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I’m Lit by Ricko

Viola Karmy
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I’m Lit by Ricko

Ricko’s “I’m Lit” is the type of song that can set the dance floor ablaze! This captivating tune lives up to its name, exuding pure energy. It seamlessly blends retro vibes and modern pop with a generous dose of funk

You might recognize Ricko from the stage, he’s danced alongside legends like Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, and Justin Timberlake! But now, it’s Ricko’s turn to shine as a singer, musician, and producer.

From the first funky guitar riff to the pounding percussion and the thrilling wind instrument notes, every element of “I’m Lit” screams “get up and dance!”. Groove-worthy rhythms and infectious melodies will have you itching to hit the center of the dance floor and bust a move. Ricko’s vocals are bursting with energy and charisma, adding the central layer of excitement to this party anthem.

The music video takes things to the next level with electrifying dance routines and cool vintage footage. It’s a fun-filled celebration of classic moves and infectious energy, all led by Ricko himself, reminding everyone of his impressive dancing skills. Watching the video is like getting an invitation to join the ultimate retro dance party with a live band. Who would resist that?

Let the brass blast of “I’m Lit” take you over! It’s the perfect song to light up your mood, get your groove on, and unleash your inner dancing star!

Paradise by Vnxa

Moataz Gwaily
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Paradise by Vnxa

Rich and musically rewarding, vnxa’s latest single is a piece of lo-fi RnB that flows with exceeding grace and fluidity. An essential hit for summer evenings, ‘paradise’ is a simple but deep stunner.

Based in New York City, vnxa is a singer, songwriter, and RnB artist whose spectral flow and musically lush progressions are in full swing on her latest single, titled ‘paradise’. The first thing that hits with ‘paradise’ is the warmth exuding from the chord progression itself, which is dramatic, graceful, laced with a nostalgic sense of melancholy. The music is delivered via sparse but grandiose keyboard stabs, with a glassy and shimmery timbre, a chill subbass line that hit hard and a simplistic, supportive beat.

The lyrics are about an intoxicating fling that’s not sure to last, and it is in the confusion of the earliest stages of love that vnxa’s lines live, alongside the venomous chords and sweetly alienating musical landscape with few chord hits and a beat that incorporates more space than snare hits.

‘paradise’ is a tightly calculated single that ends up feeling beautifully expressive with its blend of few, potently balanced elements. A rewarding listen and a sure addition to the playlist of 2024 summer night hits.

EP: SUMMER PROJECTS (PART 2) by Mylo Choy

Moataz Gwaily
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EP: SUMMER PROJECTS (PART 2) by Mylo Choy

There’s something of a sincerity to the music on Mylo Choy’s latest EP, the second part of a duology that started out amid the South Carolinian humidity and pandemic isolation. Weaving seemingly toy-like melodies and timbres, Choy is able to craft little marvels of songwriting that exude musicality and warmth.

Mylo Choy is a singer and songwriter, currently based in New York City, who unexpectedly embarked on a musical project when he found himself stuck in a South Carolinian bedroom during the pandemic. The isolation and the humidity of the south spurred Choy onto writing the songs on the two EPS, titled SUMMER PROJECTS, parts 1 and 2. From the simplicity of the titles we can gather some insights into Mylo Choy’s artistic approach, insights that are confirmed as we dive into the music.

For starters, the music is simple. There are no jazz voicings or modulations, no modal interchanges or chord inversions, the music is crisply laid out in a neat fashion like a kitchen counter in a warm, suburban family home. In fact the music is exceedingly warm and embracing, as well as the contemplative and sweet lyrical ideas. The songs are like short musical sketches that could accompany various serene occurrences from the most normal days in our lives. ‘Smallest Things’ is a song for taking in a sunrise from a wooden bench in a park, alone slowly gathering the rise in temperature as the sun takes its place on the horizon. It is also a song that sees Choy’s usual synthesizers replaced by a somewhat conventional piano, alongside graceful chord progression, occasional and restrained slide guitar wails, and a confident, reaffirming pace.

