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Australian-born, LA-based actor and musician Nicholas Hamilton has today released his sparkling new single In Line, a song about coming of age that was two years in the making, out today – April 23. As a young actor and musician, Nicholas took the plunge and moved from his home in Byron Bay to Los Angeles. As an actor he has starred alongside Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving and Jessica Chastain to name a few, and has an ever-growing list of successful films under his belt, including roles in global blockbusters such as It, It: Chapter Two, Captain Fantastic, Strangerlandand more.
In Line is evocative of Elle King – it’s modern pop but with a slightly retro twist that feels perfectly unique to Nicholas Hamilton. There’s plenty of room in this expert arrangement for Nicholas’ voice to soar – and it’s that voice that takes centre stage even as the beat ramps up and the chorus fills out. Written alongside Ben Kuhl and produced by Arthur Pingrey (Sia, Karen O), this track is expressive, emotive, and it feels appropriate for the subject matter as Nicholas explains, “I wrote this song just after I moved to the US. It’s all too fitting, as the song is about how I felt before and after getting on that plane to come over to the States and start my independent, adult life. I was battling my own headstrong decisions about making that leap and leaving my family, friends and childhood behind. The whole track is me singing to my brain, which was something I didn’t lean into until later on in the writing process.”
Nicholas Hamilton’s influences are eclectic, as he explains, “I listen to a ton of chill pop, similar to what I write. People like Quinn XCII, Jordan Mackampa, Ruel…but I grew up listening to Mum and Dad’s musical tastes. I remember driving with my Dad to football practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and listening to The Eagles and Cat Stevens, or driving up the coast to my extended family with my Mum and listening to Kenny Rogers and Charley Pride.” These varied influences shine through in this layered release, and Nicholas’ deep passion for music is clearly evident when he discusses his craft.
After a year like no other, Nicholas has returned to Australia just in time (he’s currently sitting in Hotel Quarantine) to celebrate the release of In Line, a song about his life-changing move to America when he was just 18 years old. It feels like a full circle moment, as he says, “I haven’t been home since Covid, so I’m very excited to be back. The idea of releasing a song that I wrote about moving from Australia to the US, as I’m returning to Oz, is an opportunity I’d be silly to pass up. It just feels right, it makes me comfy.”
In Line is out today, April 23.
Stream: IN LINE
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With fully signed upcoming releases on labels of the likes of Sincopat, Chrom Recordings, Vondreib, Música Cavernícola, Sofa Tunes and his own imprint, Beautiful Accident, the first part of 2021 seems to find Fernando really busy in studio.
While all this bunch of new music is ready to get in place, we bring you now the remix for ‘No Going Back’ from the catalan artist OMEGA dB, as part of a huge pack to be released next April 29th on Hypersunday Records, along with a nice list of artists such us Pina, BeatLove or NIET!, just to name a few.
Fernando is being also very proactive on the streaming department, with upcoming shows for La Terrrazza and Radio Intense, in which he develops dawless live sets based on the mighties AKAI Force and MPC One, sponsors of his latest acts.
As forthcoming gigs are finally on the view, the music and projects do not stop while his masterclasses, coaching sessions for artists based on his management expertise and studio tutorials keep on the radar.
book Fernando Lagreca live HERE
masterclasses and MGMT coaching HERE
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Australian oddball favourites Ocean Grove took to triple j’s acclaimed Like A Version segment this morning with a cover of the Sneaky Sound System classic ‘UFO‘.
The cover performance features special guest Running Touch, meanwhile Ocean Grove performed their single ‘SUNNY’ taken from the band’s acclaimed 2020 album ‘Flip Phone Fantasy’.
In their interview with Bryce & Ebony, Ocean Grove also revealed they are set to announce an Australian headline tour next week. Stay tuned for more details and check out OG taking on Like A Version here: https://oceangrove.lnk.
Ocean Grove released their technicolored sophomore record Flip Phone Fantasy in March 2020 to widespread acclaim and #8 ARIA Album Chart debut. Beyond global media praise for its lawless creativity and no fucks attitude from the likes of Kerrang!, The Music (Album Of The Week), Hysteria and more, Flip Phone Fantasy saw multiple singles each on rotation at triple j and has now soared to over 13 Million streams.
While the chance to tour the record was cut at the knees, Ocean Grove kept busy throughout 2020 releasing alternate cuts on the record from ‘SUNNY’ (Remix) to ‘SHIMMER’ (Acoustic) and officially released the hidden LP track ‘DREAM’.
