Magazine / Issue #149

Caricamento…

Si è verificato un problema. Aggiorna la pagina e/o riprova in seguito.

Song of the Day: El Michels Affair and Black Thought – Glorious Game

When Leon Michels and El Michels Affair released their first record, Sounding Out The City, in 2005, it was hard to guess what was next for Michels and his then-introduced, now-patented “cinematic soul” sound. Now, four EMA studio albums and scores of tribute and remix projects later—all while producing for some of the biggest names in the industry—Michels has trademarked his sound, with each project taking audiences somewhere new and pushing the boundaries of what he is known for. The man is a river, not a lake and this time he takes his golden touch into the realm of hip-hop laying down a musical bed for one of the greatest to ever rhyme into a microphone: Black Thought of The Roots crew.

Releasing on Big Crown Records, the LP is called Glorious Game and it is a remarkable debut partnership in more ways than one. Michels provides his bottom-heavy, soul-tinged production for Black Thought who gives us some of the more personal and transparent verses we’ve ever heard from him. Michels and Black Thought have been in each other’s orbit for a while now. The two first met in the 2000s when Thought was first getting familiar with the contemporary soul scene. “Out of that whole world, Menahan Street Band was probably my favorite,” recalling the funk and soul group Michels was a founding member of back in 2007. Fast forward a few years and musicians from that collective—Dave Guy on trumpet and Ian Hendrickson-Smith on sax —are now full time players with The Roots. This connection eventually led Leon and Thought to doing a few fundraising events around NYC and Philly together. “Before long, Black Thought was coming around the studio and would jam with us from time to time,” Michels explains. “Then, fast forward to 2020 and COVID lockdowns, he just hit me up out of the blue, wanting me to send him stuff to write to. We both were looking to stay busy.” Enjoy Glorious Game!

Song of the Day: Sirens Of Lesbos – Sweet Harmony

Sirens Of Lesbos are a group of singers, lyricists, instrumentalists and creatives who are about to revive and modernize the Worldbeat genre with their eclectic and groove-led approach. They draw on diverse backgrounds and upbringings to create an irresistible melting pot of sound. Releasing on their own self-titled label, their music is fast attracting fans far and wide, from BBC 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova, to BBC 6 Music’s Nemone, to Worldwide FM’s Gilles Peterson and Beats 1’s Ebro Darden.

The group first found fame by accident: the result of a self-imposed challenge to write an Ibiza hit. “All of a sudden we were in talks with almost all major labels and publishers out there” recalls Friede. “In the end we signed with Epic / Sony. But it was like two drunken teenagers getting married in a Las Vegas chapel… once we sobered up, we both realised that we were not meant for each other.” Quickly becoming disillusioned with their situation, they chose to start over and pursue the music they had stronger passions for.

As well as their diverse musical inspirations, their sound and lyrics are also the product of their mixed backgrounds and upbringings. The Serag sister’s parents were political refugees and freedom fighters from Sudan and Eritrea, as were Friede’s Czech parents following the Prague Spring uprising in 1968. Buss’ father is English, and Switzerland proved the perfect place for these different cultures to mix and combine with contemporary influences. Enjoy Sweet Harmony!

Song of the Day: Beach Fossils – Don’t Fade Away

Bunny is a stunning evolution of Beach Fossils‘ sound throughout the years, pulling elements from the jangly melancholy of What a Pleasure, the lush arrangements of Somersault and the gritty, post-punk inspired tracks from Clash the Truth.

The record has Dustin Payseur’s most vulnerable lyrics by far. He’s pushed himself to be honest and give insight to his emotional world. From poignant words about a family member’s cancer battle, the joy of being a father, to smoking a cigarette out of a car window with friends–it’s the band’s most vivid and personal work to date.

Beach Fossils have spotlighted at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Primavera, and Posty Fest, in addition to sold-out headline dates at venues like Brooklyn Steel, The Wiltern, and Thalia Hall. The Other Side of Life: Piano Ballads hit No. 3 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums chart and the band recently cracked two million Spotify monthly listeners and seven million monthly listeners total across all platforms. Bunny will be released June 2nd on Bayonet Records–a genre-expansive indie label he co-founded in 2014 that has served as an incubator for a diverse roster of developing artists since it’s inception. Enjoy the new song Don’t Fade Away!

Song of the Day: Fakear – Not Only Flowers (feat. Hannah Yadi)

It took a world pandemic and general confinement for Théo Le Vigoureux, a sensitive thirty-year-old guy from Caen, Normandy, France, to sort out his mind and his music. Theo needed to reinvent Fakear: to return to the essence of the project, with spontaneity and above all, honesty.

This come-back is nothing other than the first step towards the new Fakear.

