‘DJ Elektrique Afrique’ dropped a debut single ‘Down on the Floor’ in 2019 featuring South African vocalist Sebabatso. The single became a cult Afro-Pop House hit and is still being played on Radio stations and in stores across South Africa.
The well-travelled DJ is a Dance music, house, Synthwave and Afro-pop producer. South African ‘DJ Elektrique Afrique’ achieved success in the UK, where his previous musical projects received airplay on BBC Radio One and were featured on world-famous brands like N.M.E, Evening Standard, Capital Radio and MTV Europe.
‘DJ Elektrique Afrique’ teams up with South African guitarist Brendan Peacock ( Boo, Soweto Gospel Choir, lucky Packet ) and F.E.F ( Futurist Electronic Foundation) for a House, Dance, Synthwave, Darkwave, Retrowave, Futuristic 80’s single entitled ‘Morning Shot’ Living in the Jungle. ‘Morning Shot’ comes with a 4k Full Length MusiFlick produced by Discover Media Digital.
DJ Elektrique Afrique was inspired by a trip to the South African Wild Coast and South Africa’s news analysis show and You Tube channel ‘Morning Shot’ with Roman Cabanac. DJ Elektrique Afrique is very pleased to announce that the ‘Morning Shot’ music is being used as the intro soundtrack for the Morning Shot Whinedown at 5 p.m. on You Tube everyday.
The ‘Morning Shot’ 80’s Rio Beach Yacht 12 Inch Remix has blown up globally with DJ’s already supporting it in Singapore, Turkey, Canada, UK, Japan, Ibiza, USA, Israel, Poland, Las Vegas, Australia, Qatar, Mexico, France, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Equador and in Ibiza, Spain where the track has received support from Club Legends Pacha. Dance music and BBC Radio legend ‘Pete Tong’ joined the Pacha Board of Directors in 2020.
FOLLOW, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO ‘DJ ELEKTRIQUE AFRIQUE’ ONLINE: Instagram: DJ Elektrique Afrique (@djelektriqueafrique)
Happy New year everyone and thanks to all of our amazing global readers and Radio listeners for supporting us in 2020.
Thanks to the incredible artists that have graced our front covers, featured on our Music Blogs and been heard by Global Radio Listeners from 196 countries.
WOW! Thanks, it means a lot to us and our amazing community of Global artists and creatives.
We are also very pleased to be teaming up with B-Sharp Entertainment and introducing Global Radio Interviews to our expanding portfolio of Gigs onFiverr.
We highly look forward to building our every growing and strong community of Independent minded artistsand labels further in 2021.
While the days are getting cooler and darker, so does the new single of the Two Brothers.
“So Cold” is the name of the new hot track that takes the listener right into the heat. It’s a kind of the cold and darker answer to their previous single “Looking For You”.
Of course, you’ll find all the Martin Brothers ingredients like the glittering synth-sounds, the spheric retro pads paired with a sing along chorus. But this time they added a touch of R&B to get the catchy groove constantly going. It’s one of those tracks that really capture the vibe of a big city night and mystical romance.
Imagine you drive with your car through the neon streets of Los Angeles, Bangkok and so on or walking down the stairs to an underground club, well So Cold will definitely bring you right into that mood.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Martin Brothers, if they didn’t also capture this feeling in a music video. Be sure not to miss that nightshift on YouTube, while they are heading right into the heart of downtown Los Angeles at midnight.
Coquito is a song dedicated to the Puerto Rican drink that Latino families enjoy every holiday season. The record is fun, lively and intoxicating just like the drink Coquito!
It gets you in the holiday spirit as soon as the dembow hits! Sleigh bells ring and people cheer, setting the stage for Latin Billboard charting singer songwriter Natalis, to chill you with her captivating melodies.
Immediately after, to heat things up, the bass line kicks in and rides on a warm tropical reggaeton beat by Rockoranything founder and producer Alvin Anthony.
