Electronic musician Blvk Sheep, also known as Richie Buckley, has dropped his EP which many have been waiting for. The world got a taste of the emo-essence that Blvk Sheep built in with “Life Sucks,” but the 2nd track “Dissociated,” really shows the hardcore shredding he was able to bring into an electronic fold.
The 2nd track dropped to complete the full EP release, which reveals the entirety of Dissociated EP in all it’s glory. The two-tracks compliment one another, but also have plenty of distinction that sets them apart.
“Life Sucks” features the vocalist Apollo Vega, boasting some serious high-notes and a catchy melodies. This particular track nails a certain epic vibe as two different genres collide to make something fascinating.
“Let Go,” features AFTERMYFALL and shows the sheer power Blvk Sheep is able to put out there. The track sends shivers down the spine thanks to a heavy screamo layer and progressive metal inclusions.
Altogether, Dissociated EP, is well-worth the listen, snapshotting moments in music history to generate something all it’s own.
Born and raised in New Rochelle, NY, singer-songwriter Gem Chantelle returns with her fourth single of the year, ‘Temporary’, and it will certainly find a permanent place in your heart. A remarkable pop number that combines ethereal melodies to convey its story. Bathed in ear-worm melodies and an exceptional vocal tone, ‘Temporary’ is a glistening single bound to become even a summer hit or a TikTok sensation – or both! Influenced by the likes of Ariana Grande, James Blake, Rihanna and Sabrina Claudio to name a few, Gem Chantelle is instantly recognizable and is known for her honest lyricism.
Sharing her thoughts on the vivid new single, Gem Chantelle explains, “I wrote Temporary about the constant changes that we’re faced with as we grow. Relationships come and go, along with friendships and everything else. I’ve always struggled with the idea that nothing is permanent, but now I understand that change can offer so many possibilities if you embrace it.”
Destined to become a household name, Gem Chantelle is certainly on the right path to getting 1 million monthly listeners and ‘Temporary’ completely confirms this.
Toronto-based producer Canabliss has easily found a name and audience for herself. Over the years, she became involved in the bass scene, which led her to find support with show bookings alongside TroyBoi, Peekaboo, and Tripzy Leary. She continues to create her path with her distinctive sound of experimental bass and rhythmic touch, reflected in each of her releases. Her newfound success drew the eye of WAKAAN and its management team, Optimystic Group, who went on to sign Canabliss in 2020. Despite COVID interfering with her 2020 touring plans, the young artist spent her time working on her creativity and lining up several releases. Marking her SSKWAN debut and first single of 2021, Canabliss reveals a bass-heavy tune, ‘Freak It.’
‘Freak It’ opens with a simple yet entrancing synth-forward melody that slowly progresses into Canabliss’ trademark wobble bassline. Throughout the single, Canabliss takes listeners to a dream-like soundscape. Floating between experimental and future bass, ‘Freak It’ delivers an enthralling, sonic experience, primed to be the perfect addition to anyone’s playlist this summer.
Patrik Kabongo is a Canadian rapper and songwriter, who is known for his lyricism and ability to speak his mind while relating to the listener. Following on from this year’s singles ‘Pictures’ and ‘Repentance’, Toronto one-to-watch Patrik Kabongo is bringing his 2021 journey to a momentous milestone with The High End Pack, featuring the heated track ‘98 Degrees’. Unlike many summer anthems that lean into bright, bubbly, and tropical-themed sounds, Kabongo is staying true to his style with this moody and sophisticated hip-hop gem.
“I wanted to create a high tempo song for the summer. Something that would have the blended energy of heavy trap bass and Lil Mama’s ‘Lip Gloss’.”– Patrik Kabongo
Alana Sukul is an exciting, new-on-the-scene artist emerging from South West London. With parents hailing from the Caribbean, she has grown up surrounded by the influences from her culture that she has interpreted into her image, musical style and character, while also blending in the vibe of hip-hop culture. Although she is often perceived as a soulful R&B artist, she refuses to be identified as fitting into any single genre and instead experimenting with a variety of sounds and styles such as her current favourite, R&B-tinged funk-pop.
