MELBOURNE, AUSJumping right in with eerie piano keys that pace with an unnerving amount of tension, mrlukeyluke and TOON TARO break it completely down to the curious, the superstitious, and the subconscious on their track STRANGER THAN FICTION. Opening with a radio callout that sets the tone for the peculiar, mrlukeyluke and TOON TARO are casting spells, breaking programs, and illuminating their truth for others to find on STRANGER THAN FICTION. These two deliver mouthfuls of perspective with each verse; nothing is hidden, deep depths are reached, and demons are unmasked. It feels diabolical and nightmarish, which can be applauded to TOON TARO’s audible sensations on the instrumentals. STRANGER THAN FICTION leads listeners on a cerebral journey that starts off with ascending narrow, winding wooden stairs that open a door to expose a conscious shock of information for those who have not explored this region. They integrate the darkness found with specks of light as they analyse and question the world around them and their experiences. Shots are fired, observations are made, and it becomes clear that fear does not live here. If anything, these guys enjoy a little heat, a little spice, and a little dark (k)night of the soul that’s served with clarity; double the trouble. A word of caution is necessary for newcomers that plummet down the rabbit hole vacant from light; it may be confronting, uncomfortable, and even paralysing for some, which is why you don’t stick around for too long. Enjoy the adventure and secrets of the moon, but always return home to the sun. “The track was a missing piece to the album puzzle, ‘Lead by Example 2'; strangely, “no pun” intended, it organically appeared, leaving us both inspired by the question”. - mrlukeyluke x TOON TARO Off the bat, you can hear elements of cypher worthy content as each rhyme spills onto the beat of the TOON TARO-produced track with ease and flow, a mix of darkness and tones of heart. It’s giving duality, untamed, and loudly unapologetic. “STRANGER THAN FICTION has a touch of Westside Gunn; we let the Yin & Yang speak for itself”. - mrlukeyluke x TOON TARO Slowing down is not an option for these two, and it shows with both artists dropping their own respective solo and duo projects that gift listeners with an even more in-depth glimpse into their creative souls. The year ahead is even more promising, with more projects and visuals to come. Stay on the mrlukeyluke and TOON TARO vibes and follow the playlist below.
0 Comments
Nashville, TN, USAWe’ve got Jyou and K.O.N back at it again for a third collaboration with their trailblazing marks that continue to put Nashville on the map. The Boombox EP serves five songs and a listening experience of sixteen minutes, making it perfect to process and digest at any given time of the day. First up is a speaker breaker. Hips opens with a culture classic from Huey and Riley, you feel me?! It's quick and a hit, and you’ll want the volume turned all the way up for this turnt AF track. Hips is easily one of the catchiest tracks present in this body of work from Jyou and K.O.N. You'll be repeating 'drop them hips if you’re a baddie' in no rush! Jyou and K.O.N deliver each verse with gumption, growl, and vocal grit as they experiment with their own range, cadence, and lyrical output. “We had a bunch of songs on the hard drive, and as we drew closer to the summer, we felt like it was a good time to package them all together. A session at Kon’s studio sparked it off. We created the intro track on the project Hips, and felt like, sonically that was the direction we were going in.” - Jyou MIA continues the up-tempo vibes and penetrating bass. The chorus unravels as an anthem as Jyou and K.O.N nonchalantly flow “baby girl, ian never made a slow song, life too fast," and best believe the visuals match the energy. It’s a fun fusion of hype, beautiful women, temporary desire, and celebration. You can’t f*** with 'em. We Aight, featuring JORDAN Xx switches the pace and takes the party to another level with these three on demon time. The production continuously delivers vitality; it’s like a breath of fresh air after each transition, verse, and hook. It’s evident that an insane amount of trekking through new aural territory and feeling, as well as thinking outside the box, was present during the recording process. It’s cool, it’s better than aight, and in the famous words of the legend Katt Williams, tonight we’re getting f***** up! “For this EP specifically, we wanted to create a present-day sound while paying homage to the influences that've moulded us. With songs like “Frondoe (ft. Artbully)," which ties into our southern roots, and “We Aight (ft. JordanXx)," the hype hair swingin’ joints. Even tracks like "MIA," produced by $hrames, and "Leisure," produced by AB Eastwood, give you this video game-like feel with the ringing sample.” - Jyou Frondoe featuring Artbully is a personal favourite with its light and twinkling instrumental elements that push forward Jyou and K.O.N’s vocal depth and bright flows