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Nicky Romero is kicking off 2021 on a positive note with the release of his new single “Into The Light,” a true progressive house jewel for which he teamed up with Protocol talent Timmo Hendriks and Arizona-based singer/songwriter David Shane. Opening with upbeat piano melodies layered over a steadily building bassline, “Into The Light” reaches its crescendo with a goosebump-inducing drop. Shane‘s soulful vocals serve at the emotive cherry-on-top for a track that sees Nicky returning to his signature sound after 2020’s pop-oriented Universal Music debut “Nights With You.” On the other hand, “Into The Light” follows Timmo Hendriks‘s single “Memories,” featuring Jordan Grace.

After taking the world by storm with early hits such as ‘Legacy‘ (with Krewella) and #1 single ‘I Could Be The One‘ (with Avicii), Nicky Romero quickly proved that his talent is ever-evolving and here to stay. After launching his Protocol Recordings imprint in 2012, the renowned performer, producer, and label head continued his personal successes with a string of high-profile releases, ranging from collaborations with Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Mike Williams & Amba Shepherd, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, W&W, DallasK & XYLØ, Timmy Trumpet and Steve Aoki & Kiiara to remixes for the likes of Robin Schulz, Kygo, Rita Ora, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Jess Glynne and more. While showcasing his label’s roster via his weekly Protocol Radio show, Nicky Romero continues to innovate and evolve during these unprecedented times in the music industry. He debuted his ultra-modern “Another World” live stream concept last summer and launched the Monocule alter-ego. If quarantine has proved anything, it’s that the Protocol crew is never one to slack on new music.

Now celebrating over 2 years on the label, Dutch artist Timmo Hendriks first made his debut on the label with 2018’s “In My Head,” with Lennart Schroot, followed by “Thinking About You” as part of Protocol‘s “Miami 2019” EP, which has currently garnered over 3M streams on Spotify. His next releases, such as “Magical” with Lindequist, “By Your Side” with Jordan Grace, or “Be Alright” with Marc Benjamin, continued to show increased energy and a more mature production style. Hendriks‘s other notable tracks on Nicky Romero‘s label include “Keep Me Close” with Dash Berlin and “Deserve My Time” with Trilane. He is quickly becoming a household name and veteran of the Protocol team. Keep an eye out for what’s next!

Photo Credit: Simon Fazio

LISTEN TO ‘CRIMSON MASK’ HERE

With their fourth full length ‘Bystander’ scheduled for release on February 12^th, 2021 via Spunk Records & Osborne Again (AUS/NZ) and Nice Guys Records (Rest of world), Cool Sounds share the second single ‘Crimson Mask’. Where the first single ‘Back To Me’ leant into classic 70s soft rock territory, Crimson Mask is Cool Sounds in a more buoyant and raucous mood.

Frontperson Dainis Lacey says of the track: “I wrote this song about the idea of clinging to the past a little too tightly. It’s a mildly raucous, conga banging, Velvet Underground inspired track about a depressed, alcoholic dad who dresses ‘a little Jerry Seinfeld, Chandler from Friends or Pacey from Dawson’s Creek and is scared of the kids in the neighbourhood. He loves wrestling and classic rock.”

A little about Cool Sounds and Bystander

Melbourne’s Cool Sounds make records that move deftly and playfully through indie-rock, pop, and alt-country. The band are defined by their signature guitar lines, as catchy as any chorus, as well as a beloved live show that sees six musicians crowded onstage. Lead singer and songwriter Dainis Lacey has been making music as Cool Sounds for years, but the band found a unique sound on their 2018 album Cactus Country and 2019’s More To Enjoy, which was nominated for the AIR Award for Best Independent Country Album. On Bystander, the new album out February 12, Cool Sounds are more attuned to their surroundings than ever: written during a European summer and recorded in three weeks over the following Australian one, Bystander isn’t always as laid back as the warm weather might suggest. With more of a focus on lyrics than ever before, Bystander, is at turns introspective, self-aware, irreverent and unflinchingly observant. All of the band’s essential elements are here – those guitar licks, vocal melodies that dip and spike then smooth out, and clever, understated rhythmic changes – but as lyrics are brought to the forefront, the band’s agile, elastic arrangements feel all the more essential.