 

‘Nothing To Know’ would fit coming back home from work, undeniably tired, but warmed on the inside to know that there is cold pizza in the fridge, and you love cold pizza. The slight hint of melancholy, courtesy of a somewhat sparse beat and melodic guitar wails, is overcome by a heaving rise of an arpeggiated synth line that washes over the sadness with a flair of reserved ecstasy. ‘Outro: Diorama’ is the EP’s most musically unconventional tune. With its hasty synth arpeggio and fast paced groove, and their juxtaposition onto Choy’s comforting melody and relaxed delivery, it is a dynamic song with a lively, controlled pace.

Mylo Choy’s music and lyrics are effusive with comfort and warmth. Contemplative words about healing, loneliness, and the summer heat, genuinely nice songs with soothing flow and a polished instrumental palette, and a sense of realness all make Mylo Choy’s latest EP well worth the time.

Feel Alive by Beatnik

Moataz Gwaily
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Feel Alive by Beatnik

Beatnik’s latest single ‘Feel Alive’ is a sublime trip through the most soulful of soul funk. With world class production and arresting vibes, Beatnik’s work hits its mark with near impossible immediacy, making ‘Feel Alive’ one of the most easily arresting and engaging releases in the genre in recent memory.

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Beatnik is Peter LaBarge, a one-man groove machine, and the mastermind behind the whole musical identity that is Beatnik. ‘Feel Alive’, one of the liveliest and freshest sounds of the whole month, came to be as a result of LaBarge’s existential crisis. As they say, one man’s existential crisis is another man’s gold.

Woozy with its effervescent and colorful pads, the mind-blowingly good bass line, and the uber flamboyant vocal presence, ‘Feel Alive’ is one gratifying layer of sound on top of another, all arranged with a true artist’s sense of purpose and space, and wrapped in an extremely seductive alto saxophone performance that easily makes everything more wonderful. The groove, the vibes, and the dynamic composition all make for a listen that flows with extreme, succulent ease.

Beatnik is inspired by Prince, Daft Punk, and Chic, and listening to ‘Feel Alive’, it is not difficult to see how each influence seeps through to the song. Whether it is the vocal style, lyrics, lush atmospheres, sexy composition, or the cheeky juxtaposition between existential dread and dreamy liveliness, everything on ‘Feel Alive’ does indeed feel alive.

Album: STONEFRENGE: Black in Space by ZOOLOOK

Moataz Gwaily
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Album: STONEFRENGE: Black in Space by ZOOLOOK

 ZOLOOK’s latest album is a roughly 40-minute-long trip of the most succulent triphop, dub, and lounge pieces to grace my ears in recent years. A balanced collection of superbly produced tunes that ooze with a chill and confident charisma from every beat and subbass line.

ZOOLOOK is based in San Francisco and is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work in the visual realms of film, design, and animation are matched with his amazing ear for creating the smoothest and most melodic and vibey dub tracks. A producer and a multi-instrumentalist who plays keys and bass, ZOOLOOK’s music is wholly homegrown and watered with his love and affection, through and through. His latest album, titled ‘STONEFRENGE: Black in Space’ is a truly encapsulating listen. The pieces are atmospheric, filled with a delightful array of instruments, richly produced and written, with ample melodies and soul stirring progressions. STONEFRENGE is more than your average dub listen; it is a twisting, soothing, dynamic, melodic, and entrancing one.

 

ZOOLOOK does not find any difficulty crafting an impeccable mood with his selection of consistently juicy grooves, vocal samples, melodically lush chord progressions, and terrific basslines. From the first cut on the record, ZOOLOOK is laying down all the foundations of dub with ‘Soul Rebel’. A soulful started that starts with a terrific, Massive Attack-inspired bassline, settling on it a while before unleashing the entrancing chords. A gorgeous start. ‘Lo-Fi IRIE Feeling’ is one of the album’s most directly melodic and stirring pieces. From its delicately blended samples, bouncy bass, and generally more sparse feeling, it is one of the album’s more serene stops.

 

‘Black in Space’ features the album’s first hard-hitting beat. A deep groove and an exotic sounding melody on top, all channeling Bonobo’s groovier works, but with a trademark ZOOLOOK flair in its arrangement of synth melodies, vocal samples, and chords. ‘We Come in Peace (And Love)’ features one of the album’s tightest rhythm sections. A fantastic beat and an astonishing bass line right alongside make this piece one of the record’s most rhythmically enchanting cuts. After a succulent space dub intermission on ‘HAL-LE’, a piece featuring one more terrific groove, this time more electrified and hypnotic than tight and groovy, ZOOLOOK hits us with the album’s only vocal song, ‘Rockers’. With its soulful brass, wahwah’d guitars, and distinctive Japanese shamisen, it is one the album’s more mystifying blends, just as warmly executed.

ZOOLOOK’s STONEFRENGE is a fantastic display of this artist’s astonishing array of skills. Currently busy preparing an animated clip for each of the album’s pieces, ZOOLOOK’s creativity is astounding, and his musical taste is exceedingly rich. Balanced production and well-defined mixes make for one cohesive, delightful listen, from head to toe.


 

WhaleSong Sounding by Lowland Folk

Moataz Gwaily
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WhaleSong Sounding by Lowland Folk

With royalties going to Marine Conservation and a dedication to a late friend, ‘WhaleSong Sounding’ is a love song for whales, and it is a sound so effervescently powered by a profound sense of love that it feels genuinely nice just being in the presence of.

Based in Dundee, the United Kingdom, Lowland Folk are a folk family group that have deep and long roots. Composed of founder Stewart Brown and his brother Ramsay, and wife Anne, alongside Phillip Gore and Alan Barty. The group have already put forward 3 albums and were signed to EMI, before founding their own label, Balaena Records, and clearly from the name, focusing their music and attention more on the graceful marine giants.

‘WhaleSong Sounding’ came to be years after Stewart Brown met the late Sir Peter Scott and his wife through having written songs about Sir Scott’s father’s ill-fated ship PRS Discovery. Sir Scott asked Stewart and Anne Brown to write a song in support of the whales of the world, and this is the product years after.

The piece of ambient music starts with the chilling whale song the group have acquired rights to use from the Ocean Alliance. The music then starts with haunting, serene vibraphone-like pads, and grandiose, ambient and marine string arrangements. Stewart Brown’s delivery is heartfelt, and his presence palpably gives the music a sense of gravity, like a patriarch telling his family a gripping story from an illustrious past.

‘WhaleSong Sounding’ is a delicate and touching tribute to a friendship and to one of the planet’s most mystifying animals. A song as graceful as the whales it is written in love of, Lowland Folk have created something quite magical.

PHUCK by Digress

Moataz Gwaily
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PHUCK by Digress

Aggressive and groovy, Digress’s latest single is a heady song about making hits and settling unfair debts in less than courteous ways. ‘PHUCK’ is fed by Digress’s metalcore roots, bringing to the table an angry strain of hip hop that’s very catchy.

American artist Digress states that the act was born out of the ashes of many failed musical projects throughout the years. Tracing his roots back to making songs in his bedroom at 12, starting with guitars then drums, eventually landing on vocals. Digress then got involved with many metalcore outfits that did not pan out because of band and money issues, eventually he landed on the style of music he’s currently sporting. His hot headed rapping and street savvy bars are sure very approachable to a vast range of young audiences, and his personality will also be a point of gravity to his audiences.

‘PHUCK’, as its name implies, is a song about being so elevated you don’t care anymore about things like money or disputes with people. The song, barely clocking in at 2 minutes long, features a solid, electronic drum groove, a menacing sub bass line, Digress’s bars and their attractive flow, and a terrific, lively mix. A simple but polished track.

Digress’s last single is a tight sounding little banger. Aggressive, hyper, dangerous, and groovy, ‘PHUCK’ is an easy song to get deep into.

Benevolent not Malevolent by Louise Burke

Moataz Gwaily
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Benevolent not Malevolent by Louise Burke

Louis Burke’s second single is a folk-inspired tune with a country-centered sound. Featuring some outstanding vocals, touching instrumental warmth, a stirring composition and arrangement, ‘Benevolent not Malevolent’ is a showstopper.

A British singer and songwriter, Louis Burke is based in Hamilton. Her sound on her latest single, titled ‘Benevolent not Malevolent’, is a wonderful blend of expressive voice with terrific control, some surreal strings, a bittersweet chord structure, and a wonderful arrangement that fuses acrobatic, finger-picked acoustic arpeggios, with shimmering and warm piano trills.

