TKWONDER
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
A little less than a month after joining Wynton Marsalis and Wendell Pierce at Lincoln Center to pay homage to the work of Billy Strayhorn, this evening was all about José James as he concluded the final show of his Blackmagic Tour at Littlefield in Brooklyn in conjunction with Giant Step. It may have been cold outside but the atmosphere inside Littlefield was anything but frigid.
Upon arriving to the show, we were greeted to the rich sounds being spun by DJ Ge-ology. His set, comprised of rare groove, jazz breaks, hip-hop and soul, proved to be the perfect precursor to the evening that lay ahead, bridging the old with the new and the classic with the progressive. Opening the show, was Ben Perowsky’s Moodswing Orchestra (MSO). The band, which consisted of Danny Blume on guitar and Ben Perowsky himself on the drums, was fronted by the electric MC, TK Wonder. Wonder, adorned in a strapless black cocktail dress and combat boots, took us on a lyrical mind trip. Perowsky’s MSO provided the dynamic audio landscapes of electronic and experimental rhythms for Wonder’s quick yet melodic cadences to take center stage. Wonder’s performances of the hypnotic “Fantasy” and the provocative “Love Me” definitely gave new comers to her music reason to pay attention through her dynamic stage performance.
- Revivalist
Giant Step is proud to present An Evening with José James, plus TK Wonder & Ben Perowsky's MSO, and DJ GE-OLOGY on Friday, December 3rd, at Littlefield in Brooklyn, NY. One of our favorite jazz crooners since our Brownswood Session days, José James' versatile delivery treads a fine line between hip-hop swagger and a classic jazz sensibility, that is both disciplined and organic.
TK Wonder's songwriting style uniquely fuses her skills as a slam poet with a significant electro punch. Performing both nationally and internationally she has opened for the likes of Nas, Erykah Badu, Duffy, Talib Kewli and J*Davey. Besides her own band, TK WonderLand, she performs with Moodswing Orchestra consisting of critically acclaimed composer/drummer Ben Perowsky and grammy award winning producer/ guitarist Danny Blume as well as various musicians and vocalists.
She has been featured in magazines such as Giant, Trace, the Japanese publication Luire, and the Washington Post as well as mentions in the Village Voice, Time Out - New York and Jazz Times for her work with Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orchestra. - Giant Steps
“Combining powerful delivery and provoking lyrics, TK Wonder is electric" – Trace magazine, New York
- Trace Magazine
"There were fusions of jazz elements and contemporary music that felt familiar. A compact version of drummer Ben Perowsky’s Moodswing Orchestra worked urging, sprawling grooves despite some technical distractions, receiving a boost whenever the guest MC, TK Wonder, offered her rapid-fire rhymes." - Jazz Times
- Jazz Times
“Drummer Perowsky is another recognizable face on the downtown jazz scene and his set did not disappoint. The rapper TK Wonder meshed well with the percussionist’s snappy, hip-hop-inspired grooves. When she was done spitting, guitarist Adam Rogers took over, and the excellent, Bill Frisell–style tone he got from his Telecaster offered something new for the veteran player.” – Time Out, NY
- Time Out, New York
“Drummer Perowsky is another recognizable face on the downtown jazz scene and his set did not disappoint. The rapper TK Wonder meshed well with the percussionist’s snappy, hip-hop-inspired grooves. When she was done spitting, guitarist Adam Rogers took over, and the excellent, Bill Frisell–style tone he got from his Telecaster offered something new for the veteran player.” – Time Out, NY
“It's not only Revive that's exploring this fertile ground. Drummer Ben Perowsky, leader of avant-garde group Moodswing Orchestra, features hip-hop freestyler TK Wonder on his front line; a June 25 show will toast adventurous East Village club Nublu's eighth anniversary. ["The way she flows, it's like a horn player," Perowsky says of Wonder. "If there is any jazz going on in hip-hop, I feel like it's coming from the rappers more so than from the beats. The improv aspect of it is coming from the rhymes, and that's where the jazz is."] – Village Voice, NY - Village Voice
“Last but not least in our list of Bounce-Worthy femcees is TK Wonder. According to WaPo, her style rests somewhere between "M.I.A. and Flying Lotus." It's an imaginary pedigree that would get anyone to listen, but it's not that simple. And it's her sheer lack of simplicity that will keep you listening a little longer. TK's catchy chants are at once provocative and runway-ready, due to Taylor McFerrin's frenetic beats. If her lyrics are empowering, that's only because she injects them with a little tough love. Check the cautionary "Celebrity" from McFerrin's Broken Vibes EP and her own "Nightwalker." But listen carefully, because she has a penchant for rapping at lightspeed if the track demands it. She recently performed during the DC's Can A Sista Rock A Mic? festival and by all accounts she owned the evening." - Soulbounce.com - Soulbounce
TK Wonder is a enormously talented rapper and her lyrics were very naturally added to the remixes on this “Mars” mixtape. Her rapid-fire rhymes allow for more lyrics per second which is probably why it seemed so natural for her raps to be in these tracks. Definitely worth checking out this remix even if it is to embrace your inner-emo for the New Moon soundtrack tune from Thom Yorke. I think if people search out this mixtape for the “Hearing Damage” remix, they’ll also discover a wonderfully gifted talent in TK Wonder. Can’t wait to see what’s next from her! - The Couch Sessions
Thousands of soul lovers came flowing in Central Park on July 17th to rock out to the undeniable voice of Raphael Saadiq. Giant Step’s annual SummerStage showcased other musical guests and talented artists such as, Aloe Blacc, TK Wonder, and DJ Vikter Duplaix. While sweat dripped off of everyone’s forehead, the laid back selections of soulful artists kept everyone cool, calm and collective.
