Neo Soul's Hiplicity Release "Let Love" Video, Yusuke Watanabe, Harry Mack Perform for LA's KSCI TV

Oct. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- Neo Soul stars Hiplicity shoot and release latest music video for single "Let Love" in Los Angeles.  The "Let Love" music video footage can be seen a commercial for Libec equipment. Yusuke Watanabe, and "Let Love" rap vocalist Harry Mack performed and interviewed on LA TV's hot in entertainment TV show Halo Halo with host Kat Iniba.

Hiplicity's "Let Love" from their debut CD "Little Sunflower," released in January 2012 features lead singer Maha, guitarist Yusuke Watanabe, Harry Mack as rap vocalist on "Let Love," Andrew VanVlear on keys, Shin Kawasaki  on bass, &  Masaki Yamashita on drums.

Influenced by Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Bill Withers, John Mayer, Sting, and Sublime to name a few,  the diverse LA based band debuted their unique mix of organic soul to those outside LA unable to view their celebrated live performances in January 2012 with Neo Soul CD release "Little Sunflower."

The friends and band mates, all with a Jazz background met as studio musicians covering top forty hits in LA.  "Little Sunflower, ” features single “Let Love," with rap vocalist Harry Mack, with words and music by Maha, and Yusuke.   "Little Sunflower" tracks for includes “Tonight,”  “Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda,” and “Hand to Hand,” with words & music by founder Yusuke and lead vocalist Maha.

Hiplicity can be booked to perform via https://www.facebook.com/#!/hiplicity.  Updates on performance dates such as March Cal State Northridge College & other Hiplicity news, including contests and air dates for "Let Love" on LA's channel 18 are available via Hiplicity’s Facebook page, and http://www.hiplicity.com/index.php/en-us/

About Yusuke Watanabe
Hiplicity's Acoustic guitar player, Songwriter  from Sapporo, Japan

Growing up in a non musical family in Sapporo Japan Yusuke Watanabe played guitar from the age of twelve.   At 21 Yusuke began to seriously consider a musical career leaving Japan to continue his studies in California. Yusuke learned the fundamentals of guitar training at Citrus College with his mentor Steve Cotter going on to tour as a professional musician with the Citrus College Jazz Band with tour stops that included Oahu, Hawaii.  Yusuke was then accepted in USC's Studio/Jazz Guitar Program studying with Steve Trovato, Pat Kelley, Frank Potenza, and Adam Del Monte.  Yusuke continued his exploration and appreciation of Jazz, Pop, Rock, Country, Classical, and Flamenco graduating USC with his Bachelors in Music Performance.  Yusuke performs his eclectic style of Jazz, Pop, Soul, and R&B to a growing fan base in Los Angeles.  Watanabe hopes to give back by passing on what he has learned of the genre to the next generation by founding and managing renowned LA  Soul band "Soul of Los Angeles."

About Harry Mack, "Let Love's" Rap Vocalist

Harry McKenzie is a professional drummer living and working in the Los Angeles area. Since moving to LA in 2008, Harry has performed with some of the city's most prominent jazz musicians, including Bob Mintzer, Richard Smith, Bruce Forman, Gilbert Castellanos, and Chris Dawson.

In 2012, Harry received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the prestigious Thornton School of Music at USC. During his third year at USC, Harry traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana with the Thornton Honors Combo (the school's premier jazz ensemble, led by Peter Erskine) to perform at the 2011 Jazz Education Network Conference. Harry was awarded the Music Dean's Award scholarship in 2008, and went on to spend the next four years studying under the world-renowned jazz/session drummer and educator Peter Erskine. While at Thornton, Harry also had the opportunity to study with Afro-Cuban/Brazilian percussion master Aaron Serfaty, and hard-bop luminary Roy McCurdy.  In his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Harry was a member of the PDX Jazz Collective, named "Best High School Combo from a Non-Arts School"  by Downbeat Magazine, 2007.  Mack was the sole drummer selected from a five state region to perform with the Music Educators National Conference All-NW Jazz Ensemble while studying with Portland legends Alan Jones and Israel Annoh.

