After the success of the promo albums ‘On The Map’ and the critically acclaimed instrumental project Wax Smoothie, A State of Mind (ASM) Producitons come back with the first release for 2006 in the form of the First Signs of Spring EP. This EP is FREE to download from ASM’s website and myspace page. Check it out.

Half vocal tracks and half instrumental, the EP is, in essence, A State of Mind’s take on that time of year when winter still lingers but the sun rays of spring are shining brighter every day - the vibe is both reflective and optimistic, the ingredients simple - Fade, FP, Green-T, mad crates of jazz and psychedelic soul, plenty of greenery and Becks, and Springtime in the air. Producers Fade and Green-T, who also displays his lyrical skills on this EP for the first time, together with ASM’s notorious mic controller the Funky Poet FP, developed a unique concept for this EP, by which one of the key objectives was to accurately capture the vibe of a specific time and place - all the material on this EP was composed, written, arranged, and recorded in just over two weeks in Green-T’s Zen Den Studio in April of 2006.

The result is 21 minutes of buttery beats and breezy fresh rhymes interrupted by distant roots riddims, psychedelic radio static, and beatnick poetry snippits, staying true to the independent and jazz-infused hip hop vibe that has made ASM stand out from the superficiality and machismo which is contaminating so much of what people consider rap or hip hop music today.

The First Sings of Spring EP is a free downloadable release, and will be hosted by hip hop forums throughout the UK and Europe as well as being available on the crew’s own website. It’s intended to be a general promotional undertaking and specifically as a promo for the ASM 2006 European summer tour with award-winning UK acts One Self and Foreign Beggars.

The EP is available for free download from:

www.astateofmind.org | www.myspace.com/firstsignsofspring