Club | R&B | Partybreaks Preorder 5 Items

Spanning 23 years of recorded output, Grammy Award winning artist Bilal performed a mid-career retrospective featuring an ensemble of luminaries from his storied musical tribe. For one night only, the supergroup re-worked standouts from a genre-defying catalog including Bilal’s debut, "1st Born Second", his famously unreleased sophomore album, "Love For Sale" (from which "Something To Hold" and "All For Love" herein become its first commercially available releases), "Airtight’s Revenge", Common’s seminal Soulquarian-era "Like Water for Chocolate", as well as premiering Bilal’s newest song, "Humility". The concert was recorded, filmed and livestreamed from Glasshaus in Brooklyn, New York on December 02, 2023 for a studio audience of 100 guests.

Renowned Berlin-based music discovery platform ColorsxSTUDIOS will release their new vinyl compilation album, ‘MOVE:FEEL1’, just in time for the holidays.

The limited-edition double disc gatefold vinyl will feature 16 beloved A Colors Show tracks, both recent and from the archive, including London-based rapper Kwengface’s ‘Freedom’ that was released earlier this year, critically-acclaimed Malian artist Fatoumata Diawara’s ‘Nterini’ from 2019, and Dominican-Italian star YEИDRY’s breakout 2020 hit ‘Nena’.

The album is truly international—it will feature songs sung in six different languages (including English, Swedish, German, Bambara, French, Vietnamese, and Spanish) and represent artists from 15 different countries across the world.

‘MOVE:FEEL1’ reflects and celebrates the launch of Colors’ new ‘move’ and ‘feel’ playlists that are now available across all DSPs. Updated monthly, these playlists will curate Colors’ genre fluid output into cohesive listening experiences that cater for varying emotional states.

The songs on the ‘move’ playlist—and hence on the ‘move’ sides of the vinyl—are uptempo, bold, sexy and energetic, and aim to set the tone for daring and unapologetic enjoyment. In contrast, the tracks on the ‘feel’ playlist and discs are downtempo and emotive. They are for relaxation, and to help listeners contemplate their internal and external environments

Designed by Colors’ in-house creative team, the vinyl cover is mirrored, meaning its appearance adapts depending on the light and colors it reflects. This was an important decision to ensure the cover represents all of the featured artists, who all performed their A Colors ShowS against different colored backdrops. The mirrored material also enables the audience to literally (and hopefully metaphorically) see themselves in the album.

Each side of the mirrored cover is adorned differently: while the “move” side features embossed lines, stripes and slashes indicative of motion, the more introverted “feel” side is debossed with goosebump-like grooves. Even with their eyes closed, people will be able to feel which side of the album is which, adding an extra sensory layer to the listening experience. MOVE:FEEL1’s design also prioritizes sustainability, using no single-use plastics for its packaging.

The Midst of Things is a multi-layered expression of my views on the state of the culture in America today. The album explores ways our humanity is being impacted by rapid globalization and technological shifts. The paradox of social media's ability to both connect us and cause us to be more disconnected than ever.

This album questions what our priorities are. What are “American values” in 2023? “Who can I trust in a world of deep fakes?” I ask in the song Bliss. Is there any objective truth in a world with “alternative facts”? Is there one true reality or is it all subjective?

This album is also the culmination of my processing of the trauma and hardship I experienced over the pandemic and civil unrest in Minneapolis over the last few years. The deep levels of depression that come with living in a black body in this country. The rejection, the anger and frustration, and the fear of having my body destroyed simply for expressing that anger in the presence of the wrong white body.

My goal with this album is to provoke conversations and create engagement around these questions and themes. but also to give you something new and inspiring while opening you up to the full spectrum of my sound and voice.

I decided to release this album independently. Mainly because I wanted to get it to you all sooner and not have to fit it into a label calendar. However, because I’m releasing independently I couldn’t afford to pay upfront to produce vinyl with all of the other expenses surrounding the album’s production and release. Because many of you have been asking if vinyl will be available for this project and I really want to make it happen, I’m humbly asking for your support in funding the production of The Midst of Things vinyl. This album represents a very important milestone for me. I haven’t released a full album since ‘Trouvaille’ in 2018 and I have yet to release a full album on vinyl.

With your help and contributions, I know we can make it happen!

I am forever grateful for your love and support!

Rose in the Dark 12" Deluxe Vinyl with artwork.