Tag: soul music

Song of the Day: Luz – Afonso

‘Luz’ is the second release from AFONSO which represents a self-analysis, where the singer focuses on his necessity of development and discovery within himself, although the song was written for the minds that don’t recognise this quality.

‘Luz’ –  meaning light in Portuguese – the singer’s mother tongue, acts as a teaching piece, almost like an enlightenment for the listener. To Afonso, this phenomenon has been very important throughout his life and it’s what makes him feel whole, so he sings to underline the fact that it’s only possible to reach this thought through the level of sincerity you have with yourself, your emotions and your journey. It’s by facing his demons that the singer frees himself of negative thoughts and welcomes happiness. Through the heartfelt chords, groovy percussion and the wave-like harps and strings, Afonso sets himself by the seashore – the place where he feels most at ease and connected with himself.

Have a to ‘Luz’ below…

 

by Categories: Songs of the DayTags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Duñe x Crayon Shares ‘The One / Ten Years’ Live Session Video

Credit: Paul Perrault

The KCRW and COLORS-tipped Parisian producer duo, DUÑE x CRAYON, have recently unveiled their new live session video for single, ‘The One / Ten Years’, taken from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Hundred Fifty Roses’, out now via Roche.

‘The One / Ten Years’ live session further mines the duo’s penchant for downtempo electronica and tar-thick production techniques, segueing between soul, G-funk, and R&B. Hundred Fifty Roses – as an album – looks to tell the story of the over-connected and often over-stimulating world that we live in. Somewhat dystopian in its exploration, the album, which touches on the sounds of J Dilla, MF Doom and Kaytranada, paints the world of a man out of touch with himself.

Before working together, the pair of producers, who met in 2014 as Roche Musique signings, have forged out successful solo careers with Crayon – previously signed to Kitsuné where he cut his teeth alongside Yuksek – releasing two EPs to-date, securing praise at Pitchfork and more along the way. As well as creating his own music, the artist has racked up a string of production credits working with tipped names from the French electronic and R&B underground scene – Ichon, Blow and L’Or du Commun to name but a few.

Duñe, on the other hand, was championed from the off via Roche Musique, initially as part of the hip-hop duo, Saje, before releasing his own solo material. As well as working on production for the likes of Swing, Julien Granel, and Blow, Duñe has established himself as a prominent live artist on the label’s roster, performing across South Korea, China, Canada, and more.

Sit back, relax and press play on Duñe x Crayon’s ‘The One / Ten Years’ live session video. You can also catch the single via Spotify.

by Categories: new singles, New VideosTags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Song of the Day: Hercules – Breazy Daze

Andri Jónsson, otherwise known as BREAZY DAZE,  presents his blends of Contemporary R&B, Hip-Hop, Indie and Jazz, through latest single, ‘Hercules’, which sees the Icelandic singer-songwriter yearning for a deep love and connection with that someone – whilst, at the same time, deliberately trying to escape those emotions.

Andri first picked up the guitar in 2011 and shortly after, he started his first band called The Northern Lights, which gained moderate success. Now based in Berlin, Andri has pursued his solo music career and ‘Hercules’ is his first in a series of new material to come this year.

Check out the video for the irresistibly smooth single below…

by Categories: Songs of the DayTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Song of the Day: Easy – Juliet July

‘Easy’ is the latest single from Dutch artist JULIET JULY, following ‘Sunday Afternoon’ which was praised by the likes of Earmilk, Stereofox, Fashionably Early and more for its quiet energy and deft minimalism. Once again, Juliet’s fusion of R&B, soul and jazz drifts in like a soft breeze across the ocean in ‘Easy’, which explores the possibilities that are open to us once we put negative thoughts aside.

Speaking in great detail about her new single, Juliet July says:

“As a creative, we need to deal with lots of opinions of others. How many times have we, as creatives, artists, entrepreneurs heard how difficult, risky and challenging it is or going to be to follow our dreams? What is our plan B? etc etc..I know some people mean well, while some are secretly just envious as they wished they had the courage to do the same.

Either way, I got tired of listening to these ‘warning’ voices about how difficult everything was going to be. And I wrote ‘Easy’ as an answer. Easy gives an alternate perspective on the road to following your true heart desires. This is not to say that you will never come across obstacles or that you can just sit around and wait for your dreams to manifest. I believe a lot in the power of thoughts and hearing everyday how difficult a task is going to be is in my opinion not the way to go about it. ‘Easy’ acts as a POSITIVE affirmation , as a reminder that when we truly listen to what our heart whispers everything is possible.”

Produced by Nelson Clark, ‘Easy’ is also accompanied with a video filmed on the South African coast and within a magical forest just on the outskirts of Cape Town, where Juliet worked and lived for a while expanding her creative endeavours for a couple of months. The video was filmed by Momentum Production, with colour editing by Manny Nickpour.

‘Easy’ and ‘Sunday Afternoon’ will feature on Juliet July’s upcoming ‘Palmtrees In The Mist’ EP.

by Categories: Songs of the DayTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Song of the Day: Taxi – Average Joe

AVERAGE JOE’s single,‘Taxi’, is an ambitious, intense and eclectic listen, sat on a grooving rhythm made further compelling by bluesy jazz flourishes, soulful charisma and spades of Northern wit.

This artist takes the very ordinariness of everyday life – the mundanity, heartache, hard graft, and little victories and twists it all into something transformative, and hopeful. Brooding front-man Joe was raised in Stoke-on-Trent, an ex-industrial area whose cultural heritage – a thriving Northern Soul scene – Jimi Hendrix once playing in what is now a Wetherspoons, has slowly been eroded into a city sometimes known for little more than the birthplace of Robbie Williams.

Growing up, the escapist (yet seemingly unreachable) possibilities of music were made clear to Joe from an early age – his mum sang folk lullabies to him from the womb onwards, whilst his landlord Dad’s “working-class attitude, yet aristocratic high standards” exposed Joe to classic, confessional storytellers such as John Martyn and Tom Waits. Joe felt emboldened to sign up for the school musical, but one scrappy year of bullying later threw himself instead into the local post-punk scene, where his frustrations and fears were filtered into the idea of writing your own songs instead.

Now as inspired by vintage soul, hip-hop and classic R&B as the caustic spirit of Sleaford Mods or Mike Skinner, Average Joe takes timeless themes and renders them razor-sharp on the conditions of the present day….

Watch the video for ‘Taxi’ below…

by Categories: new singlesTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment