The Foreign Exchange live at Amoeba Music SF July 23, 2010

The Foreign Exchange (rapper/singer/songwriter Phonte and producer Nicolay) came together via the online Hip-Hop community Okayplayer.com in 2002. After trading files through Instant Messenger for over a year, Nicolay (living in his native Holland at the time) and Phonte (a Raleigh, North Carolina resident) completed their debut album before they ever met in person. The album Connected was released in 2004 to positive 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.

Their sophomore album, Leave It All Behind (2008), found The Foreign Exchange much closer in geography (Nicolay became a resident of Wilmington, NC) but also much further from their Hip-Hop origins. On the strength of their exhilarating live show and several nationally programmed music videos, Leave It All Behind became the group's most successful album to date, culminating in a Grammy nomination for the album's first single, "Daykeeper."

The Foreign Exchange are currently working on their third album, Authenticity, which will be released on October 12, 2010 on +FE Music.

Catch The Foreign Exchange at Amoeba SF and also at Yoshi's SF on July 22nd and 23rd.

Official Website: http://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/performances/san-francisco/2010-july-23/the-foreign-exchange-/artist.html