Browsing Tag

experimental

DAlcon threaded the resolve of resilience through his latest alt-hip-hop track, Keep Going

DAlcon, the London-based rapper who split his upbringing between the UK and Spain, isn’t waiting for permission to redefine expectations. After capturing headlines in May 2022 by setting a Guinness World Record for the Longest Rap Marathon (39 hours, 37 minutes, and 45 seconds) and drawing attention from outlets like the BBC and Sky News, he now turns adversity into artistry. Health struggles, home eviction, and mental conflict only sharpened his resolve, pushing him to blend natural ambience with hip-hop to form his own authentic signature.

His latest single, Keep Going, plays out as a collaboration with the raw textures of nature rather than another industry-dominating name. There’s almost a sliver of Crazy Town’s Butterfly threaded through the soundscape and a whisper of Linkin Park’s lyrical potency woven in, but don’t expect a simple homage. DAlcon channels these influences to deliver an anarchic twist of future-focused ingenuity. Amidst an era when so many wear victimhood like a safety net, his lyrical grit calls listeners to account, reminding them that self-responsibility trumps complacency.

Each note surges with resilience, each lyric challenges the culture of blame. The emotive orchestration consoles while the words ignite. It’s a bold testament to the idea that no matter how scorched the earth, new seeds can grow if you choose not to surrender.

Stream the official music video for Keep Going on YouTube now, or go further in your support for DAlcon by purchasing the single on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

PRI// Talks Sonic Freedom, Narrative Albums, and What’s Coming in 2025 – An Exclusive Interview

In this exclusive interview with PRI//, the boundary-pushing artist reflects on a year of bold sonic narratives and lyrical honesty that’s set the tone for what’s to come in 2025. Known for leaning into instinctive creativity and crafting albums that feel thematically cohesive yet unshackled by convention, PRI// explores themes of solace, self-expression, and connection through music. With a glimpse into the upcoming releases and a promise to amplify the visual element alongside the sound, PRI// offers a candid look at the passion and process driving their artistry.

PRI//, welcome to A&R Factory! Thanks for the opportunity to connect with you as you close out a hyper-productive year! What’s been the highlight of 2024 for you?

So many highlights but I have really enjoyed creating my albums – bodies of work which have told complete narratives from start to finish. Not quite concept albums but almost. I’m thinking of Begging, Manufacture and Vagina Den Tata.

I’ve also enjoyed developing a bit more in the live setting on TikTok and leaning into the visual elements too. There are exciting things to come!

We love that you’re not afraid to go bold with your tracks and track titles; how does it feel to be so free through sonic expression? 

 I think it’s important to hold true to your instincts when you are an artist creating, you need to be aligned with that little voice inside and honour it, without trying to stifle it!

If you had to name one, what’s the main component which ties your eclectic discography together? 

I think the common thread is…me! Ha ha! People also seem to respond to the lyrics, and that is really great to hear. I want to create a body of work, a body of work that can help people, that can soothe them in times of distress and make them feel less alone.

Where do you typically find your lyrical inspiration? 

Everyday life. Or it can be something I read or watch. A line of dialogue will set me off. Or it can be something that someone says or the way someone looks. It can take me by surprise.

You’ve teased a string of upcoming releases in 2025; can you give us an inside view into what will be dropping onto the airwaves? 

There’s more stuff coming and I’ll be leaning into the visual element more. I don’t want to give too much away but it’s an exciting time!

How did these tracks come to fruition? 

I am spinning a lot of plates, so I try to use my time in a productive way but that also feels free and conducive to making something honest. So I like to have my instruments on hand and easily accessible to create when the spirit moves me

How do these singles tie into your broader ambitions? 

My main ambition is to create music that makes people feel less alone that is like a virtual hand, held out to give support. The artists I love have been like that for me.

Stream PRI// on Spotify.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

TEX entranced the airwaves with the lush lo-fi ambience in ‘Wolves on Pike Street’

TEX by TEX

Wolves on Pike Street by TEX allows lush lo-fi trip-hop ambience to place you in a sonic clearing where birds call amid syncopated beats, their gentle presence woven through ripples of reverb. There’s a natural stillness at the core, yet the pulsing rhythms lure you into a trance-like focus, making you feel every subtle shift in tone.

Just before the track settles into calm, sermon-like indietronica vocals rise. These hushed tones arrive before fresh scintillation refracts through the melody, dousing the arrangement in subtle luminescence. Vibes, soul, and euphony form the triadic pillars, supporting what almost feels like an extension of the universe itself.

