Following their single, ‘Travesty Of Justice’, which speaks up for the US citizens over the corrupt conduct of the Trump administration, brothers Keith and Wayne Cousin – aka THE OPTICAL ILLUSION – returns with something on a lighter note…
Headed by Keith’s tranquil, David Bowie-esque vocal performance, ‘Shine So Bright’, encourages each and everyone of us to be the best versions of ourselves, no matter what obstacles may come our way. Have a listen below…
STRIZZY STRAUSS‘ track, ‘Trust the Process’ is an inspirational and motivational piece exploring his journey as an artist, flanked by a chilled reflective piano driven production.
‘Trust the Process’ is the leading single from Strauss’ debut album bearing the same name. The album is a triumphant breakthrough, exploring Strauss’ personal struggles with parenthood, ambition and street life.
Hailing from Leicester, Strizzy Strauss has toured and performed with the GZA, Big Daddy Kane, Pharoahe Monche, Rodney P, Klashnekoff among others. He has received support from BBC 1Xtra, BBC Introducing, Mixtape Madness, Trench Magazine, FuBar Radio, DemonFM and I Am Hip Hop Magazine.
Check out the video for the track below…
Jumping into today’s hot spot is U.S. alt-rapper/producer GEAR and his rampant track entitled ‘Type-0’, his first release with label Potent Funk.
Hailing from Dallas, GEAR is a multi-talented artist who creates rap inspired by a smorgasbord of electronic genres.
Throughout his younger years, GEAR discovered a large realm of styles in deep corners of the internet. They included grime, industrial, dubstep, drum & bass, and more. His sound is the pounding product of these influences.
In addition to what he gained through an immersion in Southern rap, he also draws inspiration from countries across the globe, making for an incredibly left-field and unprecedented combination. Check out the video for ‘Type-0’ below…
Following on from ‘Jewels’ – which saw support from Spotify’s New Music Friday UK & We Move – Irish Rapper JYELLOWL delivers his next single, ‘Doesn’t Feel Like’
Born to Jamaican and Nigerian parents and raised in Ireland, the Dublin-based rapper has drawn on all three origins to create a distinctly powerful sound that is radically individual. ‘Doesn’t Feel Like’ summarises his experience moving to Ireland as an African immigrant in just 3minutes, 42 seconds.
JyellowL recalls “This song is about my experience as an African immigrant in the western world. I came to Ireland when I was in my early teens and it was the first time I was made conscious of my racial and cultural difference. The first time I experienced racism, covert and blatantly overt. The first time I met people who hated me because of my race and wanted to cause me bodily harm as a result. The first time I met people who truly believed they were my superior because of my skin colour. The first time that my character was judged based on the actions of groups of people, whom I shared nothing in common with but complexion, and faced the physical consequences in some instances. Those experiences I faced coupled with the historic injustice faced other black people all over the western world, made me feel like I didn’t belong here. They say home is where the heart is, but I found it very difficult to place my heart somewhere that I was regularly reminded was not my ‘actual’ home.”
‘Doesn’t Feel Like’ is the second single to be taken from his forthcoming debut LP 2020 D|VISION. Check out the official video for single below…
Remixed by Mercury Prize winner Mike Lindsay (Tunng) and co-written with William D Drake of The Cardiacs, MIEKO SHIMIZU‘s single, ‘Lazy Light’, goes on a laid-back journey through a smoke-filled landscape.
The track opens with pitch bending guitars, much like Connan Mockasin or Mac DeMarco and simmers down into a super chilled stoner backbeat. Mieko’s easy liquid style, backed by haunting vocals from William D Drake create a cocktail perfect for a lazy, hazy summer afternoon with nowhere to go and nothing to do.
Mieko and her brother, Yasuaki Shimizu (also a critically acclaimed artist), arrived in London with a singular goal in mind – to subvert all expectations of a Japanese female artist. A statement of intent, Mieko broke into the UK electronic movement under the moniker of Apache 61, garnering plays by John Peel and quickly building a name across the underground scene dominated by male contemporaries. She soon signed to Haruomi Hosono’s (Yellow Magic Orchestra) label releasing her eponymous album and led to her remixing tracks for YMO. She is an enigmatic live performer and has supported the likes of Goldfrapp, Massive Attack with Riz MC at their Meltdown Festival and with Kraftwerk at Sonar, Barcelona.
‘Lazy Light’ is taken from her album, ‘I Bloom’ released earlier this year… have a listen below…
