Music News

TERMINAL V CONNECT is a multi-platform streaming channel from gargantuan Scottish festival Terminal V that incorporates incredible Live, Virtual and Augmented reality streams from the world’s leading electronic music artists. 

The rising genre-blending R&B/Hip Hop trio Your Grandparents, composed of vocalists DaCosta, Jean Carter, and producer ghettoblasterman, have released the official music video for their latest single ‘So Damn Fly‘, available now across all digital streaming platforms via The Orchard. Premiered on Hypebeast, ‘So Damn Fly‘ is the first offering from Your Grandparents‘ debut album set to arrive later this year. Watch the trippy cinematic visual the group directed and produced themselves HERE. 

On their new video, Your Grandparents share: “Everything we do is DIY. To create this video with a limited crew of just us and the ladies featured in the video (they killed it) speaks volumes to the dedication we put towards our work. We’re proud to release this to the world and we hope the joy that went into this is passed on to everyone who watches it.”

In April 2019, Your Grandparents self-released their eclectic breakout debut EP Been Cold, that included fan favorite track, ‘My Only One‘ featuring neo-soul R&B songstress UMI. Following the EP release, the Los Angeles-based trio headed out on a sold out West Coast tour with fellow SoCal singer-songwriter Cuco where they received an overwhelming response.

In the midst of growing as a powerful music group in the past year, each artist has managed to create success independently in their own right. Most notably, Jean Carter’s feature on Cuco’s ‘Bossa No Se‘, which has clocked over 70 million streams.

Stay tuned for much more to come from Your Grandparents who are set to release their debut full-length album later this year via Sony Music-owned distributor The Orchard.

‘So Damn Fly‘ by Your Grandparents is out now,
buy/stream it here.

Stay connected with Your Grandparents:
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | SoundCloud

A ten track gem Kerrang!

West Coast Vs. Wessex sees the two artists going head to head, converting each other’s songs into their own musical language Flood Magazine

Genuinely cool reinventions Brooklyn Vegan

Frank Turner and NOFX split covers album ‘West Coast Vs. Wessex’, is out now via Fat Mike’s own Fat Wreck Chords label. The project brings together for the first time ever the long-running Los Angeles punks and the London-based singer and ex-Million Dead frontman, for many years now both friends and fans of each other’s music.

‘West Coast Vs. Wessex’ is streaming on all platforms HERE

It’s not often the leader of one of your favourite bands ask you to do a split album, one where his band covers the songs you’ve written. It’s the enviable situation Frank found himself in last year, when Fat Mike approached him to propose just that. The fruits of this project, ‘West Coast Vs. Wessex’, captures NOFX filtering five songs from Turner’s sizeable solo back catalogue through their singular sensibility, with Turner reciprocating to record five of his personal favourites from NOFX’s 37-years-and-counting career. But these aren’t simply double-time versions of Turner’s folk-punk tunes or acoustic re-workings of NOFX’s iconic SoCal punk anthems – both took time to play with the possibilities each other’s music presented.

“I listened to all his records, and I picked the ones that I thought I could make more interesting,” notes Fat Mike. “What I did is change a lot of chords. Frank, he beats me in the singing department. So I can’t sing better than he can, but I can maybe throw in a melody here or there or chord that he hadn’t thought of.” Turner took a similar approach. “I didn’t want to just do straight covers of anything. I wanted to try and pick songs where I felt like me and my band could bring something different to the table,” he says. “But it did strike me that it would be cool to demonstrate to the casual NOFX fan, who doesn’t know who I am, that I am actually a fan. I didn’t just go to Spotify and pick the five most-listened-to songs.” For the record, only one of his choices appears on Spotify’s top five for NOFX: ‘Bob’, which Turner here transforms into a wistful country song.