Stay tuned as Ocean Grove prepare to reveal more new music & tour dates soon.
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TRACKLIST
the craziest thing i’ve ever done
Cautious
First Grade
Malleable
5
The Beach
in case (there’s a change of heart)
Escape
untitled
Stay connected with Max Leone:
Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
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The ensuing tracks, produced by Simz and her regular collaborator Inflo, run into each other seamlessly and enlist the rapidly emergent likes of Cleo Sol, Obongjayar and even The Crown actress Emma Corrin, to create a kind of rangy, nimble storytelling which conjures up the febrile, strident world we live in with an unflinching energy and vividness. These songs are flash-lit Polaroids, ready framed and developing before our very eyes, and their creator is nowhere and everywhere, documenting a new natural history in which moments of tenderness coexist with shocking violence, and unabashed celebrations of femininity sit alongside deeply personal glimpses of introspection.
Of the many voices in music today, Simz’ is among the most commanding, writing at a pitch of intensity and urgency that few can match. However, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is no diatribe. Instead, it is an intensely alive hybrid, a work of radical honesty that uses personal history as a means of magnifying and challenging the paradoxes we find ourselves in, both social and personal, macro and micro. Like some of the legendary musicians that came before her, Simz is looking at the chaos and disorder in the world right now with resourceful, refined eyes, and she sees the glorious opportunity and enormous responsibility that affords.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert also follows Simz‘s starring role in Netflix‘s cult British drug-dealer drama Top Boy. Executive-produced by Drake, Simz plays one of the show’s lead actors as single mother Shelley. She is set to reprise the role in the forthcoming season, which is currently being filmed. Watch and listen to ‘Introvert‘ above, find full album details below, and stay tuned for more from Little Simz soon.
‘Introvert‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
LITTLE SIMZ
SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT
Out September 3rd
Age 101
Pre-order HERE
TRACKLIST
Introvert
Woman ft. Cleo Sol
Two Worlds Apart
I Love You, I Hate You
Little Q Pt 1 (Interlude)
Little Q Pt 2
Gems (Interlude)
Speed
Standing Ovation
I See You
The Rapper That Came to Tea (Interlude)
Rollin Stone
Protect My Energy
Never Make Promises (Interlude)
Point and Kill ft. Obongjayar
Fear No Man
The Garden (Interlude)
How Did You Get Here
Miss Understood
Stay connected with Little Simz:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
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Stay connected with
Coconut Cream: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | triple j Unearthed
Broth Records: Website | Facebook | Instagram
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Speaking of his inspiration and direction for the piece, Hugh shares: “My intention with this film is to provide the same space for grief. While the album is about Paul, I wanted to provide a wider context of loss in the film. On a personal level, it provided me with something massive. My uncle Kieran appears in this film talking about my Dad, Mick and my uncle John. John left us this year and I couldn’t go home with lockdown. I think grief never leaves you, it just changes shape and size. When I find it in a particularly pointed form, For Those I Love is something I’ve found a release in.
We didn’t lose Mick or John to suicide but their deaths were a direct result of their battles with alcoholism. Our lead actor Tony Doyle drew on his own experience getting sober and losing friends to suicide. It’s hard not to see how they all correlate. It’s hard not to see the impact of a collective intergenerational trauma and for me not to acknowledge [the deaths of] Jack, John, Mick and Paul as symptoms of a deeply rooted problem in Irish society. I wanted this film to focus on those left behind, because that’s all who’s left. Although this piece is an exploration of pain I wanted there to be hope in its conclusion. I believe we can only make the world a better place than we left it by imagining it as so.”
For Those I Love is out now, buy/stream it here.
TRACKLIST
I Have A Love
You Stayed / To Live
To Have You
Top Scheme
The Myth
The Shape Of You
Birthday / The Pain
You Live / No One Like You
Leave Me Not Love
Stay connected with For Those I Love:
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp
Where are you currently based?
In Rotterdam, The Netherlands
How did you first start playing music?
I started playing piano as a kid, but I decided to quit when things turned out too much into classical music.
What’s been happening recently, and how has your Covid experience been?
Much of the stuff that I was doing before COVID was already digital, so nothing changed too much. But of course, I had no shows, no real-life writing camps, and parties to visit. It was much more me, myself, and the computer.
Aukoustics, Anna Graceman, and yourself have just released ‘Stars In My Eyes’; how did the three of you come to work together?