Embracing a new year of music and creativity, Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Cantrips releases his latest single, ‘Goodbye Yesterday’.

Leaning further into some rich songwriting skills that bring out a gorgeous combination of surf-rock and psychedelic grooves, Cantrips (aka Patrick Ryan) has demonstrated how his sonic scope has broadened through 2020 with ‘Goodbye Yesterday’.

In a year that was unprecedented and unpredictable for many, Cantrips kept busy and continued to release music throughout 2020. His two singles – ‘Off With His Head’ and ‘Don’t Open The Bag’ – were exciting new additions to the building Cantrips body of work and with his latest, the artist is striving forward.

Elements of nostalgia and bittersweet moments of self-awareness are prominent in Cantrips’ lyricism on ‘Goodbye Yesterday’. With the majority of the track written and recorded in his Thornbury home studio, Cantrips took the opportunity to dive deep into his love for instrumentation and production here; the final result being a layered and textured piece of music marked by his individualism.

“This song was written around the time where I’d just left the safety of full-time employment and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. I’d been living in this sort of limbo, bereft of meaningful work and was tired of doing nothing about it. I was listening to a lot of 60s pop (Beatles, early Pink Floyd, Margo Guryan), a ton of Curtis Mayfield and other Motown grooves, and surfing a bunch. This track meets somewhere in the middle of the three. It’s a song about personal transformation – letting go of who you used to be and taking steps to finding out who you can be.” Cantrips

Hitting the coastal surrounds of Rye in regional Victoria, Cantrips and videographer William Hamilton-Coates injected humour into proceedings when it came to creating the ‘Goodbye Yesterday’ music video.

“The late lockdown and ongoing restrictions in Victoria meant that we had to get creative with both concept and execution. I’d been watching a lot of Monty Python at the time and the drummer on this track, Lachlan Clulow, suggested using something similar to the ‘endless running’ scene in The Holy Grail. If that wasn’t a sign…” Cantrips

As a performer, Ryan has had years of experience in touring behind him as he developed the Cantrips solo project. Having performed extensively with psych-rock band Sofala until 2019, his love for music in both its studio and live forms runs deep. In the creation of Cantrips, Ryan has been able to chase his own unique vision for music and writing, celebrating it in its intricacy and different forms.

Creating his own independent label too in Dune Castle Records, Cantrips is kicking off a new creative era. ‘Goodbye Yesterday’ is significant in this important formative time for the artist, laying down the foundations for an exciting year ahead.

Starting the new year with a bang, Soothsayer are excited to share sultry DNB-focussed, ‘Another Knot (Satl Remix)’, the third and final remix from Dro Carey’s debut album Nothing Is A Solo Project, which was released in September to critical acclaim, including Album of the Week on FBi Radio. Dro Carey has today also released instrumental versions of the vocal tracks from NIASP exclusively on Bandcamp and Soundcloud – thanks to a plethora of DMs from fans and industry peers – tying a neat bow around the album campaign.

NOTHING IS A SOLO PROJECT (INSTRUMENTAL VERSION) IS OUT NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON BANDCAMP AND SOUNDCLOUD

Linking up with fellow Sydney lyricist Tawanda, Yawdoesitall makes his return for 2021 with a heater of a new track in ‘Test Drive’. Following on from a busy year of plotting and releasing new music, 2021 is setting itself up to be one of Yaw’s largest yet, with ‘Test Drive’ kicking off a bright new chapter of creativity.

Between the two rappers, Yaw and Tawanda share a confidence that breathes life into their own individual music and together? They’re a match made in heaven as ‘Test Drive’ showcases their talents as performers and as a dynamic duo.

