Videos

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Sports Releases a Slinky New Single

Currently split between Los Angeles and Norman, OK, the acclaimed indie electro pop act Sports — Cale Chronister and Christian Theriot — can trace their origins back to when the duo met in grade school. Throughout their history together, they’ve honed and refined  their unique take on slinky and funky electro pop, with their first two albums, 2015’s Naked All The Time and 2016’s Can’t Stop Chillin, which featured a handful of critically applauded singles including “You Are the Right One,” “Panama,” “Whatever You Want:” and “Someone  You’d Rather Be Dating.” 

Building upon a growing profile, 2018’s Everyone’s Invited was released to critical praise from Pitchfork, Pigeons and Planes and Ones to Watch. The album also received airplay on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and was playlisted on Spotify’s New Indie Mix playlist. 

The breezy yet slinky  “Tell You Something,” is the first bit of new material from the duo since Everyone’s Invited. Centered around shimmering synth arpeggios, a sinuous and propulsive bass line, copious amounts of cowbell-led percussion, an infectious hook and Chronister’s breathy vocals, the song finds the band blurring the lines between synth pop, funk, psych rock and Quiet Storm R&B in a way that reminds me of Currents-era Tame Impala. “It’s an anthem of uncertainty. I was taught how to socialize by television, and never learned how to verbalize my feelings,” Sports’ Cale Chronister explains in press notes. “I’m learning to say what’s on my mind, even when it’s uncomfortable . . . I’m celebrating the most ridiculously small feat just by admitting this.

There is still something dark, uncertain in the song, which is left intentionally unknown, and I guess it reflects the lingering anxiety the person on the other side of this conversation could be feeling – still waiting to hear what I have to say.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Emerging Producer Kyf Releases a Kinetic Visual for Dance Floor Friendly “Savage”

Kyf is a mysterious yet emerging Cameroonian producer and songwriter. Earlier this month, he released his latest EP, Mood Avion and the EP’s latest single “Savage” is a bold and vibrant track, centered around shimmering synths, wobbling polyrhythmic beats and a shout-along worthy hook. And while possessing a breezy, club friendly sound, the track reveals a decidedly Pan African approach, drawing from wide swaths of the Diaspora: the song meshes elements of dancehall, house music, Afro pop and Timbaland’s futuristic production style in an infectious and ambitious manner. 

Directed by Sara Yemoja, the recently released video features the Cameroonian producer and songwriter and two dancers in a kinetically shot and edited visual, shot in an abandoned, graffiti covered building and in the woods. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: MAaJunga Spirit Orchestra’s Uplifting Anthem “Hold On”

Founded by Greg Musso, Jacques Daoud and Bruce Sherfield, MAajunga Spirit Orchestrais a Paris-based collective of like-minded artists, musicians and vocalists, who are deeply influenced by soul and gospel. Last year, the collective received international attention, when their single “Hold On” was featured in Remy Martin’s “Team Up For Excellence Campaign.”

Building upon the growing attention of “Hold On,” the members went into the studio to write and record their debut EP, Hold On.“The reaction to ‘Hold On’ was overwhelming.” producer and founding member Greg Musso says in press notes. “We decided to take this unique opportunity to continue spreading the music that we believe brings people together in spirit – mind, body, and soul.”

Produced by the collective’s Greg Musso and recorded live at Paris’ Midilive Studios (formerly known as Vogue Studios), known for seminal recordings by French artists like Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc and Johnny Hallyday, the EP will further establish and expand upon the sound that won them international attention. Of course, the EP will feature, the attention grabbing, EP title track “Hold On,” a much needed bit of uplift and resolve centered around a gospel chorus, soulful led vocals and soaring keys. Sonically and thematically, the song manages to mesh the swaggering and hip-hop influenced gospel of Kirk Franklin with the soulful spirituals of Mavis Staples. Certainly, in these difficult and unusual times, the song’s positive message should resonate with all of us: we’re all gonna have to hold on — to hope, to each other, to each single day — until this passes. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Beat Hotel Returns with a Swooning and Heartfelt Power Pop Anthem

Split between Brighton, UK and Plymouth, UK,  Beat Hotel, which features current and former members of The June Brides, The Loft, The Weather Prophets, Distractions, Mudlow, Mojo Fins and Lolita Storm can trace its origins to when its founding members — The June Brides’, The Distractions’ and The Granite Shore‘s Arash Torabi and Paul Pascoe met after a 1988 The Jasmine Minks show.  (Interestingly, many years later, the first Beat Hotel single featured a guest vocal spot from The Jasmine Minks’ frontman Jim Shepherd.)

