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Funk

Jay Hofman unveiled an enrapturing self-deprecating indie electro-pop earworm with I Can’t Sing

Posted on 14 September 2023

Thankfully, the title of Jay Hofman’s latest single, I Can’t Sing, isn’t a disclaimer for the dire vocal performance that will defile your ears as soon as you hit play. Instead, the self-deprecatingly sweet funked-up indie electro-pop hit shares a dilemma that every non-muso diehard romantic will have been stung by, the compulsion to write and sing a love song despite a discernible lack of musical talent.

Maybe ironically, maybe entirely purposefully, the Polish singer-songwriter who is currently residing in the UK crafted the kind of love song that everyone who is lucky enough to be head over heels will want to put on a playlist for the objects of their desire. By switching between rap-style spoken word verses and auto-tuned harmonies in the chorus, even if there was weight to the claim that Hofman can’t sing, it would never have soured the soundscape that is as electrifying as a Daft Punk hit.

I Can’t Sing debuted on September 8th; fall in love with it via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jazz meets chiptune in Samuel Weaver’s latest score, Saviour Complex

Posted on 28 August 2023

With touches of House of Fun by the Madness grooving through the polyphonic funk of the jazz & chiptune amalgam, the UK-based artist Samuel Weaver concocted a superfluously ingenuity-driven score for the standout single in his debut album, Telechora!

Hitting play on Saviour Complex may be moderately akin to an acid trip due to the artist’s tendency to delve into sonic novelty despite his discernible composition and instrumental talents, but the euphoria-instilled vibrancy of the soundscape will lift you higher than any tab of acid ever could.

Given that intellectualism oozes from every progression, especially when the dissonance of sufferers with saviour complexes starts to manifest in the funk, at 17 years old, the composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has the music industry at his prodigal feet.

Saviour Complex charged in on its white knight syndrome on August 19th; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whitelocust funked it up to the rafters in their debut rock-licked hit, Your Way

Posted on 6 August 2023

The London-hailing prodigal sons Whitelocust brought the funk rock rapture with them when they released their debut single and music video, Your Way, on the 21st of July.

With the frontman emanating the energy of Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s Anthony Kiedis and the sultry grooves of early Faith No More material giving the raucousness a sensuous touch of soul, Your Way is a nostalgic rock revelation that will leave you itching for it to pour from your speakers once more from the first hit of the addictively vintage 70s grooves.

After starting out in 2021, Whitelocust hasn’t failed to garner all the right traction to give their illustrious career momentum. It is only a matter of time before they are revered as London’s premier funk-rock outfit – especially after this juggernaut of a strong debut that will reel you in hook, bassline, and sinker.

Stream the official music video for Your Way on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kat Caroline’s funk-disco-pop amalgam, Sugar Lips, is the perfect sonic summer cocktail

Posted on 31 July 2023

If you haven’t had the honey from Kat Caroline’s sophomore single, Sugar Lips, oozing from your speakers yet, you can’t say you’ve heard the hottest pop hit of the summer.

With creatively modernised vintage disco grooves oscillating through the funk-bolstered hit and the sensuously sweet energy that emanates from the lyrics, vocals and sun-soaked melodies, Kat Caroline is the ultimate alt-pop siren in Sugar Lips, which is more than reflected by the attention the single has garnered since its official debut in May 2023.

The Nile Rodgers-esque guitar chops against the retro pop beats and Kat’s ethereally glassy vocal lines that easily command all of the conceivable senses fused together to create the perfect sonic summer cocktail.

Stream Sugar Lips on Spotify & YouTube and keep up to date with the latest earworms from the US-based one-woman pop powerhouse.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Likeable funky pop duo East Eden drops those tasty mellow vibes on Cielo

Posted on 9 July 2023

With a fun beat and kind energy which will get those feet tapping, East Eden shall calm all sad hearts with a lovely single which must surely be played over and over on Cielo.

East Eden is an East Hampton, USA indie duo who love to remedy our shattered hearts with a pop/funk blend like no other as they continue to broaden our minds.

Inspired by the late great Amy Winehouse, Sly and the Family Stone, Vulfpeck, Kanye West and more, East Eden is the kind of music group that does this for all the right reasons. This is pure stuff and is surely a must-listen for anyone who likes things rather chilled. Fresh all the way, we have found a hugely affable song to hold hands with all night.

Cielo from East Hampton-based funk/pop duo East Eden shall mellow the soul and give lonely hearts something to believe in. This is easy listening at its best. It’s flashy-free and lovable, just like a waterfall at the end of a hike on a summer’s day. Good for the soul and body-healing.

Turn this up and feel free again.

Hear more on SoundCloud.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Aza.B dawned a new era of electronica in his deep house disco anthem, Funkin’ You Up

Posted on 26 June 2023

Lincolnshire, UK-hailing DJ and producer Aza.B’s raucously funked third single, Funkin’ You Up, grooves with big beats and even bigger blasts of euphoria.

