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Bristol

U.V.P – Spread Your Wings featuring LiBa: Entrancingly Progressive Leftfield Electronica

Posted on 14 June 2020
https://uvpmusic.bandcamp.com/track/spread-your-wings-feat-liba

Bristol, UK-based Electronica artist and producer U.V.P dropped their latest track Spread Your Wings in collaboration with LiBa on June 12th.

The seductively structured feat of artfully downbeat electronica may be slow to start, but the extended mix carries an arsenal of progressive innovation. After building up to an entrancingly danceable sun-soaked soundscape, Spread Your Wings guides you through a myriad of progressions, each is as adrenalizing as the last.

LiBa’s distinctive and almost genre-less vocals found perfect synergy with U.V.P’s deftly crafted beats and allowed collaborative chemistry to drip from Spread Your Wings.

We may not be celebrating summer dance hits in the usual way this year, but whatever mood the Leftfield earworm catches you in, it will definitely be sweeter by the time you get to the outro.

You can stream and purchase U.V.P’s track Spread Your Wings via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

PUNKETRONIC RELEASE THEIR NEW POP-SAVVY BALLAD ‘DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE?’

Posted on 26 April 2020

‘Do You Believe In Love?’ is the latest release by Bristolean pop rock band Punketronic, a pop-savvy ballad written by multi-instrumentalist Paul Tronic who’s said to “write and record nearly everything.”

Likely inspired by the likes of David Bowie and Roxy Music, the track is a sing-along tune from the perspective of a true believer of love – of how love can set us free and how it’s eventually worth fighting for “if you believe in love like me.”

It features mellow guitar harmonies and string melodies in a perfect ballad-y combination in addition to a Beatles-like piano that very originally completes the sound.

Check out ‘Do You Believe In Love?’ on Soundcloud.

Review by Jim Esposito.

Bristol Based Trap Pop Artist TX Has Dropped Their Latest EP “Change”

Posted on 20 November 2019

“Change” is just one of the melodically magnetic singles featured on Bristol-based Trap Pop artist TX’s latest four-track EP of the same name. With the EP they’ve demonstrated that they have the lyrical wit and the infectious instrumental hooks to take the scene by storm.

Not only does TX set themselves apart through their intricate multi-layered seamless beats, but their intellectual lyrical style constantly finds new ways of keeping you in awe of their introspection.

With the lyrical depth of Scroobius Pip and the sticky-sweet reminiscences of Post Malone’s sound, TX is perceptibly an artist putting on your radar. Their polished and synergistic sound is one thing; their ability to create tracks which hit as emotively hard as they do is quite another.

You can check out TX’s latest single Change for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Plastic Terras – How It Is: Exotically Vibrant Hip Hop

Posted on 30 March 2019

Bristol, UK may not be internationally known as a hot spot for Hip Hop, but Plastic Terras debut single “How It Is” may just be fresh enough to change that.

With the infusion of world beats, there’s a magnetic snaking rhythm to the single around layers of electronic effect which makes How It Is a track not only for Hip Hop fans, but for those who appreciate exotic electronica too. The intricate melodies create the perfect platform for Plastic Terras commanding rap bars which keep the perfect meter and rhyme while versing his lyrical ingenuity. Straight from the first verse of this radio-ready single it is perceptible that Plastic Terras has a massive amount of commercial potential for his ability to fuse genres to create a track which assimilates no other. Instead, it unravels through undiluted rhythm.

You can check out the latest track from Plastic Terras for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Rupees – Terror Lover: Your New Unapologetically Infectious Synth Rock Earworm

Posted on 5 December 2018

With The Rupees latest single “Terror Lover”, you have no time to hesitate in deciding whether the hook will snare you, straight from the prelude the sonic attack will take hold and lure you into the atmospherically raw single.

It comes as no surprise that the Bristol-based fourpiece have already been tearing up stages with the likes of bands such as Blossoms. With a soundscape as textured and anthemic as theirs, they can tear wholes out of the atmosphere. For any fans of the Klaxons, Kasabian and Arcade Fire – The Rupees are definitely a band that needs to be on your radar sooner rather than later. Their radio-ready sound hasn’t failed to be noticed by BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 and Sky TV. Expect to hear a lot more from them in 2019.