This past year has given all of us room to reflect, including 19-year-old artist Alana Sukul who found herself searching for a new way to express a wealth of emotions. Her music has always been a route of catharsis and so when the end of a close friendship shook Sukul to the core, she naturally turned to songwriting. The end result is the funky pop production of ‘Be Friends’, underpinned by a sensitive acoustic guitar and buoyant bass.
“Friendship breakups can sometimes hurt a lot worse than your typical romantic breakup, I hope this song will help listeners to grieve over the loss by dancing it out.” – Alana Sukul
David Guetta, a name that has gone beyond household, joins us today for an interview. Guetta has been at the forefront, of not only dance music, but music as a whole for well over a decade. Many would recognize Guetta as the one responsible for kickstarting the trend of incorporating electronic music into the wider pop scene. After dominating the world of pop dance, Guetta returned to his roots and the worldwide DJ circuit. He has achieved greatness in many areas in music and is respected by the whole community.
Having worked with most of the largest names in the world, David Guetta has seven albums and hundreds of singles, with the majority of them being worldwide hits. The French superstar has more than 100 platinum achievements for his records. Most recently, David Guetta has been working on three styles of music; his house pop sound, his future rave club music and his underground releases under his Jack Back alias.
His newest release, under Jack Back sees him team up with Guz and Ferreck Dawn for ‘I’ve Been Missing You’. The track is a tremendous house record with a killer vocal, just what we’ve come to expect from the artists.
You’re currently living in Ibiza. During this past year, how has that changed your routine? What does your day look like at the moment?
So it’s actually crazy for me, because I’ve been having a normal life for the first time in 20 years. It’s been great not being jet lagged, seeing my family, waking up having breakfast then going to the studio (I’m not even going to the studio outside but actually a mini studio at home) and making music every single day of my life. It has not been a bad experience for me, I have to be honest.
Of course, I’ve been missing being on stage a lot and that has been odd. But for the rest, I’ve been more creative than ever. I realised how exhausted I usually am, but I guess I was used to it. Now I have so much energy and I’m so much more creative. My label was usually running after me saying “Come on David, we need new releases!” But now they’re like, “please stop, we have too many records, it’s crazy. We need you to need to stop!”
On Friday you dropped a new record under your Jack Back alias. How did that collaboration come together with Guz and Ferreck Dawn?
I’ve always thought they were really cool. I love their music. I was super happy because they sent me the demo, asked me to work on it. Which I did and it turned out great! I am thrilled to finally be sharing new Jack Back grooves with fans from around the world!
Alongside the new Jack Back release, you also released a remix of your own track with Becky Hill, ‘Remember’. The sound is very ‘2010 era’, like Congorock, are you hoping for this ‘electro house’ sound to make a comeback?
Not really, because I’m doing my thing with future rave that’s been incredibly successful in the community. I also have Jack Back and then the more pop/house crossover production. My set is almost only future rave and a little bit of techno and I miss the energy of 10 years ago. I’m so happy at the moment because I stopped caring so much about having radio hits. I just make records that I want to play as a DJ.
We talked about making a future rave remix and I didn’t feel completely right with this type of song. So I thought what is it that I would love to play? You’re right about Congorock – I used it as a reference for the remix. I remembered the first time I played his track live and I knew this was what I was missing from my sets.
My drums in future rave are pretty straight and I haven’t heard that ‘cut’ in such a long time. This is what I was doing with Afrojack and I used to love it so much. It felt really, really good to use a lot of distortion and saturation again.
How hard is it to schedule your music, with two aliases, remixes and collaborations? How far ahead do you plan?
Around five months. As I mentioned before, my label is asking me to stop producing as I am making songs every day. So I said, I am not producing, I am just writing songs! It’s insane, I’m more productive than I’ve been in 10 years. It’s been inspiring to not have that obsession with pop hits, it’s helped me be more creative again. Jack Back was the first step into this and it’s funny as I see a lot of EDM DJs have started to do the same.
I remember one day in LA, I went to visit Calvin Harris and we spoke about Vegas, and things we relate to of course, such as the pressure of making those hits. I told him that it makes me so happy to do Jack Back, it’s so incredible to make music where people have zero expectations. It’s how it should be, but it’s not – there’s almost nothing you can do about it. After, he did Love Regenerator, his amazing project that I really think is dope. I’ve had the same conversations with many artists in this community. For me this was the first step into freedom.
