Browsing Tag

drake

Rap Goes Minimal With Uncle True



Posted on 5 November 2017

Rap music is built around big beats and bombast, vibrant sounds and lyrical onslaughts, right? Well, not always. With No Chain Uncle True shows us an alternative path one that is more about space and minimalism than the full on musical salvo’s that we have come to expect. Starting with lilting, almost music box piano tunes and haunting synth washes, even when the song kicks in properly it only adds skittering staccato beats and the rapped lyrics and little else.

It is the space that makes things more powerful, the focus is always on the lyrics and not on the usual studio gimmicks and technical trickery that many artists resort to. Where this fits in to the scheme of things is anyones guess but someone has to be the first to blaze a trail through new territory and that may well be Uncle True’s legacy. When ambient rap or whatever future journalist end up calling it is the fashion of the future, Uncle True will be the cult figure that every one will claim they heard first.

Jamie Benkert Talks Wasted Love

Posted on 19 October 2017

There are two types of maverick artists: the ones who adopt different styles as a way of switching costumes, and the ones who take a variety of musical concepts and subvert them wholly to their own ideas, and their own identities. Jamie Benkert is clearly the latter. Her new single aptly entitled, “Wasted Love,” is a musical conglomerate of creativity, passion, and breathtakingly beautiful interpretations of musical sensation.

The song couldn’t have a better title.  The instrumentation employs a wide range of orchestrated sounds, dancing from subtle pop influenced patterns, to symphony infused arrangements, back to whimsical guitars yielding harmonious moments of both beauty and tension. The score is erupting with musical genius. Jamie’s voice dances all over this rhythmic beauty, her voice is boisterous, light hearted, and fun. I love the musical breaks, and the fun lyrics, I could easily hear this song blaring out of the speakers of a college dorm, suburban home, or just a teeny bopping teenage who knows good music. Solid track.

Urban RnB Artist John Casper Releases Debut EP Smoking Blues

Posted on 20 September 2017

John Casper is a driven, passionate and charismatic artist with a unique approach to his music. His songs are melodic and catchy, yet energetic and uplifting, echoing the work of artists such as Drake, The Weeknd or Frank Ocean, just to mention but a few.

On his recent release, “Smoking Blues”, John mastered the fine art of writing songs that are deeply personal, yet easy to relate to. Smoking Blues is a particularly interesting release for its unique sonic signature, which remind me of the old school glory days of this genre, while looking at it from a more modern perspective.

I really love it when artists are able to re-contextualize music, exploring new ideas and combining their creativity with timeless structure, paying homage to their influences, while creating something completely original. To me, John Casper sounds like an artist who truly know where he is going, but who never lost track of where he actually comes from, in terms of sound and influences.

The artist managed to wrap up 5 exciting tunes that showcase a very open mind and an eclectic attitude, embracing influences from different genres, including pop, trap, neo-soul and R&B.

Morgan sets the bar with R&B track ‘Upgrade’

Posted on 26 August 2017

Singer and performer Morgan was aiming to set the bar higher with his most recent single, Upgrade – and we can certainly say he managed to accomplish that!

The track falls somewhere in between the beautiful melodies of R&B track and the energy of hip-hop, going for a unique approach that has the best elements from both words. The edgy 808-style beats and beautiful melodic synths are perfect to drive the sound of the music, making for a truly suitable backing track for Morgan’s unmistakable vocals.

His tone is clean, bright and lush, echoing the work of extraordinarily gifted performers, including Frank Ocean, Drake or even Prince, just to mention but a few. Morgan’s singing is a perfect showcase of his lyrical abilities, as well as his talent for crafting memorable melodies and hooks that will undoubtedly remain stuck in your head for quite some time to come.

Every element in this track is top-notch, ranging  from the audio production down to the lyrics, performance and the stunning cover photoshoot, executed to absolute perfection.

A Certain Energy releases ultra modern, hip-hop track ‘Know That’

Posted on 9 August 2017

Despite having turn his back on his early passion for music, rapper Shain Romanowski, better known as A Certain Energy, found that its seductive ways were never going to let him go and after one life changing moment was propelled back into its embrace. With an EP about to drop, Know That is the perfect calling card for his ultra modern, hip-hop driven rhymes.

He takes the classic themes of fame and fortune, singular devotion and the drive to make it but delivers them with more melody and intelligence than the genre has seen in a long time and when he sings of his ambitions, far from coming across as just another street corner wannabe with all the words and no plan, with A Certain Energy you are as convinced as he is that he will get there. It is easy to draw parallels with a certain Canadian hip-hop heavy weight but maybe following the Drake Equation is exactly the path to take.

A&R Factory Present: Faiza

Posted on 25 February 2017

She’s proving herself to be the next diamond out of the 6.

Toronto based artist Faiza emerged on the music scene back in 2014, with the release of her debut self titled EP. As soon as we heard about her latest single and video, we couldn’t wait to share it with all of you.

Her new single “Body Babe” has fresh sound and is nothing short of a smash.The fun and raw party record displays women confidently expressing their sexual agency without shame, it offers a refreshing take on the idea of “friends with benefits” to the Nextflix and Chill world we now live in.

The music video is set in a loft-style room with hues of blue and party vibes that will keep you going all throughout. Her infectious voice layered on top of the catchy melody will drive you to get attached to her musicality as soon as you reach the chorus.

twitter.com/blckgrlnxtdr
facebook.com/blckgrlnxtdr
instagram.com/blckgrlnxtdr

A&R Factory Present: Azad Right

Posted on 25 June 2016

Azad Right returns with a new single, “Special.” The follow up to introspective “Enough of You,” “Special” deals with the impact of Azad’s vulnerabilities that he describes on the former. Azad talks to the women he has been relationships with in the past, suggesting that things didn’t work out because they were never compatible to begin with. Despite this, the desperate search for someone “special” pushed him to fight for these doomed relationships and find a deeper bond that never existed.

“Special,” produced by Patrick Collier, showcases Azad’s knack for catchy melodies and songwriting, something he’s been honing while working as VP of the Mind Of A Genius camp . Sonically, it’s a promising sign for what’s ahead for the Los Angeles based artist.