Groover Playlist 36 | Enter The Chambers

Oof, Neon Funeral, Snap Border and the rest of the newest tunes from Groover.

Oof put it all together, Neon Funeral find themselves plagued, Snap Border face off against their icons, Emy Taliana feels good and more in today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) subscribe to my Tinnitist Groover Top 100 playlist HERE, or you can listen to it via the widget at the lower right of every page on this site. If you want to be in an upcoming playlist, click the link just below the widget or go HERE. But first, turn in, turn on and drop the needle (figuratively speaking) on today’s fine finds:

 


Oof | All Of Us Is One ft. Russell Brand

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Psychedelia.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Oof, aka Jaïs Frédéric Elalouf, is an eclectic Parisian director, VJ and DJ whose musical influences come spane acid rock, jazz-funk and cumbia to ’90s raves. His work is based on sound-noise-image synchronization and dance-floor video immersion. He has released breakbeat tracks under the name Zzouf and Lunivers. A pioneer of DVJing in France since 2003, he gave more than 500 performances in 40 countries and produced 70 music videos mainly mash-ups. All Of Us Is One‘s groovy track seems straight out of a modern Western. The vocals, in the form of a mantra, invite the people to connect to themselves, join the unity of the “Great All” and free themselves from prophets. Russell Brand‘s voice strengthens this invitation to unity. Interviewed by Oof about psychedelic consciousness at the Breaking Convention in London in 2015, he stated: “Cause we are that force. We’ve got our own way back to this force, this source, this power, this consciousness, this energy.” Several people have since joined the project: Jie Pop on vocals, Boris Kulenovic on bass and Laurent Gueirard on drums. All Of Us Is One is the first of a series of tracks to be posted every three months until the release of the album in late 2021. When director Xavier Zahra listened to the track, he fell in love with it. As an expert in special effects (Gravity, Game of Thrones), he delivers a sequence that follows the path of a spliff at a party in 1969.”


Neon Funeral | iPlague

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Electro-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Supported by powerful bass and guitar lines, Neon Funeral’s music is based on electronics that are capable of moving listeners with classic melodies of ’80s synth-wave, but brought to the most visceral paroxysm with a voice closer to industrial, alternative, and metal styles. iPlague closes their EP, leaving listeners with a great taste in their mouths, combining electronics with vocal atmospheres. Neon Funeral brings originality to the alternative scene.”


Snap Border | Newsfeed Icons

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Alt-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Snap Border are an alternative rock band founded in 2012. Their style is a powerful mix of genres that allows them to create their own universe, with a striking and a communicative aesthetic which is easy to understand. Snap Border released their debut album Alternative Current Box in 2016 and toured with bands like Tagada Jones, Mass Hysteria, Alestorm, Ugly Kid Joe, Lacuna Coil. The band is now back in studios to record their second album with Anthony Chognard & CHS producing (Smash Hit, Tess).”


Mohand Baha | Flemmard

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Flemmard, the last single from Mohand Baha, already validated by the biggest official playlists, mixes an original production and a well-struck text. The alliance of the two makes it possible to send a powerful message.”


Emy Taliana | It Feels So Good

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist from Paris! “Hi lovely souls, this track is from my new EP 7 Days. Thank you for your time and kindness.”


Zebrah | Beauty

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Zebrah is the artistic project born from the minds of Pauline and Kevin, two french musicians taking over the London scene since 2017. Mixing up flute, psychedelic guitar, vocals, drums and bass, their sound cannot be defined as only one genre. Inspired by artists such as Erykah Badu, Pink Floyd or Lana Del Rey, Zebrah is a little funk and a little folk but also very much psychedelic and neo- soul. “This release wasn’t predicted at all. We were full on working on our EP and Corona happened. Stopped, we just decided to have fun otherwise and recorded Beauty. Everything is DIY in this song, we did everything at home — even the drums (creating sample of sound and that)!”


FrankySelector | She’s So Carefree

HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Funk.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “A founding member of Montreal’s sensation Skyjuice, FrankySelector’s new album Never Better is slated for fall 2020, with She’s So Carefree as a the first teaser single. She’s So Carefree fuses vintage synthesizers and analog recording techniques with modern beat programming, not to recall the past but to step into the future. The main theme of Never Better promises, as Franky describes it, “Whimsical tales of serendipity in the 21st Century.”


