Press Release
Blakkamoore is excited to announce the release of his new album Upward Spiral Deluxe on Lustre Kings Productions, and available on all streaming platforms, plus as a limited edition double CD. The album is a reflection of Blakkamoore’s growth and development from a culmination of working with A-list musicians, producers, along with Blakkamoore’s endless creativity and drive, to create a truly unique sonic experience. The album release is accompanied by the music video for Break Science remix of “Get Down Tonight” ft. Snoop Dogg!
Reflecting back Blakkamoore states, “‘Get Down Tonight’ is a real special offering from my fam, Adam Dietch and Borahm Lee. Together they make up the futuristic duo, Break Science. Dietch and I used to play together in NYC all the time. Moon and I actually wrote a song for one of their releases years ago so Moon reached out to Adam to return the favor, knowing what they are capable of. Both of those cats are world class musicians having played with Kanye West to John Scofield. They really delivered something super funky, retro and fresh, all at the same time. Could not be happier with the results.”
Adam Deitch adds, “When our longtime friend and collaborator, Blakkamore asked us to remix his tune with HipHop legend Snoop Dogg, we were extremely honored. This remix has a west coast feel to it that’s perfect for a sunny day drive or just kickin it with a fat blunt.”
Looking back on the new album, Upward Spiral Deluxe reflects Blakkamoore’s envisioned trajectory for his future musical generations, and found the inspiration in the book “The Rise and Fall of Great Power” by Paul Kennedy. It was an idea that he has built upon and developed over the years like the new album and it became the perfect title for the new release. It first manifested to Blakkamoore and producer Andrew Moon Bain while working with Snoop Dogg on his album Reincarnated (2013). Blakkamoore recalls, “we had been going back and forth to Jamaica and watched the “reggae revival” unfold and start dominating the airwaves. We had so many great ideas left over from the Snoop sessions + previous Lustre Kings sessions we decided to put Upward Spiral on hold and focus on this other collection of songs and develop a few more to release the album you all know as “Order of Distinction.”
Although the duo had worked together, Blakkamoore and Andrew Moon Bain finally began writing and producing while working with Diplo and in-between projects they co-wrote songs that are on Upward Spiral Deluxe album. The succinct writing partnership, baring the moniker PaperStars*, has created a new album stacked with standout and amazing collaborations and confirms Blakkamoore’s place in the frontline of the Reggae Revival and beyond. Punctuating the writing prowess of the co-writers Blakkamoore and Andrew Moon Bain, the song “Get Down Tonight” features Snoop Dogg, and also has two remixed versions including the released Break Science remix and a dubby reggaeton vibe remix by Olo (On Dub Ground) – both very different vibes that tie together the album nicely.
The album’s lead single, available exclusively on the Upward Spiral Deluxe edition is “Mek it Play.” It finds the indomitable Blakkamoore styling sweetly over a heavy steppers riddim produced by Zion I Kings. Harkening to a bass heavy UK dance in the 80’s, Blakkamoore pleads with the DJ to “turn it up, make it louder” and let the music transform the dance into a serene place of joy and rhythm. The new single was accompanied with a music video that debuted with Brooklyn Vegan who said, “The song’s reverb-coated, bass-heavy groove (produced by Moon Bain’s group Zion I Kings) is totally hypnotic, and Blakkamoore’s chilled-out delivery is perfect for it.”
Upward Spiral Deluxe was recorded at Rarely Beagle, Andrew Moon Bain’s production studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred (I Grade Dub / I Grade Records / Zion I Kings) mastered the release. Other notable collaborations include the wildly creative French lyrists and reggae artist Biga Ranx* who has a huge following in his home country France and soon to extend to the rest of the world, contributed to “Sky Scrappers.” Akae Beka (Vaughn Benjamin/ Midnite) collaborated on “Earth Cry”, and iMark a.k.a. Mark Walcott a young Guyanese producer added “Spotlight” on the forthcoming album. There are several amazing tracks produced by Zion I Kings that were recorded with live musicians and give the album it’s rich and textured vibe. Zion I Kings is comprised of Andrew Moon Bain, Laurent Tippy Alfred, “Jah David” Goldfine, Andrew “Drew Keys” Stoch and recently Romaine “Teflon Zincfence” Arnett.
Blakkamoore is a multi-talented and Grammy Nominated artist and producer with writing and producing credits with artists like Snoop Dogg, Diplo, Major Lazer, Wyclef Jean, DJ Premiere – to name a few. Originally from Guyana, Blakkamoore lived in Brooklyn where he found and fell in love with hip-hop culture during his defining years. He began to mix his musical influences by creating and producing new sounds from genre blending hip-hop with dancehall and reggae; and has created a sound that nicely fits into any fan of conscious and soulful music.
In the time of COVID-19, Blakkamoore is spending more time at home producing, writing, and collaborating on new material. Although his tours were canceled, he hopes to get back on stage to share the new album with fans. He reflects, “I hope things can resume quickly and safely, I would love to tour this album and songs. Creating and recording songs are a total joy, the next best thing is performing it for the wonderful fans we created it to inspire on a live show. I pray we get that chance.”