Chicago Hip-Hop duo Qwel & Maker are prepping their new album, Owl, for release on Galapagos4 on September 10, and to the left you can hear the first single titled “El Camino”.

Qwel & Maker was born out of an occasional collaboration between Chicago MC Qwel and Chicago DJ/producer Maker that has developed into a full-fledged musical partnership. The duo were described by Rolling Stone magazine as having, “stark, biographical songs that occupy the same bleak terrain as Francis Bacon paintings or The Dark Knight.”

Still, according to a Ground Lift Media press release, Qwel & Maker have matured since their 2009 sophomore LP So Be It, which can be heard in “El Camino”. The track features some melodic samples over snare-heavy beats, and the laid-back delivery from Qwel that is a tottaly throwback to old-school hip-hop sounds from Jurassic 5, Talib Kweli and influential predecessors A Tribe Called Quest.

The release of Owl will also bring about a nationwide tour, which gets under way with the Owl record release party on Friday, September 10, at Reggie’s Rock Club. Find Qwel & Maker’s complete tour dates below.

Qwel & Maker + DJ SPS ‘Master Your Machine’ US Tour 2010

Fri 9/10/2010 Chicago, IL @ Reggies (w/ Typical Cats, Maxilla Blue, Meaty Ogre)
Sun 9/12/2010 Evansville, IN @ The Jungle
Mon 9/13/2010 Columbia, MO @ Mojos
Wed 9/15/2010 San Marcos, TX @ Triple Crown Live
Thu 9/16/2010 Austin, TX @ Ruta Maya
Fri 9/17/2010 Dallas, TX @ The Green Elephant
Sat 9/18/2010 San Antonio, TX @ Limelight
Sun 9/19/2010 Corpus Christi, TX (venue tba)
Wed 9/22/2010 Albuquerque, NM @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Thu 9/23/2010 Albuquerque (in store/blackbook session) @ LA Underground
Fri 9/24/2010 Las Cruces @ Mikey’s Place
Sat 9/25/2010 Colorado Springs, CO @ Bella’s Lounge
Sun 9/26/2010 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
Mon 9/27/2010 Pueblo, CO @ The Senate
Wed 9/29/2010 Bozeman, MT @ Zebra Lounge
Thu 9/30/2010 Boise, ID @ The Reef
Fri 10/1/2010 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Sun 10/3/2010 San Francisco, CA @ The Farmer’s Block
Wed 10/6/2010 Santa Cruz , CA @ Blue Lagoon
Thu 10/7/2010 Palm Springs, CA @ Space 120
Fri 10/8/2010 Los Angeles, CA @ Airliner
Sat 10/9/2010 Pomona, CA @ Friar Tucks
Mon 10/11/2010 San Diego, CA @ Queen Bees
Thu 10/14/2010 Merced, CA @ Urban Illustrators
Sat 10/16/2010 Yuma, AZ @ The Dunes Bar
Sun 10/17/2010 Phoneix, AZ @ Hidden House
Mon 10/18/2010 Tucson, AZ @ The Congress
Thu 10/21/2010 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
Fri 10/22/2010 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
Sat 10/23/2010 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
Wed 10/27/2010 Cincinatti, OH (venue tba)
Fri 10/29/2010 Boston/Cambridge @ The Western Front
Sat 10/30/2010 Buffalo, NY (venue tba)
Tue 11/2/2010 Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint
Wed 11/3/2010 Portsmouth. NH (venue tba)
Thu 11/4/2010 Washington DC @ Asylum
Sat 11/6/2010 Atlanta, GA @ The 529
+ more in Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee. Champaign IL tba pending confirmation…