Hopped on the 95 South this weekend and ventured down to North Carolina where I’m in the studio all week long with my brother, Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange. New music for our collaboration EP is being created… Stay tuned.
Tag Archives: +FE Music
2013 In Pictures
With 2013 being the most successful year in my music career, it’s only right that I share the pictures that documented it. Looking back, I released my newest album, ManMade, and had the pleasure of visiting Brooklyn, Baltimore, D.C., Chicago, Richmond, Philly, Pittsburgh, LA, Tucson, Detroit, Vegas, Seattle, Austin, Durham, Atlanta, Charlotte, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Cleveland in support of it – I was even asked to perform on the eight-day Capital Jazz Cruise at the beginning of November. I contributed to the new The Foreign Exchange album Love In Flying Colors with “Listen To The Rain,” and The Reworks with a remix for Phonte’s “Gonna Be A Beautiful Night”. I hung out with Bobbito and Crazy Legs of Rock Steady in NYC, began endorsing Lewitt Audio, released an ode to Sesame Street in the form of the “Count To Five” video, was the subject of my FIRST documentary, and even had a day named after me in Las Vegas.
Things to look out for in 2014…
• Making the music for Black Dynamite – The Animated Series (Season 2) with Fatin “10” Horton
• My very first trip to South Africa with The Foreign Exchange at the end of March + a world tour with +FE
• A brand new single + video from ManMade + more solo dates
• New, original music… Including a collaborative EP with…………………………
…….anyway, thank you, 2013… Here’s to one helluva productive and positive new year in 2014. Cheers!!
Looks like I’m singing… But I’m really just talkin’ shit.
…just visiting vinyl sold out this year.
Bobbito, Me and Crazy Legs in NYC (July 2013)
Me with Michael Coylar (Nov. 2013)
Another one added to the wall…
On keys for The Foreign Exchange in Raleigh, NC (Oct. 2013)
At the Gibson Showroom @ Fox 5 Vegas going over the gameplan…
Zo! shirt sighting!
Keys • Photo by Creative Silence (July 2013)
Sy Smith and I rockin’ out in Seattle (July 2013)
in Seattle (July 2013)
Durham Crowd Participation • Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
Dr. Lonnie Smith MURDERING on organ at NAMM (Jan. 2013)
Rocked with Original Blackbyrds member Allan Barnes at my boy Tate McBroom’s wedding in September.
Carmen Rodgers and I after our Atlanta Show (Aug. 2013)
Still can’t believe I have my own day in Vegas. (July 2013)
Twin Motif set-up in Tucson (July 2013)
Me and Carmen rockin’ out in Cleveland (Dec. 2013)
On keys in Vegas (July 2013)
“Count To Five” got some love in July on “Numbers Never Lie” (July 2013)
Setup at Indianapolis’ Jazz Kitchen (Oct. 2013)
ManMade – Released on May 21st
@Hicksont77 rockin’ a Zo! shirt
@LifeOfALibra rockin’ a Zo! shirt
Me and Deborah Bond after rockin’ in Philly (June 2013)
Soundchecking in Pittsburgh (June 2013)
My first visit to Biscuitville in Raleigh, NC (Oct. 2013)
Contributed “Listen To The Rain” on The Foreign Exchange’s ‘Love In Flying Colors’ (Sept. 2013)
A view from the keys at the +FE show in Columbia, SC (Oct. 2013)
In Detroit (June 2013) • Photo by Norvell Molex
Rockin out in Dallas with Carmen Rodgers, Lock Johnson on the drums (Sept. 2013)
The crown…