There’s a fun, warm, romantic element to this tune never heard in a Christmas song before. Right before the chorus kicks in, I’m ready to book a one way ticket to Puerto Rico as Natalis says, “Vente conmigo pa’ Puerto Rico!!!”
There’s absolutely no time for the holiday blues now that we’ve got Coquito available for stream everywhere!
Tell us about your background getting to where you are today?
I am a music producer, songwriter, engineer and artist who goes by the name ‘Hot Money’. I own and run my own recording studio facility in London, UK and have worked with names such as Stefflon Don, Stormzy, Krept and Konan and more.
When did you start music?
I started out playing piano from the age of around 7 years old. Later into my teenagers, I got my first computers for music making and started to make beats. Once I started to get good, I attended SAE (School of Audio Engineering) to learn how to make by beats knock and overall mixing techniques.
How did you get into music?
My pops bought me a keyboard for Christmas so I started messing around with the demo presets. After a few months, I asked to learn more about the instrument, he then put me onto a piano tutor.
What is the most challenging thing you have overcome in your life?
Having children whilst pursuing a career in music. When you’ve got the pressure’s of putting food on the table, it steps your hustle to a whole new level.
Are you currently signed or independent?
I am currently independent working on building my own labels.
Who inspires you the most musically?
I am most inspired by beatmakers and producers. I am more of a sound guy so I enjoy listening to the architecture of music productions. Names like Timbaland, Pharrell, Rodney Jerkins will always be legends to me.
Any new music coming out soon?
I’ve got an instrumental album coming out called ‘UK Takeover Vol. 1’. It’s a compilation of beats from UK Genre’s like Drill, Afro Swing and Grime.
What is your greatest achievement as a musician?
One of my greatest achievements is hearing my early Grime instrumentals take over the UK Club scene. The beats also got crazy radio play on the BBC (UK). I ended up getting a Best Producer Nomination from that!
Do you produce your own music?If not who do you work with?
I produce all of my own music in my London recording facility.
Who is one artist you wish you could work with?
Drake would be the ultimate collab. Just the whole energy around his brand can make or break a beat a lot of the times.
Tell us about any new music you have coming out?When is coming out? What is it about?
My instrumental album is out now on Spotify and all the big platforms. It’s a collection of UK inspired beats for rappers and listeners all around the world.
What does a day inside your shoes look like?
My day is filled with answering emails, organizing studio sessions, making beats and working on my goals in other areas of my life.
Anything else you want the audience to know about you?
Tell us about your background getting to where you are today?
I grew up in a family who is not supporting my dreams and I had to overcome the usual financial struggles that come with that by myself. Luckily my friends always made sure I got to enjoy things growing up. Big up my bestie and my producers who held my hand through hardship.
Where are you from?
Cyprus.
When did you start music?
I was singing at the school choir when I was young and I played the electric guitar at some point. I started doing music professionally when I was 17.
How did you get into music?
I started as a dancer and musical theater performer when I decided to get into music.
What is the most challenging thing you have overcome in your life?
It was the loss of my auntie and my uncle in an airplane crash when I was 13.
Are you currently signed or independent?
Independent.
Who inspires you the most musically?
I like all kinds of music, I’m inspired by singers who write their own songs like Amy Winehouse.
What do you want people to take away after listening to your music?
After listening to my music I want people to take away that I am going to be the next hot thing – giving them the good vibes.
Any new music coming out soon?
27th of November
What is your greatest achievement as a musician?
Listening to my track Dance Floor playing in Dash radio in Atlanta.
Do you produce your own music?
If not who do you work with? No, but I can write. I work on a lot of beats by multi platinum producers and Grammy award winning producers and songwriters.
Who is one artist you wish you could work with?
In terms of UK artists it would be Stormzy and Stefflon Don and in terms of globally it would be Travis Scott and Chris Brown.
Tell us about any new music you have coming out? When is coming out? What is it about?