Given the lack of shows over the past 18 months, what has motivated you in the studio?
I haven’t been focusing so much on Jack Back because I’ve done a lot of future rave and a lot of the house pop crossover records. That will be my next thing though. After two weeks of songwriting, I’ll be back onto Jack Back. It’s an amazing formula for me to go from future rave to pop to Jack Back.
I can’t just stay in one lane, I need to do things that are always exciting. The minute I’m starting to repeat myself, I know I need to move on and do something else. That is really the secret to my happiness lately.
I have three Jack Back records ready but if I am honest I need to make like five ideas to find one that is good. One day somebody said to me “How do you only make hits?” I told him that I also have a hard drive full of shit, no one is good enough to only make amazing records. It’s how hard you can be on yourself as we are all a little bit attached to things that we create. You need to be hard on yourself though, I have all these records that I haven’t put out.
You’re always on the pulse of what’s next in electronic music. Who are some upcoming artists you have your eye on?
Upcoming? I’m not sure but I really like Tale Of Us at the moment, but I wouldn’t call them upcoming. They give a lot of inspiration, I’m really enjoying melodic techno. I almost see it in the same family as future rave, but of course future rave is a lot more festival orientated and the sounds are a little bit more powerful. The sensibility of the music is similar, with a bit of trance and techno influences. I really enjoy Tale Of Us’ music a lot, they take me on a journey. That is really something important for me in music.
As much as I love underground music, I don’t like it when it feels like a DJ is playing the same loop for hours, which sometimes they do. I don’t really get it, I want to be on a journey. It’s also because I am so old school, I used to DJ eight hours every day, it was a normal job for me back then. So of course, when you play eight hours, you have to take people on a journey. I would play funk, then disco and then go into new wave and then house came. Even though I only play electronic music now, I’m trying to keep that idea. That’s what I love about melodic techno, it’s like a trip. It’s funny, I don’t do drugs but I love druggie music!
We all know the party capitals of the globe like Vegas, Berlin and Ibiza. Which party city flies under the radar?
I think throughout the years it’s been different places. I remember being shocked by Australia. When I used to come and play those festivals it was insane! I never knew about that. Sometimes I’ve felt that with Germany also with the whole minimal techno and electro house movements. I felt that France was also crazy with the French Dutch, there was no other place with that vibe. I wouldn’t say one place, it just depends on the moment. I have been hearing that Tulum has been very crazy. But it never stays, I feel like Ibiza is the only place where it is constant.
You’ve stated in the past that you want to DJ in space. Now that space tourism is slowly becoming a thing, have you considered it any further?
I was actually in some serious conversations with Virgin Galactic when they started. I was really going to do it, but it took longer than expected. More recently, I had one experience with an parachute. It was a very exciting experience but I was quite nauseous. It is normal, but imagine if I was on a military plane – it may be 10 times worse than that parachute trip. Then going to space would be even more than that military plane, so I don’t know!
Looking through your discography, you have released an album every 2-3 years. The last one 7 came out in 2018, does that mean we could potentially see a new one in the near future?
Yeah it’s not impossible, it’s a very different market now because of streaming. But yeah, maybe in a year, or around then. If I keep having those big records, why not?
Be sure to dive into David’s newest Jack Back release with Guz and Ferreck Dawn below.
Spotify has rolled out the ‘What’s New Feed,’ a central place where content from artists you follow will appear the moment it goes live on Spotify. Whether it be new music from your favorite artist, a new episode from a podcast, or a just-populated event from an artist you follow, by clicking the bell icon in the upper-right hand corner in your Spotify app, you will see it all in one place.
What makes it different than the Release Radar playlist is the time-sensitivity aspect. Release Radar updates once a week, while this is a real time live update, as soon as something hits the Spotify system.
Spotify has always been about optimizing the music listening experience from a fan-first perspective, the ‘What’s New Feed’ is a sensible extension of their principles.
The new feature was in testing for what seemed like a year, but it is now rolling out to devices. If you have it, click the bell icon in the upper-right hand corner of your Spotify app from the home screen to access this new feature and never miss new upload from your favorite content creators you follow.