Developing a strong live presence in their local scene, the act managed to record a number of demos,  but they didn’t officially release anything until 2013 — the “Best of Our Years”/”The Fire,” double A-side 7 inch, which featured The Loft’s and The Weather Prophets’ Dave Morgan (drums), who then became a permanent member of the band.

Released earlier this year through Occultation Records, the band’s long-awaited self-titled EP was recorded at Hove, UK-based Church Road Studios by the band’s Paul Pascoe and features five originals written by Pascoe and a cover of The Wishing Stones‘ “Beat Girl.” The EP also features guest spots from The June Brides’ Frank Sweeney, who contributes strings and piano and former Mojo Fins member Stephen Brett (guitar), who releases material as a solo artist under the moniker SJ Brett. “Every now and again, we produce something that’s very special to us. These forays into the physical world are usually inspired by a collaboration,” Beat Hotel’s Paul Pascoe says in press notes about the band’s self-titled EP. “This time it was driven by an unexpected creative surge due to the sudden and shocking end of a relationship. I felt like I had to relearn everything about how to be in the world and look seriously at who I actually am. I found comfort in the music that had given me a sense of belonging the first time around. The Jesus & Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Weather Prophets .  .  .these songs and songwriters, so familiar to my psyche, were there again to drag me to safety.”

“This collection of songs is about love and near-death and confronting the very worst aspects of ourselves, facing down those inner demons, the fears that haunt us and our deepest, darkest secrets,” Pascoe says of the EP’s material. “And… with one of the tracks beginning its recording journey in 1997 and getting its final guitar overdub and mix in 2019 (in all its 3 minutes 14 seconds of rock’n’roll glory), this record is also a tribute to the awesome power of getting shit done.”

Earlier this year,  wrote about “Bury It Deep,” an upbeat, hook-driven song that brings Starfish-era The Church, early-to-mid 80s Echo and the Bunnymen (i.e, Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here and Ocean Rain) and The Dream Syndicate to mind — and while possessing an uncanny period specificity, the song is more than a homage to a classic and beloved sound: at its core, the song is centered around a narrator desperately trying to maneuver a confusing and uncertain world, as well as their own demons. The EP’s latest single “Feel It” continues a run of hook-driven, 80s inspired material — but in this case, the track is a jangling power pop anthem that brings The Smithereens, The Sighs, and others to mind. But interestingly, the song is a heartfelt love song that evokes the swooning urgency of newfound love in a way that should remind you of your first love. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: DJ Almighty Teams Up with DMA for a Breezy and Infectious New Single

DJ Almighty is a Ivory Coast-born, Paris-based producer and sound engineer, who has spent the past 17 years spinning at clubs around the world, developing a unique experience at the club — the videomix, an audiovisual experience. He also streams broadcast of his videomixes on an ADSL hookup that can be heard in 70 countries across the world.

Adding to a growing profile, the Ivorian-born, French-based producer and sound engineer has released a handful of attention-grabbing compilations through labels like Wagram Music, Musicat, and Oubo Music. Back in 2018, DJ Almighty signed with Universal Records Africa for a series of collaborations with internationally-based Afrobeat and Afropop artists from France and Francophone countries. 

Earlier this year, the Ivorian-born, French-based producer and sound engineer launched a new collaborative concept: 7 tracks that features emerging artists ranging in songs ranging from Afrobeat to Afropop. “Catch Your Vibe,” is a breezy and infectious mesh of dancehall, roots reggae and Afropop centered around a looping and shimmering guitar line, shuffling riddims and irie vibes paired with upstart DMA’s coquettish vocals. The end result is a pan African track that’s summery and manages to be both club and lounge friendly. 

Throwback by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: RIP Jimmy Cobb

Growing up, jazz was a formative part of my childhood. John Coltrane was God and Miles Davis was Jesus. Hallowed be thy names! Hallelujah and amen, forever and ever!  