You can check out The Rupees latest single Terror Lover for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cut Throat Francis – I’m Not Ready: Entrancingly Up-Vibe Gypsy Swing

Posted on 28 November 2018

Cut Throat Francis’s latest single “I’m Not Ready” is everything that you could possibly ask for from an aural offering of Gypsy Swing folk. The Bristol-based rhythmically raw and resounding four-piece allows their sound to come alive through the tantalising progressions of acoustic strings with some of the most soulfully strong vocals I’ve heard. The vocals make it all too easy to slip into the powerful imagery which has been penned into the lyrics of I’m Not Ready whilst the tantalisingly upbeat rhythm is enough to lift you a concordantly high plateau. If there were more songs like I’m Not Ready on the radio, the world would irrefutably be a better place.

You can check out the official video to Cut Throat Francis’s latest single I’m Not Ready by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Promises Promises – What Love Is: Prodigally Pounding Electro Indie Pop

Posted on 24 May 2018

When’s the last time you heard Acid House in synergy with Indie Pop? No, I can’t say it happens for me a lot either which was why I was absolutely stoked to come across Promises Promises latest single What Love Is. Released on the 4th of May, the track has already gained deserved attention for Promises Promises ability to create one of the most immense mixes I’ve heard dropped this year.

The Bristol based Electronic Pop 4-piece powerhouse of musicians have a command over the fluidity of sound that you don’t hear orchestrated all too often. Their dynamic approach is quite literally a breath of fresh air. Jonny Marenghi’s soaring lead vocals over the beat hit the perfect pitch to let the sentimentality behind the lyrics really resonate. It’s bands like Promises Promises who prove that guitar music isn’t dead. They’ve brought it into a brand new arena, as much as I love a good 808 beat there’s just no substituting for the smack of a drum stick on a skin.

You can catch the official video to What Love Is on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leo Wood – My Luck: An Unfathomably Stunning Mix of DnB, Folk & Blues

Posted on 7 March 2018

I’m absolutely stumped trying to figure out a way to describe Leo Wood’s stunning sound in her debut single My Luck. Sure, it mixes DnB with Pop, Soul, Blues and Acoustic Folk, but hearing that fusion for the first time from such a strong female voice is an experience of pure aural alchemy that you definitely will want to check out for yourself. The funk of the bass contrasts against the more synthy elements of DnB, which creates a rich, perplexing sound that you can’t help slipping into. If you mixed Scroobius Pip with The Sugababes you might get somewhere close to the idea of Leo Wood’s unfathomably stunning sound.

Leo Wood is a Bristol, UK based songwriter and vocalist that uses her sound to test the boundaries of the acoustic and electronic partnership. There was clearly no rulebook in sight when Leo Wood set out to make her debut track My Luck instead, she took her own inspirations, classical training and penchant for Blues and Soul to create a truly pioneering sound.

You can check out the stunning official video to My Luck on YouTube using the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYPYcjpDBEQ

Follow Leo Wood on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LeoWoodOriginal

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Taking a Trip With Blacksmith

Posted on 18 January 2018

If you can’t trust hip-hop to have something to say then who can you trust? Sure, it has come a long way since it was born as an urban underground voice on America’s toughest streets but even when found separated from its  place of birth both in time and distance it is still at its best when it has something useful to say.

Bristol’s Blacksmith uses this platform to muse on the journey of life, the twists and turns, the highs and lows, the expected and the surprising. The lyrics are poetic, a lesson to fellow would be writers seeking to document our existence in a similar musical way that the words can stand alone from the music if done right, the raps are confident and the track behind it all is surprisingly intricate, deft and musically well threaded without taking any of the spot light away from the message which sits front and centre.

Ngaio Releases “See Them” – A Neo-Soul And Hip-Hop Blend Of Sonorities

Posted on 20 December 2017

Based in Bristol Ngaio is an artist with a very specific set of musicianship skills. She is not only capable of writing her own songs but she can also perform and mix them herself in a very immersive and compelling manner for the listener. Her latest track “See Them” features a luscious blend of neo-soul melodies and vocal fluctuations with a steady hip-hop beat which together create a smooth texture that is reminiscent of several great artists like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu who were indeed an inspiration in the making of this track.

“See Them” is just one of those tracks that anyone ill enjoy listening too. it is gentle and smooth with enough vocal ad-libs and rhythmic variations to keep the listener interested throughout. Apart from this, what is most striking about the song is the vocal delivery itself. Blending in a soulful mixture of tone colours with influences in jazz, soul and r&B, Ngaio manages to create a very unique sound that is one of a kind. Apart from this, the song also presents a catchy chorus that is fun and singable with a hint of pop melodic phrases in the mix as well. Overall Ngaio is showing everyone that she is not only capable of conceptualising her own sound but also of creating it from scratch! Give “See Them” a listen!

-Sarah Marie Bugeja