Guiss Guiss Bou Bess do some culture jamming, Paupière serve up some karma, Gaz Newton takes you to the river, Les Fils de Joie make a go of it — and you also get Belgian jazz, South American folk and electronica, Japanese experiments and a whole lot more in today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and totally should) subscribe to my Tinnitist 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, get ready to listen and learn:
Guiss Guiss Bou Bess | Sunu Gal (ft. ISS 814)
HOME BASE: Senegal.
GENRE: Electro Sabar.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “It is always a challenge to modernize a traditional recipe, and even harder to find a place for it in the contemporary world. But Guiss Guiss Bou Bess — Mara Seck, Aba Diop and Stephane Costantini — rise to that challenge, to create a “new vision” and give new life to sabar, one of the most mystical musical styles of Senegal. Mara’s griot heritage, passed down through his late father, the beloved musician Alla Seck, combines with Diop’s deep lineage in sabar percussion and Costantini’s extensive knowledge of bass culture to create a sound that is uniquely their own: Electro Sabar. Together, the three have explored every style and rhythm to develop the perfect fusion of ritual percussion and bass music. They methodically respected every code of Senegalese traditions, while merging with the global rhythms of trap, dubstep, UK garage, drum & bass, bass house, afrobass and kuduro. This single from their Set Sela album, recorded with the young rapper ISS 814, is an ode to the values of Senegalese society, dialogue and cousinship with jokes, real peacekeepers in the country. Aimed at young people, this clip recalls the fundamental principles of Teranga, the importance of others, the dialogue and grounding necessary for living together.”
Paupière | Sade Sati
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Electro-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Now led by Julia Daigle (visual artist) and Pierre-Luc Bégin (Polipe, We Are Wolves), Paupière are a glamorous and flamboyant duo from Montreal with an underground sensuality that creates pop music that is both naïve and profound. Paupière combines “skin” (peau) and “stone” (pierre) — organic and mineral, sensitivity and hardness — while referencing pop music. Mixing English synth-pop and French chanson, the neo-romantic duo let us hear echoes of Human League or Depeche Mode in their work. They voice the adolescent and hedonistic romanticism of the ’80s along with our contemporary disenchantment. Sade Sati refers to Indian astrology — it is a period of 7.5 years that involves many challenges but also recognition and great achievements. Sade Sati is karma, the sum of the acts of this present life, but also of previous ones, leaving marks over time leading to true destiny.”
Gaz Newton | The River
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Gaz Newton is addicted to melodies from the ’90s and indie rock. In 2020, Gaz contacted artist-producer and kindred spirit Pamela Hute to produce his latest album. It was artistic love at first sight. The result: Loveheroin, produced and recorded during the pandemic lockdown, exchanging files by email. These 10 rock tracks sound like true classics, refined with elegance in the purest analog tradition with bold guitars and deep snares. Pixies and Pavement are not far off. Lovehereoin is a compendium of influences from the ’90s, carried by Gaz’s heady vocals and smart melodies.”
Les Fils de Joie | Puisqu’il Fallait Partir Un Jour
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “French new wave pioneers and largely influenced by the post-punk wave coming from England, Les Fils de Joie formed in Toulouse in 1978. Their lyrics, mainly in French, are rather dark and ironic, reflecting the disenchantment of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Puisqu’il Fallait Partir Un Jour (Since We Had To Leave One Day) is taken from the Fils de Joie album Anthology of Black Ideas, which includes 13 of the group’s most emblematic titles over the period 1982-1986.”
Fuji Yuki & Valéry Poulet | Neshama 2
HOME BASE: Japan.
GENRE: Experimental.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Fuji Yuki is a female singer who performs in the Japanese experimental / improvised music scene. She’s best known as a member of the bass-and-voice duo Sarry. Valéry Poulet is a French experimental and electroacoustic composer.”