Copious amounts of ink — both real and virtual — have been spilled writing about Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, the recording sessions that birthed it and the musicians, who recorded it, which included John Coltrane (tenor sax), Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, Bill Evans (piano), Wynton Kelly(piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums) and of course, Miles Davis (trumpet). Personally, Kind of Blue is a quintessential New York album: if you ever get a chance, play the album while walking down a lengthy stretch of Fifth Avenue on a drizzly Spring afternoon. Trust me, it works. 

I was heartbroken to hear that Jimmy Cobb, the last living link to Kind of Blue died yesterday and I wanted to pay a tribute to Cobb and the rest of the legendary musicians, who recorded such a gorgeous and meaningful album. I stumbled across this rare bit of live footage of Miles and the crew performing Kind of Blue album track “So What?” live. Check it out.  And if you’re somehow unfamiliar with the album, go to Spotify and spend an afternoon with it. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Scrachattic’s Old School Hip-Hop Influenced Take on Trip Hop

Scratchattic is a Lille, France-based trip-hop/hip-hop duo — Davio, a beatmaker, who loves trip hop and dub mixing techniques and DJ Sharky, who is a hip hop head, with a strong focus on classic turntablism, scratching and old school beats — that can trace its origins back to 2017, when the duo started the project in an attic-based studio, where the French duo spent their time experimenting and crafting a sound that’s inspired by Ninja Tune Records, Amon Tobin, High Tone, Mad Professor and The Herbaliser among others. 

2018 was a big year for the French trip hop duo: they participated in that year’s Tour de Chauffe, eventually winning the competition. They built up on a rapidly growing national profile with the release of their debut EP Gears in Motion, which they supported with nearly two years of touring, including 50 dates with artists like Dope D.O.D., Reverie, Al’Tarba, Senbeï, Hugo Kat, Guts or Inch and others. 

The duo released their latest effort The Wild Scope EP earlier this month, and the EP’s latest single “Strange World” is a swaggering bit of trip hop that prominently features boom bap beats, some furious scratching, atmospheric electronics and chopped up vocal samples  too create an ambitious tweeter and woofer rocking, Golden Era hip-hop-inspired take on trip hop that sounds like a synthesis of Massive Attack with DJ Premier — with a strong focus on creating blissed out, meditative vibes. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Rising Côte d’Ivoire-born Swiss-based Emcee KT Gorique Releases a Self-Assured New Single

KT Gorique is an emerging Côte d’Ivoire-born, Swiss-based rapper. When Gorique turned 11, her family emigrated to Switzerland — and over the next 16 years, she was separated from a large part of her family and from her roots. As a third culture child, the emerging rapper had a difficult time understanding who she was and where she came from but music was where she found comfort and where she could best express herself. 

WIth the release of 2018’s EP Kunta Kita, the emerging Côte d’Ivoire-born, Swiss-based emcee quickly established a unique take on contemporary hip-hop, one that drew from and meshed elements of reggae and African music. With Kunta Kita EP, Gorique believed that she was on the right track but ultimately felt as though something was missing; that she hadn’t quite fully realized her sound or her musical voice. 

In June 2018, Gorique traveled to Abidjan and the trip was a transformative experience: the Côte d’Ivoire-born, Swiss artist reconnected with her roots, and during the trip, she realized her voice and sound, discovering that her work lacked balance — the balance between everything that made her what she was, without excluding anything. The end result of what she has dubbed “Future Roots,” a mix of her oldest loves and her vision for her future.  

Released earlier this year, KT Gorique’s latest effort AWKWABA derives its name from the Baoulé word for “welcome.” The album’s material is meant to be an invitation to the listener to enter and discover a new world — but also to inspire a change for the better, towards a better version of ourselves and our world. Sonically, the album’s material is centered around unique arrangements that includes guitar, kalimba, balafon and other traditional African instruments. Thematically, the album finds the Ivorian-born, Swiss-based emcee covering subjects she hadn’t previously written about — money and faith, in particular, while offering motivating and inspiring messages. 

“Kendrick,” AWKWABA’s latest single is a perfect example of the rising emcee’s sound and approach: Gorique’s delivers her rhymes French with a determined and defiant self-assuredness of a woman, who has found her voice and purpose over a forceful yet defiant production, centered around tweeter and woofer rocking trap beats, twinkling keys and an enormous hook. It’s a party anthem but with a brash and positive, “you-go-girl spirit.” Set in a seemingly dystopian future, the recently released video for “Kendrick” features Gorique and a crew of dancers, dancing on what appears to be smoldering rubble.