Albums | Baldo Verdú fuses soulful pop melodies with afro-Latin on “AMOR”
Posted by VMan on March 28, 2023
Baldo Verdú’s music is a unique blend of electronic and organic rhythms that is both soulful and pop-driven. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Verdú grew up in a family of folkloric musicians, and this artistic upbringing is evident in his music. He started his musical journey by mastering the vivacity of afro-Venezuelan percussion, and later gravitated towards the guitar, which allowed him to connect his heritage with more universally known music styles such as pop, rock, jazz, soul, and funk.
‘Amor’ is a catchy and melodically flowing track that showcases Baldo’s multi-genre approach to music. It is a fun-filled and emotive track that asserts him as a multi-disciplined artist who is to be taken seriously. Baldo’s goal is to explore the roots and traditions of his culture, and he achieves this by fusing afro-Latin drums with pop melodies, creating a unique sound that is both electronic and organic.
Albums | Ari Abdul Releases New EP ‘Fallen Angel’
Posted by VMan on October 27, 2022
20-year-old singer & songwriter Ari Abdul dropped her new EP ‘Fallen Angel’ via Slumbo Labs/RCA Records. Tune in to the deeply personal project after the jump and check out a quote from her on her debut project! Keep a tab on Ari Abdul, she’s quickly growing across the board.
“You have like these nice, lovely, innocent sounding songs. And by the end of the EP, the songs get really distorted and heavier, and the lyrics get darker. Maybe there’ll be an emotion or a little something that happens in my life in a song, but the EP is completely storytelling. We keep pretty melodies, but still have production and lyrics that completely contradict those pretty melodies.”
Electronic | Tobtok Showcases New Sound On “Satellite”
Posted by VMan on May 18, 2022
Swedish dance sensation Tobtok is back with potent new single ‘Satellite’ featuring the mesmeric vocal topline of Danish singer/songwriter Arinn. Released on 13th May via Perfect Havoc, London’s chart-topping label, this new release captures an evolution in sound for the label’s talisman as he bridges the gap between commercial and underground.
Following the impressive ‘My Carousel’ featuring renowned dance vocalist Jem Cooke on Selected, Tobtok wastes no time in sharing another slice of his refined sonic palate. ‘Satellite’ effortlessly crosses over into tougher grooves and meatier melodies whilst retaining the chirpier elements of his past productions. The singleis an instantly gripping affair, kicking off with a catchy vocal hook before diving into firm drum work, pulsating sub-bass and a gritty synth lead that carry the track forwards and bring an undeniable danceability.
Tobtok aka Tobias Karlsson, is one of the most talented artists leading the new wave of Swedish electronic music DJ / producers. He has generated over 500 million streams globally across his original work, remixes and productions for Joel Corry, Robin Schulz and Karen Harding to name a few, on such illustrious labels as Ministry of Sound, Kitsuné and of course, his home at Perfect Havoc.
Tobtok’s highlight outings include the Australian double platinum record, ‘Fast Car’; flexing his DJ skills on Toolroom Records’ ‘Miami Poolside’ compilation; and the 2020 release ‘New Levels’ which as well as being made ‘Tune of the Week’ on BBC Radio 1, picked up key DJ support from Sam Feldt, Sigala, Tiësto and many more.
Arinn (aka. Astrid Ankjær) bridges her own gap between sweet ‘n’ sour and clean ‘n’ gritty. Her productions, lyrics and versatile vocal melt together in juicy soundscapes of ‘feels’ that somehow still relate to each-other. She most recently released ‘Regret’ with Astrality on esteemed label Selected, which has been streamed close to 5 million times.
Perfect Havoc – shortlisted for Best Independent Record Label at the 2022 Music Week Awards – is one of the most successful indie dance labels of recent years. Its trademark sound of commercial dance with a smattering of the more club-focused has generated the label over 3 billion streams. It’s given rise to six UK Top 20 singles including the No.1 single ‘Head & Heart’ by four-time Brit Award nominated producer, Joel Corry.
With a talent-packed schedule for 2022 that also features releases from Just Kiddin, PS1, Varski, Charlie Hedges, Oliver Nelson and many more, Perfect Havoc is guaranteed to serve up a ton of accessible and underground house sounds from both breaking and established talent.
Pop | Cyfar Debuts First Ever Single
Posted by VMan on September 15, 2021
Erupting onto the scene in 2021 with his first ever single, the ever addicting “Sober” by new school singer/songwriter CYFAR expertly combines his bold lyricism stunning vocals with an immaculately bright and colorful sound to create his own unique blend of Afro-Pop. Born in Nigeria, CYFAR now resides in East London and is planning to release music full time after being such a big fan of it his entire life. He’s been working on music since he was 7 but just now released his firsts ever single, which you can check out above now.