I have a song coming out called ‘You should know’ on the 27th of November featuring Grammy nominated producer Rmb Justize. It’s about a girl falling in love with a relationship she never saw coming and people talk about it – hot topic. It’s a romantic song talking about the magic between the two and how beautiful it is to know each other so well.
What does a day inside your shoes look like?
Making music, making money and university. Making music, developing my fashion brand and networking online. As a CEO and founder of my own label and fashion brand a lot of things has to be dealt by me.
Anything else you want the audience to know about you?
Get ready to join me in a live stream performance in 2021.
R&B artist Soul Flake, popular in Italy for his particular voice and experimental attitude, is exciting fans again with his latest single of smooth R&B music.
“Acqua e Caffè”, released by Street Label Records, is only full of empathetic music to bring love and hope to soul.
“Acqua e Caffé”, translation into water and coffee, was written in his own hand during the lock down. The piece is intimate, profound and extremely personal. One perhaps among the most touching singles proposed by the artist.
“Acqua e caffè” is a heartfelt tribute to the mother who passed away in 2018 after a life supporting his talent and passion. Soul Flake gets naked, putting the accent on a void that is difficult to fill.
“Acqua e Caffé” is a mixture of slow and powerful rhythms with expressive vocals. The track covers a vast spectrum of emotions, forming an exceptional and magical connection with listeners. He launched his music career at the age of 23 in R&B and Soul music and hasn’t stopped his momentum continuing to experiment with modern sounds or new techniques.
The artist has several singles and Albums recorded under his name (“2011 – Infallibile”, “2014 Le due Metà”, “2016 Il bello di essere unici”) with producer from all over the world. Soul Flake is already a household name in R&B music in Italy and he will hopefully be internationally soon. To listen to more of his music, or for interested parties to reach out to Soul Flake for an interview or Radio show, you can make contact via the facebook link provided below.
Midwest death metal group Casket Robbery unleash a brutal assault with “From Hell”
Interspersing melodic leads in between neck-whipping grooves, Casket Robbery pull from death’s metal’s melodic side as well as its brutal one. The band, featuring members Cory Scheider- Guitars, Megan Orvold- Vocals, Troy Powell- Guitars, Derek Silloway- Bass hail from Madison, Wisconsin.
“From Hell” is a one-off single that was initially released in 2019 and has been gaining momentum ever since. Casket Robbery has toured all over the United States in support of their debut EP “The Ascension” and has built a loyal following all around the world.
In lieu of touring in 2020, the group reshifted focus and now host their own Patreon account that you can keep up to date with more behind the scenes, bonus content, and more! https://www.patreon.com/casketrobbery
Monterey, California guitarist, lead vocalist and professional recording artist ‘Ron Wright’ is back with a fresh new solo performance release entitled ‘Cryptocurrency‘.
‘Ron Wright’ is currently riding high in the rock world with some of rocks legendary players and musicians on the incredible ‘Ron Wright & Special Guests‘.
Ron Wright talks about new release ‘Cryptocurrency‘ saying “I performed the vocals, guitar, bass, and programmed live stems drum tracks. I composed, produced, recorded, mixed & mastered “Cryptocurrency” just a few months ago“.
Ron Wright is also the guitarist for Monterey, California bandChile Colorado who are Monterey’s “Big Electric Band”.
His recent release ‘Ron Wright & Special Guests‘ features many of rock’s legendary players like Bobby Kimball – TOTO, Valerie Carter – Michael Jackson, Davey Pattison – Robin Trower, Janet Planet – Van Morrison, Richard Bryant- Little River Band, Tiran Porter – Doobie Brothers and Chris Minto who engineered for KISS.
Ron Wright’s music has elements of Jimi Hendrix Experience, ZZ Top, Mountain, Cream, Thin Lizzy, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and Eddie Van Halen.
Ron Wright was born in Montana and received his musical education from ASU. An experienced studio musician with a strong track record as a performer, engineer, and producer. Ron enjoys all styles of music, as his BMI compositions reveal.