Seuil Optique | Inner Language
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Experimental.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Seuil Optique, the duo of Sig Valax and Nicolas Tourney, offer a unique experience of listening to music in the dark. Immersing the stage and audience in constant darkness, Seuil Optique create soundscapes where electronic transmissions, acousmatic landscapes and refined drones intersect. On their album Les Habitants they balance electronic improvisations and ethereal minimalism. These pieces are kaleidoscopic images that make us travel from one space to another.”
Thomas Lehmkühler | Virus
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Contemporary Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Multi-instrumentalist Thomas Lehmkühler has been writing and composing in various genres since childhood. He has released the albums Was Du Liebst (2015), Piano Experience (2017) and Kinderleben (2020), the singles Die Kleine Wolke (2016), Wie die Möwe (2017) and Angekommen (2018), and the musical apps Song for Birth, Rhythm Dictation and Pioplay. Virus won the 2020 German Songwriting Award for Music for Motion Picture. The melancholic but hopeful contemporary piece takes you on a journey through the ups and downs of quarantine and the difficulties we are all facing.”
Gem Shadou | What’s Goin On
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Reggae-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “While others in their age group are busy posting on social media, Toronto’s tween twin-sister duo Gem Shadou are making protest songs for their generation. The 12-year-old Cece and Joce now have a lyric visualizer for their latest single What’s Goin On, a modern Afrobeat pop-rock track that holds the same sentiment as the Marvin Gaye song of the same name. The sisters sing in unison about the frustrations felt by parents, teachers, and students during the fall of 2019 — a time when Ontario was plagued with gang-related shootings, teacher strikes, and peak suicide numbers. The twins have Trinidadian and Guyanese roots, with their parents’ diverse background in music offering a perfect platform to nurture Gem Shadou’s musical growth. They aim to follow up What’s Goin On with the forthcoming single I’m Alive.”
Johnny Bolzan | Waiting Here
HOME BASE: Brazil.
GENRE: Future Bass.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “With dozens of releases, Johnny Bolzan has established himself as a beatmaker, producer and multi-instrumentalist. The artist moves between dance music, chillout, hip-hop and trip-hop. The transition between genres fuels Johnny to bring something new to his productions and attract different listeners. Waiting Here, his second single of 2021, is accompanied by an animated video. Recorded and produced solely by Johnny, Waiting Here brings a pop twist, with solid beats that flirt with trap, distorted guitars, sweet and smooth vocals that blend into a work of future bass.”
Shannon Clark & The Sugar | Wait Till Spring
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Americana Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from rustic Darke County, Ohio, Shannon Clark & The Sugar weave heartfelt emotions with distinctive flair to create a sound that can only be described as Midwest Americana Soul. The family band — husband-and-wife duo Shannon and Brittany Clark plus their oldest daughter Navie — write and perform original music about personal loss, struggle, and the human condition. They just finished their first full-length album with Grammy-winning producer Mark Howard (Bob Dylan, U2, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson). It’s set to release in spring.”
Cat Calabrese | Quicksand
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Cleveland, Cat Calabrese is the former lead vocalist for the band Rule of Young. Now a solo artist, Cat is stepping into her own musical spotlight and is cultivating a pop sound that represents herself not only as a singer and songwriter, but as a woman ready to tell her own story in her own words. As part of her musical reintroduction, she teamed up with producers and fellow Clevelanders Wavy Duder (co-producer of Machine Gun Kelly’s 2020 hit In These Walls) and DJ London Bridges to create Quicksand. Bridges’ experience and meticulousness are reflected heavily in the precision of the song’s production and radio-ready quality. Cat also continues to work with her band’s former producer, Jim Wirt, the award-winning producer of Incubus, Gwen Stefani, Fiona Apple and others. Says Calabrese: “Quicksand is an up-tempo pop song that has a tropical vibe; it’s a breakup song that you can definitely dance to.”
Ignacio Maria Gomez | Belesia
HOME BASE: Argentina.
