Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: H2S04 Shares a Swaggering and Anthemic New Banger

Formed in Kent back in the late 90s, British electro pop act H2S04 — Graham Cupples (keys, programming), Darren Till (keys, programming) and James Butler (vocals, bass) — features a collection of accomplished musicians: Cupples previously led techno acts Mortal and Code. Till played with Cupples in Code. Butler contributed bass and vocals in indie rock act Lobster, which was once known as Sulpher.

Initially tracing their origins back to when they started experimenting with a series of remixes, the members of H2S04 began writing original material that blended electronica, rock and techno paired with a special attention to songwriting. Their debut single, 1998’s “Little Soul,” which featured a foreboding song, quickly became popular in English — and because of its extremely limited release, a collector’s item.

The British trio’s 1999 full-length debut Machine Turned Blues featured the aforementioned “Little Soul,” “I Need Feel,” “The Way I Want,” and “Imitation Leather Jacket,” a track that was a favorite among British DJs, while receiving radio play here in the States. The trio supported Machine Turned Blues by playing a series of festivals across the British festival circuit, including Glastonbury — and they played shows in Canada and Chicago.

2000’s Glamtronica saw the British trio further establishing their sound while adding a playful sense of satire to the mix. The act largely disappeared until 2015’s Under Control and 2021’s Love and Death.

“Fast Cars” H2S04’s first single of 2022 is centered around skittering tweeter and woofer ratting thump, buzzing synths, crooned vocals, relentless motorik groove and enormous, arena rock friendly hooks paired with a swaggering air. The end result is a song that sonically nods at Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers and Evil Heat era Primal Scream meant to be played as loud as humanly possible.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares Haalleycks Remix of “Bitrate Scale”

Last year, may have been among the most prolific and productive of LutchamaK‘s career to date. The French JOVM mainstay started the year with Pi, a full-length album written and recorded in at three-month inspired burst that resulted in some of the darkest and heaviest material, he has written and released to date. 

Then he released the Quest EP, an effort, which featured experimental yet very melodic material. A few months after that, he released Rapscallion, which featured the Radioactivity-era Kraftwerk meets 90s techno-like “James Blitz 007.” 

Then there was Seven Hybrids, which featured the hypnotic club banger “Moonbright,” and the Larry Levan house music-like “Davai.” He also released Threshold, which featured “Irie Vibrations,” a track that seemed to mesh elements of Lee “Scratch” Perry-like dub with club friendly trance and house and “Bitrate Scale,” a brooding yet hypnotic club banger that brought Tour de France era Kraftwerk to mind. 

The French JOVM mainstay closed out a busy 2021 with the Utopia EP, which featured the hypnotic and contemplative “You See” and the euphoric, Octo Octa-like “s.T. bahn.” 

LutchamaK starts off 2022 with a remix effort that features remixes of Threshold album single “Bitrate Scale” by three artists, who liked his work and wanted to create their own takes. Earlier this month, you might recall that I wrote about DNMK‘s deep house-leaning take on “Bitrate Scale” that features a brooding, murkier air than the original. Haalleycks contributes a trippy cosmic take on “Bitrate Scale” centered around thumping kick and glistening and oscillating synths that feels more like a complete rework of the original.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: Nina Simone

JOVM’s WIlliam Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Nina Simone.

women who kick ass by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: Billie Holiday

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Billie Holiday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: John Lee Hooker

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to John Lee Hooker.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: Earth, Wind & Fire

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Los Angeles’ Faux Real Shares an Infectious, Over-The-Top Banger

Faux Real is an emerging, Los Angeles-based electro pop duo, who specialize in bringing a swaggering American edge to Europop aesthetics. Their latest single “The United Snakes of America,” Faux Real’s latest single is an infectious and raucous party banger centered around autotuned harmonies, shimmering synth arpeggios, slapping Bootsy Collins like bass lines and shout-along-with-your-pals choruses.

