Browsing Tag

south london

Shojon has released their salaciously smooth RnB Pop single ‘Theorem’

Posted on 31 December 2020

A trappy R&B-styled mix of pop and soul, with some delicious sampled guitar lines and a salaciously smooth vocal from South London native Shojon – from his forthcoming project ‘Greenwich Views’ – is a sleek little mid-tempo track, polished and velvety with plenty to showcase Shojon’s chilled flow and urban, emo-rap style.

Shojon’s already making waves in the South London scene, following collaborations with Lady Leshurr, Maxsta, and Nolay, a performance at the O2 Academy in Islington, and over 150k Spotify streams; now, with a concept video directed by Craig Heathcote – a man well-known for producing storytelling ‘real-life’ videos giving a voice to marginalised and LGBTQ+ communities in London. Shojon’s ‘Theorem’ takes a walk through part love-story, part mental health journey, the video itself showing a modern day cupid balancing the emotions of those he comes across on a Greenwich walk. Shojon currently works with the mental health charity Mind to raise awareness for mental health issues; ‘Theorem’ is a cracker of a track that should go a long way to doing that all by itself.

You can see the video for ‘Theorem’ on YouTube, and follow Shojon here or on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

The mysterious traveler: Wandsworth emcee/producer Mr Halcyon drops real consciousness on ‘Moonless Dark’

Posted on 12 December 2020

Mr Halcyon is a superb South London based rapper and producer who is on a mission to get his music out to the world. He returns with the mind-bending and brilliant ‘Moonless Dark’.

‘’A unique individual who travels thru time; exploring social economic issues whilst drawing his opinions on spirituality, youth violence and governmental conspiracy theories.’’- Mr Halcyon

His DIY Trip Hop beats sizzle like a steaming full English breakfast, the fusion with Hip Hop instrumentals that slips in some acoustic rock, UK drill and trap; this is a packed full meal that you will fill up that empty stomach and open your mind.

When you have influences such as the excellent conscious rapper/activist Akala and the tremendous creativity of Jam Baxter, you know that this is a going to be a song with actual meaning and not a bubble gum piece of chewy music that only lasts a few minutes. This is that style of music that is memorable and so gritty, with that real storytelling aura that you don’t hear much these days unless you dig really deep.

Packed full of street stories from an emcee that sees the bigger picture and actually knows what is truly going on real-time, not what the news says, as that can be twisted into knots and suit whoever is pulling the strings. Social issues and gang violence topics are brought up here which is sadly a massive issue in the UK currently.

His bars are hard and dark, this is that shadow in the night music to play when you are cruising with the crew late in the evening, looking around to make sure you are safe and no one is following you. The paranoid Hip Hop style is alarmingly in your face and he gets your heartbeat right up to the max.

South London’s Mr Halcyon drops one of the best UK tracks 2020 has seen on ‘Moonless Dark’. His lyrical armor is heavy and he shreds most emcees easily with his almost-wizardry wordplay, that is what this genre needs. The current climate in the UK is a reflection of this song, with confusion and mistrust only growing strong by the day. This is a standout effort from an artist who is only just getting started and shows why UK Hip Hop is the best in the world and has taken over from the mostly watered down rap from across the sea.

Hear this gem on Spotify and follow his music journey on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

A wonderland of sounds to dance to: South London multi-genre outfit Joe the Lion drop double A-side single ‘Fashion/Machine’

Posted on 29 November 2020

Joe the Lion from South London are back with more top class music on ‘Fashion/Machine‘. They are the band that are so nice, they put out two songs at once. With a blues guitarist, rock bassist, jazz saxophonist and hip-hop drummer all meshing their influences into one melting pot, that produces a tasty meal that will definitely fill up your empty stomach.

His voice strolls in casually like a Sunday afternoon as he is backed up by a sound that is rich in variety and so much soul you might blush so much. This is carefully crafted and polished music for the proper fan who appreciates the electric mix of memories this type of sound brings out.

The solos are quite brilliant and it’s easy to forget your mind map and get lost here as you gaze at the stars and wonder why this kind of music isn’t loved more. You smile and chuckle to yourself and remember that great taste in music is something you are born with.

Both of these songs are excellent, however ‘Machine’ might just edge it like a Joe Root cover drive to the boundary. The extra oomph blusters through the speakers as the band take over and grab the vocals with them.

This is a hot plate of goodness for the soul. Joe the Lion bring us ‘Fashion/Machine‘, a double decker of sonic explosion for the ears that we all need right now.

Listen on Spotify for the South London’s band latest track and see when they are live again via Facebook.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

South London emcee Dimzy blazes in with the devilishly brilliant ‘Burn It’

Posted on 10 September 2020

South London emcee Dimzy ups the standard of British Hip Hop with the excellent visuals for his latest single called ‘Burn It‘.

‘Burn It‘ is the latest single to come from Dimzy, member of UK drill group 67. With a brilliantly shot video to match its energy and sound, ‘Burn It‘ oozes authenticity and swagger with slick visuals and ominous trap-influenced beats. The official video premiered at the end of August with GRM Daily and has already hit over 300,000 views. Dimzy is on top form here and the results show. his flow is so tight and lyrically each word is carefully constructed throughout. I’d love to see him on a track with US emcees Roc Marciano or Wiz Khalifa, this UK emcee is up there with the very best in the game.