while emphasizing Artbully's feminine tone that’s injected with a slight masculine kick. It feels like a world full of innocence and vulnerability, exposed amongst the masking games and pain. We’ve got tempo switches, impeccable storytelling, and real-life relatability for those in dead-end relationships. This is the joint that'll increase your confidence and have you leaving your man at the front door as you activate your ego to throw that a** some more. Leisure completes the journey of The Boombox and downshifts the frequency for the final chill-out session. It’s the classic end to a party when the memories are complete and some of the energy of the night wants to be further explored. The instrumentals are light, airy, and butterfly-like; the chorus is divine and elongated, adding to the gentle theme; and meanwhile, there is another proud culture moment where Season 1, Episode 2, on The Boondocks is paid respect. The Boombox EP is a dynamic, audibly tantalising, genre experimental project that is dipped with Rap, Hip-Hop and R&B and hints at Jazz, Hard-style, and Electronica influences. Jyou and K.O.N truly poured their creative souls into this exquisite sonical concoction, flaunting their musicianship skills, and their ability to blend their own respective frequencies into a magic melting pot of music. Hit the plus sign on your streaming service to line up The BoomBox EP for the ultimate listening experience. Tap in with Inner Circle, which is a Nashville-based collective where they strive to promote local and regional talent through live events, production, and digital media. Start your journey by clicking the link below. Georgia, USASoul? check! Lyricism? Check! Lack of oxygen for every zealous verse that realwarmwinter has laid out on his track, a reminder.? Check! This is a standout example of when creativity rumbles and meshes with what was and with what is. The year 1936 collides with the present day as realwarmwinter delivers one minute and fifty-nine seconds of short'n'swift, straight to the point, sampled greatness to the likes of Billie Holiday's No Greater Love. It's a super-speed time capsule where classic genres like jazz and hip-hop complement the other without taking from each other, and it'll have you wishing for an extended version. When you're as bright as realwarmwinter, sometimes all you need is one hundred and nineteen seconds to make a solid statement that blasts harder than your favourite. His presence is enormous, his conviction is colder than a Colorado winter, and his cadence is the marshmallow on top of your hot chocolate, keeping you warm as you enjoy the listening experience and roll with his lyrical punches. "I was inspired when I had a performance with another rapper in my city. I consider myself a songwriter at heart, but he got on stage and was RAPPING, RAPPING! So I decided to drop a reminder to let everyone know I’m still an overall great artist". - realwarmwinter The sound foundation of a reminder. is built with only the best, tuneful grit, glue, and a flow that cannot be replicated but rather celebrates realwarmwinter's origins, Southside Georgia. The energy of the south is dripped in realness that was birthed from hardship; this is where the term rose from the concrete comes to life. It's unsuspecting, it's piercing, and it's electric. Since this release, realwarmwinter has drop after drop, and every single one is super hot. Do yourself a favour and set aside the time to absorb his artistry. His "Just A Vessel" merchandise is also on the way; keep your eyes peeled and your fingers trigger-ready to pull back and push forward the plays on a reminder. Link below. Nashville, TN, USAAre you ready for the heat, the slowdown, the intensity that is Olivia Ray in her smoking, sensual song Obsessed? We weren't, and that’s exactly why you have to stay ready to be ready for such a hit. Olivia Ray lets her vocals soar, and her emotions drift loosely over sweet, sugary guitar and drum patterns that’ll leave you craving more. Her melody flows, and it'll have you smiling at your phone in silence, heartbeat racing, included and intact. It's pretty simple: we're obsessed with her, and you will be too in a quick millisecond. She drips into a jazzy, velvety smoothie; her echoes float out into an array of hues, each tone having its own sonically vibrant colour matching the mood. She eases the senses with each exhale. Obsessed is filled with burning passion and intense attraction. Olivia articulates her enticement for another with mutual infatuation. She's not obsessed with her phone, she's obsessed with who's on the other side, and it’s about receiving the energy she's been given, while she sends it back like an infinity symbol. 