"Authenticity" is the 3rd full-length from indie-soul duo The Foreign Exchange.

Picking up where their 2008 Grammy-nominated "Leave It All Behind" set left off, "Authenticity" is the group's most diverse work to date, with a tight, 11-track song cycle spanning the duo's trademark brand of lush electronic soul, to stripped down acoustic pieces that recall the heyday of 70's singer-songwriter driven folk.

"SunStorm" is the latest album from Detroit-area born, DC-area based producer/multi-instrumentalist Zo!

Best known for his 2008 collaboration with Phonte on the cult classic "Zo and Tigallo Love the 80's" as well as his work on The Foreign Exchange's Grammy-nominated LP, "Leave It All Behind," 'SunStorm" is an extensive 12-track set that shows the ever-expanding range and depth of Zo! and the entire Foreign Exchange Music family.

Indie soul siren and American Idol vocalist Sy Smith serves up a slice of 70's soul on the breezy "Greatest Weapon Of All Time," and Lady Alma, a Philly veteran and stalwart of the UK house scene, takes it to the dance floor on the frenetic "Free Your Mind." The album's lead single, "This Could Be The Night," features Darien Brockington, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Eric Roberson, and Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother over a thumping two-step groove specifically intended for the 'steppers' of Zo's native Detroit. Another highlight is the Phonte-assisted "Flight Of The Blackbyrd," Zo's heartfelt homage to the 70's jazz/funk fusion of The Mizell Bros. and George Duke.

Critically acclaimed R&B vocalist YahZarah returns with her long-awaited album "The Ballad of Purple Saint James". The 13-track set, overseen by Grammy-nominated production duo Nicolay and Phonte of The Foreign Exchange, represents her brightest, most complete work to date.

"It feels good to put our combined talents, efforts, and resources behind an artist that so deserves to be heard," says Nicolay. "I couldn't be more proud of The Ballad..."

YahZarah, a singer-songwriter who first made her mark as a background singer for Erykah Badu, has spent the past few years touring in support of her albums "Hear Me" (2001), "Blackstar" (2003), and 2008's "The Prelude." She worked on "The Ballad..." independently for a number of years before reaching out to Phonte (a longtime friend and fellow NC Central music student), and finally selecting +FE Music as her label home.

City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya is the new project from the creative mind of Nicolay, better known as one half of The Foreign Exchange.

The group (which includes rapper/singer Phonte) and their sophomore album Leave It All Behind (TFE/Hard Boiled; Oct. 2008), continues to gain momentum as the duo and their extended family of singers and musicians are currently touring the United States and Canada. Nicolay and Phonte's countless performances together have added a new level of sophistication to their musical output, resulting in what they consider to be one of their most ambitious projects yet.

The idea for Shibuya, the second installment in Nicolay's City Lights series, was conceived after Nicolay's first visit to Tokyo in November 2006. The experience proved to be life changing for Nicolay, who has studied Japanese culture for most of his adult life. "This amazing place and all of its sounds and colors immediately filled up my senses," he says. "I felt reinvigorated."

Four years after the release of their critically acclaimed debut Connected, The Foreign Exchange returns with their sophomore set, Leave It All Behind.

Consisting of singer/songwriter Phonte and producer Nicolay, The Foreign Exchange came together via the online hip-hop community Okayplayer.com in 2002. After trading files through Instant Messenger for over a year, Nicolay (living in his native Holland at the time) and Phonte (a Raleigh, NC resident) completed their debut album before they ever met each other in person. The album, Connected, was released in 2004 to positive reviews, and was praised by legendary DJ's such as Jazzy Jeff, King Britt, and DJ Spinna for its inventive mix of hip-hop, R&B, and electronica.

Leave It All Behind finds The Foreign Exchange much closer in geography (Nicolay has since become a resident of Wilmington, NC), but located much further from their hip-hop origins. The duo's second full-length is a dark, multi-layered affair that features Phonte showcasing his abilities as an exceptional lead and harmony vocalist, while Nicolay extends his musical palette to include sprinklings of jazz, downtempo, and house. The lush, Darien Brockington-assisted "Take Off the Blues" picks up where Connected's sleeper hit "Come Around" left off, while the complex polyrhythms and dreamy synthesizers of "Sweeter Than You" are described by Phonte as "swing jazz for the next century." Marc Mac (of legendary UK production team 4hero), also contributes a string arrangement to the duo's glorious cover of Stevie Wonder's oft-forgotten 1991 gem, "If She Breaks Your Heart."

In addition to appearances from longtime FE affiliates Darien Brockington and YahZarah, the album also features guest shots from producer/keyboardist Zo! and vocalist Muhsinah.

Representative of how the Internet can aid in creating music, The Foreign Exchange started when Little Brother rapper Phonte heard a beat on /Okayplayer.com by Dutch producer Nicolay and asked if he could lay some vocals over it. Nicolay agreed, and the song "Light It Up" appeared shortly after as the B-side to "Whatever You Say" off Little Brother's 2003 album, The Listening. Relying mainly on Instant Messenger and email, the duo continued to work together, with Nicolay sending beats to Phonte, who would add vocals and send them back until they had enough tracks together to form an album. Not once during the entire process of making their debut, Connected, which came out in 2004, did the members of the Foreign Exchange speak over the phone or in person.