“Everything he picked was from the ’90s, so I took that as it’s okay to mostly do his early stuff too,” says Fat Mike, who channeled ‘90s NOFX for their interpretations, transforming ‘Thatcher F*cked The Kids’ into a jaunty companion to ‘Phithy Phil Philanthropist’. Turner and his band, The Sleeping Souls, recorded their songs between their rehearsal space and during tour commitments, whilst NOFX recorded at Fat Mike’s Six Floggs studio, with production by the D-Composers (Fat Mike, Johnny Carey, BAZ Bastien, Yotam Ben Horin).

In ‘West Coast Vs. Wessex’, the Frank Turner-Fat Mike Mutual Admiration Society has produced 10 hooky re-imaginings of each others’ music – the novelty may pique listeners’ curiosity, but it’s the songs that will keep them coming back.

NOFX VS FRANK TURNER – WEST COAST VS WESSEX OUT NOW West Coast Vs. Wessex track-listing 1.Substitute 2. Worse Things Happen At Sea 3. Thatcher Fucked The Kids 4. Ballad Of Me And My Friends 5. Glory Hallelujah 6. Scavenger Type 7. Bob 8. Eat The Meek 9. Perfect Government 10. Falling In Love

Los Angeles, CA – Legendary punk/proto-punk guitar heroes, Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer James Williamson of Iggy & The Stooges, and ARIA Hall of Famer Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman, have joined forces for a brand new, odds-defying studio album, Two To One, set to be released September 18 by Cleopatra Records. The album features 11 all-new original compositions highlighted by the first single “Stable” and the explosive lead-off track “Jet Pack Nightmare.”

Williamson and Tek met at a memorial show for founding Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton in 2011 and reconnected when Williamson finally made it to Sydney with Iggy & The Stooges in 2013. They’ve since become neighbours in Hawaii. Although generationally separated,  they share roots in the fertile Ann Arbor/Detroit high energy rock scene of the late 60s and early ‘70s.

Williamson first took up with the Stooges in 1971 after the release of their second album, and was Iggy’s partner in crime when David Bowie brought the band back to make one of the most iconic and influential albums of all-time, Raw Power. Ann Arbor native Tek, thanks to a lengthy family stay in Sydney in 1967 which precipitated his move to study medicine at the University of NSW at the age of 19 in 1972, was starting to introduce the Ann Arbor/Detroit high energy sound to Australia with a nascent Birdman around the same time as the Stooges were falling apart in 1974.

The pairing of these two greats has a special emblematic significance that reflects the Stooges’ influence on Radio Birdman, and in turn both bands’ shared influence on a notable thread of Australian rock that has continued since the mid-‘70s.

Radio Birdman’s very name came from a (misheard) Stooges lyric, their first album was dedicated to the Stooges and it opened with a cover of the Stooges’ “TV Eye”. “Search & Destroy”, the iconic anthem from the seminal Williamson-era Stooges album Raw Power, was a live Birdman fave. Countless bands that followed in Birdman’s wake in Australia – from the Lipstick Killers to the Birthday Party to the Hoodoo Gurus to the Celibate Rifles to Bored –  have cut their teeth on Stooges material.

The fact that the Stooges maintained a strong presence in the Australian musical psyche for decades, even before their early ’00s resurgence and despite never having toured or been played here originally, is very much down to Birdman’s efforts on their behalf. The new album thus reflects part of a great musical continuum. An Ann Arbor/Detroit and Australian rock’n’roll continuum. And it finds master and apprentice working as equals.

It’s not the first time that Deniz Tek has worked with a Stooges member. Having met Ron Asheton on a trip home during Birdman days (resulting in the Tek-Asheton Birdman co-write “Hit Them Again”), Tek enlisted Ron to play in the short-lived supergroup New Race in 1981, and he subsequently employed Ron’s brother Scott Asheton to play on and tour his first solo album in the early ‘90s. Tek even stood in for Ron for a short set of Ron-era material when the Stooges played that memorial show after Ron’s death.

It’s not even Tek’s first project with Williamson: the pair released an EP of acoustic Stooges covers a couple of years back. But it is the first time that Williamson and Tek – a Stooge and a Birdman – have collaborated as partners on a full album of new original material.

