Dar.Ra’s new EP Kings n Serfs is about the everyday people who get used and thrown away when they are no longer useful; these are the people the musician honours

It’s been another amazing release year for Dar.Ra and Kusha Deep Music with over 50 titles put out already, starting with ‘Ballads For The Down-Trodden’

The album in essence is a collection of some of the more laid back moments from various albums and EPs over the years, plus two best of remix albums ‘Majestic Retrospectives Vol 1 and 2’ and the ‘Kings n Serfs EP’, which has two of the best videos made for the tracks ‘Sweet As’ and ‘Londinium’.

As the album suggests with its title, it’s a mixture of joy and sadness as only Ballads can deliver. Subjects roll from losing someone too early on both ‘Rewind’ and ‘Evermore’ to the thought of waking up with the perfect girlfriend who happens to be transgender, on a track called a ‘Girl Like You’.

Nothing is as it seems on any first listen with Dar.Ra and his song writing, as digging deep into subtexts reveal another whole level of storyline and subliminal messages, not that anything sinister and mind controlling is at work, but merely to suggest that not everything should be handed away so easily on first experience, which all Art should do.

The past year also witnessed even more classic music released with the ‘Stand Up For The Heroes’ pandemic tribute to Frontline workers around the world who have held it all together for the rest of us to stay at home and wait for the storm to pass. Salute to the Heroes still.
‘Lights Dark Night’ remix and the ‘Beat Bhangra Stance’ remix broke new ground for that Rock/ EDM cross over, while mixing Bhangra with a epic rock track the Beat sounds like a juggernaut coming at you full speed.


‘Whisky n Honey’ and ‘Rise Like The Sun’ EPs added to the sonic storming of the airwaves, with countless Indie radio stations around the world doing what they do best and supporting new music.

Dar.Ra was on call doing interview after interview to get the message out there without the help of the big corporate players in the game.

‘Everything starts with the flick of the green, money changes everything’
A lyric from the track ‘Start Again’, features a re-master from a young Producer based in Italy called Astro who has breathed new life into the track that appeared on the 2008 Soul Hours album.

Astro has been a key ingredient to the releases this year as he has put a magic touch to all of them. The Majestic Retro albums where a labour of love as most of those tracks where already mastered and to make them sound fresh with not much room to maneuverer was not an easy task.

Those two albums feature of 40 tracks between them going back into the vaults and finding gems from the 90s to the present and tracks Dar.Ra’s output for over 20 years.

The Kings N Serfs EP was also a labour of love after finding three songs that had been penned for a film about London which never got released, but sat on the hard drives for four years, before a decision to put them out was made.
Londonium was a huge tour de force of Musical story telling finding a London family who go back through the ages; they where there when the city was born are some of the opening lines, as the tale unfolds.

Family members who served King and Queens down for the past 200 years are mentioned in a 6 and half minute theatre piece which ends up in the present day warning us not to turn our back on what made the place we know today.

It’s not a story that commends what happened in the past, merely the people who played a part in the making of this city. As the title of the EP suggests Kings n Serfs is the everyday people who get used and thrown away when they are no longer useful that the story chooses to honour. There is a great film to go with Londinium as is the case with Sweet As another track which tells the story of the boy who grows up on the wrong side of the tracks from the same family, but has a little bit of luck and finds a piece of gold in The River Thames which brings him riches he could only dream of. The animated film that goes with it is as uplifting as the storyline that it only takes a little bit of belief and luck to turn your life around.

There is a new album in the pipeline and another EP to follow later this year.
We are all just looking for that little bit of luck to change our fortunes; the trick is to never stop believing that it will happen.

All these releases by Dar.Ra can be found on Spottily and the usual suspects


Stream on Spotify:

Watch his videos here –
Londinium:

Sweet As:

Diamonds n The Shadows:

Karmyn’s soulful and raspy voice is setting her mark with her new single ‘High’

Karmyn’s soulful and raspy voice is setting her mark with her newest EP Soul Melodies. Her kind heart exudes through her music and influences people of all ages to conquer their dreams. Karmyn’s gift has landed her roles in movies like Birds of Feather with super producer Zaytoven. “My music is all about the Kingdom”, she states, “and I’m ready to invade!”

Check out Karmyn’s new single ‘High’.


Follow her online: Instagram: @i_amkarmyn

Facebook: Carmen Thomas

Spotify: Karmyn

Website: www.karmynall4you.com

Youtube: Karmynall4you

Where To Buy Music: All digital media platforms

Watch her video here:

#NHPH is a New Orleans based hip hop group which features NolaB, SmokeyRydason, and FLEXDAGREAT, and they have just released their latest track “I’mAGod”

#NHPH is a New Orleans based hip hop group which features NolaB, SmokeyRydason, and FLEXDAGREAT. This trio of rappers represent the entire city of New Orleans being as they’re all from different parts. FLEXDAGREAT provides the renowned swag, Smokey Rydason is the young gunner, and NolaB is the producer and manager of the group. They all RAP!!!

