Kwabs: “Wrong or Right”

Introduce yourself to Kwabs (short for his full name, Kwabena Adjepong) and get familiar quickly. Me oh my, does this guy have some pipes:

Raw talent is the phrase that comes to mind. There are some voices that sound great. Then there are some voices that literally make your jaw drop. Kwabs has the latter. Fast forward to 2014 and to a collaboration with fellow British singer/songwriter/producer, SOHN, and we’re getting to something potentially very special. Released in anticipation of his EP of the same name, “Wrong or Right” has the perfect blueprint for nurturing that raw talent. You’ll hear some epic synth play and neat layering effects which, paired with Kwabs’ soul crushing vocals, make for some real goose bump inducing material. Stream “Wrong or Right” below.

 

Wet: “You’re The Best”

Introduce yourself to Wet, a Brooklyn based outfit quickly becoming the talk of the town. Their latest single is a testament to that. “You’re The Best” truly is a work of art. If you’re not feeling anything by the end of it, you must be a robot. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so haunting and chilling while being so uplifting at the same time. The electronically touched soulful vocals contrast with highlights of shimmering guitar riffs and harmonies. The interaction creates a symbiotic relationship between insecurity, uncertainty and contentment. Do you think that’s what they were going for? “All I know is/ when you hold me/ I still feel lonely/ lonely when you hold me.” Stream “You’re The Best” below and be sure to listen to their self-titled EP, Wet, which dropped earlier this week.

 

Jakübi: “Feels Like Yesterday”

Holy funk. Has anyone else noticed that disco is sneaky trying to make a comeback? I don’t hate it. One of the bands that appears to be leading that charge is Jakübi. After turning heads a few months ago with their first two equally groovy singles, the Australian five piece is back at it with their new track “Feels Like Yesterday.” Starting out with stripped down piano and raspy vocals, it quickly bursts into a barn burning dance cluster funk. And that bass. Me oh my, someone throw me some bell-bottoms and point me to the nearest disco. Stream “Feels Like Yesterday” below.

 

 

astronomyy: “Drivin Me Crazy”

Ever since I first wrote about astronomyy back in July (if you haven’t checked those tracks out yet I HIGHLY recommend giving them a listen or two or sixty), I’ve been waiting with bated breath for the mysterious Brit to release new material. Lucky for me, that wait came to end earlier today when the self-proclaimed “songsmith” released his new track “Drivin Me Crazy.” Overall, this offering is much bigger in sound and production value than his first two releases. But he still taps into those mesmerizing celestial guitar riffs, moments of minimalism and anticipation and smooth vocals that make astronomyy, astronomyy. Stream “Drivin Me Crazy” below.

 

Mapei – “Don’t Wait”

Well this is cool. Introduce yourself to Swedish pop artist, Mapei and her new track “Don’t Wait.” About thirty seconds into this one, it becomes quite clear that Mapei doesn’t subscribe to any one particular style. A dash of tribal dance, a sprinkling of R&B and soul, a pinch of electronic and you have quite the musical smorgasbord. A Swedish smorgasbord?

Sorry, couldn’t resist. Bork bork bork.

Mapei’s powerhouse pipes paired with all the other elements mentioned above create a fresh offering that keeps your ears at attention. The description on her Soundcloud and Facebook pages says it better than I ever could: “Mapei brings palpable soul and sonic versatility to a world where genre matters less and less.” Stream “Don’t Wait” below.

 

New Noise: Alex Cheatle

Introducing Alexandre Cheatle. Just 19 years old (pause to reflect how little you’ve done with your life), Alex has her roots in singing and songwriting, and has won multiple awards across the UK. Now it looks like she’s proving her worth as a producer as well. Take her track “Sweet Loving” for example. Working with the King Midas’s in the industry of late: Flume, Star Slinger and Ta-ku, Cheatle’s tracks are the perfect matrimony between pop and production. Her crooning melodies paired with brilliantly composed mixes are a match that will make you put her on repeat all day.

 

 

P.S. Apparently I just need to move to the UK considering the amount of amazing music that is coming from across the pond. Maybe pick up an accent. Bitches love accents.

The Acid: I Know Nothing

I know literally nothing about The Acid. There’s nothing in the “About” section on their Facebook page other than “Nothing like the name.” They (he? she?) have a twitter, but they have 27 followers and haven’t tweeted once. All I know is that I love their brand new self-titled EP. The Acid shows a range of musicality throughout the four tracks on the EP along the lines of some of the major talent seen in the world of transcendental electronic hip-hop (read: the xx, Purity Ring, etc.). They seamlessly weave between moments of pensive melancholy (see: “Animal”) that make you seriously reconsider major life decisions, with points of upbeat hip-hop elements that all of sudden make you want to dance instead (see: “Tumbling Lights”). It’s confusing. I’m confused. I need an adult. Stream The Acid EP below.

P.S. I am Jon Snow.

Living Like an Astronaut

Joel Compass is just so smooth. He’s yet another gem in the stream of talent coming out of the UK in the electronic/R&B/hip-hop world (read: James Blake, the xx, astronomyy, etc.).  A producer by trade, its hard to believe that the man has only been singing for a little over a year now. Word is he laid down some vocals on a track that he wasn’t able to find a singer for and things have taken off from there. “Astronaut” shows that Compass is able to harness the best of both worlds. His adept musicality in the production end of the spectrum is on display from the onset, juxtaposing an airy (almost eerie) melody with the backdrop of a smooth and grounded R&B beat. Couple that with his surprisingly developed and rich falsetto, and you’ve got gold. No, more like pure silk. Golden silk. Yeah, we’ll go with that. Stream “Astronaut” below, which was released in anticipation for the new EP coming out September 2nd.

P.S.

Check out the rest of Joel’s stuff here.