After setting Ireland’s underground alight with their eclectic fusion of hip-hop and rock, Cork’s REX ARCUM and SYANO release their joint effort EP ‘COMPOUND’ on June 2nd. Having been featured on Spotify’s Misfits 2.0, RTÉ and Nialler 9 with the EP’s lead single ‘LOTTO BOY’, the pair of rising artists are certainly ones to watch from the Emerald Isle.
The EP mirrors Rex Arcum and Syano’s live shows, driven by creative hip-hop samples and monstrous 808’s which are seamlessly blended with distorted guitar, gritty drums and powerful vocals. With tracks featuring Nashville’s MNERVA, Brampton’s Spitty, Cork’s LG4 Ness and mixed/mastered by Brody (Nothing, Nowhere., Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Freddie Dredd), this genre defiant EP expels unfiltered frustration and emotion as it tackles a host of negative aspects seen in society in Ireland.
Having kicked off 2023 with a sold-out headline gig in Fred Zeppelin’s Cork, as well as performing at a packed out Cork Rising in Cyprus Avenue and Absent Hip-Hop Night in Galway, Rex Arcum is touring Ireland in September with major support acts to be announced, it will be an explosive tour that’s not to be missed.
‘COMPOUND’ was released on 2nd June…have a listen to the explosive EP below…
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…
Hong Kong raised, Los Angeles-based artist/producer DEB FAN releases her highly anticipated debut EP ‘Gemini Moon’.
The haunting six-track offering is centralized around duality in two parts; first being the search for control both internally and externally while grieving a heart-wrenching breakup, and second being the duality of Fan from a cultural perspective, as she continues to embrace expressivity while unlearning the social standards that were ingrained deep in her mind as a young girl in Hong Kong.
Written in the solace of her Los Angeles bedroom, the 24-year-old’s lush, ethereal vocals juxtaposed against brash, grungy production intentionally paint the polarity of her natural being, furthering the narrative of the vulnerable experience of searching for oneself post-breakup. In Asian culture, the moon serves as a symbol of feminine power, and Fan’s striking debut EP is a nod to this new chapter.
“Growing up in a traditional Chinese household, I didn’t know what expressivity meant because of how my culture views my gender,” Fan explains. “Moving to America was a huge step in understanding the essence of being a woman. I’ve learned to embrace the power of being hard and soft at the same time. This is captured in Gemini Moon. Because of my innate duality, this project was written from a place that is half realistic, and half delusion, Gemini Moon taking into account all perspectives.”
‘Gemini Moon’ is constructed around cinematic themes, each track detailing a specific feeling throughout her mourning process while listeners immerse themselves deeper into Fan’s world. From numbness (‘Run My Mind’), to lust and love (‘Rules’), depression (‘Pull My Hair’), delusion (‘Thru & Thru’), anger (‘Three Nights’), and passion (‘Rules – Acoustic Version’), ‘Gemini Moon’ tries to answer the unanswerable questions such as ‘why am I here,’ ‘why do I do this,’ and ‘what is my purpose here.’
In the early stages of her artist career, Fan has been championed by an impressive list of music tastemakers, including Billboard, Lyrical Lemonade, MTV, Earmilk and Early Rising to name a few. She has landed placements on Spotify Editorial Playlists including All New Indie, Ethereal, .ORG, Poses, Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds: R&B, Fresh Finds: Indie, Mood., Radar: Hong Kong, Simmering, +852 Rising as well as over 20 New Music Friday playlists.
Deb Fan’s debut EP Gemini Moon solidifies her position as the must-watch artist of 2023. Have a listen below…
Must Listens: Thru & Thru, Rules, Run My Mind, Three Nights
After claiming the #4 spot on NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Albums 2022 list, multi-award winning artist, song writer, record producer and an entrepreneur Oloye Peter Oluwamayowa – better known as OLOYE COLDMAN returns , offering pure empowerment for listeners to pursue their dreams with his first release of 2023 titled ‘Anything’.
With a catchy melody and uplifting lyrics, the gentle guitar licks introduces the inspirational piece which builds up to an energetic chorus, featuring dynamic vocals and lively instrumentation.
Oloye Coldman say “I wrote this song to remind people that they have the power to achieve anything they want in life,”. “We often limit ourselves with negative self-talk and self-doubt, but this song encourages listeners to break free from those limitations and pursue their passions with all their heart.”
‘Anything’ is now available on all major streaming platforms. Get inspired and have a listen below…
UK’s rising artist C.T (which stands for Contraversial Tekniche) has been gaining attention and captivating listeners with his distinctive sound. Since bursting on the scene in 2018, he has been featured as artist of the month by BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Radio and has built a fanbase through numerous freestyles, podcasts and live shows, including performing at festivals such as Godiva. Set to continue his momentum and reach new heights in 2023, C.T has just unveiled his latest single, ‘Down For Me’, alongside a music video directed by Peppermint Studios (Byron Ismail), which follows the release of his “Joey Clipstar Freestyle”.
“Down For Me” is a melodic track that showcases C.T’s smooth vocals as he glides effortlessly over a laidback trap beat. Packed with catchy melodies and a huge, anthemic hook that will no doubt have everyone singing along after one listen, ‘Down For Me’ shines the spotlight on a fast-rising talent with undeniable star quality and a bright future ahead.
Speaking further on “Down For Me”, C.T says, “For me, it’s about that question you ask yourself in the early stages of a relationship when you like or love someone, but you don’t quite know what their intentions are, so you stay guarded and reserved, almost unsure but maintaining interest out of curiosity and want for connection.”
‘Down For Me’ is available via various music platforms. Check out the video below…
New Lease Music 