Oru Cantando

Canto Asoyin

Ochun

Then We'll Wave (Demo Version)

Then We’ll Wave (Demo Version)

Within Melbourne's burgeoning cinematic-soul scene, which includes breakout acts Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo, mysteriously sit The Pro-Teens. Helmed by prolific drummer and percussionist Hudson Whitlock, who also plays in both aforementioned bands, this breakaway studio project involves an interchangeable collective of incognito, Melbourne-based, esteemed instrumentalists playing under outlandish pseudonyms such as "'Dead Honest’ Dean Amazing" and "Libby Clique-Baite". Symbolically led by keyboardist "Snooch Dodd", new album ‘I Flip My Life Every Time I Fly’ is the latest musical concoction from Whitlock's eccentric brain, marrying the soul/funk roots of sample culture with the principles of boom-bap hip hop.

Incorporating the colourful comic book stylings of MF DOOM and Kool Keith, or the dark and exotic flavours of Gravediggaz and The Wu-Tang Clan, The Pro-Teens also take cues from their composing heroes Galt MacDermot, Richard Evans and Marc Moulin. The Pro-Teens bop, zip, whip and fling on this phantasmagorical journey - an unorthodox patchwork of cinematic soul, hip hop-guided funk breaks, vivid instrumental textures and film score-esque moods. 

The Pro-Teens work on the same analogue recording model adopted by the tight-knit College Of Knowledge label, self-recorded and produced with the rag-tag crew of musicians putting tracks down live to tape in crammed attic studios and sharehouse recording spaces.

The Pro-Teens - Elephant On The Wall

‘Melodi’ is the second album from Kit Sebastian. Those familiar with the band's cult classic 2019 debut record 'Mantra Moderne' will instantly recognise their unique sound that blurs boundaries of world music, jazz and psychedelia. Not to be content replicating the same album, sonically the feel of ‘Melodi’ is a maturation. It is more diverse and provides glimpses into many different worlds from the Italian Riviera to the mountains of the Caucasus, the beaches of Bahia to the city streets of Istanbul and Paris. This joyous merging of soundscapes evokes a borderless planet with music as an international language, belonging everywhere and nowhere.

Melodi

Kit Sebastian - Ahenk

Kit Sebastian - Melodi Pt 2

Kit Sebastian - Agitate

’Assimilation’ is the fourth, and final, single taken from The Brkn Record’s forthcoming debut album, ‘The Architecture of Oppression Part 1’. A groundbreaking concept album from Jake Ferguson of The Heliocentrics. It is a critical journey through the eyes of Black Britons, blending powerful and sobering narratives with psychedelic and soulful symphonies.

It is a track that has an overwhelming potency and power. A visceral tour de force that stops you in your tracks. The music has a Wagnerian manner to it, culminating in a dramatic and emotional intensity, masterfully matched by the evocative lyrics and their delivery. Over a pulsing, ominous beat, spoken word artist, singer and performance poet Dylema breaks down the psychological and social violations entrenched by the pressure placed on Black and Brown people to ‘assimilate’ to so-called English culture. 

Born and raised in Nigeria, Dylema moved to England in 2000 and it is this lived experience that is expressed in the song’s lyrics, "When I came to this country, I had such a strong accent that it was really difficult to blend in. Before I opened my mouth, you had the Black thing, and when I opened my mouth you had the African thing. People were taken aback by that, and so I found myself assimilating and remembering my experience of that assimilation. I felt in order to survive in England I would have to learn how to speak like an English person. Even though I have this accent right now, it is completely fake. It never left me to have an African accent, so amongst my friends and people close to me, I slip back without even noticing. The level of skill I had to have to assimilate into England required so much of me. Even if you’re not born and raised in Africa, there are so many things that Black British people have to do to assimilate without even noticing it. I still feel like I haven’t completely assimilated and I’m ok with that now. That is what inspired me to write Assimilation. I felt someone needed to put a voice to what we actually do to ourselves to be respected or accepted in Britain.”

The Brkn Record - Assimilation (feat. Dylema)

'Almost Five' is the first single from Bucharest's 7th SENSE.

Read more @ https://twistedsoulmusic.org/2022/03/02/new-sounds-7th-sense-ft-liam-shortall/

Almost Five

7th SENSE ft. Liam Shortall - Almost Five (TS Premiere)

Award winning artist and producer Plutonic Lab returns today, releasing music that comes drenched in striking R&B tones: new single, ‘Good Thing’. 

Featuring frequent collaborator, vocalist Natalie Slade, ‘Good Thing’ revels in nostalgic and romantic vibes. Plutonic Lab, applying his expert ear for melody and arrangement, constructs a beautiful, dreamy soundscape that Slade’s rich vocals weave effortlessly throughout.

The genesis of ‘Good Thing’ started - as with most sonic ideas - in the studio, with Plutonic Lab working on different ideas at his Wurlitzer electric piano. The cyclical melody, coupled with the chords, became the base of the song and from there, ‘Good Thing’ would grow into something great. Inspired by the Wurlitzer melody, Slade found herself creating within a sonic scope that was built on beautiful decadence and fantasy.

“It gave me the space to dream and so I wrote a story about a lush romance.” Natalie Slade

The fantastical elements of ‘Good Thing’ make the track an immersive listen. 
“Never give up on your good love, I won’t,” Slade sings, as orchestral strings swell around the lush production. The addition of brass and rhythmic builds beautifully, giving ‘Good Thing’ a rich vintage sound. 

“I created a demo for Natalie that already had the basic drums (which were a kind of slow samba), strings, bass guitar and the Wurlitzer electric piano parts, I also added that popcorn synth sound that plays the melodic counter to the piano. I named the beat ‘Wurly Dreams’ and I think the title inspired Nat to write the song”.  Plutonic Lab

Plutonic Lab and Slade have been collaborators for years, with Slade appearing on previous Plutonic Lab offerings, as well as their group project SOUNDS LIKE FRANCO. Slade has also been courting international attention for her solo work; her signing to UK label Eglo Records seeing her in the company of artists including Fatima and Floating Points.

Across the years and releases, the duo’s dynamism has strengthened; a strength that comes across so easily in ‘Good Thing’. It’s soul music that evokes memories of decades gone by, while still putting a fresh and contemporary foot forward.

‘Good Thing’ is the next offering from Plutonic Lab’s forthcoming EP ‘New Ruins’. Stay tuned for more music and info in the coming weeks.

Plutonic Lab Feat. Natalie Slade - Good Thing

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.

Kit Sebastian - Melodi Pt 2

Mr Bongo