While seeming like a slick synthesis of LMFAO and La Femme — there’s a fucking banjo solo after all! — “The United Snakes of America” is a politically-charged celebration of the power of community that revels in its hilarious, ridiculously over-the-top nature.

The recently released video for “The United Snakes of America” fittingly features the duo vamping and bopping around various sights in Los Angeles in a souped up limo — and fittingly a shit ton of snakes, both real and fake. Because snakes and ‘Murica.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Chemikkal is an emerging, Tampa-based producer and DJ, who has penchant for crafting infectious bangers meant to get people on their feet. His latest single, the balearic house-like “Decline U” continues a run of infectious, crowd pleasing bangers, centered around glistening synth arpeggios, self-assured and sultry vocals, tweeter and woofer rattling beats and some enormous Top 40 pop-like hooks. It’ll get you to the dance floor, I promise.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Gothenburg’s Firebreather Shares Scorching “Sorrow”

With the release of 2019’s sophomore album Under a Blood Moon, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Firebreather — currently, Mattias Nööjd (vocals, guitar), Axel Wittbeck (drums) and the band’s newest member Nicklas Hellqvist (bass) — found the band quickly establishing a raw, in-your-face and incendiary sound.

The Swedish doom metal trio’s third album Dwell in the Fog is slated for a February 25, 2022 release through RidingEasy Records. Much like their preceding two albums, Dwell in the Fog was recorded and mixed by engineer Oskar Karlsson at Gothenburg-based Elementstudion. The album’s material features a streamlined focus on driving, symphonic riffs in the vein of acts like High On Fire, Inter Arma and labelmates Monolord among others, while rumbling and raging with a fury that the band has only hinted at on their previously released material.

“The album is a cathartic journey inwards and a musical continuation from Under A Blood Moon, but with more emphasis on groove and feel,” the band’s Matthias Nööjd says in press notes.

Dwell in the Fog‘s third and latest single “Sorrow” is a furious and sludgy dirge centered around thunderous drumming, scorching riffs and tweeter and woofer rattling low-end paired with Nöörd’s guttural yet melodic howling. While arguably being among the hardest and most forceful songs I’ve written about so far this year, “Sorrow” evokes the frustration, heartache and despair of sorrow — and in turn, loss — with a simmering yet visceral fury.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Montreal’s Tess Roby Shares a Symbolic Visual for CInematic “Ideas of Space”

Montreal-based singer/songwriter and producer Tess Roby is a classically trained vocalist and self-taught synth player, who has developed and honed an exploratory sound and approach that blur the lines between pop, ambient electronica and alternative folk with an emphasis on voice as an instrument.

Roby’s sophomore album Ideas of Space is slated for an April 22, 2022 release through the Montreal-based artist’s own label SSURROUNDSS. The album reportedly sees Roby moving towards full artistic independence with the Montreal-based artist acting as songwriter, producer, musician, video director and art director.

Ideas of Space features guest spots from BRAIDS‘ Austin Tufts, Joseph Shabason and Ouri, who contribute drums, woodwinds and cello to add intricate textures to material centered around fuller-bodied production and expansive song structures. The album’s songs shift effortlessly from jubilant highs to contemplative lows, evoking the concepts of duality, which run throughout the album’s material.

The album’s first single, album title track, the mesmerizing “Ideas of Space” is centered around glistening and looping synth arpeggios, dramatic drumming paired with Roby’s achingly plaintive vocals. Sonically, “Ideas of Space” manages to recall to Kate Bush and Flourish//Perish era BRAIDS. “‘Ideas of Space’ signals the beginning of a new chapter. This song is hypnotic and sinuous, and sonically possesses a certain power and urgency,” Roby says in press notes. “When I listen to it I imagine vast landscapes, a climb, a journey. Two distinct voices speak to each other; one lost, questioning, and the other guiding the way. I wanted to visually represent those voices and the journey I was on while making this album; one of self-discovery, hardship, adventure and in the end, confidence and strength.” 