The first unofficial remix that I dropped online was from a track of Anna called ‘words’. It was just my first result of experimenting with producing software. Surprisingly, it turned out exceptionally well. It got many streams in a few weeks, got supported by big names, and most importantly, I got noticed by a few big labels. When my manager dropped a vocal by Anna a few years later, it was easy to jump on it and start working on it.
In the meantime, Aukoustics approached me on Instagram, telling me that he loved my work and wanted to do something together. When I discovered that he worked on some big dance records, I was willing to give it a try, and as I just started with a first demo for Stars In My Eyes, it was easy for him to step in.
What influenced the sound and songwriting?
Anna took care of the songwriting part, and we just did what felt right. We didn’t have any specific reference track or sound in mind.
How did the songwriting process take place?
During these COVID times, it was all through the internet, sending stuff back and forth and placing it into one project. When everyone was happy, we did a final analog mixdown in the studio.
Where and when did you record/produce/master, and who did you work with?
Aukoustics did his part in Boston, Anna in Nashville, and I produced in Rotterdam. The stems went back and forth, and the master was done in Belgium (external).
How did you approach the recording process?
We just listened with our ears and did what felt right.
What programs/equipment did you use?
We use Ableton and Logic.
How are you holding up as a DJ in the current climate?
It’s just keeping calm before this storm is over. It makes no sense to feel frustrated. It doesn’t only bring bad stuff. It also brings a lot of time to work on new music.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’m currently listening to a lot of Roosevelt. It’s good in so many circumstances.
What do you like to do away from music?
I like to go to the beach, hang out with friends, eat good food and read a good book from time to time.
What’s planned for 2021?
I got a lot of music prepared that will come out!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
I’m a big fan of Tuna. As long as it is well prepared, I can eat it everywhere, but it would be nice to enjoy it abroad once COVID is over.
Where are you currently based?
Amsterdam.
How did you first start playing music?
During an internship when I was still in fashion school my supervisor was a DJ in the weekends.
He sold me his turntables that’s when I started collecting vinyl and dj-ing.
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
Well, I’m in quarantine right now. Tested positive 2 days ago. Luckily the symptoms are mild, I’m taking it slow now just hoping I can get back to the studio asap again!
You’ve recently produced workout music under the name BODYWORX for fitness app “CABAU LIFESTYLE” from the Dutch actress and influencer Yolanthe Cabau, how did the idea/concept first come about?
It started off with my track “work”. At that point it was just an experiment but it got so much positive support from the fitness playlists and communities I decided to dedicate a whole new project to fitness music!
How did you come to work with Yolanthe for her app?
Through my friend Jennifer Cooke. Jennifer is a good friend of mine and also featured on some of my songs.
Jennifer knows Yolanthe very well and when Yolanthe was looking for music Jennifer recommended me because she knew I was working on a music project that would fit the app.
What influenced the sound and production process?
The BODYWORX sound stands for energetic beats in combination with motivating vocals.
Since the lockdown and all the gyms closing, I found it hard to find the motivation to do my home workout routines.
I just needed something to get me hyped and excited and that’s what i tried to do with the music.
How did you go about writing the music?
I write down gym related tag words and try to make cool short hooks out of it.
Most of the times I record 10 to 15 hooks in less than a hour.
After recording I select the best ones and think of concepts for the production.
Where did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
I recorded and produced everything in my own studio at the ZERO COOL STUDIOS and mastering is done by “onemix mastering”.
Some of the older BODYWORX tracks still contain royalty free vocal samples instead of new original ones.
Right now, I’m working on a few featuring artists on BODYWORX tracks but to be honest I prefer to not get to many people involved in the BODYWORX tracks.
How did you approach the production process?
I start with the vocal and the chords for the breakdown once that feels right, I start chopping up the vocal and try to find a hook that will sound cool for a drop.
Once I’ve the edited vocal chop I play a counter bass melody to the vocal to make it bounce for the drop!
When I have these elements, I use them as building blocks until the track makes sense.
What programs/equipment did you use?
– Logic Pro X
– UAD quad core
– A lot of UAD plugins
Will BODYWORX be a staple of yours?
Who knows! BODYWORX is a project I’m very proud of and enjoy doing!
You run the label ZERO COOL, how did the label first start and why?
The dance music market got over saturated very quick. It became hard to get my tracks signed or to get any commitment from labels when I signed a track at their label.