#NHPH have released the new single from the EP (Neighborhood Potheads Vol. 2) entitled “I’mAGod”
it features the whole Pothead gang. FLEXDAGREAT, SmokeyRydason, and NolaB. The music video is also directed by NolaB

Connect with them here:


Instagram: @nolabtherapper @smokeyrydason @flexdagreart1 @highcouncil2017
Twitter: @nolabr
Facebook: @Nolaboy1
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/neighborhood-potheads-vol-2-ep/1555204720
Spotify:

Spliffy Mars is an up and coming artist who burst onto the streaming scene in 2019 and released his debut full length LP entitled “Hey,Mars?” earlier this year

Spliffy Mars is an up and coming artist who burst onto the streaming scene in 2019. Growing up around areas of Hartford and spending time in the suburbs before moving to East Atlanta at 14, he claims he’d been to so many schools with so many different people and backgrounds, that this diversity influenced the variety in his taste in music and style.

Growing up listening to artists like Chief Keef, Nirvana, Kanye West, Jay Electronica, Future and Tyler The Creator are just a handful of his inspirations. His unorthodox catchy melodic type style is often compared to artists like Playboi Carti, Young Thug, or Chief Keef, but Mars has his own unique style and voice. As he raps and sings over hard hitting 808s and energetic ethereal melodies his music basically just makes you want to sit and listen so you can relate or get up and have a fun time. He touches on the topic of his lifestyle a lot, as he recalls that he only makes music about what he has been through. “I don’t have time to sit down and write a song, that gives me time to cap”. “I’d rather take my time and make a song off the top and it be about real tragedies or real pain, or even the fun stuff I enjoy doing” – says Mars

Having always had a natural talent for songwriting, it wasn’t until late 2018 that Spliffy Mars decided to release his music into the world via SoundCloud. After a number of his tracks gained traction and he began building momentum with his fanbase, Spliffy Mars dropped his first project entitled “Strictly 4 My Rounds” which was released on all platforms on July 27th, 2019, where he showcased his new style and experimented early with the hyper pop or pop trap sound.
Since releasing this project Mars started building his fan base more by traveling the north east and doing a considerable amount of shows.

Spliffy Mars combines a variety of compositional and aesthetically pleasing elements to form his unique sound and style which differentiates himself from the basic crowd of hip hop music with sub genres such as hyper pop or spacious music.

Spliffy Mars dropped a 12 track length LP formatted album entitled “Hey,Mars?” executive produced by TySouf On March 19th of this year.

This LP marks the first full embodiment of the artist as it has not a single feature and only features the unique and bright mesmerizing vocal style of the artist as well as the high quality and thorough production of tysouf.

This new LP follows and continues the journey that Mars is embarking on, dabbling in the underground scene trying to break into the mainstream.

Mars talks about many topics from his lifestyle choices his upbringing and serious topics that he goes through in life while making it sound like a party song at the same time with songs like BraVo! or Lemonade. The whole album itself sets itself aside from many and is truly a pure album for those who just want to live life at the fullest potential with no regrets. Mars also claimed the album isn’t a story telling album it’s a project for you to just tap into his side of things as far as his emotions and different moods.

All the songs are very specific to the style Mars has been embodying recently. You can very much describe his music as very fantasy like and bouncy having melodies similar to pop music or having heavy inspiration from pop elements and the genre itself. At the same time when he is not using his fast paced and hyper flows, Mars can dumb down his vocal state to a real calm and low vibrational tone that will seemingly set the mood for any type of activity that involves relaxation or being under the influence.

Being versatile between these two styles he calls “Pop Trap and Spacious Music” it makes the music more exciting and more pulling to the listener. It’s not like u have an album full of the same song over and over again. A prime example on this project is like listening to the third track “Her Dance” produced by platinum producer Pierre Bourne, being an upbeat song with a faster tempo and having a happier melody then going into the fourth track with the song opening with a slower paced tempo and a melody sounding like it came straight out of a 1990s arcade game. Going towards the end of the project the songs go into a real chill state and ends with “Friends Till The End” which is a classic.