After a blazing sax solo, the momentum starts to build in the vibrant electronica tapestry, which grooves through entrancing disco rhythms and the irreplicable atmosphere of deep house to construct a galvanising anthem that could only have been assembled in Aza.B’s wheelhouse of authenticity.

After getting a taste of different EDM scenes and cutting his teeth in many of them as a DJ and producer, Aza.B developed an understanding and passion for a myriad of genres before melding them into bespoke testaments to his boundless creativity. While other producers are attempting to go mainstream or fit into the confines of niches, Aza.B took the less pedestrian route with his interstellar productions to dawn a new era in electronica.

Funkin’ You Up hit the airwaves on June 16th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Karan Karma has unveiled his scorcher of a sophomore disco-funk RnB pop hit, Dangerous

Posted on 18 June 2023

The Essex, UK singer-songwriter, Karan Karma, turned up the heat enough to trigger another heatwave with his disco & funk-infused RnB pop sophomore single, Dangerous.

His infectiously salacious soprano vocal lines will make him an instant hit with any fans of the King of Pop, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth; he comes into his innovative own through the disco grooves, which are as slick and stylish as the ones found in Red Rum Club’s chart-topping hits.

Reminiscences aside, Karan Karma established himself as one to watch through the precision in the balance between commercial appeal and creative autonomy. Using his own voice instead of assimilating another’s, he’s easily one of the most authentic artists in the UK pop circuit. For more slices of soul, slap him on your radar.

Dangerous is now available to stream on Spotify and YouTube via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ease the Pain: Sound Liberation are at its brilliant best on Time Does Not Bring Relief

Posted on 13 June 2023

Taken off the brand new 10-track album and 9th studio release called Better Now, Sound Liberation are rather excellent on the brand new single to hug our heart, Time Does Not Bring Relief.

Led by composer/rapper Gene Pritsker, Sound Liberation is a Composers Concordance Records-signed indie band that loves to explore soul, jazz, RnB and so much more with glorious energy.

Delighting all senses into a much better planet away from all the smoggy confusion, Sound Liberation has made a special single which will ease the mood of millions. This is must-listen stuff, which is a comforting release which will please those who love an old-school single made with scintillating significance.

Time Does Not Bring Relief from the USA music-fusion project Sound Liberation is a rather superb display from excellent musicians who seem to only get better like fine wine. Delightfully true to their craft and calming all scared cats into a zone of mellowness, this is a stunning effort made with an expert appeal.

If the day has been tough, this is the kind of release to soak in a hot bath with the volume on full.

Turn up more good vibes on Spotify.

See the vibrant adventures on Twitter.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Rise and Shine: The Board of Directors drop the freshest debut to sip on rather sweetly in the sunshine, We

Posted on 13 June 2023

Inspiring us all to be ourselves and not let anything get in the way of true happiness despite all the small-minded opinions ruining our moods like an onion in the eye, The Board of Directors have made a marvellous first impression to alleviate all trepidations away on the tremendously soulful debut, We.

The Board of Directors is a New York City-based 6-piece powerhouse group that loves to fuse different genres such as pop, funk, RnB and soul to make their music rather delightfully incomparable.

Calming all anxious nerves away like a waterslide day out with family and friends on a summer’s day, The Board of Directors have made an important gem which is a meaningful track to turn up loud for all ages. Vocally sweet and lyrically on point, to open up minds and bring us back to a better place in time.

We from New York City-based 6-piece band The Board of Directors is a jam-this-all-night-no-matter-what song to help us all meditate the stress far away. Stunning our hair into a happier place and taking us into a much more content world, this is a pick-me-up experience to wash all scars away in a few minutes.

If you’re looking for a single with unity, this is the winner to turn up loud.

Hear this fine new single on Spotify.

Find out more on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Ipe defied the laws of gravity in his funk-grooved feat of disco-pop, Stratosphere

Posted on 7 June 2023

If you could imagine what the output would be if Nile Rodgers, Nic Hanson, and Daft Punk stepped into the studio together, you will get an idea of the electrifying funk-grooved euphoria which organically spills from the latest single from the Chicago-based singer-songwriter and producer, Ipe.

Stratosphere is the ultimate euphonic aphrodisiac for the way the cosmic lyricality lifts you higher than the upbeat instrumentals, which pay an ode to the heritage of disco while bringing in an electrifying new wave of pop.

The infectiously enlivened vocal lines from Ipe, who has been racking up tens of thousands of Spotify streams since making his debut in 2019, are the ultimate aural pick-me-up. His hedonistically honeyed vocal lines are all you need to get in the groove.

Stream Ipe’s latest single, Stratosphere, on all major platforms via this link

Review by Amelia Vandergast