Tag: UK talent

Song of the Day: Wile Out – TC & The Groove Family

Ten-piece UK afro-fusion outfit TC & THE GROOVE FAMILY continue the rollout of their ‘We Have Each Other’ EP with simmering, jungle-tinged hip-hop cut ‘Wile Out’. Released via Bridge The Gap, the track is a cross city collaboration, bringing together two of the UK’s best underground hip-hop MC’s, BBCR1Xtra and SXSW-backed Birmingham MC SANITY, and Sheffield wordsmith Franz Von.

Building off of lead single ‘Stand Strong’, ‘Wile Out’ showcases the band’s darker electronic and UK bass influences. Growling, subbed-out bass tones, tight-knit hip-hop grooves, and furious horn lines develop into a double-time whirlwind of jungle and immersive turntablism, with lyrics from SANITY and Franz Von subverting the meaning of ‘Wiling Out’.

SANITY explains: “First hearing the track, I liked the idea and juxtaposition of Wile Out, as it’s a term with connotations of recklessness, or using energy carelessly amongst young people; but here, to ‘Wile Out’ is to challenge norms, not fall in line and utilise individuality to reach maaximum potential.”

Franz adds; “Wile Out is about doing what you love and enjoying it to the fullest, for me it’s music. The chorus echoes the advice from my mother to embrace life, to love myself and follow my dreams. This track is about sharing this advice and attitude to people around us.”

The EP ‘We Have Each Other’, released earlier this month, sees the band refine the sound debuted on their 2022 album ‘First Home’. Returning to work once again with producer Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, ONIPA), the project explores a darker sonic palette, channeling a deep appreciation of UK bass and electronic music alongside afro-jazz sounds and hip-hop sensibilities. Lead single ‘Stand Strong’ offers a great connection between eras of the band. Created as a love letter to afrobeat, the track offers a contemporary twist, integrating turntablism and Khruangbinesque guitar lines amongst infectious basslines and weaving horns.

The EP documents a time of change within the group – a new lineup, plus members living in different cities and pursuing various paths – whilst also reflecting the turbulent socio-political climate, and the major shifts and changes on the horizon for humanity. Despite the heavy subject material, the band strike an optimistic, uplifting tone, encouraging listeners to look around and embrace community, whatever that may look like. No one should be lonely when celebrating each other, and the band encourage an ethos that says ‘it’s good to be me, but it’s better to be us.’

Originally formed in Leeds, TC & The Groove Family’s sound reflects the diverse musical and cultural backgrounds at the core of the project, with songs exploring grooves and genres including afrobeat, broken beat, jungle, jazz and grime. Their music has drawn widespread acclaim, supported by tastemakers including Jamz Supernova and Craig Charles on BBC Radio 6, BBC Introducing West Yorkshire, Jazz FM, Rinse FM, Radio FIP and more. The group have performed at the likes of Glastonbury, We Out Here, Greenman and Boomtown, and will embark on a UK tour across May & June in support of the release of ‘We Have Each Other’.

Here’s your chance to check out ‘Wile Out’

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Song of the Day: Outside -IZ

Rapper IZ comes through onto today’s top spot with a monumental, catchy, party single for the Summer ‘Outside’ released on RCA Records.

Following on from single ‘Big Dreams’ at the top of the year which is sitting on over a huge 2 ½ million streams on Spotify alone, IZ has set the pace for his future music.

A party rap track set to hit the clubs and festivals for the Summer, IZ brings the heat with his new scorching sizzler of a track. With a banger of a hook, IZ proves with ‘Outside’ he can bring the more light-hearted tracks whilst keeping his hard bars flowing.

“Outside is about enjoying yourself and in indulging in all the fun and crazy activities that make up a summer holiday. The track is based around the fact that a single lady will have more fun in summer and can do whatever makes her happy and think about herself and herself alone.” – IZ

Produced by Cassell Beats & K Beats, ‘Outside’ is taken from his outstanding debut mixtape, which will include 10 tracks showcasing IZ’s signature style and flow coupled with old skool hip hop beats.

Check out the summer anthem below…

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Song of the Day: Don’t Tease Me – Miss La Familia

MISS LA FAMILIA presents Lala her soft alter ego, re-emerging into the industry redefining her sound and rediscovering herself and her music.

Kicking off with her first single ‘Don’t Tease Me’ produced by Ebenezer, Lala brings the international vibes sonically blending Afrobeats and R&B, also bringing American artist QPSkii to feature for a strong female led track.

A sultry, sexy, summer banger that showcases Lala’s effortlessly smooth and silky vocals. QPSkii lends a harder edge to the track with her verse flipping the script.

‘Don’t Tease Me’ gives an insight into Lala’s new look and what’s to come from this unique artist.

Lala is poised to take the music industry by storm this year with several huge collaborations with music titans such as DJ Snake, Skrillex, Flo Dan, Bollywood luminary Tanishk Bagchi, and French sensation Vegeedream. Have a listen to ‘Don’t Tease Me’ plus video below…

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Experience the magnetic charm of ‘Familiar,’ T-Missin’s latest Afro-pop single

Get ready to be swept off your feet by the latest release, from T-MISSIN – a masterful blend of melodic, swanky, and seasoned Afro-pop, produced by CERTIBEATS and engineered by Nostra. ‘Familiar’ is an intoxicating experience as T-Missin takes on the role of a sweet talker whose tantalising words are hard to resist.

