Their name E-LA-TE (without the hyphens) means “to fill with happiness or joy,” but in New Orleans E-LA-TE can be defined as one of the hottest up-and-coming R&B vocal groups in the city. Their debut single “Drop Down” on Jammsville Records is being played on local radio stations as often as Jodeci, Boyz II Men and Shai songs. In the four years that they’ve been together, they’ve opened for big names like Frankie Beverly & Maze, Alexander O’Neal, Al B. Sure and Keith Sweat. Last month they opened for Michael Cooper at Club Atlantis during Cooper’s promotional tour for his Top 10 hit “Shoop Shoop (Never Stop Givin’ You Love).”
E-LA-TE is Byron “B-Shipe” Anderson, Michael “Mik” Kennedy, Steven “Carde” Payton and Curtis “Blow” Watson. In 1989, three members were singing with an acapella group called the Blenders. When one of the original members quit, Anderson joined the group, and E-LA-TE was born.
“We had the chemistry to stay together, and we hung in there,” says Payton, who is considered the group’s caretaker. E-LA-TE is writing and producing material for their first album, which is due out this summer. Their next single release is an uptempo R&B cut called “Give a Little.”
Alpha International/PLG recording artist Lorenzo (Lorenzo Smith) was in New Orleans last month to shoot a video for his latest release, “I Can’t Stand the Pain.” The single is the follow-up to “Make Love to Me” from his self-titled debut LP. Smith says he wanted to film in New Orleans because “New Orleans is a sexy city.” Look for the new video on MTV, BET and Video Juke Box.
Rap group Total Kaos from Alexandria worked out a deal with SOH Networks to distribute its single “Operation Devotion” nationally. The group initially released the single in January on CityTrax Records out of Baton Rouge. Robert Martin, Jr., president of CityTrax, says he was approached by SOH after the record started getting good response in Louisiana and Mississippi. SOH is remixing the song and releasing the new radio and club mix this month. Total Kaos is recording material for its LP at Studio 13 in downtown New Orleans.
Walt Disney Records has released its second album to benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation (PAF), For Our Children: The Concert. The album is a collection of classic and original children’s songs performed by Paula Abdul, Patti Labelle, Kris Kross and others. George Duke was the musical director for the project, which was recorded live in Los Angeles. For Our Children: The Concert is also available on video cassette through Walt Disney Home Video. All profits from the sale of the LP and video will be donated to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation to help children with HIV/AIDS and to fund Pediatric AIDS research. In 1991, album sales generated $3 million for PAF.
Local Releases…Vista Records releases an EP on Organized Kaos called Turn Me Loose. The first single, “We Need Money,” is a remake of Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers’ go-go song with a hip-hop beat. “Officer Friendly” and “State of Paranoia” deal with police brutality, murder and drugs…
Worth the Wait Recordings releases “Work That Sucka ta Death” by Devious and Mellow-Fellow. The 12″ includes street, radio and instrumental versions.
Attention all club deejays: The Remix Club in California now distributes Mixx-it, Turbo Beat, M, Classixx Mixx and Future Mix remix services. The company offers remixes, beats, samples and medleys of current and classic hip-hop, R&B, pop, techno, modern and rave music. They also carry the full Stanton line of deejay equipment. For more information, call the Remix Club at (415) 365-0608.
