Tag: Santa Fe NM

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Brazilian-born, Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Rafa Mura, initially relocated to Berlin when he was 18 years-old to study Computer Science. And while in school, he built a home studio in his dorm room. After dropping out of college to pursue a music degree, Mura started his own recording project Shimizu, which sees him blending both analog and electronic music, playing most of the instrumentation and then often resampling the material to craft a sound that has been described as a warm hug and as he puts it, “sad songs to dance to,” while being heavily influenced by Brazilian music.

With Shimizu, Mura has collaborated with different artists from across the Berlin scene, including A.K.A. Kelzz, Rosa Landers, Ish and more.

“MinuteSpent” sees the rising Brazilian-born, Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist and producer continuing to collaborate with an eclectic collection of artists in the local scene. In this case:

  • Luminiah, a Santa Fe, NM-born, Berlin-based musician and singer/songwriter. A third generation musician and singer/songwriter, the Santa Fe-born, Berlin-based artist grew up singing folk sand the blues with both her father and grandfather. As a solo artist, Luminiah’s work is inspired by the likes of Erykah Badu and Cleo Sol and sees her blending elements of neo-soul, R&B and folk.
  • Charlotte Colace, a Berlin-based Cuban-French neo-soul singer/songwriter, whose work possesses a distinctive rock ‘n’ roll edge. Colace is currently a backing vocalist and percussionist for local act Stella & The Longos and a member of the acclaimed singer/songwriter choir A Song For You. And as a solo artist, her brutally honest and emotionally charged lyrics provide a raw, sensitive and thoughtful perspective on the world.

Sonically “MinuteSpent” is a woozy blend of baile funk and footwork featuring glitchy and jazzy breakbeats paired with glistening Larry Levan-like arpeggiated synths serving as a lush and soulful bed for Luminiah’s and Colace’s yearning and soulful vocals and harmonies. The song manages to capture the blissful yet obsessive emotions of a budding romance, where the time you’ve spent with that special somehow never quite feels sufficient — and you long for them constantly.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Maddy Boyd is a Santa Fe-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, who cut her teeth with stints in indie rock outfits Current Joys and Surf Curse. In 2019, afterplaying over 150 sold-out shows, Boyd left both bands to pursue her solo recording project Your Angel. That same year. she released her full-length debut, Pipe Dream.

Boyd’s sophomore Your Angel album A Star in the Headlights is slated for a March 17, 2023 release. So far, two of the album’s previously released singles “You Never Say Sorry” and “Misbehave” have received praise from the likes of Consequence, NYLON, and Notion among others.

A Star in the Headlights‘ third and latest single “Good Girl” is a slow-burning Quiet Storm-like bop centered around an atmospheric production featuring lush and glistening synths, skittering beats paired with Boyd’s plaintive and yearning cooing and her unerring knack for catchy hooks. While sonically bringing JOVM mainstays like ACES, Beacon, and others to mind, the song as Boyd explains is ” . . . about dating someone, who always has their sights set somewhere else. It’s about the feeling of spending all of your time with someone and still feeling profoundly alone.”