Deborah Bond going IN (July 2013) • Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
Me and my brother, Waajeed in Detroit (june 2013)
Made it to CentricTV’s “13 Best Indie R&B Artists of 2013” (Dec 2013)
“Count To Five” video (May 2013)
ManMade held it’s own on iTunes at #2 on the R&B charts the first couple of days out…
Final touch of fatassedness on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Me + Sy Smith rockin’ twin Motifs at NAMM (Jan. 2013)
In Southfield, MI recording with Collective Peace (Oct. 2013)
Zach Cutler, Deborah Bond and I in NYC (June 2013)
Anthony David, Carmen Rodgers and I after our show in Atlanta (Aug. 2013)
With Sy Smith performing at NAMM (Jan 2013)
Signing a fan’s keytar in Houston (Sept. 2013)
Live painting of me by Demont “Peekaso” Pinder on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Carmen Rodgers and Phonte going in on a game of Operation (Oct. 2013)
Live interview/meet and greet at Moods Music in Atlanta (Aug. 2013)
Stevie at NAMM (Jan. 2013)
Zo! + Carmen Rodgers (Sept. 2013)
Me with Saxappeal, Zach Cutler, Tim Scott Jr., Carmen Rodgers and Darion Alexander after smashing the Las Vegas show (July 2013)
Eric Roberson, Darion Alexander, Phonte, and I on set in NC (Dec. 2013)
Me and Carmen in Houston, Gary Mayes on drums (Sept. 2013)
Having fun on stage in Durham (July 2013) • Photo by FroLab
Chuck Anderson, Richard Williams, Nate Mitchell, Me, and Dennis Garner
Full House in Atlanta for +FE (Oct. 2013)
Jarrard Anthony, Me, Jon Bibbs, and AB
Ursula Rucker and I in Philly (June 2013)
On the Road to NC (Dec. 2013)
Richmond showed up… (June 2013)
On the bass for “We Are On The Move” in Pittsburgh (June 2013)
@Cocoa_Cheeks_ rockin’ a Zo! shirt
Me and Phonte before the “Count To Five” video shoot
Contributed to The Reworks album this year with “Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” Remix
Showing Sy some key parts in Detroit (June 2013)
+FE Soundcheck in Raleigh, NC (Oct. 2013)
Deborah Bond and I in Durham (July 2013)
The Zo!Tif in Richmond (June 2013)
Photo shoot in NC with Creative Silence
Chantae Cann and I before performing on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Tucson, AZ (July 2013)
On the keys in L.A.
Me and Carmen in St. Louis (Oct. 2013)
@Ms_Toni with the Zo! Shirt
Lewitt Audio Microphone for the road…
Lewitt Audio LCT 540 condenser microphone looking nice in East Wing Studios
Me and Larry Graham (Nov. 2013)
Another Zo! shirt sighting!!
First stop on the ManMade Tour was…. Brooklyn on its release date.
One of my FAVORITE spots in Detroit… Bucharest Grill. (June 2013)
Eric Roberson, me and my stank face that made a few appearances during the show. (Nov. 2013)
Gwen Luh De Keeeds (May 2013)
First single from ManMade… “The Train”
On the bass in the Gibson Showroom – Vegas (July (2013)
The L.A. Crowd (June 2013)
Brand new interface in the studio (Oct. 2013)
Rockin’ on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Phonte on stage in Durham • Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
The Island of Curaçao (Nov. 2013)
@Eclectic1914 rockin’ the Zo! shirt
The sun shining on Detroit (June 2013)
After rocking our Charlotte Show (Aug. 2013)
Show love after EVERY show. In Dallas (Sept. 2013)
Rockin’ out at Fox 5 Vegas in the Gibson Showroom
Zo! shirt spotted in these skreets!!