A song about the attempts to save a faltering relationship in the middle of a global lockdown, ‘Benevolent not Malevolent’ is intentionally stirring. Louis Burke’s vocals are channeling the folkish essence of Karen Dalton’s expressive, and elastic delivery, taking liberty with the twisting melodies. Opting to display the power of the words through the expressive value of every soft-spoken syllable, instead of through hearty belts, the vocals on the single are extremely soft and touching.

With a production job that maximizes the impact of each of the song’s elements, the song ends us sounding lush and soft, with a buoyant bass in the bottom, supporting the acrobatic piano and guitar, which are in turn wrapped in the satin smoothness of the mature strings. A wonderful listen from an immediately grabbing voice. Lou is absolutely stunning on her second single.

EP: .FIVE by Toby Tesla

Moataz Gwaily
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EP: .FIVE by Toby Tesla

The music on Toby Tesla’s latest EP is effervescent and light. Showcasing the acclaimed hip hop artist’s lyrical prowess and musical vision, the simplistic pieces of alt and rap pop on .FIVE are rewarding, groovy, and endlessly chill.

A Peruvian American artist based in Phoenix, Arizona, Toby Tesla crafts pieces of intricate and direct, electrified and synthetic hip hop that are quick to get to the point, often in a minimal, chic fashion that makes the pieces like nuggets that are easy to digest.

Having been making music for the better part of a decade, Toby Tesla is fully aware of how to craft a catchy hook or an infectious groove. With his lyrical themes and his pulling deliveries, the songs on .FIVE are like sketches making use of really bold brush strokes. The synthetic drums are delightfully robotic and hypnotizing, the synth pads are usually serene and encapsulating, and the leads are mostly soft and easy to follow.

The starter ‘DONE FAST’ is an apt display of what Tesla does best. The cyclic synth leads are caramel sweet and smooth and the puffy beat creates a sensational groove in this short-of-2-minutes album starter. ‘DRIVEWAY’ showcases Toby Tesla’s minimal approach. Opting to play around with his vocal rhythms and chops, the music is composed of a beat that’s simple enough, and a synth lead that’s rounded and civil, playing a consistent part throughout the song, basically unaccompanied.

‘COLLECTOR’ is perhaps a more conventional piece of ambient hip hop. With Tesla’s delivery more tangible and melodic than before, less lulled and more sung, ‘COLLECTOR’ is an enjoyable and groovy piece that features an unforgettable pair of synth hooks. ‘IN MY WAY’ features a ground shaking subbass on top of its impeccable grooves that pave the way for the rapid -but gentle- fire of ‘DON’T BOTHER ME’, by far the EP’s most vocally involved and challenging cut.

Toby Tesla’s music displays his long experience and a confident musical persona. An artist who’s not buying into the trends, yet comfortably living inside of them, wholly embracing a style of music that’s so naturally in fashion nowadays. .FIVE is a fantastic collection of musical sketches that showcase one of the more outstanding indie rappers and producers around.

Simple Desire by Melina Hazewood

Moataz Gwaily
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Simple Desire by Melina Hazewood

Melina Hazewood’s piano-based, warm arrangements, along with her whimsical and wandering vocals are growing more honed and nuanced by the day. ‘Simple Desire’ is the latest single in a stream of delightfully sweetly sung and played singles, all equally warm, meaningful, and pretty.

Based in the English town of Kent, Melina Hazewood is a singer and songwriter, and her latest song ‘Simple Desire’ is a simple love song about -well, love. Sung for the purity and delicate beauty of falling in love anew, ‘Simple Desire’ is an exceedingly sweet-sounding song. 

Unlike Hazewood’s previous singles, ‘Simple Desire’ is not filled with Hazewood’s trademark whimsical breeziness. Instead, ‘Simple Desires’ is grounded and straightforward with a rhythmic piano line and well-defined melodic passages that are effervescent and vividly colored. The introduction of an accompanying beat and bassline on the song’s last third was a welcome surprise that made the already balanced and honest sound even more dynamic and powerful.

Easily one of Hazewood’s best singles to date, ‘Simple Desire’ is lush with emotions, rich with musical restraint, and with a profound honesty to its pronounced directness. A wonderful new addition to Hazewood’s quickly growing catalog of easy to digest and easy to love piano ballads. 

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