With her track ‘Scatman’ on the verge of 6 million streams, Jessica Chertock joins Jay Bird for ‘Energy’. The pair bring the record to Magic.
After several future bass anthems, Jay Bird transfers his signature sound to his first ever slap house endeavor. The song fits perfectly into the trending Slap House style plus includes the uplifting vibes of progressive house to touch dance music lovers of all kinds.
Jay Bird delivers the infectious sound of Slap House in an original production with charming vocals written by Jessica Chertock. Fans of artists like Imanbek, Besomorph, or Arc North will enjoy the upbeat bass line of this track while also experiencing some novelty from the ethereal, melodic flair Jay Bird brings to the table. With a nod to classic EDM artists like Deadmau5 and Kaskade, Jay Bird packages the endearing sounds of the genre in a current-day format that’ll absolutely get people excited on the dance floor.
GRiZ has dropped the full monty fans have been waiting for in Rainbow Brain, his 7th studio album. After teasing the title track “Rainbow Brain,” featuring ProbCause and Chrishira Perrier, and plenty of rumors circling about regarding when the album would drop and what it would contain before that, the moment is here. Featuring an unbelievable 22-tracks, there’s something for everyone to experience on this epic monster of an LP.
As expected, GRiZ showers the album with plenty of bass, funk, and saxophone. Across the many songs, there’s not much that runs together as well as no underlying feeling that the tracks feel too similar. Originality, distinction, and just an all around righteous vibe permeates as the experience flows from track to track.
Grant aka GRiZ has gone on record to share that Rainbow Brain is about “letting go into the technicolor world of psychedelia.” The thought is well said and there’s an unescapable aura that he nailed this theme all things considered.
The studio albums simply wouldn’t feel complete without the shows that go with them, there’s a bunch of events upcoming where you can catch him live, including a massive Labor Day event at Red Rocks.
A number of new records from a range of genres and tastes are out this week, find your new favourite track below!
ZHU feat. John The Blind – Monster [Astralwerks]
A stunning departure from ZHU’s dusky signature sound, ‘Monster’ is a sparkling, straight-up celebration of unconditional love. Teaming up with acclaimed artist John The Blind, ZHU continues to roll out terrfic music.
Devault feat. Kiiara – Never Felt Like This [Ultra]
Devault taps Kiiara for ‘Never Felt Like This’. The outstanding production is nothing new for Devault, however adding Kiiara vocals takes it to the next level. A must listen for fans of either.
Hayden James & Crooked Colours – Rather Be With You [Future Classic]
Hayden James links with fellow Aussies Crooked Colours for ‘Rather Be With You’. The driving house production is another solid one from James. Collaborating with Crooked Colours was a great decision as lead singer Phil Slabber’s vocal is a perfect addition.
Nicky Romero & MARF feat. Wulf – Okay [Protocol]
Nicky Romero does what he does best, a vibrant, melodic progressive anthem ready for festivals. ‘Okay’ is a collaboration with Dutch producer MARF and Dutch singer/songwriter Wulf. The track has a personal meaning to Nicky as it became close to his heart during the writing process. Lyrics tell a story about the importance of checking on your loved ones, which became even more important during the pandemic.
Dirty South – Viggo [This Never Happened]
Dirty South returns to This Never Happened to kick of his upcoming five-track EP. The first single is ‘Viggo’ and is another solid production from the Australian act. It showcases his talent for fine melodies and progressive productions.
Lister feat. Glenz – This Noise [CLUBWRK]
Lister returns to CLUBWRK, teaming up with Glenz on vocals for ‘This Noise’. Lister aimed to influence elements of drum and bass into his hard hitting, bouncy productions.
Leaving Laurel – Winter In The Woods [Anjunadeep]
Leaving Laurel unveil ‘Winter In The Woods’, a single from their album which will drop next week. Half of Leaving Laurel was Pierce Fulton, who tragically passed away in April after a struggle with his mental health. This track was inspired by the duo’s time isolated in the woods of Connecticut & Vermont. The record (and album) is an touching way to remember Pierce and the amazing music that he left the world.
Genix & Northling – Take Our Time [Anjunabeats]
Genix releases the next single from his upcoming album. He explained he received this brilliant demo from Northling and eventually, it evolved into ‘Take Our Time’.
