Tag: London

OUT TODAY: Mercury Prize-winning British rapper Speech Debelle reveals album ‘Sunday Dinner On A Monday’

Revealing her highly-anticipated fourth album, the self-confessed food-lover (a semi-finalist on Celebrity Masterchef, cookbook writer, and podcaster) SPEECH DEBELLE has been influenced by the connection, comfort and culture that food allows us to explore.

The South London lyricist says of the title: “On a Monday, the Sunday dinner just tastes sweeter; everything has time to marinate and settle.”

Featuring the singles ‘Come Your Way’, ‘101010’, ‘Atlantis’, ‘Away from Here’ and ‘Wayward’, ‘Sunday Dinner On A Monday’ examines family, friends, lineage, and ancestral DNA through the lens of afro-futurism.

“It’s about how we imagine and then create our own futures”, says Speech. “The album is about our journey through life as we learn from experiences that expand our senses. We learn internal management and get closer to ease. Some of us even become nourished, like a good meal. This is THAT album.”

‘Sunday Dinner On A Monday’ has been mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated and MOBO award-winning mixer and engineer Clinton McCreery (Enny, Kofi Stone, Manik MC), with writing and production from Skripture (Will.i.am, Gregory Porter, Basement Jaxx), and collaborations with Dem Drums, Jamaican production team Island Wav, Kensaye, and Mark Cake. It includes features from English contemporary pianist and composer Neil Cowley (Adele, Emeli Sande, Maribou State), Miss Baby Sol, Dylema, Alyesha Lei and Ruth Sax.

Speech Debelle – whose real name is Corynne Elliot – kicked in the music industry’s backdoor in 2009, waving her sensitive, introspective Mercury Prize ‘British Album of the Year’ and debut album ‘Speech Therapy’, beating the likes of Florence and the Machine, Kasabian and La Roux. Her 2012 Kwes-produced sophomore album ‘Freedom Of Speech’ commanded further critical acclaim expanding Speech’s captivating flair for poetic testimonies, playful narratives and dynamic rumination on power, politics and pleasure.

She later stepped away from music for a few years to develop her other passions; her zeal for cooking tantalised the nation with her inventive recipes as a semi-finalist on Celebrity MasterChef, while in 2013, her socially conscious drive saw her curating a moving exhibition of art by prisoners for the Koestler Trust’s ‘The Strength and Vulnerability Bunker’ at the Southbank Centre.

Speech combined her love for music and food in her weekly podcast ‘The Work Brunch’, where she cooked and discussed music, life and inspiration with a range of esteemed guests, such as Lianne La Havas, Nitin Sawhney, Shabaka Hutchings and Mikill Pane.

She accompanied her third album ‘Tantil before I breathe’ with her own cookbook and memoir expressing that ‘music and food are art – they heal and inspire’. The nine songs spanning all three of her albums tell a story of abandonment, the artistic process, critical acclaim, record label mistakes and healing, with a delicious, inspired recipe for each.

Speech has spent three years working as a Relationship Manager in the music team at Arts Council England. She has supported artists and organisations in receiving funding and spearheaded the ‘Black Influencers Masterclass and Programme’, which provides the toolkit for funding projects, specifically for Black and Brown people in the UK.

‘Sunday Dinner On A Monday was released today (9th June) on all music platforms. Have a listen below…

Must Listens: 11:11, A reading, Wayward,

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Song of the Day: Through The Clouds – Jay Phelps (ft. Simon Jnr)

A household name in the UK jazz world, Canadian-born, UK-based trumpeter, DJ and composer JAY PHELPS teams up with Birmingham MC Simon Jnr ‘Through The Clouds’. It’s the second single from his forthcoming album ‘The Now’, releasing via Platoon in partnership with Black Lives In Music.

With a career spanning 20 years, Phelps has performed as a sideman with some of the world’s top names, including Amy Winehouse, George Benson and Wiz Kid. His work as founding member of award-winning contemporary jazz group Empirical in the late 2000s garnered international acclaim, an early precursor to the explosion of UK jazz that has since followed. As a bandleader, he’s explored multiple styles, threading together the jazz language and tradition with contemporary influences, always with one eye on the future.
His status as an innovator and enabler on the UK jazz scene has seen him host regular shows on Jazz FM and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, and draw praise from The Guardian, Jazzwise and London Jazz News.

