28 PM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:44 (four years ago)

revisiting, they had some amazing shit

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Saturday, 30 January 2021 05:44 (four years ago)

“Second time around” ep is sick

― brimstead, Saturday, 30 January 2021 18:20 (four years ago)

also “rosebuds”, “hanging by a string”

― brimstead, Saturday, 30 January 2021 18:21 (four years ago)

“Love czars” is pretty insane

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Saturday, 30 January 2021 18:36 (four years ago)

wasn’t this g unit thing them too?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pumqhYE7q5M

― brimstead, Saturday, 30 January 2021 20:55 (four years ago)

Is this where we talk about how awesome the solo Om’mas Keith album City Pulse is cause it’s one of my favourites.

― Will (kruezer2), Sunday, 31 January 2021 21:48 (four years ago)

extremely OTM

― rob, Sunday, 31 January 2021 21:58 (four years ago)

Weird how their career went. I thought they were going to be more popular as a group, not just producers for other artists, and often with a sound more subdued than those early songs like rosebud, white, Hollywood, etc

― candyman, Sunday, 31 January 2021 22:22 (four years ago)

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