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What’s good Brightest Young Things? Welcome to The Couch!

If you didn’t know, the Couch Sessions has been around for a hot minute covering what the marketing people call urban alternative. Our mission? To profile what’s new in hip-hop, R&B, electronic, and indie months before the mainstream takes hold of them.

You know Wale? Yeah, we were getting down with him in 2006. That Kid Cudi track currently blowing up the radio? We were on that a year ago. Santigold? We were listening to her when she was penning tracks for Res back in 2001.

In 2009, we’re profiling some new artists that will be in your iPod soon, like Atlanta’s Brittany Bosco, and Toronto’s Colin Munroe among others.

Many of the who’s who in music have sat down on The Couch. Our most prolific interview: Reverend Run on RUN DMC, only a few years after Jam Master Jay’s untimely death. We’ve had soul legend Teena Marie sit down for an audio interview just recently, and we have also chopped it up with Chilli of TLC, as well as R&B crooner Raphael Saadiq.

And if you weren’t at this years South By Southwest extravaganza in Austin, Texas, check out our coverage, where we chopped it up with the likes of Kid Cudi, Blu, Little Boots, Asher Roth, Solange, Kid Sister, Janelle Monae, and profiled upcoming artists Whole Wheat Bread and Australian singer Gabriella Cimilli.

So without further adeu, I present, This Week on The Couch:

This Week

• RIP Autotune – Last Friday night, the hip-hop world was waiting for Jay-Z’s toughs on the pitch correction technique which amped up voices to make them sound much like robots, also know as Auto-Tune. In 2009 Auto-Tune’d songs dominated urban radio, and trend even spread to indie rock, with artists like Bon Iver and Mr. Hudson experimenting with the genre.
• Death of Auto-Tune (aka D.O.A.), however, takes an unapologetic swipe at the phenomenon (or some would say infection) and just might just end the career of “Jumpin’ Out The Window’s” Ron Brownz.
• The Ironic thing about this song? Auto-Tune innovator T-Pain joined him on stage at Hot 97’s Summerjam last Sunday. Does he see the writing on the wall?

• Unless you have been living under a rock lately (or Manassas), you should already know that DC has some of the hottest DJ talent in the country right now. DC’s resident DJs are getting love all over the world, with DMV mainstays Dave Nada and Tittsworth playing Australia and Europe, and DJ Will Eastman getting mentions on Discobelle in Sweden.
• Well, DJ Harry Dixon (aka Harry Hotter) enters the fray with his Right On! Mixtape, sponsored by the AV lifestyle group and Adams Morgan clothing store For The Greater Good. Not only does it feature remixes by Dave and Titts, but it also features local rappers Flex Matthews spitting over Rye Rye’s Bang and Ardamus over the Crooker’s remix of Boom Da. If you like your hip-hop over 120bpm like I do, it’s a real good look.
• Speaking of hip-hop mashups, check Terry Urban’s Southerngold mixtape, which mixes Southern Hip-Hop over tracks by the reining hipster queen. If you wondered how Lil’ Wayne, Pitbull, Trick Daddy, Outkast and Bun B sound over Santi, then here’s your chance. Of course, Santi’s label Downtown Recordings isn’t as happy, and wanted the mixtape shut down. Too late! It’s all over the Internet now.

• Where are the Female MCs at? NYC rapper/producer Ayana Soyini is holding it down for an incredibly shrinking section of the hip-hop pie. The “femcee” not only raps but produces, and her album, The Remix Sessions, just dropped onto the scene. Ayana sat down on The Couch for an interview with our new writer Mic (aka Envy of the World).

Upcoming Events

• When did the 9:30 Club somehow become synonymous with the words “Sold Out?” There are several capacity filled events this week including Santigold and TV On The Radio. If your Craigslist skills aren’t good enough to warrant you entrance into those shows, check out the BLK JKS TONIGHT at the Black Cat (1811 14th St NW). BLK JKS (pronounced Black Jacks) hail from South Africa and combine the punk sounds of Bad Brains with the phsychedulia of TVOTR mixed in with traditional African rhythms. Opening act: The So So Glos. Doors at 9:30, and the price is only $10.
• Thursday also means 95 LIVE is going on at Steve’s Bar Room (1337 Connecticut Ave NW) in Dupont Circle. The newest edition to DC’s Nightlife calendar features DJ Harry Hotter this week, spinning nothing but 90s hip-hop all night long.
• Also tonight is the Rap Leagues, a 5 minute open mic rap competition at Expo (located at
• 1928 9th St NW) with a $100 cash prize.
• Friday night, DJ Stylus, fresh from his trip to London and his collaboration with UK hip-hopper Ty, will be teaming up with DJ Meistro and Deep Sang to drop some Afro-Latin beats at Almaz (1212 U St NW) for a Recession-proof price of $7.
• DJ Stereofaith returns to Policy (1904 14th St, NW) for Truth Fridays presented by Kevin Lance Murray. Guestlist only. RSVP here.
• Local hip-hop collective Words, Beats, and Life is teaming up with Howard University for Remixing the Art of Social Change, a teach-in event dedicated developing curriculum and programs based on hip-hop culture. Various events are going on all weekend, topped off with The Sickness 3 at the Dissident Display gallery on H, ST NE. Registration here.
• SUNDAY Eat away your hangover, as DJ Keenan Orr takes the decks at Marvin for his weekly Brunch Drunk Love series at Marvin.

Like what you see? Check us out at (www.thecouchsessions.com) and follow us on Twitter (@couchsessions).

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