Helluva year for +FE Music
Atlanta Skyline (Oct. 2013)
Chicago Show (June 2013)
Ideeyah, Monica Blaire, Sy Smith, Darius Mitchell, Me, Kristopher Crosby, Brandon Williams, and Saxappeal after a helluva homecoming show in Detroit. (June 2013)
Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
Me and Bobbito at the D.C. showing of his street ball documentary, “Doin’ It In The Park” (May 2013)
@Sophia1922 with de Zo! shirt
ZoTif, Nord Lead 2X, and the Moog Little Phatty… D.C. set up (May 2013)
On bass at the Detroit Show (June 2013)
Durand Bernarr and I after the Cleveland shows (Dec. 2013)
Yep, that’s a ManMade cake, bruh. Made by @TheCakeLadyNY
All day… • Photo by Creative Silence
Rehearsal in Atlanta (Aug. 2013)
Me and Gwen Bunn after shooting the “Count To Five” video in NC (May 2013)
Fall in Michigan (Oct. 2013)
The Pittsburgh crowd awaits… (June 2013)
Autographed pre-orders! (May 2013)
Carmen and I after +FE’s Atlanta show (Oct. 2013)
Video Shoot in NC (Dec. 2013)
Revive Music places ‘ManMade’ at #4 in their “Revive’s Top 5 Albums of 2013”
This is a nice look from Revive Music… They placed ManMade at #4 in their “Revive’s Top 5 Albums of 2013”.
4. Zo! – ManMade (+FE Music; May 21)
The Foreign Exchange has carved out a great piece of the rock for themselves that continues to grow with each project from their expanding camp of collaborators. Chief among them is Zo!, Nicolay’s and Phonte’s keyboardist and key production collaborator. His debut Sun Storm was a gorgeous extension of +FE, only with own brushstrokes of soul. His follow-up, ManMade is nothing short of an amazing record. With Phonte co-captaining much of the ship in co-production and vocals (lead and backgrounds), this album is a cohesive work of inspired song craft. ManMade has songs that make you dance (“We Are On the Move” with Eric Roberson), get you hot (”Body Rock” with Sy Smith) and make you praise the Lord (title track with Phonte).
‘ManMade’ is #8 on Nu-Soul Magazine’s “Top 13 Nu-Soul Albums of 2013”
The sophomore release from multi-instrumentalist Zo! (of the Foreign Exchange fame) was everything we have come to love about the talented artist. Classy, head nodding soul music with some of the best singers in the game including Sy Smith, Choklate, Eric Roberson and more, Manmade was a master class in modern R&B/soul.
New DIscography: The Foreign Exchange “Can’t Turn Around” (feat Gwen Bunn)
The Foreign Exchange (feat. Gwen Bunn)
“Can’t Turn Around”
Produced by The Foreign Exchange
Piano by Zo!
From the album Love In Flying Colors
Buy Now
“Count To Five” on ESPN2’s “Numbers Never Lie”
As a former D1 college baseball athlete at Western Kentucky University, never did I think that I would make it to ESPN via music that I made…… Well, until today.
Zo! – ‘ManMade’ (2013) FULL Album Credits
Zo!
ManMade
PURCHASE ALBUM
-Listed at #3 on CentricTV’s Best R&B Albums of 2013-
“…the album maintains an easy elegance and never derails.” -AllMusic.com
01. The Train featuring Sy Smith
Produced by Zo! for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music (BMI)
Written by Sy Smith for Sybersong Publishing (ASCAP)
Vocals Recorded and Mixed by Grant “G-Nick” Nicholas
All Vocals by Sy Smith
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and Rumbo Studios, Winnetka, CA
02. Count To Five featuring Gwen Bunn
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
Lead Vocals by Gwen Bunn
Background Vocals by Phonte and Gwen Bunn
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
03. New In Town (Happy) featuring 1-O.A.K. and Carlitta Durand
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP) and Carlitta Durand for Durand Music Group (ASCAP)
Lead and Background Vocals by 1-O.A.K. and Carlitta Durand
Additional Background Vocals by Phonte
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
04. Making Time featuring Phonte and Choklate
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP) and Choklate for Chokolesta Music (ASCAP)
Lead Vocals by Phonte
Background Vocals by Choklate and Phonte
Trumpet by Al Strong IV
Trombone by Andrew Kleindienst
All Other Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
05. Tell Me Something New featuring Jeanne Jolly
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
All Vocals by Jeanne Jolly
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
06. ManMade featuring Phonte
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
All Vocals by Phonte
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
07. We Are On The Move featuring Eric Roberson
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
Lead Vocals by Eric Roberson
Background Vocals by Gwen Bunn, Phonte and Sy Smith
Congas, Timbales and Other Percussion by Brevan Hampden
All Other Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
08. Show Me The Way featuring Anthony David and Carmen Rodgers
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP) and Walter Baker for Songs For The Rebel (ASCAP)
Lead Vocals by Anthony David
Background Vocals by Carmen Rodgers
Additional Background Vocals by Phonte
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
09. For Tina
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
All Vocals by Sy Smith
Flute by Claudia Hayden
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
10. Out In The World featuring Choklate
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Choklate for Chokolesta Music (ASCAP) and Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
Lead Vocals by Choklate
Additional Background Vocals and Rap by Phonte
All Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
11. Body Rock featuring Sy Smith
Produced by Zo! & Phonte for Chapter 3hree, Verse 5ive Music, LLC/The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
Written by Phonte Coleman for Daddy’s New Bowtie (ASCAP)
Lead Vocals by Sy Smith
Background Vocals by Sy Smith and Phonte
Flute by Tim Smith
All Other Instruments by Zo!
