Tag: indie music

Song of the Day: Coll – The Keys

Taken from his anticipated EP, ‘Blue Magic 2’ – out now on all download and streaming sites – Norwich-based rapper/producer COLL‘s latest slick soulful number, ‘The Keys’,  touches on the topics of self-love and motivation in a witty, assured and intelligent manner.

“’The Keys’ is all about self-resilience, believing in yourself and making the right decisions in life to ensure happiness for yourself and your family”, explains COLL.

Born in Zimbabawe, COLL and his family moved to the UK when he was eight years old, where soon after, he became obsessed with the music of hip hop godfathers, The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac, inspiring him to start his own musical journey. Since then, he’s released a plethora of well-received singles (including ‘Rockstar’ which is fast approaching 100,000 streams), performed at festivals such as Latitude & Sundown, and even set up his own label, True Music Records.

This Norwich-based imprint aims to offer a platform for local artists to kickstart their own careers. The label recently secured funding from the Arts Council England, and in collaboration with Pirate Studios, a studio and recording space based in Norwich, they’ve been able to provide free studio time to their roster as well as other local musicians.

Have a listen to COLL’s ‘The Keys’ below…

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Song of the Day: Moving – John Dole

Hailing from Newcastle, alternative hip hop and electronic artist JOHN DOLE‘s single, ‘Moving’, is a reflection of his own personal
battles.

The latest release opens to paranoia-drenched synth strings, lending a tense and uneasy feel that sets the
scene for the bars to come. Dole’s vocals enter alongside hard-hitting percussion which
immediately ups the intensity levels further with an itching, fervent energy.

With regional and national support from the likes of Nick Roberts (BBC Introducing North East),
Huw Stephens (Radio 1), John Kennedy (Radio X) and Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music), ‘Moving’
follows in the footsteps of earlier releases, ‘Rolling’ and ‘Collective Thoughts’.

This one’s a true banger…have a go at ‘Moving’, out now via Snide Records

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The Hamiltones Have A ‘Message To America’ In Latest Video

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was considered a landmark achievement of the Civil Rights Movement. While there have been many strides made since then, there’s still much more progress to be made in the fight for racial justice and equality 56 years later. This year has seen one of the biggest moments of reckoning for racial inequality and injustice in US recent history.

The Grammy-nominated viral R&B/Soul sensations, THE HAMILTONES keep the momentum going by letting their voices be heard, and encouraging others to do the same, in the new music video for their single ‘Message to America’, debuted on their YouTube channel last night (10/5/2020).

‘Message To America’ is from The Hamiltones’ powerful new album ‘1964’, which was released on the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech at the March on Washington, and the 65th anniversary of the high-profile death of Emmett Till. With features from rapper Petey Pablo, and a recording from Congressman John Lewis, ‘1964’ serves as a timely tribute to the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., while providing a moving soundtrack to the current global movement for racial justice and equality.

Check out the video for ‘Message To America’ below…

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Song of the Day: Olla – Jobaa

Rising Nigerian artist JOBAA makes a remarkable impact with his single debut ‘Olla’, providing strikingly impressive visuals.

Reflecting the feel-good nature of the track, the music video dazzles in hues of blue and pink as he serenades his leading lady.  ‘Olla’ marks the first release since his signing with JustJoJo Entertainment.

Climbing up the ranks in the flourishing Afrobeat scene, Jobaa has made some exceptional progress. Landing a premiere with BBC 1Xtra ‘Olla’ has since gained over 300,000 streams across digital platforms and he has secured a number 20 spot on the Nigerian iTunes chart. Selected as the number one track on Rod Rantz ‘weekly top 5’ on The AfroNation Show on Westside Radio, he has also gained global recognition with a range of playlist additions. This includes YouTube Music’s ‘Afrobeats Now’, Deezer ‘New Nigeria’, Spotify’s ‘Afro Hits’ and four playlists on Apple Music ( ‘New Music Daily’, ‘Future Hits’, ‘Pop Chill’ and ‘Afrobeats Workout’).

Having previously featured on Burna Boy Spaceship Collective signee Buju’s single ‘Sweet Love’ last December, which highlighted Jobaa to the music world, the 20-year old makes his single debut. Featuring a super catchy, percussion driven Afro-pop instrumentation, which is produced by Jaypizzle and engineered by Selebobo (a.k.a Mix Monsta), ’Olla’ is a stellar debut that highlights Jobaa’s fresh and zealous interpretation of contemporary Afrobeats.

Check out the vibrant video for ‘Olla’, directed by Ovie Etseyatse.

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Shinx FatCat Drops Track ‘This Weekend’ Featuring Dara Svuce

Following the release of their track ‘NuNu’, Lagos based Rapper SHINX FATCAT continues his burgeoning  collaboration with  Dara Svuce through track, ‘This Weekend’. The new effort shows the pair working the perfect blend of Afrobeats melodies with a UK AfroSwing vibe.

Taking a wide range of influences from multiple genres including hip-hop, Afrobeats, R&B and Dancehall, Shinx FatCat – whose real name is Nwafor Abuchi – started his musical journey in 2012 and has pushed out two projects: joint mixtape, ‘TTO (Tha TakeOver’) in 2014 and solo project ‘Love N Trap EP’ in 2016. The indie rapper was recently featured on UKs 89.6fm Afronation Show’s Unsigned Artist.

‘This Weekend’ rolls off a collab mixtape with Dara Svuce, set for release in 2021. ‘This Weekend’ was recorded in Lagos and sound engineered by Tobby Bada$$, written by Nwafor Abuchi and Dara Adedayo. Check it out below…

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