Originally written in the summer of 2019, Dimzy came back to the track this year with a fresh mindset and updated the lyrics to what you hear today. Finding an instrumental from Swayybeats which matched the beat in the most perfect way, Dimzy was able to reconstruct the single, producing a clear vision for the song. With extra time to make sure this track is exactly what he wanted, the extra time and effort is noticeable.

Hailing from South London, Dimzy is one of the rising stars of the UK Drill scene. A member of popular drill group 67, he has collaborated with a huge variety of artists including Giggs, and has consistently been releasing new music since 2017. Garnering a massive following on social media, Dimzy draws his fans in with his authenticity and the energy that he puts into his lyrics and live shows, maintaining the original spirit of his early days in music. With 67, he has won Best Mixtape Award and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards.

Dimzy clears away the competition here with this video and quality track with ‘Burn It’ and this is a track to play real loud in the car with the homies. An excellent beat to match the quality storytelling, this is one of the best Hip Hop tracks of 2020 without doubt.

Click here for the YouTube video.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Clapham band Matty Long and The LoveGuns raise the standard on ”Sunshine Love”

Posted on 24 July 2020

Matty Long and The LoveGuns are a 4-piece indie rock act from South London and these talented lads are back with the funky-fresh single called ”Sunshine Love”.

You will need to turn your phone off, put your shades on turn up the volume for this one. With the click of a tape being injected into the old school player, I got the feeling that this had to be a good song. This is indeed the case and the Clapham-based band press play on 2020 with this fine release. This is a summer track for sure, with the excellent guitar solo’s, raw vocals and rumbustious drums. This is a band on the rise and they know it.

”Sunshine Love” from Matty Long and The LoveGuns is about that summer love, good and bad decisions. This is a groovy song with world class musicianship from the fast-rising London band who must be itching to get back on stage.

Matty Long and The LoveGuns are one the UK’s most promising acts and they rock out to incredible heights on their new single. This is an essential listen indeed as the exciting band raise the standard of songs in 2020.

Click here to hear this top track on Spotify.

Facebook is the place to find out when the boys are live again.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Prince of Sweden pulls on the heart strings with live video of ”If You Speak to Her, Tell Her Thanks for Me”

Posted on 17 June 2020

Breakups are an emotional roller coaster and can really affect you for years. Perhaps forever. However, you can learn a lot about yourself and its important to cherish those good memories.

Prince of Sweden is a true indie folk singer-songwriter from South London and is emerging slowly but surely on the UK music scene. ”If You Speak to Her, Tell Her Thanks for Me” is the new release from this young musician and we are blessed to have a lyric video to watch.

Recorded at Stonepitts Farm, this is a beautifully sung live track and I really enjoy the simple video. This is a sad song and was captured perfectly. The message here is that Prince of Sweden (James Phippen) is grateful for the great times but knows that it’s over and time to move on.

Wearing a smart white jumper, Prince of Sweden encapsulates a man that is expressing his hidden pain about this new development. I like his voice a lot and would love to watch Prince of Sweden play live. This is the type of singer-songwriter that is low-key and not worries about being flashy on Social Media.

Let’s look for more songs from this real talent who is sure to shine on the local scene when pubs and venues open up again. He is a mysterious figure who will have his time to shine.

To find out more about future shows head to his Facebook page.

Click on this YouTube link to hear this beautiful song for this brilliant singer-songwriter from South London.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Upcoming female drill artist BeckMilli shows off her skills on ‘Do Road’

Posted on 26 May 2020

UK drill artist BeckMilli has released a new track ‘Do Road’: an impressive drill hit. 

As popular as drill is becoming in burgeoning out from its London roots, there’s still a healthy amount of new rappers on the scene – and one to definitely keep an eye on is BeckMilli. The South-London based rapper comes out strong with ‘Do Road’, and she flaunts some seriously impressive staccato drill flows on top of some supremely put together production. 

Where their track shines most is the production – with the track’s instrumental providing a wobbling drill 808 pivoting across the snare hits in the way that has made drill such a smash hit success, and ‘Do Road’ does very well in encapsulating why this sound is growing at such an astonishing pace. 

 You can listen to ‘Do Road’ on BeckMilli’s Soundcloud page.

SUR NATE has dropped his latest piece PO!SON !VY

Posted on 24 April 2020

SUR NATE has dropped his latest single ‘PO!SON !VY’’ combining that intriguing sound of Ambient RnB through this smooth and infectious track.

Beginning with a faded quiet vocal that slowly builds up the atmosphere and begins to creep up, as the vocals begin with the steady and slow rhythm that cuts through the background. The voice tends to fade away and falls behind the rhythm as that tends to overpower each element.

The vocals tend to get distorted in places as they flow in and out of the melody, keeping everything at a fairly relaxed pace and more on the quieter side in terms of volume.

Give this one a listen by SUR NATE as he embraces his RnB sound through this new piece.

Check out SUR NATE’s POISON IVY by heading on over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Karley Myall