Directed by Roby, the fittingly cinematic visual that features Roby lost and wandering the forest near the Quebec coast in a white frock. Her journey is arduous and in the video’s narrative, seems to take days — with a night sleeping in the elements. Eventually she comes to a clearing. And in the clearing, she comes across a Stonehedge-like structure where she encounters herself — and is greeted with a warm and loving hug.

“The video was made with a small and incredible team composed of DOPs and editors Patrick Boivin and George Allister (VideoCompany), and producer Sarah Mackenzie,” says Tess Roby. “It was an ambitious undertaking and I’m very proud of what we have made together.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: B.B. King

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to the great B.B. King.

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Throwback: Black History Month: Mary J. Blige

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: Queen Latifah

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Queen Latifah.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: Roy Ayers

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History — and pays tribute to Roy Ayers.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: New York’s Say She She Takes Viewers on a Trippy Nighttime Tour of NYC

Deriving their name as a silent nod to the legendary Nile Rodgers — “C’est chi-chi! It’s Chic!” — the emerging funk and disco act Say She She features three accomplished, strong female lead vocalists: founding members Piya Malik, who has spent time in El Michels Affair, 79.5 and Chicano Batman; and Sabrina Cunningham; along with Nya Gazelle Brown, a former member of 79.5.

The emerging New York-based funk and disco outfit can trace their origins to when Malik and Cunningham found themselves living in the studio apartments directly above and below each other. The pair would hear each other singing through the floorboards and quickly became friends. “I knew the girl below me had the most beautiful voice as I would hear her early in the morning and she would hear me late at night. Between the two of us I don’t think we got a wink of sleep. Then again I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they moved to New York City to sleep,” Malik says in press notes.

After spending years singing in other people’s bands, Malik and Cunningham felt they were finally ready to step out into the spotlight with their own project, at first writing tongue-in-cheek songs about bad boyfriends, band breakups and bad politics.  Shortly after, they started writing much more serious and vulnerable tunes, like much-needed therapy sessions. And as result, their material is a journey through a post-modern woman’s life, full of tales of love, sex, heartbreak, betrayal and hope. A few years after starting the project, the duo recruited their close friend and Malik’s former 79.5 bandmate Nya Gazelle Brown to join them.

Sonically, Say She She’s sound nods at 70s girl groups — three strong female vocals paired with funky, disco-inspired arrangements played by a backing band featuring some of New York’s most talented and accomplished players, featuring former members of Antibalas, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaries, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Shacks, Twin Shadow and others. Locally, they’ve developed a reputation as a must-see live act, playing sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom, Nublu 151, Brooklyn Bazaar, C’Mon Everybody and Baby’s All Right among others.

Slated for release this fall through Karma Chief Records, an imprint of Colemine Records, Say She She’s self-titled, full-length debut was recorded on old tape machines in the basement studios of friends. The album features guest spots from The Dap Kings‘ Joey Crispiano and Victor Axelrod, The Shacks’ Max Shrager, Chicano Batman’s Bardo Martinez, Antibalas‘ and Superhuman Happiness‘ and Low Mentality’s Nikhil Yerawadekar, Twin Shadow’s Andy Bauer and NYMPH‘s Matty McDermot.

“Forget Me Not” serves as the New York-based act’s debut single — and their self-titled album’s first single. Featuring a strutting bass line, glistening wah wah pedaled funk guitar, fluttering flute and dreamy three part harmonies “Forget Me Not” is one part Patrice Rushen, one part Tom Tom Club’s “Gangster of Love,” one part ESG, one part Mary Jane Girls, centered around righteous feminist lyrics. Written as an homage to New York’s Guerrilla Girls and to all the women’s rights and protest movements, who have paved the way for change, the song is a call to disrupt and dismantle male dominated spaces.

Directed by Alyssa Boni, the recently released video for “Forget Me Not” follows the trio looking like a cabal of hood-wearing, almost all black wearing crew as they go through Lower Manhattan town posting stickers everywhere they can place them. We also see them dancing in East River Park, wandering through Little Italy and Chinatown and going through a detailed dance routine in various locations.