Hailing from Cape Town, Johnny Tex—born in 1985—the family man who cherishes his own solitude, experiments with colour and sound alike, crafting music purely out of love, hoping to inspire at least one other soul to reach for creative release. Safe to say he succeeded in his mission with Wolves on Pike Street which constructs a sonic sanctuary for the rhythmic pulses.

Stream and purchase Wolves on Pike Street via Bandcamp now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Avant-Garde Alt-Pop Sensation Mitchell Zia Struck Again with His Jekyll and Hyde Hit, ‘accelerating’

With almost 80k monthly listeners behind him on Spotify and 157.4k followers on TikTok, the Avant-Garde Dark Electronic Pop sensation Mitchell Zia’s trajectory through the industry since his official debut in 2019 is the definition of a modern success story.

His standout single, accelerating, uses a baroque cabaret pop prelude as an opening salvo before introducing his vocals, which send tremors of deep, dark reverberations throughout the entire mix, easily overpowering the thrum of the basslines and the trappy beat. Weaving light back into the mix, the swanky piano keys ephemerally reintroduce themselves as Zia’s vocal lines chameleonically transform into an infectious pop timbre.

The way the single continues to switch in tone is enough to whip up a schizophrenic frenzy in the single which never allows you to feel complacent within the helter-skelter production. It’s enough to leave you with no room to wonder why Mitchell Zia is dominating the contemporary pop scene.

Accelerating is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slip into the hypersonic vortex of Peach Giraffe’s latest experimental track, Intertwined

https://youtu.be/naEFngCu_2w?si=RpNo9ZUkg64hUqLS

Peach Giraffe’s new single, “Intertwined,” is a masterful blend of skate punk, hyper-pop, trap nuances, and a touch of Arcade Fire, creating a vortexical kaleidoscope of avant-garde electronica. The grungy and antagonised vocal lines sink into this eclectic mix, stitching “Intertwined” with a mind-altering amalgam of aural aesthetics.

This daring combination cements Peach Giraffe as one of the most bold, indomitable, and fearlessly innovative artists in the alternative music scene. As genre lines blur in “Intertwined,” Peach Giraffe’s commitment to sonically visualising emotional themes shines through. The single is a lyrically poetic exposition of a relationship where distance doesn’t necessitate disconnection, despite the ambiguous parameters that could easily send the mind into a spiral with too much contemplation.

Peach Giraffe’s approach to music is an unforced journey of experimentation, spanning over a decade. His process involves piecing together a puzzle of sounds and ideas, driven not by genre constraints but by spontaneous inspiration. “Intertwined” is a testament to this organic and free-flowing approach to music creation. It’s a track that doesn’t just fit into the alternative music scene; it stands out as a bold statement of Peach Giraffe’s unique and unbridled creativity.

Intertwined reached the airwaves on March 10; stream the official music video on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Duality resounds in Touch By Mirror’s cultivation of ethereal visceralism, ‘Send Flowers’

Touch by Mirror’s latest single ‘Send Flowers‘ from the EP ‘A Fox is a Wolf Who Sends Flowers‘ is definitive proof that there are always new intersections to explore in alt-rock. This 6-minute track transcends far beyond the ordinary bounds of sound; the genius lies in its masterful contrast: the raw, overdriven guitars clash and harmonise with ethereal electronica melodies, crafting a visceral and delicate atmosphere in the same progressive breath.

Juxtapositions in the same vein resound in the vocal chameleonic finesse as the vocals oscillate between the grungy rawness of Kurt Cobain and the haunting, melancholic harmonies that echo the legendary Ian Curtis of Joy Division and Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen. This vocal duality adds layers of emotional depth, making each listen a compelling discovery through the corridors of Touch By Mirror’s creativity.

The South African artist’s rapidly growing discography is a haven for true music aficionados. His experimental soundscapes are not just heard; they take listeners on a journey through varied sonic landscapes.

Remarkably prolific, Touch by Mirror has already graced 2024 with an EP and an LP within the first three months; most artists would kill to know the secret to his unfaltering creativity and alchemically affecting ingenuity.

Stream Send Flowers on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mercy Vibe – Funkymamabass: A Bold Instrumental Leap into RnB’s Unchartered Waters

Mercy Vibe’s latest single, ‘Funkymamabass‘, is a bold, unorthodox RnB foray. This track, released mere months into her career, showcases a daring blend of soulful melodies and experimental beats, marking her as a trailblazer to keep on your radar.