Ron has performed extensively live and on television, and in addition he has recorded with various group members of TOTO, The Doobie Brothers, Larry Carlton band, and Pablo Cruise, to name a few. He’s worked on major motion pictures and has a music video. There are artist reviews from HHGI Magazine, Strutter Magazine, Tracks Online, Guitar Nine Records, among various other music critics.
Ron heads his own recording studio & frequently helps events staged by local charities throughout the year. He enjoys fishing and sailing where he now resides in Pebble Beach, California.
Introducing The Small Town. A garage rock project fronted and founded by Chris Bianchi.
What started off as a muse for creating during the quarantine only a few months ago, has turned into a new outlet that is quickly gaining momentum! Hailing from Mantua, Ohio, a small farming village right in between Cleveland and Akron.
The debut EP titled “Let’s Blackout” features three exciting tracks. Kicking off with the dancy “Can’t Stay Awake” leading into “Let’s Blackout” a more foot tapping rock n blues style. Lastly, “Ticket To Ride” hits short and to the point with a repeating catchy chorus that gets stuck in your head.
When asked about The Small Town, Bianchi had this to say “The Small Town project was a long time coming for me personally. The name is derived from literally where I live and am from. There’s nothing here. I’ve gone through a lot of changes, especially, over the past year and this really inspired just laying down what I felt at the exact moment in time. No second guessing. It was so freeing to do so at least on this debut effort.”
You can discover a standalone song as well online with “Grey Day’s and Darker Nights” that has a very garage rock early white stripes feel.
There’s plenty more to come from this exciting project.
Former metal singer Hudson Henry is a producer and DJ who creates melodic electronic music with bombastic drums. After debuting with “Feathers” in 2016, he began releasing more guest-heavy feature tracks. His songs have appeared on Raver Magazine and Liam Hemsworth’s Legend Video.
Hudson has amassed over 450,000 streams on “The Last Time,” featuring Lisa Cimorelli. In 2019 we were featured on the official “Fresh Friday” playlist, which was absolutely incredible. Hudson came up with a unique way to market his song “The Last Time.” He offered fans something called a “digital gift pack.” When fans would pre-order the song, they would receive a digital booklet that thanked each fan for their support. The digital book included lyrics from the song, the official artwork, and exclusive content fans could enjoy while flipping through each page.
This was a personal and unique way fans could connect with Hudson Henry and Lisa Cimorelli. The song itself has a heavy future bass drop along with a beautifully crafted vocal melody. This has been Hudson’s most popular song yet.
What are your influences ?
“My influences include Kygo, Illenium, Aphex Twin, and Diplo“
What’s coming up in 2021 for ‘Hudson Henry’ ?
In 2021 Hudson will be releasing a new song titled “Feed Your Fire.” The song will feature Hudson on vocals along with a new music video. The song is highly energetic with an inspirational undertone. Hudson also publicly indicated that he would jump back into the hard rock/metal scene by singing for a side project. We are excited to see what he has in store for fans in 2021.
Tell us about your background getting to where you are today?
We both grew up in South East London, Thamesmead to be exact. We met each other in school and we’ve been best mates since year 7, grew together over the past ten years, being in the same group of boys etc.
Where are you from?
South East London, Thamesmead
When did you start music?
We Started music in January/February 2020 early on in the year. We were writing a lot before releasing our first song and then we started properly posting ourselves out on socials in June 2020.
How did you get into music?
It was at the beginning of the year, DBE had dropped three tapes in 2019, M Huncho had also just dropped another tape, Nafe was also getting more recognition and we looked at each other and thought, why not? We both love music, love the sound they create, we’d rather be making music than doing a job for the rest of our lives we don’t enjoy, so what do we have to lose? We’ve both loved music for a long time, in particular rap/trap wave.
What is the most challenging thing you have overcome in your life?
