Lost makes some strange moves, Kinson erase all doubt, Flem gets nomadic 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, lend an ear to today’s diverse lineup. There are some real goodies in here:
Lost | Acting Strange
HOME BASE: Austria.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Dancing astronaut in the video — can your day get any better? 🙂 Debut Album coming end 2020!”
Kinson | No Doubt We Can
HOME BASE: Ireland / Germany / United States.
GENRE: Alt-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “We are Kinson, a four-piece alternative band from Ireland, Germany, and the USA. We were collaborating from afar before it was Covid-approved. Born out of early jam sessions between brothers Paul and Phil Wilkinson ( guitar & sampler / drums respectively), the two were soon joined by bassist Andreas Stickel and singer Brookln Dekker and became four. Stream of consciousness lyrics, beat-driven, bold and textural are the kind of words we like to use to describe our own music. We all met together for the first time at Echo Zoo Studios in the U.K. to work with Producer Dave Lynch in December 2019. In September 2020, we begin a series of single releases with first track No Doubt We Can.”
Flem | Nomades
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: World Music.
THE TRANSLATED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Flem has always navigated between different musical trends. His first album Passeport mixed world music, hip-hop and electro rhythms produced by pianist and DJ Mattias Mimoun. Nomades is Flem’s new album, entirely composed and arranged by his friend Vieux Farka Touré, nicknamed “the Hendrix of the Sahara.” Mandingo songs, poetically engaged texts and Tuareg melodies make up Nomades. Inspired by contemporary artists like Oxmo Puccino or Abd Al Malik, but also by the heritage of song like Brassens or Brel, Flem asserts his signature: the union between committed rap lyrics and traditional West African sounds.”
Oliana | Colibrí
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born and raised in beautiful and artistic Paris, from a Mexican-Canadian mother and a French father, Oliana is a rising singer-songwriter with a dark edge. She uses her talent to describe with empathy the world as she sees it. In her songs, she uses darker lyrics yet vibrant melodies with upbeat accompaniments to portray the constant rush of life experienced by the young woman she is. Based in Toronto for the last year, she has built a unique musical signature combining her love for soul and R&B with pop and urban Latin music. She writes, composes and releases her music independently in collaboration with French beat maker Tooti. She is currently working on her first EP, which will be released in January 2021. Colibrí is a chill summer beat that you can vibe to whether you’re at the beach or on holiday, or relate to if you’re still under the stress of quarantine.”
Joan Pérez-Villegas | Algorritme I
HOME BASE: Spain.
GENRE: Jazz.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Born in Mallorca in 1994, Joan Pérez-Villegas began studying percussion at the age of eight at the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Palma. His career has led him to take part in numerous and diverse projects that range from chamber to symphonic music, including jazz groups, music for dance, theatre and film, pop, traditional music, etc. He has also been an academician at the Balearic Symphony Orchestra, guest artist at the SICMF (South Africa) and at the Festival Cistermusica (Portugal) with his percussion duo Face two Phase, with which he won first prize at CIMCA (International Chamber Music Competition, Portugal). With his first project as a composer and band leader, he will release the album Blau Salvatge.”
Emilio Lanza | It Wasn’t True
HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My name is Emilio, and I was born in Italy in 1987. Music really is my life. My approach is to listen to songs again and again, practising and arranging them by ear. I gained my experience and expertise both from the Internet and the street: I love going busking as well! I love arranging pop/acoustic music on my acoustic guitar and I use my percussive fingerstyle technique for this. I’ve always been self-taught, picking something up from my cousin, my brother. and friends, and above all watching as many videos as I can of the world’s greatest guitarists. After 12 years working on covers, in 2015 I felt I was ready to work on my own music.”
Mandarina | Lui
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Bossa Nova.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Mandarina is a French-Colombian musical duo made up of Paola Olarte, singer-songwriter and Michael Tainturier, multi-instrumentist and songwriter. The blend of Paola’s Latin roots and Michael’s electronic music background results in a sensual soul music sound. Lui is an indie-pop track inspired by bossa nova and soul, recorded at the Atlas Studio, Paris. The lyrics speak of love at first sight and emotional dependence, telling the birth of a love and predicting its end. Its clip, produced in collaboration with motion-designer Julien Foll, is inspired by Disney and tells the story of the making of a paradise on earth and then its destruction, also drawing a parallel with the ecological crisis.”
Roxane Felicie | Songs From The Past
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Roxane Felicie is a Parisian singer and songwriter. Born into a family of musicians and artists, she was immersed from a very young age in music, particularly with pop and blues bands like The Beatles, Pink Floyd or The Rolling Stones. She wrote her first EP in 2020 and just released her first single Songs from the Past. Her songs are produced and arranged by the french guitarist Théo Cormier. They suggest a joyful journey in a colorful pop world, playing with the aesthetic codes of the ’60s and the ’70s. Literature, especially Proust, Oscar Wilde and Salinger, is an essential part of her life and her writing.”
KZ | Kesta
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Hip-Hop.