“This song means a lot to me because it brings me back to a different time. The line ‘if you really love me you won’t care about the lies’ is something I really said to a girl,” T-Missin explains. His love interest, equally alluring with her luscious physique, shares a chemistry with him that’s magnetic. “I was addicted to getting into trouble, and when I wrote this song, I was in big, big trouble. I made amends by buttering her up with smooth words, and the experience inspired me to write it down.”

With ‘Familiar,’ T-Missin aims to create an experience that leaves listeners feeling free, mesmerised, and happy. He envisions his audience embracing the track’s cheekiness and living in the moment. This song is a celebration of spontaneity and charm, inviting everyone to lose themselves in the moment.

In 2018, T-Missin released his first song, ‘2 Girls On My Line,’ produced by Lekka Beats, on Spotify. The track blew up, currently sitting at over 100K streams, and boosted his confidence. That same year, T-Missin appeared on C-Montana’s mixtape ‘Rich & Paranoid,’ lending his vocals to ‘Millionaire.’

In the following years, T-Missin released standout singles such as ‘Ami,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ and ‘Drip Don’t Lie,’ which have collectively accumulated 65K streams to date.

Check out the official music video directed by Sky KJ and THE WÆV below…

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Niko B unleashes debut album ‘dog eat dog food world’

Hailing from Milton Keynes, NIKO B‘s much-anticipated debut album ‘dog eat dog food world’, is fuelled entirely by raw creative vision and a powerful DIY spirit. The debut is a deep diving journey into the topsy-turvy tangles of modern life and deconstructing the concept of trying to adult in the 21st century – made almost entirely with beats from rising bedroom YouTube beatmakers.

Laid over 12 tracks, the album is Niko’s most far-reaching release to date, hitting hard with acute, introspective, relatable observations on small-town life that resonate with all – balancing end times gloom with absurdist wit. The release galvanises Niko’s role as a Gen-Z Mike Skinner; real, authentic, warm and honest.

Opening the album is ‘trespass coat’ featuring the South-London bedroom-pop artist dexter in the newsagent. First previewing some of the bars in his now notorious Victory Lap cypher going toe to toe with the likes of Central Cee and Dave last year, the single arrived earlier this year to acclaim from The Face, ACCLAIM, Spotify (Our Generation Cover), Hypebeast UK, NME, Hunger, NOTION, Wonderland, DMY and more. The cheeky ‘i’ve smoked weed 9 times and have had one good experience’ meets a shimmering minimal production with confessional lyricism.

New single ‘ur a bundle of joy !’ is a kaleidoscope of moody nostalgia, with funky guitar licks and sun-drenched vocals weaving between Niko’s bold wordplay. Niko breezily offers to turn pilot in the playful, blissed-out ‘boarded the plane’. Splicing percussive kick drums with cheeky synths, the chunky production makes ‘boarded the plane’ the perfect bop for summer. The hazy ‘tom did’ meets stipped-back breakbeats with low key fight talk. The lo-fi ‘miniclip’ was produced by Kwollem and features bars from rising rapper Kirbs, meeting relaxed alternative rap with Niko’s trademark eclectic references – from retired Welsh footballer Craig Bellamy to TV comedian Alan Carr and the throwback PC gaming website Miniclip.

The dreamlike brassy, jazz-infused, ‘it’s not litter if you bin it’ landed earlier this year to support from Zane Lowe on Beats 1, CLASH, DMY, VIPER, Hypebeast UK and more. The ethereal ‘i’m just a pretty face’ gives way to the atmospheric ‘dagenham to barking’ featuring a melange of obscure observations including the contents of lofts, former footballer and Soccer AM host Jimmy Bullard, and the price of a second hand VW Golf.

The jazzy ‘what counts as fine?’ features the bold claim that Niko could “beat Usain Bolt in a pair of Hunters”. ‘forteen days’ blends sugary synths with snappy bars on baby showers, Hobbycraft, crisps and pints. Rounding out the album is ‘who’s in designer’, splicing chopped up vox pop news clips with Niko’s honeyed vocals and groovy, layered instrumentation. It’s the perfect unexpectedly sweet note to round out the debut.

Destined for a playlist, speakers and stage near you imminently, ‘dog eat dog food world’ simultaneously takes things back to Niko’s roots but also zooms out to reveal a much wider picture of who he is and what makes him tick. It’s happy music, reflections of what it’s like to be a British teenager with each cut coming with a barbed tale of high, lows, lols and woes.

Exploding into the UK pop cultural psyche in 2019 with his viral single ‘Mary Berry’, Niko B racked up millions of streams overnight. Since then the songsmith, rapper and creative auteur has continued to delight fans with releases that showcase his acerbic lyricism, releasing unexpected creative visuals, growing his clothing brand Crowd into a cult favourite and more. Niko’s fearless approach to his art has been lauded by the likes of British Vogue, The New York Times, Hypebeast, POPEYE Magazine and DAZED who featured him in this year’s DAZED 100.

Have a listen to ‘dog eat dog food world below…

Must Listens: ur a bundle of joy, tom did, who’s in designer

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