Harry Mack is the rap emcee on Hiplicity's "Let Love" from  CD "Little Sunflower," is featured in the recently relased "Let Love" music video, recently performing with founder Yusuke Watanable for entertainment show "Halo Halo" on LA's channel 18.

About Maharashi Hanza, Maha
Hiplicity’s Vocalist, Songwriter

Born in East LA, the siren has been commanding the stage with her hypnotic vocal presence since the age of six.  In 1990 Maha furthered her musical training with classes at Glendora California’s Citrus College which enhanced her unique vocal sound and presentation.   Maha’s musical gift has garnered her fans and acclaim at her many Los Angeles performances from The House of Blues to fairs, weddings, festivals.

About Shin Kawasaki
Hiplicity's Bass player from Toyama, Japan

Shinichiro Kawasaki was born in Toyama, Japan. after eighteen years in the beautiful countryside he moved to Osaka, the second largest city in Japan where he met a lot of musicians that inspired him to pursue music.  Shin moved to Los Angeles in 1999, where he started performing live and recording as a guitarist.  Shin has worked with Lee Takasugi and Visiting Violette, drummer Chili Charles and his group KUFU, singer/songwriter Todd Widell, Hollywood Records artist Marie Digby, Emmy-winning composer Misha Segal, and co-founded Los Desnudos which was one of the finalists for 2007 Independent Music Awards (Jam category) with Geoff Haba on drums of Mother Tongue fame.  Shin has also contributed music for SanDisk TV commercial, Turkey Shoot Music Festival, Japan Self-Defense Airforce, NHK Enterprise, KDDI, House Foods and Kao Corporation.   Shin's first self-titled solo effort was released in July 2010, showcasing his composing and producing skills in varying styles ranging from Technopop ala Yellow Magic Orchestra, Prog, Dub, Acid Jazz, Fusion, Metal and Drum ‘n’ Bass.  Shin's solo effort was nominated for Independent Music Awards 2010 in Album/Eclectic category.  Shin's new live-performing outfit named “Flying Platforms” incorporates the materials from the album with an alluring dance/vocal performance by MidTone Madeleines; a duo from somewhere outside of our society and/or planet who frequently visit MidTones; SK’s monthly event at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown.  Not only does the collaboration between Madeleines and SK provide the mixture of cyberpunk-infused live-tronic jam and otherworldly aesthetic, it also produced one of fan favorites from the album “Take It Back.” Shin Kawasaki is currently in the mixing stage of the second full-length album by Los Desnusos.  Shin can be seen performing at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown Los Angeles, hosting MidTones Open Jam which takes place on the first Wednesday of the month.

About Masaki Yamashita
Hiplicity's Drummer from Yokohama, Japan

Masaki started playing drums at the age of fourteen in Punk Rock bands training with Masayuki Higuchi, Kazumi Ikenaga at AN Music School, in Tokyo, Japan.  In 2006, after Masaki graduated from Music School, he came to Los Angeles as he felt it is the "world's music center."  Masaki studied at the LA Music Academy (LAMA) with Joe Porcaro, Ralph Humphrey, Mike Shapiro, Aaron Serfaty, and Matt Starr and privately with Jens Kuross. After graduating from LAMA, he began to perform around Los Angeles.

About Andrew Van Vlear
Hiplicity's Keys

Andrew Van Vlear graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2010 with a B.A. in Commercial Music where he studied piano and guitar. In 2011 he toured internationally playing keyboards for the show Caution: Men At Work: TAP. Currently, Andrew is  a musician who enjoys performing, accompanying, orchestrating, and teaching music. In his spare time, you might find him enjoying hobbies such as playing the accordion, juggling, unicycling, or crunching differential equations.