You can download the album from Spliffy Mars’ website: https://spliffymars.onuniverse.com/

Artist Jahbrae has embraced the anger and despair he felt witnessing violence targeting People of Color, in his EP ‘The Black Lives Matter Collection’

Artist Jahbrae has embraced the anger and despair he felt witnessing
violence targeting People of Color, in his EP ‘The Black Lives Matter Collection’

With a Cape Verdean Heritage and a SoCal Uncensored upbringing, musical artist Jahbrae never genuinely fit in. That lack of tribal identity mirrors a musical sound that draws on making genre-bending music that uniquely stands out.

When creating music or writing lyrics, each verse’s highest intention is to help others feel that they are not alone. Carrying this same versatile approach into a mixture of soulful deliveries coupled with a poetic cadence Jahbrae, 25, challenges every genre to innovate or get left behind. Writing has always been a way Jahbrae expressed himself, but it wasn’t until he stopped hiding his raw emotions on every song that the industry took a closer look at this rising artist.

Follow Jahbrae here: https://www.instagram.com/jahbrae/
Listen to the EP here: https://m.soundcloud.com/anthony_jabrae

Max M Teams Up With Chris Willis & Della Ciprian To Release Dance/Pop ‘If This Is What It Feels Like’ From Renaissance EP

Max M starts 2021 on the right foot as he releases his most recent EP, “Renaissance.”

The five-track EP contains some of Max’s previous releases that have had massive success as singles such as “Imaginary Problems.” To top off the EP, Max M released a radio-friendly yet anthemic track, “If This Is What It Feels Like,” with Chris Willis and Della Ciprian. From the press of play, listeners are immersed in a captivating breakdown that is quickly guided by Chris and Della’s seamless contrasting vocals. The track delivers a perfect balance of electronic and pop elements, making it useful in any dancefloor or feel-good playlist. The uplifting chord progressions and dazzling vocals make “If This Is What It Feels Like” a complete hit.

Max M is on a steady rise as his distinctive sound is garnering attention from the industry and fans around the world.

Nearing 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Max M is set to take the scene by storm.

“Renaissance” and “If This Is What It Feels Like” are must-listen records as they will brighten up any party, dancefloor, or day.

Both tracks are available to stream here:

Renaissance: https://open.spotify.com/album/1nbBX7lBBgiBLiiL1D88aZ?si=0UI8tp9lR6qbXcXGKh9nTQ

If This Is What It Feels Like: https://open.spotify.com/track/3znOmYavPN27iyocTQHhEz?si=voFsvl0wSOmrgDsva8F7QQ


Musician Epic takes you on a journey of love; the ups and downs, in his five track EP, ‘2 Love or Not 2 Love’

Epic has released a new EP, ‘2 Love or ‘Not 2 Love’.

BE WITH ME is the first single from the E.P. ‘2 LOVE OR NOT 2 LOVE’. In this song Epic shares how one of his lovers wants something serious with him. She wants a serious relationship yet Epic still refuses to settle down, though it’s obvious that this is the girl for him.

The second single on this E.P. is SO FAR which is about Epic being away from one of his lovers and the distance begins taking a toll on him.

SHAWTY BAD, the third single, is about Epic finally finding the one for him or so it may seem.

The fourth song on this E.P. is titled 2 LOVE OR NOT 2 LOVE which is solely about Epic realizing one of his women has fallen in love. Epic also begins to question his own feelings for her causing this single to be very interesting.

The last song on 2 Love or Not 2 Love is DA GAME 101 which is the first time where Epic is getting played. This is one of the situations that may have been what led Epic down his path of playerism.

Epic Drip (Epic) is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, who is currently living in Germany. He developed a love for music at an early age and started his hip hop journey listening to the greats; Biggie, 2Pac, Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, DMX. As he aged, he moved on to artists like 50 Cent, Eminem, Ludacris, TI, Lil Wayne and various others who aren’t named but definitely played equal roles in Epic’s life. Epic began high school in Texas where he was introduced to Chopped N Screwed music and that Texas vibe. That vibe played a major role in the sounds Epic Drip creates today. 

Upon graduation from high school in 2003, Epic attended Fayetteville State University, where, he once again embraced his passion for music using his stage name “Da’Future”. He further honed his musical skills as an intern for the campus radio station, WFSS 91.9 FM and local radio station, Foxy 99 (WZFX 99.1 FM). While at FOXY 99, he got his first opportunity to be onstage with big time artists during Summer Jam 06.

Epic realized he could no longer refer to himself as “Da’Future”, so changed his stage name to “Epic Moment”. “Epic Moment” was actually given to Epic by one of his close friends and co-workers who made beats and was a fan of Epic’s music. 

He performed for the first time in 2013 at Zero Degrees nightclub in his hometown, where he received a lot of respect and was thought to have a New York sound. Due to the positive feedback, Epic continued making local live performances.  

