Four years after the release of their critically acclaimed debut "Connected," The Foreign Exchange in conjunction with Hard Boiled Records proudly announce their triumphant return with the 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 collaborating online via instant messenger for over a year, Nicolay (living in his native Holland) and Phonte (a Raleigh, NC resident) completed their debut album before actually having met each other face to face.  The album, "Connected," was released in 2004 to stellar 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 duos' second full-length is a dark, multilayered 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 polyrhythm 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."

 

"We are very excited to partner with Hard Boiled for the release of our second album," says Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange.  "As independent artists, Phonte and I feel strongly about maintaining control over our brand, music and image.  The team at Hard Boiled has the experience, flexibility and dedication to meet all of our needs and we know that we can depend on them to get our album in the hands of our fans exactly the way that we've envisioned it."

 

In addition to appearances from immensely talented longtime FE affiliates Darien Brockington and Yahzarah, the album also features guest shots from producer/keyboardist Zo! and rapidly rising star Muhsinah. 

 

 

"Leave It All Behind" hits shelves on October 14^th on Hard Boiled Records.

 

Tracklisting:

 

01. Daykeeper

02. Take Off The Blues

03. All Or Nothing/Coming Home To You

04. I Wanna Know

05. House Of Cards

06. Sweeter Than You

07. Valediction

08. If She Breaks Your Heart

09. If This Is Love

10. Something To Behold

11. Leave It All Behind

 

CD ALBUM: Double disc limited edition includes the bonus full instrumental disc exclusive to the physical release!

 

2CD Street date: October 14, 2008

 

Digital street date: October 7, 2008

 

 

For more on The Foreign Exchange including a link to download the lead single 'Daykeeper' for free please visit www.theforeignexchangemusic.com

 

Be sure to check out the album sampler as well: http://www.theforeignexchangemusic.com/2008/09/leave-it-all-behind-sampler-download-now.html

 

 

FOR ALL PRESS AND BOOKING INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: aimeeflint@nicolaymusic.com