THE TRANSLATED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Kesta — nothing more French, behind the wheel of a car, in a nightclub, during a misplaced gaze. Who has never used this expression towards someone? The artist turns it into self-mockery but not completely with an offbeat clip, a choreography is required. The tune reminds us of DJ Snake with a flow trap. To be consumed in winter and summer, this sound will make you dance in all circumstances.”
Juhan Ongbrian | Biscotti
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Jazz.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Experimental jazz; jazz fusion; electro jazz … however you want to label it, the pioneering artists taking jazz to brand new audiences are some of the biggest success stories in the music industry in recent years, taking a form of music which had fallen cruelly out of fashion into something which unified people across generations, cultural backgrounds and class. Entering the arena is Juhan Ongbrian, who brings his guitar and composition skills to a life which has seen him take influence from his birthplace in Indonesia through to a prolonged stay in Singapore and Seattle, finally to his base in Los Angeles. Biscotti is an instrumental with the combination of traditional approach to the music and modern production of the sounds. The song is led by a dominant guitar melody, carrying the emotions throughout the song.”
Maylin, The Buffalo Girl | Tongue Twister
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Described as the female Dr. John, infused with Patti Smith and Kurt Cobain, Maylin Pultar is “an unusual artist, her voice is exceptional, cristal-clear and powerful, music, like her stage presentation is original.” Through her music and her creations, Maylin strives to empower her audience to help them overcome their daily struggle. And so she does, thanks to the strength she draws from nature. She also draws inspiration from her travels, most recently when she met Indigenous peoples of South America and was able to begin to learn their shamanic traditions. Tongue Twister arose spontaneously from interactions with fans online during lockdown. The title of this song plays on a double entendre, hinting at the perilous exercise of switching from French to the three other languages in the song as well as the sensual roll of “your tongue in my mouth.” Tongue Twister celebrates the circular creative breath that unites humans with each other regardless of their language, and the one they nurture with Mother Earth.”
Samuel Rozenbaum | Mauvaise Habitude
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Samuel Rozenbaum is a sprawling being. He begins by absorbing everything: books, films, anecdotes, stories, operations. And above all, it absorbs music. Whether popular or scholarly, today or the day before yesterday, it doesn’t matter. He often says he has a jukebox in his head, a machine that is constantly triggered by a word, an atmosphere, a situation. Insatiable hungry, it is not uncommon to see him grab his notebook when you have just quoted an author, a record or a photographer. You have not finished your sentence which he has already listed for reading, listening, seeing later. He rarely judges, he absorbs. “To accompany my first photo exhibition, I composed this soundtrack: Seven songs that I presented last month in an intimate setting at the Arles Photographic Meetings. It was like stepping into a footbath. The first sensations are there, the smell of the swimming pool penetrates the nostrils, but you must not give up to advance to the diving board and launch for real.”
Sebjin | Doctor
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Sebjin is a producer from Paris, France. He started producing in 2015 drawing his inspirations in electronic, trap, Caribbean music, rock, hip hop & world music. His music is the perfect combination of all these genres and it is clearly what makes it unique. His influences come from art, fashion, sci-fi, cinema and video games. Music is the gate where he can express what he loves the most and deliver his message to the world. After the release of Monitor last month, sebjin continues his musical release series with the single Doctor, a punchy and powerful track with a light-hearted tone. Sebjin’s captivating bounce and surprising drops are accompanied by a more than original and unexpected sound design throughout the song. You can feel the mix of excitement, joy but at the same time a warning — as if Doctor is some kind of playground in which you can let off steam before getting ready for the sequel.”
Monte Duma | Castaways
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Folk-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from a remote ski resort the Alps, Nils Duma grew up playing the classical guitar, skiing and exploring the outdoors. In his solo project Monte Duma, he composes and sings colorful indie tunes to share experiences of living around the world, taking you on a cinematic road trip full of wild and vivid landscapes. It’s been quite a journey and the path to his current home, near the Los Angeles coastline, has taken him to Paris, Singapore, Berlin and Perth. Striving to find a lost sense of balance, music has become a part of a meditative and healing practice to transcribe and share experiences and raw feelings through a subtle blend of silvery vocals, acoustic guitars, organic sounds and electronic textures.”
Elefan Tree | We’ve Got The Power
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Graduated in musicology in 2002, Mikaël has been multiplying musical experiences for 20 years (Rock, Electro, Soul, …) officiating in turn as a bassist, keyboardist, guitarist, composer and arranger. Since 2018, he has initiated a series of more personal compositions under the name of Elefan Tree.”
Lectrom | The Wolves
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lectrom is an electronic music producer originating from Germany. As a kid, he started to make beatbox beats. He learned to play the guitar a little bit, but it was not his passion and stopped it. It took more than 20 years to give music another chance. Now he has found what makes him really happy, and that is to produce electronic music. He states, “I love music and it makes me feel complete and this I want to share with you guys, simply something that is so amazing and powerful!” His new song The Wolves is about not giving up and fighting for love.”
