Song of the Day: Never Say Never – Neon Tapehead

When Dmitry Ursul bought his first retro synth Roland JX-8P ’85, he never look back and went on to form NEON TAPEHEAD with drummer Alexandr Kovalchuk back in 2016.

Their first single ‘I Want To Love’, which was released March that year, was met with critical acclaim from radio stations in UK and US.

Fast forward to the present day, the band has gained two members, singer Maya Shoniya and bass player Dmitry Votintsev. With the extended line-up, the four-piece act grew in popularity, performing at concerts and gigs across their native country Russia. Between their back-to-back live performances, Neon Tapehead are penning new songs.

If this is your first time meeting these guys, well their latest single, ‘Never Say Never’ is a great introduction as it encompasses their inspiration of 80s soul/electro funk and R&B with Shoniya’s soulful/pop vocals also reflecting the decade that gives us great music.

More music on the way. Have a listen to the instantly addictive single, ‘Never Say Never’, available now on all download/streaming sites…

Album Review: Almanac – Neru Thee Fourth Fugee

NERU THEE FOURTH FUGEE‘s highly anticipated album, ‘The Almanac’ comes from the back of the Baltimore emcee spending the past four years on the road, opening and performing alongside the likes of The Roots, IDK and Princess Nokia, and projects ‘The Reincarnation’ and ‘Enlightenment Era’ from 2014, both met with critical acclaim.

Produced by the Neru along with her Hippy Trippy Collective, rap rising star Deetranada, Ill Camille and Baltimore newcomer DopeSol –  all who make appearances on the project – ‘The Almanac’ firmly challenges the prospective listener’s musical taste with its transcendental harmonies and trance-like kaleidoscopic melodies, which merges elements of hip hop, neo-soul, funk, ambient and psychedelic music.

‘The Almanac’ is definitely one of those albums you can kick back and relax to after a long day of hard hustle. So when you have the chance sit back, relax and broaden your musical horizons with this set…

Must Listens: 30 Billion (Doesn’t Matter); xRed xWhite xBlue (RWB), C-Spine

Charlie Trees Drops Blazing Video For Track, ‘Trees’

CHARLIE TREES comes through with the video for latest infectious single ‘Trees’. First of several singles leading up to the release of his project Garden, ‘Trees’ sees Charlie immerse himself with a catchy, more dynamic sound that serves as the premise for Charlie’s introduction to the wider masses.

The track produced by long-time collaborators Yrk Rd, has a spacey and dreamy under-layer, with hard-hitting, aggressive drums and a compelling horn section all in one. This combination of differing elements gives Charlie a very distinctive sound, one that is laid-back yet allows Charlie to showcase his multisyllabic style all at 140bpm.

The accompanied visuals, directed by No1, fittingly filmed in the 1011 CT district of Amsterdam. The almost four-minute production demonstrates Amsterdam’s lesser celebrated aspect of nature and vast greenery tied together with its more widely renowned recreational activities that bring people together, as reflected in the cameos featured throughout the visual.

On the new single, Charlie says “Trees is an introduction to who I am. It represents me sonically, spiritually and geographically. I was in college and uni with both members of Yrk Rd and we smoked up everyday so it only seemed right to have them on the production. They both know me so well, I could tell they designed it for me and they got it spot on.”

‘Trees’ is set to reinforce Charlie Trees as not only a talented emcee amongst his peers, but also as an artist that’s here for longevity.

One that can appeal to the mainstream, without risking his credibility in the process…check him out below…

Asha Gold delivers stunning visuals for debut single ‘Too Good’

Last year, ASHA GOLD made waves with her debut single ‘Too Good’, quickly amassing over 10,000 monthly Spotify listeners since it’s release one month ago. The R&B-influenced electronic pop tune was also played by BBC Radio 1’s Jamz Supernova, selected for Tidal’s Rising: R&B playlist, and also gained praise at Colors, Elevator, Clash Magazine, Earmilk and more.

Following this initial success, Asha Gold delivers stunning visuals in collaboration with AIME Magazine and filmed by Nick Bailey.

Speaking about the concept behind the ‘Too Good’ video, this West London newcomer says:“I wanted the visuals for “Too Good” to project the positive message of the song, and express who I am in an authentic but engaging way. We aimed to capture a balance of fun and youthful shots, to reflect the confidence and vulnerability in the song.”

Check out the video below…

Brandon Rivers Returns With ‘Delete My Number’

Following his appearance on the blog with track ‘Girlplay’ last June, R&B smooth bad boy BRANDON RIVERS is back with his latest single ‘Delete My Number’.

Speaking of the release, the 23-year-old singer/songwriter says: “Delete My Number was written about the notion of ‘ghosting’ and the role it seems to play in attempting to form relationships within my generation. Like all my music, it was written from an autobiographical perspective. I think it’s now a normality that if someone is removed from your life completely from any social platforms, they are no longer a part of your life at all, how I used this track to translate this idea is through its imagery, using race, jealousy and fairly obscure references to William Blake, Byron, Richey Edwards and even Usain Bolt to convey the concept that it’s easier to get over someone by removing them completely from your life, as sad as that may be.”

Brandon has already been heralded by BBC Introducing as “One To watch” with his blend of ‘after-dark pop’ which have seen him grace the stages of Bestival and Victorious Festivals, building a loyal fanbase by performing at venues across the UK.

As a multi-instrumentalist, Brandon thrives on being different. Being alternative was something instilled at birth for Rivers, being a mixed-race kid from the New Forest on the South Coast of England. Growing up on 90’s R&B and House mixtapes along with early 00’s Indie, Brandon began making music from a young age. His unique mix of Trap, Pop and Alternative R&B has drawn comparisons to artists such as Drake and Ariana Grande.

This promising hot property has a packed schedule for 2020, with ‘Delete My Number’ the first of many releases, with a number of festival slots of be announced shortly.

‘Delete My Number’ is out now…check it out below…