We’ve both had to overcome similar challenging issues throughout our lives. Losing loved ones, losing people you thought you’d always be close with because they broke the trust you had, back stabbers, fake friends with fake loyalty, mental health issues etc.
Are you currently signed or independent?
Independent
Who inspires you the most musically?
Both our inspirations are similar in some ways, more diverse in others. For example, both look up to the likes of M Huncho, Nafe Smallz, DBE. Individually, Atrip found himself connecting with artists such as JuiceWrld and Rinzo listened to lots of Lil Wayne just to name one each as there’s far too many!
What do you want people to take away after listening to your music?
We want people to take positive and wavy/creative vibes from our music but also the reality that life is tough. You do have pain and tough times, but you will always get through them and be stronger.
Any new music coming out soon?
Yes! Lots! The next single we will be releasing is called Sprite towards the end of November but over the next 2 months leading into the new year, people can expect to see at least 4 new singles.
What is your greatest achievement as a musician?
Our greatest achievement as musicians is just getting into the booth and writing and producing our first song putting it out to people. It can be hard to find the courage to step into the booth for the first time but with the right mentality and people working with us we did it with ease.
Do you produce your own music? If not who do you work with?
We produce our music by finding beats we both like on YouTube and then working with different producers that way. We enjoy reaching out to new producers and finding different sounds that other producers offer.
Who is one artist you wish you could work with?
Picking one is very tough.
If it had to be one Rinzo would love to work with M Huncho, hearing what people say, he’s a really genuine guy, fun to be around and the studio would have incredible vibes. Atrip would love to work with Nafe Smallz, for similar reasons above, plus, he’s met him once already!
Tell us about any new music you have coming out? When is coming out? What is it about?
Sprite is coming out this November. Sprite is a fun song we expect people to play at max volume and have a good time to. Throughout the song there’s mentions of all of the challenging issues we mentioned above. Trust issues, some elements of drug abuse, mental health, other elements of us having fun and enjoying yourself so yeah, quite a mixed bag to say the least. We just met one day and wrote what we felt at the time.
What does a day inside your shoes look like?
Day in the life of OCR is wake up, vibe out, link up and then browse beats, write bars and work on perfecting our music. We spend a lot of time chilling in the car writing, studio and our yards.
Anything else you want the audience to know about you?
We’re just two ordinary guys that want to create great music, consistently and help to influence the music industry. We’re always looking to improve, try new things and always want feedback from people outside of our circle.
ONLINE:
Even if you just want a chat, drop us a DM on Insta and we’ll get back instantly (pun not intended).
Instagram@OCR.music and you can find our individual pages there too.
BLM The Album is the exciting new release from producer and label owner, Lord Itill.
This new Hip Hop / R&B album will be a breath of fresh air for anyone hardcore hip hop fans out there!
Hailing from the Bronx in New York, Lord Itill has been interested in music and Djing since the 1980s.
Lord Itill has worked with a variety of artists and producers over the years, one, in particular, being the L.I.B.B. (Lord Itill / Big Bear) productions which is still seeing many successes within Hip Hop now.
This variety and diversity of artists are clearly evident in the new release BLM The Album.
Opening this large collection of works is the song, Never Left. Never Left is reminiscent of the old school Hip Hop days and features up and coming artists, J’Biggets and Chosan.
The infectious backbeat on this particular piece is perfect in setting the scene of what’s to come in this long collection of fantastically produced Hip Hop tunes.
Another significant piece featuring the artist Dice is Not An Option.
The lyricism in this song in particular displays the unique and creative songwriting that has been put into this album.
If you are searching for some sincere Hip Hop then this track could be the one for you.
London-based artist Prinz Leo released his new single The More You Give featuring the Portuguese singer Ola Ruth on Friday, 27th November 2020.
