Innosphere

Official Biography (courtesy of Innosphere)

Imagine a modern-day hip hop producer who just happens to have classical piano chops, paired with a sultry and sensuous female vocalist with a "where have you been all my life" vibe and you will start to get a handle on Innosphere. Innosphere is pianist/producer/composer Kenny Keys, who music fans will recognize from his work with Eulorhythmics, Prime Meridian, Rita J., and All Natural; and vocalist Nina Rae, a singer with an old-school jazz and blues background who has also shared stages with the likes of Common and Q-Tip. Together, they are making music that combines their shared funk, hip hop, jazz, and R&B influences with a plan and vision to create something fresh, new, and larger than life.
The group is dropping its debut effort on the TruSoul Entertainment imprint, an effort Nina Rae calls "a cosmic slop of good music", which is an appropriate description, as Innosphere is a multi-dimensional project in which no groove is off limits, as long as it feels right. Innosphere's first release is a six-song EP which will be mostly vocal-oriented tracks with one instrumental added for flavor. The album promises to be a blast from the past, present, and future at the same time and listeners will get a taste of dance, funk, hip hop, neo-soul, and jazz styles, all brought together by Keys' skillful production. Samples have been sent out to the industry to pave the way for the EP release and "Gotta Be Me" and "Me N U" are the joints those in the know are keying in on and giving the most attention to, although all the tracks here are strong and truly work together as a whole, the way albums used to. There are always a lot of expectations when performers like Kenny Keys and Nina Rae work together, expectations that Innosphere hopes to meet and exceed straight out of the box. Time will tell, as it always does, but early indicators are that Innosphere just may be the most innovative yet accessible act to hit the Chicago urban scene in a long time.