Melanie Charles knows the terrain. She has been gaining notoriety in the New York music scene for about four years and is about to step things up with her forthcoming EP Rat Habitat. A Brooklyn-born singer with jazz training and a strong connection to her Haitian heritage, Melanie lends her sultry vocals to riveting lush electro-jazz soundscapes akin to Flying Lotus and his Brainfeeder labelmates. The song and video for her first single, “Gemini” features local indie rappers Phase One and Raydar Ellis and conjures enough of the cat’s meow to keep the rats at bay. - BrokeMc