Danceable rhythms and sing-along melodies meets the spirits from the 80s. Produced by Camelle Hinds (best known from the UK funk band Central Line) and mixed by Nick Hunt (Depeche Mode), this song keeps what it promises.
https://youtu.be/g2Nfn0N6dfI
Prinz Leo was talking the inspiration for this song in an interview “When I moved from Austria to London I first lived in in Peckham (South London). I often saw Josh, a homeless man without legs, in his wheelchair. He always smiled at people wishing them a great day instead of begging for money. I sometimes gave him some coins. One day, I was busking in Peckham, Josh came over to listen and watch my performance and threw money in my guitar case. This event was so touching and a very powerful life lesson: The More You Give The More You Get (I’m talking about the kind of giving where you don’t expect anything in return).”
The song was written by Leonhard Wimmer (Prinz Leo), co-written by Robert Bridges and Martina Randes, produced by Camelle Hinds(Central Line), mixed by Nick Hunt (Depeche Mode) and mastered by Marcellus Frank.
Multitalented artist Katrina Kusa is back with her latest single, “Two Times”. Produced by Nick Mair and executive produced by mega producer J2.
“Two Times” is an infectious record that showcases Katrina’s playful tone atop a current production with a Pop/Hip-Hop fusion. Katrina, who is an award winning author, actress, songwriter, and recording artist, lends her lyrically prowess and flow to the empowering record.
She shares, “I want listeners to feel empowered by the message of the lyrics. I want people to follow their passions and realize that if someone tells you that you can’t do something, ignore it because you won’t get to repeat your fate ‘Two Times.”
Fresh off her last collaboration with Indian Trap, Ta$te It, Katrina is hoping her new single will have the same impact as her last. Ta$te It debuted to high streaming numbers for a debut release, with over half a million streams across platforms.
In addition, Ta$te It has received Radio support from The Heat 100.9, where it is currently spinning daily. Two Times is available on all streaming platforms.
‘Blind Season’ are an alternative rock band formed by Shane Sigro. The new single from ‘Blind Season‘ is entitled ‘The Dark Bedroom’.
How was the writing and recording process ?
“It’s a tricky song to write in terms of tempo, but after a couple re writes I love how this song turned out”
‘The Dark Bedroom’ represents a schizophrenic feeling that can be hard to pin point at times. Feeling trapped within yourself and just not leaving your room for days on end.
Rock and Roll and turbulent relationships have gone hand in hand since the beginning of time. The origins of Blind Season are no different. Beginning with a rag tag group only forming through the means of owning instruments, and an evening involving the smashing of a mutual friend’s car.
Blind Season had undergone 5 different incarnations until Shane Sigro the founding guitarist was faced with the ultimate decision between succumbing to normalcy or proving the previous members wrong.
Choosing the latter, Sigro doubled down by taking vocal lessons and penning the new music that would breathe life into the new era of Blind Season.
Blind Season’s upcoming album is an ode to loneliness and toxicity that feel as if they were ripped from Billy Corgan’s Diary and featured in a film by Tim Burton.
With Amanecer, Welan Edvee and Luis Ledman take you into their warm and dancing world.
In these complicated times, this title will give you a smile.
Welan Edvee is on all streaming platforms. You can find these albums with various universes online.
With an exceptional mix, this track was produced in 3D Dolby Atmos. This new musical training will allow you to better immerse yourself in music and discover a unique sound.
So, turn up the sound slightly and fly to the warm and rhythmic atmospheres of the Latin Trap.
in 2019 the incredible melodic Singer/songwriter and haunting balladeer ‘Nelly’ decided it was time to “Break the chains for real”.
Now in 2020 after writing many new songs, Nelly is more inspired than ever and releases her latest beautiful single ‘Fade Away’.
Nelly has been making music since the age of 15 years when she started recording in the studio.
The new single shows this dedication to her art as ‘Fade Away’ takes you on a dreamy, melodic and heavenly pop journey, with a fusion of ‘Enya‘, ‘Jewel‘, ‘Sertab’ and ‘Abba‘ esque epic exotic pop moods.
