Song of the Day: Return of the Mack (Seeb Remix) – Mark Morrison

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On its 21st anniversary, MARK MORRISON‘s ‘Return of the Mack’ gets remix treatment from Norwegian dance duo Seeb.

Seeb had a sensational 2016, their remix of Mike Posner’s ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ became a Grammy nominated monster hit, and was globally the third most streamed song of the year, with over one billion streams.

MARK MORRISON‘s debut album in ’96, ‘Return of the Mack’, was a multi-platinum success, selling three million copies worldwide. The single reached number one in the UK, and spent a remarkable 41 weeks on the US Billboard singles chart, peaking at number two.

New Music Video: Hip-Hop & Cartoons – Gena Perala

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The teaser was a huge hit and was named Video of the Week by NEW LEASE MUSIC…now here’s your chance to watch the full version of GENA PERALA‘s visual to single, ‘Hip-Hop & Cartoons.’

Appropriately released on Valentine’s Day, the Vancouver singer/songwriter shows love for the brilliance and power of hip-hop and cartoons in the two-and-a-half production, referring to the two mediums as her church song.

The video was launched in conjunction with a Crowdfunding campaign to support her upcoming downtempo/electro synth album…look out for that!

For now, check out the video for ‘Hip-Hop & Cartoons.’

New Track: I Can’t Wait – Blaise Pascal

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London-based future-soul artist BLAISE PASCAL unveiled single ‘I Can’t Wait’ last Friday, taken from his debut EP, set for release later in the year. The track samples the melodic hook from Billy Cobham’s ‘Heather’, famously used in hip-hop classic 93 ’til Infinity’ by Souls of Mischief.

Speaking of his latest release, Blaise says: “It’s about a long distance relationship I was in and the feelings of excitement I had knowing I would see her after much time apart. We are no longer together but still very close and she’ll always be a special person in my life”

Born in Pembury and raised in London, Blaise’s career began with a scholarship to Sylvia Young. He began to focus on singing and dancing and his talent was recognised and rewarded by yet another full scholarship to the esteemed Rambert School of Contemporary Dance & Ballet. This led to a career as a professional dancer, taking him around the world and giving him the opportunity of working with some of the UK’s best known establishments including The Royal Opera House and The English National Opera.

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At the age of 17, his uncle Martin Rex (engineer & producer of artists such as Alison Moyet, Neneh Cherry and The Shamen), saw potential and gave him a guitar, igniting a passion for playing and writing that would soon surpass all else.

The result of this was Blaise’s debut album ‘Wild Life’ released through his own label SJH Music. He then spent the next few years gigging around the country and building a reputation working as an accomplished musician and has recently taken time out from this to begin writing his second album. As well as following his pursuits to be an accomplished songwriter and musician, Blaise has a strong sense and belief in the spirit of community and in particular amongst fellow musicians. With that in mind he founded the company Acoustic Roots, a ‘featured artist/open mic’ nights offering a platform for up and coming artists.

‘I Can’t Wait’ is now available for purchase via iTunes. For now, have a sample of the single.

 

 

Video Preview: Hip-Hop and Cartoons – Gena Perala

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After scooping the song of the month title with singles, ‘Superstar Supernova’ and ‘Hoopla’ back in 2015,  one of NEW LEASE MUSIC old favourites GENA PERALA comes back bolder than ever with a preview of her latest colourful visual to her single, ‘Hip-Hop and Cartoons’.

The song pays homage to the power and brilliance of hip-hop music and to cartoons such as The Simpsons. She refers to it as her Church song because she says: “We can learn more from hip-hop and cartoons if we understand and believe in them, than we can from religion”.

GENA PERALA is launching this video in conjunction with a Crowdfunding campaign to support the recording of her new album, which will possess a down tempo electronic pop synth sound. The Vancouver-based singer/songwriter has previously released two solo albums ‘This Ain’t Pretty’ (2008) and ‘Exactly Nowhere’ (2014).

She has also performed for the United Nations, on the PNE Main Stage, at the Stanley Theater, up the East Coast, down the West Coast and all over Vancouver. In addition to her musical credentials, Gena has published three books of poetry, “I’m a Worst Case Scenario Type of Girl” (2003), “Clean Getaway” (2005) and “Better Sorry than Safe” (2011).

The full-version of ‘Hip-Hop and Cartoons’ video will be released on 14th February…so in the meantime, check out the teaser.

 

Song of The Day: Remember Me – Oparu

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Today’s very tasty dish of the day is OPARU’s debut single Remember Me, which boasts a stunning fusion of haunting pop, paired with operatic vocals and dark experimental electro.

OPARU is the musical endeavor of Los Angeles based songwriter, singer and actress Dianna St. Hilaire. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, St. Hilaire started to write and perform music at a very young age in choir and musicals. Self taught, her first instrument was the piano and she worked tirelessly at the craft of reading and writing music.

When St. Hilaire was in her late teens, she began performing with punk bands and for producers as a back up/ studio vocalist in New Mexico, where she took on her first musical alias, the highly successful group Versailles. Partnering with the infamous Kim Fowley (The Runaways, Kiss, Joan Jett, Alice Cooper), she has toured the US extensively, been featured on the official Grammy ballots, as well as charting on Billboard. Versailles’s music was also on rotation with popular stations across the U.S. including KROQ and NPR tastemaker KCRW. St. Hilaire reinvented herself in late 2015 as OPARU, deriving from the Japanese name of the birthstone opal.

The next chapter in her musical journey, is the highly anticipated Remember Me, out now on iTunes…before you go, have a listen.