At that point it didn’t make sense for me anymore to not do it myself. I can release as much as I want and I can decide which tracks are my priority.
You also learn a lot about the music industry by finding your own team and doing everything together with your team instead of working with external parties who have their own priorities.
What’s been happening with ZERO COOL and what’s coming up for 2021?
So much happened since I started with ZERO COOL! It was a bit scary at first but within the first year we did over 100 million streams.
This was a confirmation for me that I made the right choice starting my own label. The first year was a year to gain attention for the label.
We did this by releasing a MOTi single almost weekly, this stood out for a lot of people and gave us the attention we needed to make it work.
In the second year we starting analyzing statistics and polishing our strategy, right now in 2021 we have 2 labels: ZERO COOL & ZERO DEEP.
We receive so many good demo’s that we release 4 tracks a week from other artist spread out over the 2 labels and I try to do 1 MOTi release a month and 1 BODYWORX release.
How’s it been being a DJ and in the music industry since Covid started and how have you been dealing with it?
For me it’s okay. I love being in the studio, I work with my family and friends so I get to see them every day at the office, we build a gym in the office so I get to work out.
I miss touring and dj-ing but I’ve also realized I’ve really missed being with my family in the weekends. It feels great to go to the forest or beach with my kids I really missed that.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Bad Bunny.
What do you like to do away from music?
Hang-out with friends. Eat drink chat.
What’s yourself MOTi been working on and what do you have planned for 2021?
I’m learning to take things slower. I don’t have to work 12 hours a day, I can chill in the weekends instead of working over-time.
You know just enjoying life next to my career. Don’t get me wrong I still work hard but between working hours now lol.
2021 will be another year full of releases. I’m experimenting a bit more this year on production side but also on features etc.
You’ll see I’m excited :-D!!!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
If you’re in Amsterdam and you love meat you should check out “Wagyu Yakiniku Kanata”.
One of the hidden gems in Amsterdam. A5 wagyu meat and more for a decent price.
The location is not very luxurious but the staff and food is amazing!
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“Looking back over the past five years, it seems like a minute where I’m sitting on a propeller plane during turbulence, the chips bags and other merchandise products are flying in the air like colourful Tetris pieces as they land on top of each other in the wrong order so every second is game over and a new game starts, I play with my life again. What’s even worse is that while I was sitting on this plane, a series of events – incomprehensible to common sense – shook the world. Writing this album exorcised my demons, my monsters. Now they shine on without me in these songs. It’s time for the world to get up from the floor, sew its split pockets together and shut off the seemingly inexhaustible shit-tap with its trembling, withered hands. ” – says Szabolcs Czeglédi, the frontman, about his band’s new album: Now Let The Monsters Shine.
After a long break, Run Over Dogs, the four-piece rock band from Budapest, is returning with a brutally honest new album. The tracks were born as a result of an intense creative process during the quarantine and bring an unusual, exciting new sound with very intimate, personal lyrics. The band hasn’t been active for some time now, and earlier the singer-songwriter has spoken out about not finding his place on the stage in the last three years whilst he has also lost his self-confidence as a composer. The return to songwriting was brought to him by the epidemic: “I got stuck in the room for weeks, sometimes I walked in random forests and for the first time in my life I’ve been thinking soberly and realistically about what had happened to me in the last 30 years. I felt much stronger after composing the songs, I became addicted to writing for weeks and it might even be perceptible that the last songs were written by a more balanced person than the ones before. After each recorded track, I felt like I was taking a brick out of my bag and walking home more and more lightly from the studio.” – said Szabolcs Czeglédi about the album, that is conceptually structured to song by song take the listener through the intense creative process and the path that leads from the noisy chaos to the relief.
The conforms of the previous years and albums began to fade from the band’s work, so Run Over Dogs brought new sounds and a new musical direction with ‘Now Let The Monsters Shine’. The album was made in the RH studio – that is also the rehearsal room of the band – so the calming work pace and environment were ensured. Moreover, Máté Gál, the band’s bassist and the album’s sound engineer, in order to create the disturbing atmosphere of the album, spent a lot of time experimenting with the extraordinary sounds. Nóvé Soma, the producer of the lp, has a prominent role in the orchestration, the dramaturgy and the structure of the songs, and he also brought a new approach with striving for perfection in all details, which was less typical of the band before. The singer-songwriter summarizes it this way: “I feel like this time we’ve been able to track and complement our music with peculiar acoustic effects, in many cases disturbing noises, that best reflect on the troubled mood of the frozen moment in time that is described by the lyrics, but the structural and dramaturgical consistency in several places dissolves this anxious mood, then gives it room again. ”
PLAY/DOWNLOAD
In a profoundly commanding team up, pluralistic pop icons Boo Seeka and Golding have combined forces to create Don’t Waste Your Love, an irresistibly, powerful track that propels a dark human sadness and holds it up to the light, out today, April 21. Tied to the single is the provoking film clip, directed by Jellan Merlant-Pilonchery of Clash Studio, featuring a cryptic, late night gathering with some unlikely friends.