Michael Baker | Caught In The Crossfire

HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Folk.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Michael is an Anglo-French singer/songwriter who has travelled the world playing his music. Pouring his heart and soul into every sinew of his songs, the feelings of honesty, belonging and serenity that are Michael’s hallmark, are constantly demonstrated throughout his music. Caught in the Crossfire is the second single from the forthcoming (recorded in Lockdown) third studio album and is FFO Gregory Alan Isakov, Sufjan Stevens and Devendra Banhart. Michael says: “Sitting in lockdown thinking how can anything be so hard, so easy, so incredibly sad and so fucking beautiful. As with most of my songs I wrote it feeling sad and looking to the light. I sat up in bed just before sleeping and the whole thing came out in one go. The next day I recorded the whole thing down pretty much as you hear it on the record. For the piano part I wanted to take musicality out of it, so with my hands on the right notes I actually blindfolded myself and felt my way through the track. It’s about being caught up in it all obviously and about how one moment of kindness spreads like the roots of a tree… & that colour can change your view and make you look out differently.”


Chris Red | Sick & Tired

HOME BASE: Sweden.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish singer/songwriter Chris Red spent years behind the scenes in Stockholm’s renowned pop music scene before branching out on a solo career influenced by artists like Ed Sheeran, Avicii, Shawn Mendez and The Script. Chris studied music production in school and honed his skills playing in bars around Stockholm in his early years, later becoming a session guitarist for Bosson and eventually took the step into the spotlight with his own expressive, melodic tunes. After spending ample time in the studio making sure each track is perfect, Chris is now ready to introduce his music to the world. Sick & Tired is about that phase when you’re dating someone and realizes it could be the real deal, so you’re trying to contain yourself.”


Simon Lunche | Grace

HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Soul-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE:Simon Lunche has packed a near lifetime of musical experience into just 22 years. As the creative force behind former Bay Area indie act The Blondies, he wrote and produced the band’s entire catalog and made his name as a captivating live performer. Having spent the last decade as a frontman, Lunche now delivers a solo debut that brings a powerful new depth and dynamic vision to his artistry. Lunche’s seductive vocals and emotive guitar playing propel the music forward into a budding world of passion and romance. Rounding out are Sean Hurley (bass), drums from Aaron Sterling (Harry Styles, Maren Morris, John Mayer), backing vocals from Tiffany Palmer (John Mayer), Brandon Winbush (Tori Kelly, Justin Bieber) and Briana Lee (Elvis Costello), effectively sealing the deal on a brand of music that Lunche acknowledges as “soul-pop.” Lunche’s passion, dedication, and drive, culminate into an uncanny ability to access the authentic human struggle for feeling, connection, love, and loss. Lunche will release his upcoming album Never Knew The Night on Sept. 25.”


Our Man In The Field | Easy Going Smile

HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Folk.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Think of Our Man In The Field — aka Alexander Ellis — as an independent correspondent, with his works dispatches from his travels. So classically crafted are Ellis’ songs that you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve heard Our Man In The Field somewhere before. He and his brilliant band of pedal steel, guitar, banjo, upright bass and drums (with fine harmony backing vocals) take inspiration from the alt-Americana and Caledonian soul stylings of Van Morrison, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ryan Adams and Wilco. His own sound is indefinable yet familiar — its introspective, intimate and deeply soulful style stands comfortably alongside modern day artists Ray LaMontagne, Damien Rice, Foy Vance and Joe Purdy. “My parents always said John Denver’s Leaving on a Jet Plane was their song. My father had to work away a lot so they were always having to say goodbye and I remember my mother listening to it and being sad and happy at the same time. Easy Going Smile is my take on the same situation, a kind of answer to the person leaving on the jet plane. I hope John Denver and my dad would approve — at least I know it also makes my mother sad and happy at the same time when she listens to it. Like all the songs on my album which is coming out in September, we recorded this live with no overdubs so maybe the production isn’t as polished as most modern music the feel of a live performance is there.”


TODAY’S PLAYLIST

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