The single opens with an audacious, distorted intro, reminiscent of a radio lost between stations, before plunging into a rhythmically rich terrain. Mercy Vibe’s mastery in fusing 80s soul with contemporary RnB is evident as she weaves spiritual, transcendent tones into the fabric of the track. The result is a captivating soundscape that both challenges and charms the listener.

‘Funkymamabass’ stands out for its heavy, funk-infused bass lines that anchor the track while the soulful melodies float above, creating a scintillating juxtaposition. This instrumental piece is a testament to Mercy Vibe’s avant-garde approach as she fearlessly navigates through the intersections of RnB and soul.

Mercy Vibe, hailing from the Midwest, brings a fresh perspective to the genre. Her commitment to breaking musical boundaries and her advocacy for copyright protection highlight her as not just an artist, but a visionary in the industry. Her collaborative spirit and dedication to her craft shines through in this release.

While ‘Funkymamabass’ may not align with traditional RnB tastes, it is a must-listen for those who appreciate innovation in music.

Stream Funkymamabass on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Isabelle Mettle charted new constellations of soul with her interstellar track, Jupiter and Mars

Isabelle Mettle

In the cosmos of contemporary RnB, Isabelle Mettle’s latest single, ‘Jupiter and Mars’, is a celestial defiance of the ordinary. From the outset, the track asserts its uniqueness with stabbing synths and spacey euphonic iconography. The influence of Erykah Badu, Prince, Jill Scott, and Blood Orange is palpable in Mettle’s work, yet she transcends these inspirations to assert herself as a firebrand of a visionary.

Mettle, a London native, brings the city’s rich musical heritage into play in her latest release by weaving the rhythmic beats of RnB with the smooth sophistication of jazz. Her soulful sound is a reflection of an artist who has not only mastered her craft but also knows how to push boundaries. The track’s transition from a strikingly future-embracing intro into a melodious groove is seamless, with Mettle’s divine vocal lines adding a touch of classic soul to the stylistically rich composition.

What sets ‘Jupiter and Mars’ apart is its ability to straddle genres effortlessly. The track sits comfortably between the raw, unfiltered energy of Brooke Combe and the ethereal, dream-like quality of Warpaint. Mettle is not just following trends; she is setting them in constellations of her own making.

Jupiter and Mars will come into Earth’s orbit and hit the airwaves on February 23rd.

Stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NÍNIVE – Aleluya: Celestial Permission to Shed the Weight of Emptiness

After making one of the strongest debuts of 2023, the Ecuadorian Alt-Pop conduit of cinematic experimentalism, NÍNIVE, has returned to the airwaves with her sophomore single, Aleluya, created in collaboration with the world-renowned producer, Enrique Gonzalez Müller.

There’s not just something in the ethereal atmosphere of Aleluya; the intricate complexities within the explorative instrumentals as they oscillate, glitch and melodiously flow are dynamite to the rhythmic senses as they create a beguiling platform for NÍNIVE’s celestial vocal timbre.

As the deeply confessional single professes the weight of internal emptiness, the transcendence within the production is permission to free yourself from that feeling and let light and colour into your soul through resilience, love and awareness of inner beauty. The sonic meditation is the ultimate antidote to the agony of our current era, which makes it so hard to find meaning and fulfilment. We can’t wait to hear what the superlative songstress constructs next.

Aleluya was officially released on February 2nd; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

djamesk13 weaved scathing socialism into a grungy dreamscape with ‘Everything Is Certain – Your Majesty’

The London-based solo artist, djamesk13, is no stranger to the arenas of Avant-Garde alt-rock, but for his latest release, Everything Is Certain – Your Majesty, he went deeper into the domain than ever before while exploring our strained relationships with high society.

While we used to look at royalty and other figures of the elite ruling class with awe, the tables are gradually turning on the perception shared by the masses. Simply put, Everything Is Certain – Your Majesty is a socialist masterclass, but instead of running in the same vein as the Manic Street Preachers, djamesk13 orchestrated a dreamy grungy dreamscape to run his reflective lyricism through.

How can you be magnificent when we can buy you” will go down as one of my favourite lyrics of all time, and for the way the instrumentals and ethereally sludgy vox juxtapose the lyrical sting, Everything Is Certain – Your Majesty became an unforgettable release; a paragon of the post-grunge movement.

Everything Is Certain – Your Majesty was officially released on January 28th; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast