The Decoders demand respect and it can be felt in the emotion of their music as they go from multiple styles of Soul to soothing you with the psychedelic sound of this tune. The Decoders are at it again with another Rotary Connection cover of a cover, the classic known as "Respect" made famous by the likes of Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. This time, they have enlisted the talents of Oakland based chanteuse Mara Hruby (www.marahruby.com) and the illustrious Van Hunt (www.vanhunt.com). This track will be included on their upcoming full length album release, "Adventures From Paradise: A Tribute To Minnie Riperton" coming out later this year. Check out the video for "Respect" which gives an intimate look into their process of working on the song.

In homage to Chaka Khan, The Decoders have tapped into the brilliance of her early 80's hit "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" and re-imagined it for a new generation, featuring the young, up-and-coming vocalist and songwriter Alex Isley (daughter of Ernie Isley from the Isley Brothers). A dash of Electronic, Soul and Reggae/Dub/Dancehall vibes, this track will keep ears young and old intrigued by its lush sonic landscape, horn stabs and the buttery, soulful croons of miss Alex Isley. Enjoy!

CREDITS:

Produced by The Decoders

Alex Isley
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements

Itai Shapira
Drum Programming, Bass, Guitar, Dub FX, Synths

Adam Berg
Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Dub FX

Todd M. Simon
Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Horn Arrangements

Tracy Wannomae
Flute, Tenor & Alto Sax

Blake Colie
Additional Drums

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Mixed by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music

Originally Performed and Recorded by Chaka Khan on her third solo album "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me (1981)

Holly Port: Photography • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design

Enjoy a beautiful remake for one of the most uplifting Samba Jazz grooves you are likely to hear.

Riding on the heels of their 1st single off of Vol 2 (Walk On By) with its orchestral soul arrangements, the 2nd single from Vol 2, Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun, is an ode to the beautifully epic orchestral arrangements of producer Charles Stepney.

But this time, The Decoders have decided to venture into the Brazilian repertoire, incorporating Samba and Jazz elements into the group's psychedelic soul arrangement.

This version features Adrian Younge's "Venice Dawn" vocalists Loren Oden and Brooke De Rosa on vocals, as well as Jungle Fire's Steve Haney on percussion and Brazilian musician Quetzal Guerrero on percussion and berimbau.

The artwork for the single is an original painting by Los Angeles based artist Michelle Robinson. Michelle's work has been praised by Cee-Lo Green, among others. For more info, check out her website here: http://www.michellizm.com/

CREDITS:

Produced by The Decoders

Loren Oden
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals

Brooke De Rosa
Background Vocals

Itai Shapira
Bass, Guitars, Synth, Vocal Arrangements

Todd M. Simon
Trumpet, Horn Arrangements

Adam Berg
Piano

Tracy Wannomae
Saxophone

Thomas Lea
Violin, Viola

Steve Haney
Percussion

Quetzal Guerrero
Berimbau

Blake Colie
Drums

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Additional engineering by David Burris at Manifest Music
Mixed by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music

Originally written and recorded by Rotary Connection (1971)

Michelle Robinson: Original Artwork • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design

Enjoy laid-back vibes and emotion as The Decoders and Noelle Scaggs transform the Burt Bacharach and Hal David-written tune "Walk On By" into a sound of soulful Reggae. Noelle does a great job in conveying powerful emotion in her singing of the classic, delivering a nice combination of both powerful and soothing vocal passages within her performance. The result is a song which sways with a calm rhythm and musical influence of The Caribbean and strikes with the power of soulful American songwriting.




The Decoders EPK : (An Introduction) is the first of a series of behind the scenes video blogs featuring studio footage, interviews with The Decoders and featured vocalists from Vol 1 & 2, and much more. See some behind the scenes footage of the "Walk On By" recording sessions.


BIOGRAPHY:

The Decoders are Los Angeles-based producer duo Itai Shapira (producer/engineer & studio/live musician) and Todd Simon (trumpeter/arranger for Mayer Hawthorne, TV On The Radio, The Lions, Quantic, etc.), with heavy contributions from Adam Berg (Grammy nominated producer/engineer), Quincy McCrary on keys (Mayer Hawthorne) and Blake Colie on drums (The Lions of Stones Throw Records) . They just released their first installment of modern-Jamaican Lovers Rock-inspired versions of soul classics they dug up from the vaults of the Music Sales publishing catalogue.

In this first batch, Shapira and Simon have deciphered some Earth, Wind and Fire, Minnie Riperton and even one from Ruby and the Romantics! The project is overseen by the songwriter and producer behind many of Minnie Riperton’s hits - Richard Rudolph.

The Decoders have enlisted the help of vocalists Sy Smith (Macy Gray, Foreign Exchange) original “Baby This Love I Have" songwriter and legendary producer Leon Ware (Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Maxwell), Coco Owino (of Quadron), Kevin Sandbloom and Boston Fielder (of Muthawit). Miguel Atwood Ferguson (Suite For Ma Dukes, Brainfeeder) also makes a guest appearance on the new single "Les Fleurs"

Volume 2 features guest vocalists Noelle Scaggs (of Fitz & The Tantrums), Raul Midon, Alex Isley and many more...
credits
released 16 October 2012
CREDITS:

Produced by The Decoders

Noelle Scaggs
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals & Vocal Arrangements

Itai Shapira
Bass, Guitars, Dub FX, Keys, Timpani, Additional Vocal Arrangements

Todd M. Simon
Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Dub FX, Horn Arrangements

Adam Berg
Rhodes, B3, Additional Vocal Arrangements

Tracy Wannomae
Tenor, Alto Sax, Flute

Thomas Lea
Violin, Viola

Blake Colie
Drums

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Additional engineering by David Burris at Manifest Music
Mixed by Adam Berg at Manifest Music
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music

Originally Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David. Originally recorded by Dionne Warwick (1964)