CAKBEATS – TABIJI
The EP TABIJI by CAKbeats is an instrumental hip-hop release that follows the East Coast boom bap style, using traditional hip-hop as the basis for its production. At the heart of the tracks lies well-balanced drum programming, with a slight swing…
BR33Z WORLD – BLACK HEART
BR33Z WORLD’S eight-track album Black Heart is centred on the themes of survival, pain, ambition, loyalty, resilience and the true nature of life on the streets. Starting with “Can’t Run” and ending with “Cry Baby”, the record alternates between more…
MARTIN LLOYD HOWARD – SURREY BELLS
Martin Lloyd Howard’s ‘Surrey Bells’ is an instrumental work for two guitars, based on the idea of church bells ringing throughout the English countryside. The piece is inspired by a particular scene: a rural valley in Surrey on a…
VELA JONES – FREQUENCY (TURN ME UP)
“Frequency (Turn Me Up)” by Vela Jones is an energetic electronic-pop and dance song based on a strong beat, atmospheric synthesizers and a prominent melodic vocal phrase. The track clearly moves in a dance direction while still keeping the…
BEATROOT ROAD – ZOMBIE JAMBOREE
“Zombie Jamboree” by Beatroot Road transforms a well-known calypso chorus into an odd Halloween party song with a far more sinister aim. The song uses the chorus from Conrad Eugene Mauge’s calypso piece and adopts the point of view of a…
HAMISH – SINGING IN MY SOUL
“Singing In My Soul” is a song that has been influenced by travel, the act of writing songs, and a simple sense of connection. It was first recorded for Hamish’s 1999 debut album, Picture In My Bag, and both the writing and performance of the track took…
PENNAN BRAE – STUDIO
Pennan Brae’s Studio is an album consisting of seven songs and is based on the rock and roll styles of the 1970s and 80s, having a deliberate progression from the first track to the last. The opening song, “Scratch”, has a quirky kind of…
TANIA KYLLIKKI – HUMAN
TaniA Kyllikki and Rynellton’s “HUMAN” brings soulful vocals and techno-house production together around a direct question about how people relate to one another. The song grew from Kyllikki’s reaction to hostility and division towards people of…
EXZENYA – B!TCH PLEASE
‘B!tch Please’ by Exzenya is a mid-tempo blues-rock song centred on a sharp narrative involving betrayal, relief and closure. The song starts the moment the woman encounters the person who had slept with her husband, yet rather than reacting…
PENNAN BRAE – STUDIO
Pennan Brae’s Studio is an album consisting of seven songs, its style being based on the rock and roll music of the 1970s and 1980s, the individual tracks all helping to create a collection that goes smoothly from start to finish. The first song,…