This song lifts you up into the Soft Pop clouds with it’s beautiful piano and ‘Mike Batt‘ like ‘Caravan‘ esque production, that takes you to a warm and sweet heavenly pop place.
Nelly talks about being in the studio saying “The studio has always been my safe haven”.
Nelly recently said about life “I’m living. 2020 is my year and I assure u gonna hear a lot more of me. Stay tuned”.
“Reinvent The Love” is the second single from the album “Metamorphoses” by Gloww.
From its first moments, the composition reveals slowly and steady. Here is an atmospheric story in pop-noir style about the lonely soul which finally finds what it’s been looking for, the reason why it’s filled with the light and everything makes sense.
The song leaves a mystic aftertaste and continues the story painted in “My League”.
The compositions of the new album, which is currently being worked on, are distinguished by their unique style and deep relevant sound. GLOWW also produces his own music thus bringing a special atmosphere and unusual beauty to his tracks and experimenting with the vocal and sound nuances.
GLOWW is a new name in music environment. It is a certain atmosphere and various aspects of perception of the whole world. Sometimes naive and sometimes frightening but definitely filled with depth and sincerity. These are the moments of life captured in musical stories.
Each song is a particular experience into which the artist invites you. GLOWW creates his music by himself manifesting it through the sensual, like height, depth, bond, feelings and emotions that do exist in everyone of us.
The artist prefers to remain unrecognized and does not reveal the details of his personality so far, in purpose for his audience to have opportunity to focus on his music solely.
These days, it’s rare enough to find an artist you truly love, be it an actor, musician or director.
It’s even more rare, however, to find one who is naturally skilled in all three sectors and manages to produce a delightful result every single time. That’s right, in this article, we’re talking about American artist Shani, a talented singer, and songwriter, as well as a gifted performer, director, producer, and actress. At first glance, it seems there’s truly nothing Shani can’t do (and do well, at that!).
The Los Angeles-based artist has penned multiple award-winning tracks, such as “El Llamar de Pasión – Call of the Wild” in the movie “Crash”, and “Rise” from the soundtrack for “American Wrestler”, which she performed with fellow musician Andy. As an actress, her credits include the Jack Black movie “Crossworlds”, as well as numerous TV appearances. And in between all this work in the arts sector, she’s still managed to put her seemingly interminably energy behind numerous charities and causes, using her voice to shine a light on the less fortunate.
Now, Shani returns to the music world with her latest release, entitled simply “Changing Tides”, a track recorded in quarantine, by the looks of it, yet not made any less great by it. Quite the contrary, in fact, since it seems that “Changing Tides” is rapidly gathering critical acclaim, despite being on the market for only a couple of weeks. The powerful melody that carries the piece resonates with even the most reluctant of listeners, and Shani’s sweet, yet emotion-charged voice lends a seductive feel to the whole tune. Accompanied by a tasteful arrangement of guitar, bass, sax, and keyboard, Shani creates an instant winner with “Changing Tides” and captures the listener’s attention.
At the risk of sounding cheesy, “Changing Tides” manages to inspire, in a world that desperately needs something good right now. And seeing that something can still be made in 2020’s nightmare-ish setting really gives one hope that things can and will return to normal.
And that’s no small feat, so do yourself a favour, if you haven’t already, and check out Shani’s “Changing Tides”.
“Afternoon Ambience” is an album combining Indian Classical Music and Ambient music, in the World Music genre. It is a lush soundscape for relaxation and rejuvenation.
It is based on Rāga Bhimpalasi, an afternoon rāga. Rāga is the main component of Indian Classical Music. Rāga, a Sanskrit word, means “that which colours or leaves an impression”. A mood is created by its notes and phrases, and a full recital of a raga consists of several movements, and is very similar to a western classical symphony.
The listener is brought of a journey through melodic and rhythmic structure and improvisations.
Dan Blanchard blends ancient Indian classical music with world and electronic music to transport you to blissful states of mind during yoga and meditation practice or to uplift you during your daily life.
