I first heard the single, ‘Brother’ on Instagram and the heart-wrenching acoustic arrangements immediately touched my soul (which is a rare occasion!) I had to reach out to the person behind the beautiful single, East London-based folk singer/songwriter ART BLOCK and expressed my admiration for his latest offering and in turn, he submitted his single.
So I’m absolutely delighted to share ‘Brother’ with you guys, among a pool of other talented newcomers here on NEW LEASE MUSIC.
Produced by Ian Barter, who recently produced Gabrielle’s covers album, ‘Do It Again’, piano-led ‘Brother’ heavily possesses Art’s main influences, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, where I get a sense that this amazing storyteller narratives a story of betrayal, through his magically delicate vocal performance.
‘Brother’ is out now on all good download/streaming sites…why not check out the video for the single below…
Gaining massive support from Radio 1 by Rickie, Melvin and Charlie, as well as DJ Pioneer and Joel Corry on KISS FM for his single ‘Moments,’ BLAISE surprises fans with the acoustic stripped back version of his 2021 clubfiller.
Possessing a cantering bassline, Balearic tones and an exceptional drop that climaxes on every hook, the marriage of BLAISE’s production with Poppy Baskcomb’s powerful, soul driven lyrics is one of sheer dancefloor heaven. Reaching into the emotions stirred by the current world situation, the lyrics for ‘Moments’ allows the mind to escape and enjoy the feeling of good vibes and freedom.
BLAISE explains “This song for me is one of my personal favourites to date. The words reflect the moment of the current world situation. With Poppy’s soulful voice, catchy vocals and melody, I’m very excited about this re-lease.”
The British DJ and producer, who relocated to the world’s most elite party destination to take up 2 DJ residency’s last year, is already a major name on the club circuit. Having previously toured the world as a DJ for the home of dance music, Ministry of Sound, he has also featured extensively across radio, including Kiss FM, with his exclusive guest mixes. With a sound that is classic and infectious, his previous productions have released on renowned dance labels including DVINE Sounds, Stashed & Todd Terry’s Inhouse Records and garnered extensive support across Radio 1’s Dance Anthems and the Kiss network. Prior to his current collaboration with 22-year-old Poppy Baskcomb, Blaise has also teamed up with Alex Mills, Karen Harding & Azello, and is under the management of music mogul & hit record writer Jin Jin (Jax Jones, Jess Glynne, David Guetta). . Adding her incredible musical flair and a powerful dimension to Blaise’s production on ‘Moments’, singer/songwriter Poppy Baskcomb perfectly twins powerful melodic ideas with inventive lyrical concepts.
Since signing to TaP Music Publishing in 2018, she’s been writing in the UK, Sweden and Norway with recent collaborations including Punctual, Nathan Dawe, Ella Henderson, Mel C, Dimension, Conor Maynard, KALM and Eli Brown.
Now it’s time to check out the acoustic version to ‘Moments’ – (hint) not to be missed…
UK’s first Hip-Hop poet laureate OTISH MENSAH releases his new single ‘Like A Dog’, a mellow, abstract-rap anthem that wrestles with depression and nostalgia. Nurturing the international collaboration between the Sheffield lyricist and Berlin beat-maker the intern, ‘Like A Dog’ builds on their signature Jazz-Rap sound with a playful bounce and catchy melodic hook.
This single continues the #OtisMensahExists, a creative series blending together surrealist animation and introspective music. So far the series has been supported by major tastemakers including BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Earmilk, GUAP Magazine, The Times, I Am Hip Hop Magazine and CALM.
Check out the animated video for ‘Like A Dog’ below…
Following the video release for track, ‘Haunted House Party’ last month, multi award winning hip-hop trio THE SCRIBES and long-time collaborator Finland based producer J-Boom, circle back and slam down another video release for the makeover of ‘Stir Crazy’, remixed by German boom bap specialist Krisengebeat exclusively for international hip-hop label The Get Down Records as part of their Yo! GDR Beats, Raps Spotify series.
The tracks and video, all produced throughout lockdown, combine Krisengebeats much heralded jazzy boom bap style with The Scribes’ razor sharp raps, creating a laid back, explorative statement on the mental effects of the global pandemic and ensuing lockdowns.
East London-hailing rapper, KAREEM‘s single ‘Power’, shows him flow effortlessly over an atmospheric and wavy instrumental.
‘Power’ finds Kareems’s pen flowing with his desire for power and his ability to give love to his partner. Remaining cooly unapologetic, the rapper serves up some of his slickest flows, which could borderline R&B while retaining the poetic nature of hip-hop; in a way that’s slightly reminiscent of US artist, Sahbabii.
Drawing from a pool of influences that range from Trap to Hip Hop, more specifically the likes of Young Thug, Future, Nipsey Hussle and J Cole, Kareem has managed to take these inspirations to cultivate his own unique sonic, much like those aforementioned.
