After rappers MarQ Beyond and Rebel Kuzco spent the better part of the 2010s touring the world with Slum Village, and contributing to the group’s Dirty Slums 2, Evolution, and Yes! albums; the two collaborated with Statik Selektah as ROSEWOOD 2055 for their 2015 debut EP Hey! Now a trio with the addition of Detroit producer Sensei Cam (the nephew of Slum Village’s Young RJ), Rosewood 2055 releases their new EP ‘When The Night Calls’, out now via Ne’Astra Music. With stories of pain and triumph, the dense six-track EP is a display of conceptual depth and a contrast of moods without being tethered to one particular region’s sound.
“We were moving around a lot, hanging out in different cities like Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami, getting a feel for the night life and taking those experiences back home to Michigan. A lot of these songs are personal reflections of what we would think about during those travels. Vibes and ‘turn up’ were heavy when we started recording this project. We recorded a lot of upbeat, high energy songs. Once one of our friends passed away, the energy in recording sessions became a lot darker and more focused.” – Rebel Kuzco of Rosewood 2055
‘When The Night Calls’ features Boldy James, Slum Village, and Senua. This is epic set…why not check it out below…
Indie, dream pop artist RYAN WRIGHT‘s surreal and intense debut EP, ‘A Dream I’ll Forget’, is the half-forgotten soundtrack of a memory: the music blasting through the gritty speaker of your ex’s beat up car, windows rolled down, flying fast down a familiar highway.
The motif of teenage intensity serves as the EP’s consistent through-line—the internal monologue of a person experiencing the highs and lows of “firsts”. Recurring images of cars, parties, and cell phones serve as a reminder that ground the listener squarely in the world of teenage carnality but are juxtaposed with references to the sky, dreams, and music, pointing to something more ephemeral -and more eternal.
Lyrically, Wright hints at traumas that are both intimate and individual, but the sentiments are open to interpretation and can be applied universally. There’s a dark humour that undercuts that intensity—a winking acknowledgement of how trivial the vicissitudes of the teenage experience truly are despite how dire they may feel in the moment.
‘A Dream I’ll Forget’ is the musical embodiment of the teenage experience in all its confusing, messy, exhilarating glory. Why not check out the EP below…
Manchester’s hip-hop collective ADS THE BARBARIAN have joined forces with London’s veteran producer REDD TUNES for the first EP of the year, ‘The Lone Ranger’.
Featuring members Fya Da Flame, DJ Hook Raida, DJ Cut and Slice, the three-track project features the smooth, retro vibes of hip-hop/boom bap, where the featured spitters take the spotlight to drop some serious bars on current affairs (namely the pandemic) and the hard knocks that life presents.
As well as teaming up with the Northern fierce crew, Redd Tunes have collaborated with various artists across the globe for the past 30 + years as a Britcore producer. If you’re not familiar with his work, here’s your chance to check it out here.
Before you head off to check out his catalogue, have a sample of Redd Tunes’ collab EP with Ads The Barbarian below…
CÉLINE AND THE BLUE debuted on the blog in 2019 with sassy number, ‘Learn To Be Alone’ and since then, they’ve been regular favourites with you guys (and myself, I have to say). Their most recent offering, ‘Crave Love’ scooped the Song of the Week title for two consecutive weeks in January AND Song of the Month title in February. So it’s an absolute pleasure to invite frontwoman, Cèline Buccomino into the interview seat to discuss latest EP, ‘Within & Without, out nowall good DSPs.
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
CB: Heyy, thank you so much for chatting to us on here! 2021 has been very promising so far, it’s been filled with loving, inspiring and exciting energy. We’re very keen to express that back through our music, the past year has just made us that much more committed to this career.
NLM: You recently released your EP, ‘Within & Without’. What is the public perception on the project so far?
CB: Our listeners are so talented at spreading the love! We’re very grateful for every message we receive about our music. It’s so lovely to hear when listeners connect with the story line intertwined within the track list. Even the press response was great, we love seeing new people come in from new sources!
NLM: What inspired you to produce the EP?
CB: Our favourite thing about the EP is that it came about extremely organically, we hadn’t initially planned to set out the releases as an EP. Once a few songs had come out, we noticed a common thread between the tracks, it only made sense to encompass them in a unique body of work. We thought this collection really embodies our origins as musicians and is the perfect way to wrap up the first ‘era’ of our music!
NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
CB: ‘Within & Without’ has a groovy and colourful character which ventures into the genres of Jazz, Soul and Pop. An authentic sound dominates the sound pallet with live instruments, guitar and keys solos and fresh vocals. We wanted to inject a lot of good feelings in this EP, we hope you sense those too!
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the EP and why?
CB:As the whole band, ‘Learn To Be Alone’ is our jam! We feel so good while performing it, it fires great connection between us and makes us feel alive! Despite this, we each have individual preferences which vary from ‘Safe’ to ‘Crave Love’ to ‘Papaya’.
NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the EP, who would it be and why?
CB:It would be quite hard to settle on just one artist as everyone has their own favourite, but John Mayer is probably the one we might find a common agreement on. It would be incredible to witness him interpreting our genre. And he’s just so timeless and brilliant!
NLM: Did the Covid pandemic present any drawbacks in the production of your EP?
CB: It slowed the production down loads! We started recording ‘Papaya’ and ‘Safe’ in March 2020 and then had to wait until August to finish them. It was frustrating! Making music is made up of many things, we were still working hard on the behind the scenes elements but for a while we were missing out on the actual ‘making music’ part of it, which was hard to adjust to. We made it in the end, better late than never!
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
CB: Yes! We are making some fresh music, focusing on production a bit more to refine the sound pallet and we’re loving what’s coming out of this so far. We absolutely cannot wait to showcase this new music getting back into gigging this year! NLM: How can potential fans find you?
CB:First of all, thank you so much if you want to check out our work and connect with us! Just look for ‘Céline & The Blue’, our music is on every music streaming platform, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You can also find our podcast ‘Out of The Blue – By Céline & The Blue’ on any platform for podcast streaming.
NLM: Finally, any special shout outs to those involved in the production of ‘Within & Without’?
CB: Biggest thanks go to Sam and Tom over at Studio 91 who have really helped us craft the sound for this project. Their imprint has been essential to provide this EP with the character it has. We always have the best experience working with them, the environment at Studio 91 is stimulating, positive and a true pleasure!
What meant to be a standalone track to be release on Valentines Day, singer/songwriter SHANTÉH and producer JOSHUA. JAMES’ new EP, ‘The Lovers’ Tape’ was quickly turn into a four-track project that was written, recorded, mixed and mastered in four days (yes, four days!)
Bringing all angles of a love story to the table – from building trust, to an untimely separation, then from re-exploring the idea of a relationship to finally solidifying a true bond and commitment – ‘The Lovers’ Tape’ possesses a fresh take on 90s Slow Jam – thanks to the warming glow of the background vocals (which takes on a Jodeci-ish vibe in third track, ‘Luvin’ You’), the sombre feel from the piano (featured in ‘Foundations’) and the vibrant guitar plucks, giving off a Afro tone (in concluding track, ‘Meant To Be’). Each aforementioned component are all brought together by an uplifting meaty bass.
There’s no doubt about it that this mini set is definitely for those who love them some good old 90s Sow Jam. I, for one, am really impressed by their quick turnaround on a project of such high calibre – and still have it ready in time for Valentine’s Day. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the South Londoners will join up for another collaboration. Check out ‘The Lovers’ Tape below…
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