Don’t Waste Your Love is inspired by both the multifaceted sounds of the lone artists and the culmination of their individual influences; think Chet Faker meets RÜFÜS DU SOL, Frank Ocean meets Glass Animals, Cashmere Cat meets Poolside. It’s a seductive dancefloor anthem with a measured delivery, dipping into an inner monologue to connect the track’s underlying plea for empathy. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Jay from Golding reflects, “Don’t Waste Your Love came about when I was going through a tough time. I was experiencing this uncomfortable anxiety that made me feel detached from both my surroundings and my emotions. Not being able to feel the love of my family around me created a shocking, yet somehow empty feeling, to the point where it was almost a physical numbness.”
There’s a special vulnerability to this track, fearless and unflinching, that pushes it further than the dancefloor – delicate and raw, the lyrics dig beneath the surface. Ben of Boo Seeka explains a moment of honesty between the artists, “Jay (Golding) and I were hanging out at his house one day and before we knew it, we were getting pretty deep and opening up about a lot of personal stuff that has happened in our separate lives over the last year. I guess for both of us the best way to deal with that stuff is to write about it – so that’s exactly what we did. The whole song was written in twenty minutes.”
The video for Don’t Waste Your Love evokes a sense of curiosity as it unfolds, ultimately leaving viewers with a thoughtful message; don’t be bluffed by your own fear. The clip reflects on emotional disconnect, a situation where you may be surrounded by people, yet feel so alone. Musing on the ideas behind the video, Matt from Golding affirms,“The clip captures Jay, Ben, Mikey and I acting normal whilst surrounded by mannequins at a party. It’s like how you’d act if you did have anxiety at an event, you just pretend like everything is fine but inside your head is like a storm brewing. The clip serves as a reminder to be in the moment and try and enjoy yourself in situations like this.”
Boo Seeka are in the thick of writing their sophomore record that will be released before the year is out, and Golding have plans to finalise their EP towards the end of 2021.
There are no official plans as yet for these artists to head out together on the road, but fans are sure to be keeping an eye out after this hint from Golding; “There could be a few appearances during some Boo Seeka sets…maybe.”
Don’t Waste Your Love is released today, April 21.
Stream: Don’t Waste Your Love + SOUNDCLOUD
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Flying Lotus releases two new singles, ‘Black Gold ft. Thundercat‘ and ‘Between Memories ft. Niki Randa‘, from the upcoming Netflix anime series, Yasuke, out April 29. The singles serve as the opening theme and closing credits for the series and both tracks are a part of Apple Music’s New Music Daily.
Three years in the making, Netflix’s Yasuke is a six-episode anime series created by Bronx-bred and Japan-based television animation creator, producer, and director LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters, Children of Ether, The Boondocks) and starring actor / executive producer LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta, Sorry To Bother You) as the voice of the title character. Yasuke tells the story of a samurai warrior of African descent in a fantastical alternate universe version of feudal Japan full of magic, mechs, and of course, swordplay.
A dream project for the producer, Flying Lotus consulted on the story, working alongside renowned anime creators MAPPA Studios as an executive producer on the project. His creativity in this role was driven by an opportunity to communicate from a unique and necessary perspective.
“[LeSean] and I talked about being outsiders in anime,” he says. “I was like, ‘Why aren’t more Black kids trying to do this? Why is it so out of the ordinary?’ He was saying that it’s because they don’t have examples.”
Flying Lotus recently won a Grammy Award with Thundercat for Best Progressive R&B Album (It Is What It Is) and also received a nomination for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 63rd Grammy Awards.
‘Black Gold ft. Thundercat’ and ‘Between Memories ft. Niki Randa’ by Flying Lotus
out now on Warp Records via Inertia Music
Listen: https://flying-lotus.
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