'If anyone knows me, they know that I care about memories more than most things in life. It is not something I ever thought to really talk about in a song, but all that changed this time last year when I met my boyfriend. During this honeymoon phase of pure love for this man, I believe it was a few days after we became official that I came across this beat. It all just came to me. Voice memo after voice memo: I had some concrete melodies down, and I rushed home to record them in my closet. The funny thing is, I left it just sitting there for a year. But after fine-tuning it, I was left with a song I am extremely proud of.' - Olivia Ray It’s giving feminine desire, passion, and soul within a sultry, hypnotic atmosphere. The luscious instrumentals provide a luxurious backdrop to the artist's delivery, and this can be heard throughout her emotive catalog. Nashville never ceases to impress when it comes to talent, and Olivia Ray is another great example of the city’s authenticity and ability to create magic. If you love Obsessed, you’ll adore In Your Eyes, which is another favourite. There’s more to come on the journey of Olivia Ray; 2024 is going to be a continuation of her sensuous energy. Until then, dive into her world and keep Obsessed in your rotation. Melbourne, AUSThis is the time for Mr. Congo to shine, to get paid without delay, and to be recognised for his craft, as he has no intentions to fade away, and he's doing all of this with accomplice MorningMaxwell on their release, Dead Prezzies. Opening a backpack filled with quick-witted blades, a ski mask full of cadence, a hatchet of growly, animated flow, and keys to one of our favourite narratives that demands you to put your hands up, Dead Prezzies is an adrenaline-fueled rap heist that takes viewers on a thrilling adventure into a heated bank robbery. “When writing Dead Prezzies, I was thinking of a movie called Dead Presidents that stars Lorenz Tate! It was made in the 90s-20s; when I heard the MorningMaxwell beat, everything collided, and magic was made." - Mr. Congo Mr. Congo oozes wizardry; he's out of the ordinary as he deposits fearless delivery and experiments with tones that are instant attention grabbers. When it comes to creativity, he has zero chill; he's a vessel full of wonder, exploding on any beat he touches; in this case, MorningMaxwell and Mr. Congo stunt as a dynamic duo, creating a cinematic narrative on a compelling beat. “MorningMaxwell's production and my quirky take on wordplay and sound effects were the inspiration. I wanted to take the listener on the chase with me and tell a good bank robbery story." - Mr. Congo When it comes to songwriting, there is a wide array of topics, themes, and emotions that an artist can dip into, and the more avenues covered, the more music enthusiasts get to witness the evolution of an artist. Mr. Congo is THAT artist! Uncharted waters are his thing, and you won't catch him in a loop of art blocks; his energy presents itself as infinite, and this seamlessly translates into his music. The releases aren’t running dry, future projects are on the way as Mr. Congo is currently at work at his production studio at Sawtooth, located in Bayswater. He's also in the works with Breaknbread Productions, The Get Down events, and Tovch Entertainment with upcoming collaborations. In the meantime, run up those Dead Prezzies, hit the link below. SYDNEY, AUSLet the rhythm take control as TIFFANY hypnotizes with a mesmerizing Greek guitar intro that eases into a Euro summer anthem with the track Agápi. Prepare to be enveloped in an infectious sway of sound, one that transports you to the glowing islands of Greece. The gods of house music would be extremely pleased with this addition of electronics to their holy realm; it's pure ecstasy. TIFFANY flaunts breathy, gentle vocals, which are the focal point of Agápi; her emotional depth adds a layer of intimacy to the dancefloor experience, and her tone glides over the beat as she delivers a sweet symphony of bilingual feels. The pre-chorus buildup emanates a feeling of euphoria that stretches vivaciously into a sonic celebration. “Before this song was created, I had an idea to create a deep house song with a Greek-inspired guitar. With this idea, I went to Beatswithsheph and told them my vision, and Barry whipped out his guitar and played that first hypnotic melody. With Sheph's addition to the beat, vocal melodies were running through my mind, and I knew exactly what I had to do with them. The very next day, I sat down and started brainstorming for the track. I knew I wanted Greek lyrics, but I wanted to still keep it very universal, so I used the most known words "Agapi mou" and "S'agapo" and incorporated that into the main part of the song.” - TIFFANY Agápi has a fine balance of upbeat energy and subtle electric shadows in the form of pulsating basslines and intricate melodies. The elements weave together to form a tapestry of enjoyment. Whether you’re looking for a late-night club number or a solo living room dance party, TIFFANY has got you covered. As the beat fades out, the lingering echoes of Agápi ensure that TIFFANY'S presence in the house music scene is one to be recognised and respected. She'll be gifting listeners with more releases, including Deep House and NRG. Make a note 'cause that's your memo to keep your eyes open and ears ready for her future drops! |
|