This new wave can be expressed in one word: Talisman, His new album. The first tracks Moonlight Moves and Altar have mesmerizing and intriguing sounds. It also features Voyager, with a music video mixing gorgeous mountain views and a feeling of weightlessness.

Today Fakear is above all Theo: with his emotions and his battles, one of them being for climate change, and the importance of our planet. For his new album, he collaborated with Camille Étienne, a known climate change activist, on his track Odyssea.

Ten years after his first steps in the industry, Fakear now returns to his roots, without looking to the past with nostalgia or contempt; but rather by contemplating his past self with kindness, and a tap on the shoulder. “I found myself “, he admitted. Enjoy Not Only Flowers!

Song of the Day: Form – Vulnerable

Form is a story in the making. A kid’s dream coming from the suburbs of the Val d’Oise.

The band defines itself as a body with three heads, all thinking and symmetrical. They gained experience as the first act of Jungle, Fakear, Thylacine…

The three friends work with a perfect synergy which helps them create meticulous and clean productions. Their adolescence feels indelebile, inspired by Fink, Jungle or Radiohead, which can make their music sound like James Blake sometimes, or more like Moderat.

We understand then why FORM was asked to work on the albums of other artists, like La Chica (« La Serpiente », « Venezuela » and « La loba ») or André Manoukian…

Magazine / Issue #148

Caricamento…

Si è verificato un problema. Aggiorna la pagina e/o riprova in seguito.

Song of the Day: Palace – All We’ve Ever Wanted

Leo Wyndham, Matt Hodges and Rupert Turner have been friends since they were thirteen and released their debut album ‘So Long Forever’ in 2016. In 2019 they released their second album, ‘Life After’. Following extensive touring of the festival circuit and a sold-out UK and European headline tour including London Roundhouse, the London based three-piece have since returned from a sold-out North American tour and continue to write and record from their studio space in North London. Enjoy the new tune from Palace!

Song of the Day: Momma – Bang Bang

Momma is a trio from Los Angeles, Bang Bang is their new song. “Allegra and I ended up getting COVID at the same time, so we decided to isolate, get drunk, and write together,” Etta Friedman explains. “Within a night we had demoed a hot sounding song about great sex.” Allegra Weingarten adds: “We wanted to write something lyrically different than anything else we’d done – just super literal and crude. We shared it with Aron and he sent us back a new version with a lot of added extra production: drums, bass, synths, acoustic guitar etc. It felt totally different and fresh. The finished song has a lot of classic Momma – heavy guitars and catchy melodies – but packaged in a different form. It feels immediate, like a whole new sound for the band. Enjoy the tune!

Song of the Day: Pine Barons – Frantic Francis

Pine Barons from Philadelphia shared a new song, here’s how they introduce it: “Frantic Francis weaves hypnotic sounds with dreamlike imagery and a pulsing bass line, meant to simulate waking up as a child, when everything is brand new again. But it’s not supposed to be that deep either and mentions embracing mundane things, like drinking tea. After the I Love Fish project, we’ve approached songwriting for Pine Barons differently, putting more emphasis on patience, simplicity and really letting a song breathe.” Enjoy the tune!

Tracklist 7×13 (7.3.23)

Kelela – Enough for Love
Sleaford Mods – Force 10 From Navarone (feat Florence Shaw)
Anna Of The North – Swirl
Yo La Tengo – Sinatra Drive Breakdown
Algiers – 73%
Squid – Swing (In A Dream)
Daughter – Party
Gilla Band – Sports Day
Audiobooks – Burnt Pictures
Scott McMicken and The Ever Expanding – Mountain Lion
Beabadoobee – Glue Song
Purr – Cave
Avey Tare – Invisible Darlings
Emma Tricca – Christodora House
Flume – Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan
Kate Davis – Call Home

5 pm Uk / 18:00 Cet
On Air on Fritto Fm
Previous shows


Song of the Day: Overmono – Calling Out

Since their inception Overmono have purposefully cultivated a fanbase that heralds them as one of the UK’s most original contemporary live electronic acts. A run of ground-breaking club EPs between 2020 and 2022 built momentum and culminated in their breakthrough club single, “So U Kno”, which encapsulated the hearts of clubbers and went on to become a bonafide phenomenon as dancefloors re-opened; featuring in end of year lists published by Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, DJ Mag and Mixmag. Since then, Overmono have been named ‘Best Live Act’ at the prestigious DJ Mag Best of British Awards, taken their custom audio-visual live show to the most credible festivals across the globe, including Glastonbury, Movement Festival, Dekmantel and to sold-out crowds in London, LA and NYC as part of their debut headline tour last year. And, they have produced innovative releases including their instalment of their ‘Fabric Presents’ DJ mix series and collaborations with the likes of Joy Orbison. Enjoy Calling Out!