The forthcoming LP ‘The Now’ brings together a cross-generational collective of musicians. It’s a journey from the underground, club-centric UK jazz scene, through to the house-filled streets of Detroit and progressive sonics of LA. Phelps continues on his mission as a connector of dots, bringing together multiple generations of musicians at the forefront of the UK’s jazz scene, including David Mrakpor (Blue Lab Beats), Tom Ford (Chris Dave, Reuben James) and Nicola Guida (Secret Night Gang). The record draws inspiration from hiphop, G-funk and broken beat, with Phelps and co weaving between styles through
conversational improvisation, thoughtfully crafted melodies and a combination of vocal and horn-led arrangements. Continuing with the west coast vibe explored on lead single ‘Finding Centaurii’,

‘Through The Clouds’ invokes shades of Anderson Paak’s jazz-fuelled soul-funk. Phelps’ playful muted
trumpet is paired with Ruta Sipola’s flute in conversation with Mrakpor’s vibraphone, with the instrumental finely balanced against Simon Jnr’s lyrical flow, setting an inspirational tone of breaking through and looking past adversity.

“I wanted the catchy melody to be traded around the band, as it’s the largest ensemble featured on the entire album. Simon Jnr came through and provided the lyrical masterpiece, which tied in perfectly to the themes I wanted to convey on the instrumental.” -Jay Phelps. Have a listen to

‘Through The Clouds’ below…

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Song of the Day: Scream999 – Sola

London-based multi-instrumentalist/producer/vocalist SOLA‘s single ‘Scream999’, portrays a hauntingly beautiful sound, led by Sola’s captivating silky vocal, combined with an intense instrumentation and heavy drum tracks, perfectly capturing the song’s dystopian themes of information overload and desensitization.

Of the song, Sola shares: “’Scream999’ is a critique of the internet age. We’re constantly bombarded with information competing for our attention, which makes it easy to lose focus of what’s important. It’s about becoming desensitised to suffering, screaming into a void where everyone around is too distracted to notice or help. The video, directed by Rosino, tried to reflect the songs themes through filming in a dystopian setting, with the broken tv screens and distorted visuals representing the information overload technology has caused.”

‘Scream999’ follows on from Sola’s recent, romantic single ‘Abide In U’, featuring drums from acclaimed musician Moses Boyd which garnered support from the likes of CLASH, COLORS, Wonderland, BBC Radio London, Noctis Magazine, ENFNTS, Trench Mag, Dazed, BBC 1Xtra, BBC 6Music and BBC Radio 1 amongst others.

‘Scream999’ was released via Jamz Supernova’s label Future Bounce. Check out the video for single below…

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705’s new EP, ‘7:05’ is a pleasurable fusion of Afrobeats, R&B and hip-hop

‘7:05’ is a six-track project that gives a deeper insight to the person (Surulere Bankholemoh) who most have come to know as Nigerian artist and producer, 705.

Released last Friday (26th of May), the E.P starts off with a surreal but yet motivating track entitled ‘Daily Prayer’ which gives a real introduction to the artist, sharing insights on his beliefs, hometown and upbringing. With party tracks like Arabian nights & Spender ‘7:05’ paints a full picture of 705 as he grab life firmly by the horns and live it to the fullest and party! The dark, sombre contribution from tracks, ‘Pain’ and ‘Over’ paint a vivid picture of returning to the everyday reality he lives once the good times are over.

705 is a . Born in Lagos, 705 was raised by his grandmother before moving to London in 2001. Influenced by so many great artists such as King sunny Ade, Fela kuti, Michael Jackson, Tupac and 50 Cent, 705’s sound is a fusion of Afrobeats, R&B and Hip-Hop Music and 7:05 EP encompasses all the genres into a pleasurable listening experience. Check out the project below…

Must Listens: Daily Prayer, Good Feeling, Spender

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916 deliver their sultry new cut ‘Nuisance Interlude’.

Formerly known as Nikz & Booda, 916 deliver their sultry new cut ‘Nuisance Interlude’.

With velvet-smooth production and harmonious vocals from Nikz, combined seamlessly with Booda’s relaxed yet quick-witted bars, the 916 collective execute another flawless blend of R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop in this new song, showcasing their unique signature sonics.

The luxurious track clocks in at just over 2 minutes captivating the listeners with a stylish seductive sound, which no doubt leaves fans craving for more from the Oxford based collective.

Bursting onto the music scene representing their Punjabi heritage, British born collective 916 have garnered their own unique sound, blending elements of R&B, Hip-Hop and Soul. With records such as ‘Get To It’ and ‘Motion’, 916 have since built further anticipation for a full length project with their most recent releases ‘Mimosa’ and ‘Nuisance Interlude’.

Throughout their career, 916 have consistently showcased an impactful style and sound, demonstrating their uniqueness and conceptual artistry, both visually and sonically. Since their foray into the music industry, 916 has amassed an impressive array of accolades. From performing at the Titan Festival in 2022 alongside Lloyd, Ludacris, and Jon B, to gaining notable support from BBC 1Xtra’s Sian Anderson, who featured their track ‘Pull Up’ as her ‘Online Find’ upon its release. Additionally, their music has received airplay on prominent platforms such as BBC Asian Network, Reprezent, and Radio2Funky.

With a multitude of releases slated for this year, 916 are poised to continue captivating audiences and solidifying their presence in the industry…Check out their lush single below…

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