Classically trained on the santoor by Indian master Pandit Satish Vyas and joined by other talented musicians from the world and sound healing scene, Dan explores the therapeutic power of music and adapts it for modern world needs, providing a powerful and engaging experience for overall well-being and inner peace.
Mixed by Dan Blanchard and Ronan Chris Murphy
Mastered by Ronan Chris Murphy at Veneto West https://ronanchrismurphy.com/
What’s the Unique Thing About This Album ?
Indian Classical musicis improvisation in nature.
There are rules (certain notes and phrases) to each raga, and there is a typical progression (discussed below with the details of each track).
The album is one raga – it has the same mood throughout, through movements of freeform melody as well as rhythmic exploration.
Cello and Ambient Guitar are not typical Indian Classical Instruments. Having these instruments provides another dimension to the album.
The first song particularly has been described as cinematic. Indian Classical music is a tonal music style, all notes are in relationship to the drone. As opposed to equal tempered tuning required for western music with chords and different keys which slices the octave into equal steps, the Indian notes (Swaras) are based on simple ratios (3/2, 4/3, 5/4, 7/5, etc.) and mimic the relationships with nature. This adds to the relaxing quality of the music.
1. Unwind (Alaap) [17:29] – Alaap is the beginning of the rāga where the melodic structure is slowly improvised and unveiled in a freeform style without rhythm. This is performed on the santoor, a 100-stringed Indian instrument, with accompaniment by Bansuri Flute, Cello, Ambient Guitar, Harmonium, and Tanpura (drone instrument).
2. Deeper (Jod) [12:41] – Jod adds a rhythm to the melodic introduction in Alaap.
3. Swirling (Vilambit Gat in Jhaptaal) [14:30] – This is a slow (“Vilambit”) tempo composition (“Gat”) set to a 10 beat (“Jhaptaal”) rhythmic cycle, accompanied by the tabla (Indian hand drums).
4. Building (Madhya Gat in Teentaal) [8:22] – This is a medium (“Madhya”) tempo composition (“Gat”) set to a 16 beat (“Teentaal”) rhythmic cycle, accompanied by the tabla.
5. Ascent (Drut Gat in Teentaal) [6:34] – This is a fast (“Drut”) tempo composition (“Gat”) set to a 16 beat (“Teentaal”) rhythmic cycle, accompanied by the tabla, ending with a very fast climax called Jhala. In a typical performance this would be the end of the rāga.
6. Let Go [10:27] – A final relaxation with vocal and flute, to integrate the musical journey.
Having been played on Toronto’s 93.5FM and featured on Spotify’s official playlist “Northern Bars”, Toronto’s natively French Canadian artist, NAIIM, returns bigger and better than ever with his single ‘STARBURST’, dropping October 9th.
This whimsical single & is the first of 3 releases leading into 2021, which NAIIM enthusiastically describes as:
“A fun, bouncy & juicy metaphor for the power women have over us. Women are such powerful beings and I wanted to capture one aspect of them in a sweet and colourful manner, although my words could never be enough to do them justice.”
The record written & produced by NAIIM and Phinisey, creates a mood evocative of energic seduction seasoned with ultraviolet love.
Meet NAIIM, Montreal-born and raised fell in love with music at a young age, he began dabbling with various sounds at the age of 13, drawing inspiration from Rap & Hip-Hop’s greats. Naiim’s versatility in music creation makes it impossible to classify his sound to a single genre.
His multifaceted style in music comes from his upbringing; a Somali French-Canadian living in Toronto and challenging the status quo in the music industry through his various flows both in french and in english. Naiim realized his potential when his single “No Peace” aired on Flow 93.5 which was also picked up by Spotify and placed on two of their top editorial playlists (Northern Bars & Shisha Lounge).
Since 2019, Naiim has been exploring various sounds working with top producers, artists and writers alike from across the industry.
Naiim continues to put out his standout work to an ever-growing and eager global audience. He’s someone to keep an eye out for.