The first performer to grace the stage was the energetic flow of TK Wonder. Being one of the few female Hip Hop MC’s, TK Wonder definitely made her own lane by instantly capturing the crowd’s attention. - July 21st, 2010 11:48 am ET/Ellisa Oyewo on Vimeo.
Giant Step has released an amazing mixtape produced by some of electronic music's biggest names like Boys Noize, Felix Cartel, Thom Yorke, Bloody Beetroots, Drop the Lime, and more. This particular mixtape showcases the young talent of TK Wonder, a spoken word/hip-hop phenomena whose style sits somewhere between M.I.A. and Flying Lotus. - Phrequency
Tonight's CASRAM set focuses on a near-extinct species: the female MC. Not the video vixen -- they're ubiquitous -- but the gifted lyricist. TK Wonder (listen) sits somewhere between M.I.A. and Flying Lotus, with Taylor McFerrin contributing a special brand of spaceship electro beats. Rhymewise, TK's ability to spit at aggressive tempos is rivaled by few of her contemporaries, and she's got that killer combination of looks and skills that the game is sorely missing.
Fritz Hahn, Rhome Anderson and David Malitz
10/07/08 - Washington Post/D.C. Entertainment
This week is all about revelations. Firstly, TK Wonder is the greatest rapper alive. She rocked the When Boy Meets Girl IV show at Southpaw which featured acts like Sarah White who pumped out sweet, punky soul that is a pain to classify but easy to shimmy to. With her psychedelic leggings and a feather in her hair, TK looked like Gem playing a game of Cowboys and Indians. But then she spits over Taylor McFerrin's mouth-made beats with the rapid fire diction of Busta Rhymes and the mellow, gravelly tone of Digable Planets' Ladybug Mecca. And the random, robotic dance breaks? She had me at the first hip-thrust. - Posted by Mawuse Ziegbe, Nov 21, 03:53 PM EST
Discography
Howling Remix,Lemonade Rmx, SECRET,BATTLE,FANTASY WORLD, Nightwalker, Celebrity
http://www.myspace.com/tkwonder
Photos
Bio
TK Wonder’s notable skill for writing and "slamming" lyrics in a very unique hip hop/spoken word fashion seems to create a new genre with a significant electro punch. Her singing is as unique as her vibrant presence on stage and her outstanding live performance. Raised on a nourishing diet of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson in Baltimore, TK first became interested in stringing syllables together when she performed spoken-word poetry at the since-demolished downtown venue Wetlands. TK Wonder polished her craft at the legendary Sunday night Black Lily events hosted by The Roots. Always drawing raves for her work she would go on to perform at Def Jam showcases, Nuyorican Poet's Café and Nell's.
TK's evolution from poetry to rapping was seamless, as the combination of her stage presence and sharply-honed writing skills merged to create a unique style of telling stories and addressing social issues with intricately-intertwined and multiple-syllable rhymes.
She has performed at various venues such as Hiro Ballroom, Studio B, Nublu, Joe's Pub, Santos Party House, Hunter College, Le Poisson Rouge, Apollo Theater, the legendary Lyricist Lounge show, Delano Hotel in Miami, The Viper Room in LA and the Jazz Cafe in London to name a few. TK Wonder has opened for artists such as Nas, Erykah Badu (Giantstep’s WMC), Raphael Saadiq (Giantstep’s NYC Summerstage) Duffy, Talib Kweli and J*Davey.
She has been featured in magazines such as Giant, Trace, a Japanese publication named Luire as well Washington Post, Time Out, New York and Jazz Times for her work with The Moodswing Orchestra. Besides her own band TK WonderLand she performs with The Moodswing Orchestra and Kiril Djzakovski. Along with artist Duke B she has opened for Kiril in a few international electronica festivals such as VIP, Exit Fest, Belgrade Beer Fest and Tuborg Greenfest in Europe with audiences ranging from 50,000 to 125,000. During these festivals TK shared the same billing alongside N.E.R.D., The Prodigy, The Hives, Afrika Bambaataa, Sex Pistols and Gossip to name a few. She is currently a featured artist on Giantstep.
Most recently TK Wonder has been on tour in Eastern Europe with critically acclaimed artist Kiril Dzjakovski, completed a mixtape album entitled 'Mars' released thru InterestingSomethings, is a featured artist with Giantstep and will be featured on Peter Kieswalter's project with Rodgers & Hammerstein commemorating 'The Sound of Music' anniversary. She is also part of Urban Art Beats, a mentorship that works with the youth encouraging the world of art and music. She is currently working on an EP with the Moodswing Orchestra, will be a featured guest artist on Kiril's up and coming album as well as working on an EP with InterestingSomethings.
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