Recorded at East Wing Studios, Silver Spring, MD and The Peanut Gallery, Raleigh, NC
Mixed and Mastered by Chris Boerner at The Burlap Palace, Raleigh, NC
© 2013 The Foreign Exchange Music, LLC
P.O. Box 12208
Wilmington, NC 28405
Zo! “Count To Five” featuring Gwen Bunn and Phonte (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
+FE Music proudly presents the official music video for Count To Five, directed by Kenneth Price
Zo! (featuring Gwen Bunn & Phonte)
Count To Five
Dir: Kenneth Price
Zo! Speaks with LifeandTimes.com About ‘ManMade’ and Working With The Foreign Exchange
Source: LifeAndTimes.com
Author: Quinn Peterson
Multi-instrumentalist Zo! is best known for his work with Phonte and Nicolay of the Foreign Exchange collective. Even when he’s not working in the background, however, he’s still capable of crafting the same kinds of mature, soulful grooves FE is known for, which is what he does on his latest project, ManMade. While he doesn’t contribute any vocals, he supplies all of the instrumentation. Life+Times caught up with the Detroit native to discuss ManMade, his creative process, working with the Foreign Exchange and more.
Life+Times: Tell me about your upcoming sophomore album, ManMade. How is it different from your first album and what can people expect to hear?
Zo!: It’s my sophomore full-length album with The Foreign Exchange Music imprint, a follow up to SunStorm, which was released in 2010. With this one, you probably hear a lot more musical growth as far as risk-taking, kind of being able to step out of the box a little bit. On the first single, “The Train“, it doesn’t really sound like anything I’ve ever done. A lot more uptempo, more of a dance-oriented feel. More growth, more maturity; I’m also a full-time musician now, so hopefully you’ll be able to feel that in it as well. I think it really came together and I’m definitely proud of the final product.
Zo! – ManMade
The sophomore release from producer/keyboardist Zo! of The Foreign Exchange’s +FE Music family. Includes appearances from Phonte, Eric Roberson, Sy Smith, Jeanne Jolly, Carmen Rodgers, Anthony David and more.
1. The Train feat. Sy Smith
2. Count To Five feat. Gwen Bunn (VIDEO)
3. New In Town (Happy) feat. 1-O.A.K. & Carlitta Durand
4. Making Time feat. Phonte & Choklate
5. Tell Me Something New feat. Jeanne Jolly
6. ManMade feat. Phonte
7. We Are On The Move feat. Eric Roberson (VIDEO)
8. Show Me The Way feat. Anthony David & Carmen Rodgers
9. For Tina
10. Out In The World feat. Choklate & Phonte
11. Body Rock feat. Sy Smith
PURCHASE CD DIGIPAK + FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD
• #3 Best R&B Album of 2013 by CentricTV
• “ManMade is a complete work — his best creation yet.” -Andy Kellman, AllMusic.com
Zo! 