At 17 I decided I wanted to dedicate myself to the arts and music became my way of expressing my feelings about the world around me. The last couple of years have seen me really develop the versatility of my sound, effortlessly fusing genres with melodies and lyrics.
Alternative, Pop | Martin Weston Releases “Loose Knit Heart”
Posted by VMan on August 22, 2021
Martin Weston isn’t your everyday singer-songwriter. The up-and-coming London based musician possesses a potent motion in his storytelling with folk music running through his veins from a young age. His latest offering “Loose Knit Heart” has elements of acousitc, folk, and pop blended together which reminded me a lot of early 2000’s music in this space like Jack Johnson or Ben Harper. This track few on me a ton and well worth it. Martin explains the meaning behind “Loose Knit Heart’’ below. Stream the song above now.
“I wrote Loose Knit Heart after fully realising how brilliant a thing the perfectly crafted pop song is. Loose Knit Heart is my attempt at something along those lines, trying to add catchy hooks and melodies everywhere I could.
It’s an acoustic singer-songwriter, collaborating with an experimental electronic music producer called Tom Arniel. I came along with an acoustic pop song and he added a really textural groove by recording pots and pans in his kitchen. Making it was so fun.”
Albums | Mahalo Returns with “Not Watching Anymore” Out Now Via TNT Records
Posted by VMan on December 7, 2020
Hawaii born and Los Angeles based producer and DJ Mahalo, coming off of another huge year marks his debut on TNT Records unleashing his newest infectious anthemic melodic bass driven single, “Not Watching Anymore” with an anticipated release date of December 4th. Mahalo’s much anticipated single tells the story of a complicated one sided relationship where one person is completely fed up and won’t stand for it anymore, “Keep acting like you’re so hurt, you’re crying but I know it’s fake…I show you how much I care but you could give a damn.”
“Not Watching Anymore” is a catchy energizing track with an anthemic beat driven melody. The bouncy melodic beats are accompanied by an uplifting drop while the emotive vocals and upbeat lyrics are a perfect match to the beats cooked up by Mahalo and act as a cherry on top and really drives the track home. Mahalo once again showcases his exceptional production skills, attention to detail and his signature bass sounds with his latest single. ‘Not Watching Anymore” is a sure anthem that will have you longing for the dancefloor!
“Originally, I began working on this track with another one of my close producer friends in New York, I was really drawn to the vocal melodies and the lyrics from the singer. I ultimately took the record over and added my signature bass sounds and production. I am really happy with how the final product came out, and I hope the listener enjoys it too!”
About Mahalo:
Hailing from the shores of Hawai’i and setting up shop in Southern California, Mahalo has quickly made a name for himself as one of the newest rising stars of the global dance music machine. By blurring the lines sonically and creating cutting edge material branded as his signature sound “liquid house”, this young producer has managed to gain the support of an impressive amount of many of the world’s biggest DJs, producers and tastemakers while also performing at some of the most coveted festivals in North America such as Electric Daisy Carnival, Groove Cruise, Nocturnal Wonderland and Countdown.
Mahalo’s 2019 breakout single ‘So Cold’ set a benchmark for future success journeying 15 weeks on the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart eventually rising to #1, while also taking the top spot on the Mediabase US Dance Radio chart. With releases on labels like Tiesto’s AFTR:HRS Records, Mark Knight’s Toolroom Records, Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music and various other taste making labels such as Perfect Havoc, Enormous Tunes, Bunny Tiger, and Insomniac Records – it’s no wonder why the world is starting to take notice of this promising talent whose future looks more than bright.
Connect with Mahalo:
Albums | Gaspar Narby Gets “Sleepless” in New Video
Posted by VMan on September 28, 2020
Up and coming producer Gaspar Narby teams up with LEES on a moody new single titled “Sleepless.” The track is taken from his forthcoming Collab EP, due out later in the year. The upbeat and fun record blends indie pop vibes with electronic and feels like a gloomy/rainy day. See what he had to say about the first track off the EP below and check out the visual for “Sleepless” above now!
“Sleepless, the EP’s first single, is the third song I write with LEES. She’s one of my closest friends and such a gifted writer; she just knows how to tell vivid stories through catchy melodies. This song is about the beautiful memories that haunt you, the ones you’d like to forget but never want to let go. It’s an uplifting sad song, basically!”