Approaching year 2018, Epic stepped up his delivery dramatically. His timing, his bars and his song writing skills evolved into what we see today as “Epic Drip”. In 2020, he released his first two singles, “F*ck Wit Me” and “Like Money”. 

2021 has started off truly “Epic”. Epic not only released his first E.P. “Infatuation” featuring three singles “Ballin’ on Em”, “Settle Down” and “My Shawty”, but also begun working on his first official video titled, “Type of _”. On January 10th, Epic launched his YouTube channel, “Drip Service Ent.”, where he posted videos for all his current releases. On the 19th of January, Epic created his first official website to promote his brand, which launched on February 1, 2021. 

LINKS:
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/epic-drip/1542427336?ls
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/78RqXtaS1BhffDCv7MHpN1?si=DO9JUtQdSnCsGqsg2zG0Cg
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/epicdrip2020/
Snapchat:
https://www.snapchat.com/add/epic_drip2020
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/epicdrip2020/status/1348935047622094848?s=20
YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCdKF99rtNROIz17jCM82RYQ
Tiqtok:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJwxNAqQ/
SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/yvjy4

The Sometimes Island has just released a new single ‘Hannah Banana’ as a taste of what’s to come ahead of the release of their up and coming EP in March

Leave the audience wanting more. For entertainers these are words to live by.
“Hannah Banana”, the latest single from Los Angeles based indie pop group The Sometimes Island, is a masterclass in the art of leaving the audience wanting more, the song contains a subtle elegance that can only truly be appreciated after many listens. And that shouldn’t be a problem because you are definitely going to put this one on repeat.

The Sometimes Island have long hung their hat on the synth pop style that lies at the heart of “Hannah Banana”. What distinguishes this song is its refusal to truly peak. The song rises and falls along peaks and troughs but never breaks out into a full on sprint. It is a track defined by its minimalist approach.

The bouncy synth lead line is the workhorse of the track, laying the groundwork for the remaining instrumentation. The kick drum maintains a simple four on the floor, grounding the song. Occasionally the drums open up, but even at their largest moment they don’t dominate sonically or spatially. The song is lyrically simplistic, the story of a confused lover not knowing what he wants until it is gone.

What stands out the most about this track are the vocal harmonies. The simple instrumentation of the arrangement leaves heaps of space for beautiful harmony lines. The vocals are the only part of the song that don’t willingly hold back. The vocal layering of band leader and singer Matt Blankenship Jr. is reminiscent of Brian Wilson’s arrangements in his Beach Boys heyday, a comparison not to be made or taken lightly.

The line between minimalist and lacking can be fine, but “Hannah Banana” finds itself squarely on the minimalist side. The single, which was released at the tail end of 2020, has left us all wanting more. The band promises to deliver with the release of their Pilot EP on March 17th. Looks like we’ll all be getting lucky on St. Patrick’s Day this year.

Connect with The Sometimes Island here:
Instagram: @thesometimesisland
Website: www.thesometimesisland.com


Article written by Ian Logue

Q the Music shares the light and dark side of life in his music and has released a credible repertoire of songs to date

Michael Q. Trucks, also known as “Q” and “Q the Music” grew up listening to Otis Redding, Frankie Lymon, The Temptations, and Prince. Some of his earliest memories involved him performing, joining dance competitions, and moving around a lot.
Around the age of 14 years, he began writing music and in High School, he became the drummer in a band called ‘Now or Never’.
Music has always been a constant in his life.

Q’s write’s about “my light and dark experiences growing up and
through traveling around the world. I consider my form of music to be
genre-blending, using old and new forms of sound, from rock and roll to
hip hop
.”

When he is not writing music, he enjoys creating concept EP & album covers during his free time. He also helps other artists with their music, through SoundBetter, by writing and providing feedback on their music;
mix and mastering; and taking their life stories and turning it into an audio novel.

In 2018, Q released two singles: ‘Stay & Lost’ and released his first EP called ‘Light and Dark’ in 2019. The EP contains 4 songs; Mine; Shine featuring Tarintino; Space; and a remix to Stay featuring Yung$pitta.

In 2020, Q released 3 singles – Empty; Enough featuring ThaWavee; and L&P.
He also had the opportunity to release a music video for Enough.

He is currently working on his next EP called ‘Prisoner’.

Watch L&P by Q the Music here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bgr8WS0bK8&ab_channel=QTHEMUSIC-Topic

Connect with Q the Music:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_qthemusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bboyblackice

Website: https://www.officialqthemusic.com/

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0FAbZSDUG1AGoqnllwH6i2?si=w8tTlvHLRva50vTSYR8l2Q

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/q-the-music/1438786273

Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/10458135