Song of the Day: Smooth Criminal – Big Narstie (ft. Still Greedy)

Undoubtedly one of the biggest stars to come out of the Grime scene, BIG NARSTIE has made a name for himself, from the early days coming up in the UK hip-hop scene to more recently being known for having his own award winning Channel 4 show with Mo The Comedian ‘The Big Narstie Show’ and guest appearances on Big Fat Quiz, Celebrity Coach Trip, Celebrity Bake Off and plenty more. Narstie is one to stay true to his roots and still consistently releases music, this time he gives us ‘Smooth Criminal’ featuring Dice Recordings label mate Still Greedy.

With 60 million plus streams, his latest album BDL BiPolar featured Ed Sheeran, Raleigh Ritchie and Craig David, where he scored a top 10 single with When The Baseline Drops. As well as this Big Narstie has various brand endorsements with the likes of Zopa, 888Sport, McDonalds, Carphone Warehouse; Big Narstie is a brilliant example of a modern day success story.

Having been named ‘Best Grime Act’ at the Urban Music Awards five times, heralded as Noisey’s ‘Man Of The Year’ and ‘Personality of The Year’ at GRM Daily’s Rated Awards, he has also performed at an abundance of festivals such as Wireless, Lovebox, Glastonbury and more.

With consistent radio support from the likes of 1Xtra, Radio 1 and Beats 1, this latest release further proves why Big Narstie is one of the best in the country. Check him out below…

Drew Makes Noise With Head-Rushing Single, ‘Satellite’

Aiming to bring an emotional rollercoaster of scatterbrained fun with the melodies of pop and dance music to 2020, UK born and bred musician DREW MAKES NOISE released his debut solo single, ‘Satellite’, via One Inch Punch.

Opening with bold lyrics expressing high expectations, ‘Satellite’ reveals the impressive vocal range Drew Makes Noise has to offer. Taking a cheerful approach, his latest offering features boisterous electronic synthesizers to bring forth a youthful exuberance, conjuring up memories of hot summer days filled with pure, unadulterated fun.

While performing with the Ed Zealous band, Drew Makes Noise supported the likes of Snow Patrol, Two Door Cinema Club and Maximo Park. The Ed Zealous band was featured in CLASH Magazine and received a fair amount of air play with Phil Taggart on BBC Radio 1. Belfast based musician, Drew Makes Noise has received support from Gemma Bradley on BBC  ATL Introducing and Aine Cronin-MCartney on BBC ATL Introducing. Ed Zealous performed at the Glastonbury Festival, on the BBC Introducing Stage, and the NEMO Music Showcase and Conference.

This one will sure brighten up your day; have a listen to Drew Makes Noise’s ‘Satellite’.

Dominic Lawson Drops R&B Throwback ‘Wrap’

After lending his vocals to the critically acclaimed ‘Hacienda Classical’ album by legendary Hacienda DJs Graeme Parker and Mike Pickering, singing, arranging and composing for brass fusion collective Twisted Tubes, working with the likes of the AMC Gospel Choir, performing on projects such as Colours Classical, Disco Classical, and Garage Classical, and collaborating with producers such as Marshall Jefferson, Midnight City, and House Of Virus, Birmingham born/ Manchester based singer/songwriter, DOMINIC LAWSON unveiled his brand new solo single titled ‘Wrap’.
Co-produced with Andre Hutchinson, who has worked with the likes of Little Mix, Laura Mvula, and Mae Muller, and co-written with Joe Hazlett, ‘Wrap’ is the first of two singles, with which Dominic is kicking off his 2020, while he puts the finishing touches to his debut solo EP, which will be released in the autumn.

Speaking about the inspiration for ‘Wrap’, Dominic Lawson says, “I wrote ‘Wrap’ with my friend JoeHazlett, we had the chord sequence on loop and just talked forever. The song came about as we were talking about the woes of being single in our 20s, the dating scene is tough out here! Musically, I wanted an R&B throwback, having grown up on the likes of Destiny’s Child, Black Street, and Boyz II Men, meanwhile SZA’s ‘CTRL’ was playing in the background, so her flow and melodic choices also influenced us – we caught a vibe and just started running off these lines about falling for somebody”.

Dominic Lawson

With over two million plays under his belt, performances at Glastonbury Festival, Manchester Pride, and the Royal Albert Hall, plus previous support from BBC Radio One, Dominic is a strong and exciting prospect for British music in 2020. His style is firmly rooted in R&B and soul, but with lush pop, rock, jazz and classical music, Dominic comes with an artistic credibility and versatility that set him apart from the current music landscape.

Have a sample of ‘Wrap’ below…

Song of the Day: In Love And War – XamVolo

Described as the “the future” by BBC Radio 1 DJ and tastemaker Mistajam,  XAMVOLO drops a vibe-heavy single ‘In Love & War’ –  a cross pollination of soul, electronica and R&B – ahead of his EP.

In the last 12 months, the 24-year-old has risen to the attention of critics and music fans the world over thanks to his impressionist re-imaginings of neo-soul, jazz and pop. He’s played Glastonbury, sold out multiple headline London shows, been compared with everyone from D’Angelo to Anderson Paak and released an acclaimed EP and debut album, ‘All The Sweetness on the Surface’.

‘All The Sweetness on the Surface’ is powerful and emotive collection of song
writing mastery and a testament to XAMVOLO’s cinematic method of creating worlds within his
music, it tells a neo-noir story of a protagonist who finds themselves confronted with a hive
containing a black honey substance that can grant them their every desire.

XamVolo

The album is split into two parts, life before the discovery of the black honey and the grim consequences of life after, in which we’re shown the dark side of getting everything you ever wanted at the click of a finger. The bulk of the album was produced by XAMVOLO himself, but also sees collaborations with heavyweight producers AV and Paul Phamous (Frank Ocean) as well as Bruno Major, Fred Cox and Freddie Joachim.

Listen to the master at work with ‘In Love and War’:

Song of the Day: Role Models – Lady Sanity

Following her win at the recent GRM Daily Rated Awards, Birmingham MC LADY SANITY shares the lead track off her forthcoming EP ‘For Figures’. The track is unapologetically raw and is about “finding inspiration in the amazing people around you in your everyday life, opposed to this unrealistic, overpriced culture that’s thrown in our faces so often.”

She has already performed at Glastonbury Festival and is certainly one of the most exciting and passionate lyricists in the underground Birmingham hip hop scene at the moment.

Check out her work…have a listen to ‘Role Models.’