Williamson had this to say about the project; “It was really a lot of fun working with Deniz to make a no-frills, good old-fashioned guitar album. Took me back to Raw Power and Kill City days. Deniz comes from a very similar approach to music that I do, both of us have had many years of experience in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan.”

Tek adds: “Raw Power shaped my path as a young guitar player. It was great to partner up with James to make this album. Everything fell into place beyond expectations – the songs, the band, the production, and even the timing. I am very happy with it.”

Two To One will be available on CD, digital and in your choice of red, blue, yellow or classic black vinyl!

Order the album: https://orcd.co/james_williamson_deniz_tek_two_to_one

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com

www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords/
www.instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
twitter.com/cleopatrarecord 
www.youtube.com/channel/UCopQ0616Fpfrq8Gt0N-0zOQ
soundcloud.com/cleopatra-recs
www.dailymotion.com/CleopatraRecords
vimeo.com/cleopatrarecords
https://open.spotify.com/user/cleopatra_recs
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleopatra-records

Today, Captured Tracks, Sharp Film and Larson Media have launched a Kickstarter campaign for the forthcoming documentary, The Jangling Man, the untold story of Cleaners From Venus’ Martin Newell. Though it would be wrong to say Newell is an “unknown“, he has never been directly in the limelight over the years and this film brings to light the amazing career and life work of the artist.

Martin Newell on The Jangling Man: “A film? About me? I’ve often wondered why that camera crew kept popping up everywhere. How marvelous! Can’t wait to see it.”

SEE KICKSTARTER HERE.

The documentary is being shot, directed and produced by James Sharp, co-produced and edited by Jim Larson, and features unseen performances and never-before-released footage from the extent of his career along with interviews from from John Cooper Clarke, Dave Gregory (XTC), Iain McNay (Cherry Red), Mac Demarco, Jessica Pratt, Zachary Cole Smith (DIIV), Jack Tatum (Wild Nothing) and more. The Kickstarter will be selling limited, exclusive merch, releases and more to help fund the project. Captured Tracks will also be reissuing Martin Newell’s acclaimed 1995 release, The Off-White Album, on vinyl for the first time. Kickstarters customers are able to pre-order it now as a reward for backing the documentary.

Considered by many to be an influential figure in the history of cassette culture and DIY recording, Martin has been an integral part of the British music scene since the 1970s, from glam rock and pop, to jazz, all the while keeping his glittery shimmer. He’s been produced by XTC’s Andy Partridge, and written for the likes of Captain Sensible of The Damned. Newell has also toured extensively with members of the Damned as his own backing band. During the 1990s Newell was one of the UK’s most-published poets as well as an established…gardener. It’s no wonder he has influenced the likes of Alphaville, MGMT, and Ariel Pink, to name a few. The life of Martin Newell may be one of the greatest untold stories of the music world.

Two unsuspecting friends whilst making electronic music with home-made gadgets manage to open up an interdimensional portal with code, slipping into a parallel utopian paradise they call ‘Soda State’. They quickly return to reality as digital versions of themselves. Hypnotized by what they’ve experienced, M & Tracie can’t rest until they find their way back…

Think The Blaze meets Gorillaz, Soda State is a brand-new all-encompassing dance music project and virtual band, brilliantly conceptualised and animated, totally original and are sure to be well recognised digital characters of the future.

They bring us their debut release ‘The Look’ on Potion Records, the label that is famously headed by The Magician.  This is a unique debut track, layered with 80s synths, kicking back beat and a beautiful euphoric vocal. Simultaneously contemporary and retro and a perfect slice of pop dance for those seeking a little nostalgia.

Taking influence from French House and iconic acts like Daft Punk, M83 and Duke Dumont’s Ocean Drive, Soda State incorporate the vibe and synth lines inspired by Digitalism, Cassius, Boys Noize and Gesaffelstein, all coming together to form their own inimitable signature sound.

