What is 'Illuminertia'? Illuminertia is a constantly evolving musical force that combines the best of jazz, soul, hip hop, tribal and electronica. Illuminertia is an audio journey like no other. Illuminertia is the sound of a Midwest renaissance man who found his home in San Francisco. And Illuminertia could well be the future of music.

Singer, songwriter, lyricist, poet, beatmaker and artist Modean first conceived the project that is Illuminertia in 2005 when he left behind a thriving career with some of the best experimental hip hop bands Utah has ever known to try his luck out west. Now, having firmly established himself at the very forefront of the cutting edge, this true musical maverick is proud to present the fruits of a year of inspired hard work.

The Illuminertia albums 'Sonic Alchemical Awareness' and 'Perplexed Interdimensional Traveler' are available to buy online now, and anyone serious about their music would be well advised to log on and grab themselves a copy of each.

These records are testament to the remarkable vision of Modean and the years of experimentation that served as an apprenticeship to the blossoming of his talent as Illuminertia.

Illuminertia represents a veritable right of passage for a coming of age artist who is holding tight to music as a beacon of hope in the face of a world that is not always so easy to navigate through.

There is a well-worn phrase that says writing about music is like miming about food. And with Modean's aural landscapes that is most certainly the case. This is because this genre-busting work is almost beyond any comparison. It is a fusion of psychedelic hip hop (The Digable Planets are an obvious influence), soul, world music and reggae. But Illuminertia and the records that are produced under that banner are so much more than the sum of their parts.
And Modean is too genuine an artist to try to ape his influences. Sure, there are elements of the Fugazi, the Pixies the Beastie Boys and Smoove & Turrell, but Illuminertia is also like none of these. Modean is his own man and his music is equally unique.

Anyone into hip hop needs to hear these records. Anyone into music that is true and original and technically accomplished needs to hear these records. In fact, everyone needs to hear these records.

'Sonic Alchemical Awareness' and 'Perplexed Interdimensional Traveler' are available to buy now at all good digital outlets.

More Illuminertia merchandise, including t-shirts, hats and skatewear designed by the man himself, is available at his new site www.zazzle.com/illuminertia Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.