The single is built on a beat supplied by producer Miinor, a snapping arrangement that allows both artists to vibe out with ease. With the recording laid down at Sydney’s New Age Studio, Yaw and Tawanda built off early ideas they shared about the perceptions of success when it comes to a rap career, and what the realities of it can actually be.

“This is a fun song we made right before my solo show at Oxford [Art Factory] in 2020. Contrary to popular belief, we felt being a rapper came with a demand to have it all and own all the coolest stuff. With ‘Test Drive’, we say “Pull up with a Chevy/And it not mine”, as we debunk these flashy expectations by actually stating the struggle of being cool, but having to borrow or rent some of the stuff we use. A mockery, but also a fun way to go back and forth with Tawanda, verse by verse. This is such a different track for me and validates my ability to jump on every record and still keep it Yaw.” Yawdoesitall

Though 2020 meant Yaw had to postpone plans to unveil new live shows for fans, he kept busy in remaining at the forefront of our attention with the release of both ‘Get It’ and ‘ARMADILLO’, as well as being named one of the BIGSOUND 50 for the year. Promising indications that this young talented artist wasn’t being held back by restrictions outside his control, the music has continued to be refined and prepared behind the scenes; while Yaw’s first shows for 2021 are lining up to be some special hometown events this March.

PRAISE FOR YAWDOESITALL

“You paint such a lyrical picture, especially Maina’s chorus. I can see the scene in my mind’s eye, the relationships and the mood. A dream-duo if ever I’ve seen one.”
Triple J Unearthed, Tommy Faith (‘ARMADILLO’, 2020)

“While Yawdoesitall has been turning heads thanks to his mesmerising compositions for a couple of years now, there’s no denying that the best is still yet to come.”
Tonedeaf

“…the new cut is a sharp image of a young artist steady proving himself more than ready to rise through the ranks of Australia’s hip hop scene.”
The AU Review

YAWDOESITALL LIVE

Ben Harper has released “Black Beauty”, an original song for the 2020 film ‘Black Boys’.

Listen to it HERE.

“It was an honour to have been asked to write a song for this culturally vital documentary,” Harper said. “After watching ‘Black Boys’ and discussing it in depth with [director] Sonia Lowman, I went immediately to work on composing ‘Black Beauty.’ I am old-school and still love getting players in a room together, so a production of this scale during a pandemic was challenging, with quarantine. I was fortunate that the incredible musicians in my circle have taken it upon themselves to become circumstantial recording engineers, and thanks to modern recording technology and some FaceTime sessions, I was able to work by sending tracks back and forth over the Internet.”

A film for this historic moment in a nation still struggling to rectify its racist legacy, ‘Black Boys’ illuminates and celebrates the full humanity of Black men and boys in America. It is a love story exploring the body, mind, voice, and heart through intimate, intergenerational conversations and stories.

At the intersection of education, criminal justice and sports, ‘Black Boys’ reveals the emotional landscape of racism—of how it feels to walk through the world seen as something to be feared. Deeply moving and profoundly beautiful, ‘Black Boys’ serves as a rare glimpse into the emotional landscape of Black men and boys, illuminating their full humanity, vulnerability and resilience.

More info on the film can be found via Variety HERE.

In October of last year Harper released the new album Winter Is For Lovers, a record that is in many ways a culmination of Harper’s entire musical life. The intimate and ambitious solo recording is his first-ever entirely instrumental project, comprised of 15 original compositions that seamlessly flow together, imagined as a symphony for guitar.

Watch just Ben and his Monteleone lap steel guitar perform Winter Is For Lovers in its entirety at The Folk Music Centre, the famous music shop that his grandparents opened in the late 1950s in Claremont, CA, HERE.

The music heard on Winter Is For Lovers is deeply ingrained in Harper’s DNA and leads directly back to aforementioned Folk Music Centre. The shop and community centre has hosted music legends of all stripes, many of which Ben met while working there. Some of the album’s many musical inspirations were visitors, including John Fahey, the godfather of the American Primitive movement, slide guitar master Taj Mahal, who Ben would later study with, plus the likes of Leonard Cohen, Jackson Browne and more.