“We want the music we create to take the listener into a place of escapism.
Lyrically, sonically and visually, there’s a sense of taking yourself away from
the world around you, whether giving yourself over to the moment or losing
yourself in a feeling of nostalgia. We call this feeling of escapism
‘The Soda State Of Mind’” – M & Tracie

The band come equipped with a fascinating back story, back in 2019, Mike “M” Ridley and Sam Tracie are in their garage recording studio in London. Using their laptops, classic analogue synths and an array of gadgets they’ve wired themselves, they stumble on a sound, a combination of 0’s and 1’s in digital code that unexpectedly opens an interdimensional portal, transporting them to an alternate reality: the Soda State.

Transformed into digital versions of themselves, M and Tracie find themselves in a utopian world. Euphoric and intoxicating feeling both nostalgic and brand new – like nothing they’ve experienced before. Immediately hooked, they vow never to leave this paradise.

Before long, they find themselves tumbling through the portal again, away from Soda State. Re-entering the human world in their digital forms. Hypnotized by what they’ve experienced, they can’t rest until they find their way back.

Now getting to grips with life in the real world as digital avatars, the friends are on a musical journey to rediscover the sound that will open the portal once more.

Soda State come to us with fascinating and highly creative imagery, they are also lovers of all things retro, think video games, fashion and of course, music. With an original video for “The Look’ in the pipeline and series of future releases already set in stone, these characters will become a common feature on the national airwaves, playlists and even performing live.
 
Soda State ‘The Look’ is out now on Potion Records

Connect with Soda State

Perth-based, Zimbabwe-born rapper-producer Arno Faraji today joins forces with Sydney-born production duo Two Another, to release their collaborative new single ‘Just A Phase‘. Listen HERE, watch HERE. 

Together, Faraji and Two Another craft a sound that sits between sensuous R&B, shimmering, soul-infused electronica, and wavy West Coast hip hop. With lush, warm synths, rounded bass lines, and an unhurried beat providing the perfect backdrop to Arno’s sly, nimble flow and casual delivery, ‘Just A Phase’ splits the difference between pastel sunset funk and late-night groove. The single highlights both artists ability to collaborate with others who, for Faraji, might not sit entirely within the hip hop world but share his irresistibly playful sense of style (like the Milan Ring produced ‘Scalin’‘); and continue Two Another’s spirit of collaboration with artists, unbound by borders both physical and categorical, and pepper their individual flavor throughout. 

Speaking on the release, Arno reveals, “The songs about noticing the way people treat you once you’ve got a good thing going when you HOT. It’s also about knowing a lot of things and people in your life only come for seasons and can dip just as fast as they came.”

Of the collaboration, Two Another also share, “When we linked with Arno in the studio last year he told us to play some ideas and we always had that beat up our sleeves for him. He got in the booth and freestyled the majority of the vocals – the pasta line came out in the first take and we knew it was game over after that!”

‘Just A Phase’ follows two major releases from both artists, arriving off the back of a moment’s 2019 for each. Arno Faraji’s ‘Bass Jumpin‘ saw full rotation adds across triple j and community radio stations nationally, in addition, to praise from Red Bull Music, Acclaim, Pilerats, Purple Sneakers, and more. The West Australian artist’ last year debuted his headline Australian tour ‘Faraji SZN‘ to widespread success, as well as support slots alongside Kwame and Cosmo’s Midnight, playing to sold-out crowds at the Enmore and Forum Theatres on their respective national tours. 

Two Another hit the ground running in 2020 with four major releases thus far, the most recent single ‘My Religion‘ garnering praise from Complex, Wonderland, Pigeons & Planes, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and more. Plus radio acclaim from BBC Radio 1 and triple j, following recent performances alongside Daniel Caesar, SG Lewis, and H.E.R.

‘Just A Phase’ by Arno Faraji and Two Another is out now,
buy/stream it here.

Stay connected with Arno Faraji:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | Unearthed