{"product_id":"connected-2xlp","title":"Connected (2xLP)","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBLACK DOUBLE LP\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eOrders may be limited per customer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003eThis album is unique for a lot of reasons, but a lesser-known one is the fact that it was conceptualized, conceived, and completed by means of Instant Messenger and the World Wide Web.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhonte \u003c\/strong\u003e(half of this duo and Little Brother MC vet) and \u003cstrong\u003eNicolay \u003c\/strong\u003e(Dutch super producer\/musician and the other half of the duo) never held a telephone conversation and never met face to face.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eNic would just send Phonte tracks via Instant Messenger, and Phonte would record to them and send the finished product back.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThis kind of recording process may be common in 2026, but back in the dawn of the 2000s, it was almost unheard of.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eThe two originally connected on Okayplayer.com, and the end result of those initial encounters was \"Light it Up\" - the B-side single for Little Brother's 2003 album \u003ci\u003eThe Listening\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eAlthough Nicolay was based in the Netherlands at that time, and Phonte in North Carolina, they continued to trade music and plan for a full-length project.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eOnce the idea of a full-length album became clear, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Foreign Exchange \u003c\/strong\u003ecame to life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eDrawing off his classical music training and his love for funk and soul\/R\u0026amp;B bands, Nicolay arranged tracks and corresponded solely through email, IM, and snail mail to his other half across the pond. Phonte, taking on what he likes to call his \"Quincy Jones 'Back on the Block' role,\" spread his wings as an artist\/producer by selecting tracks, writing lyrics and choosing talent for the project.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\"Here I was blindly sending out beats to a guy who lived thousands of miles away from me,\" says Nicolay of the process. \"When he sent the songs back to me though, the harmonies and melodies and concepts fit my tracks perfectly.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eIt was like tossing somebody a few water colors and watching them come back with a beautiful canvas painting.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eI knew we were on to something special.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;\"\u003eAfter more than a year and a half of \"file swapping\" \u003cem\u003eConnected \u003c\/em\u003ewas completed.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eMore melody than machinery, the duo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;\"\u003e composed a musical soundscape unifying all that is great about hip hop, R\u0026amp;B, and electronic soul.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  From the '80's soul\/funk synthesized sound of \"Come Around\", to the churchy organ-driven \"Hustle Hustle,\" to the street-wise “Raw Life”, the duo blended all of their musical influences to come back to hip hop.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eRenewing their love affair for hip hop and music in general.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eIn an age where AI has already produced both exciting and frightening moments for the music industry, \u003cem\u003eConnected \u003c\/em\u003eremains proof and serves as a gentle reminder that the worlds of music and technology can not only co-exist but also unite.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\"The purpose of music is to bring people together,\" says Phonte. \"I think it really says something about the power of music when two people who've never met can work together on blind faith.  Music was the force that helped me and Nic make that connection.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eTaking a look back on the project, Phonte states: \"\u003cem\u003eConnected \u003c\/em\u003ewill always be special to me because it came from such a pure place: two music fans on opposite sides of the world trusting each other’s ears before we had ever even shaken hands. At the time, we were making the kind of hip-hop and soul record we wanted to hear; twenty years later, seeing people recognize it as the beginning of The Foreign Exchange’s story and as a blueprint for how artists could build across distance is incredibly humbling. I’m grateful that the music still feels alive, and that a new generation will get to experience it the way so many of us first discovered records we loved: on vinyl, front to back.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eNicolay adds: \"When Phonte and I made \u003cem\u003eConnected\u003c\/em\u003e, there was no grand plan—we were simply following a creative spark from North Carolina to the Netherlands and back again. The fact that an album made through message boards, instant messages, and trust could grow into a lifelong musical partnership still feels remarkable, especially now that so much collaboration happens that way by default. Hearing \u003cem\u003eConnected \u003c\/em\u003ereturn to vinyl is a beautiful reminder of where we started, how far the music has traveled, and how powerful a genuine connection can be.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eTracklist:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003eSide A\u003cbr\u003e001 Foreign Exchange Title Theme\u003cbr\u003e002 Von Sees\u003cbr\u003e003 Raw Life\u003cbr\u003e004 Hustle, Hustle\u003cbr\u003eSide B\u003cbr\u003e001 Let's Move\u003cbr\u003e002 Nic's Groove\u003cbr\u003e003 Be Alright\u003cbr\u003e004 Sincere\u003cbr\u003eSide C\u003cbr\u003e001 Brave New World\u003cbr\u003e002 The Answer\u003cbr\u003e003 Come Around\u003cbr\u003eSide D\u003cbr\u003e001 Happiness\u003cbr\u003e002 Foreign Exchange End Theme\u003cbr\u003e003 All That You Are\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Foreign Exchange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46479089631428,"sku":"ZZ-FELP0021-LP","price":39.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1741\/5543\/files\/ForeignExchangeMainStandard.png?v=1785788357","url":"https:\/\/getondown.com\/products\/connected-2xlp","provider":"Get On Down","version":"1.0","type":"link"}