GENRE: World Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Ignacio Maria Gomez is extraordinary — a virtuoso artist, poet and enchanting singer who crosses cultures and traditions to make deeply cosmic music linking South America and Africa. Born in Argentina, Gomez has busked in France and travelled the world from Africa to Japan. Belesia is a very personal first album which brings together 10 pieces composed between 2009 and 2019, and performed with the help of Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Ségal, Naïssam Jalal, Loy Ehrlich, Sebastian Notini, Andreas Unge, Guillaume Latil, Nacho Delgado, Jesper Nordenström. Belesia is an earthly paradise where humans and nature live as one under the benevolent gaze of the divine Pacha Mama.”
Yves Desrosiers | Autŭna Frido
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: New Age.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Recognized for his innovative and distinctive approach, Yves Desrosiers is the recipient of several prestigious awards and nominations and ADISQ, Juno and Polaris awards for his work as a musician, producer and composer. This talented multi-instrumentalist has worked with some of the most recognized names in the Canadian music industry, including Rufus Wainwright, Sarah McLachlan, Daniel Bélanger and Richard Desjardins. He has released the solo albums Volodya, Chansons Indociles and Bordel de Tête, and contributed to the vitality of the Quebec and Canadian music scene for 30 years.”
Donna ‘La Mulatta’ | Let’s Go To The Party
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Funk-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Let’s Go To The Party is Donna ‘La Mulatta’s first single from her upcoming debut EP produced by the Lille-based beatmaker Fair’son. With this song, the Parisian underground singer revisits musical genres such as funk and disco in a sparkling, summery song with a retro touch. Writing in Italian and English, Donna draws inspiration from her southern Italian roots. Let’s Go To The Party is a catchy single that conveys positivity and encourages letting go. Donna ‘La Mulatta’ will transport you and surprise you with her multicultural universe, which is rich in sounds and perfect for summer.”
Lewca | Young & Foolish
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lewca was born in a squat in Brixton. By age 19 he was living in a squat in Paris. Go figure. After studying fine art and dabbling in film, he started making music just before he was too old to die young. His influences range from class A drugs to expensive rum, and also The Clash, The Streets, Ian Dury, Eminem, Tom Waits and whoever is making decent music … He lives in Normandy, has three kids, a mortgage and a semi-domesticated hedgehog named Sonic.”
Orbital Gloom | Universal
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Electro-House.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Berlin’s Orbital Gloom were founded in 2019 as an electronic music project by Kosmo (synthesizer) and Can (vocals). They create warm, melodic dance tracks rooted between electro, IDM and deep house. Universal has a bit of a melancholy mood about it as well, though its rhythm is more of a very slow march. The track combines electro-house and unearthly shadows to a presence whose orbit is pointing upwards, although its lyrics are deeply sad. Can’s vocal performance is exceptional, creating a feeling of being lost on the profound, dark and endless journey of becoming a human being.”
Angel Ez | When I’m With You
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I’m an independent artist from Chicago. I write/produce all my music in my bedroom. My life experiences as well as whatever I may be inspired by at the moment are the key to my process. I have finished a project that’s due for release in March. It fuses my current obsession with ’80s synth-pop and modern pop with my own style.”
Joseph Mihalcean | Something Calls You
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Indie-Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Composer, arranger and guitarist Joseph Marchand has been asserting his presence on the music scene since 1997. A founding member of the duo Forêt, he produced their eponymous 2013 album, which garnered Félix nominations for Newcomer of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year. On the small screen, he has composed for shows such as Les Simone, 30 Vies and L’Écrivain Public, along with documentaries and commercials. He has also served as musical director on Les Échangistes.”
Innocenzo Genna | Dreams (Keep Me Awake)
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: Contemporary Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Innocenzo Genna has always lived music in multiple dimensions: First as a musician and entertainer, then as a composer, and also as a technological scholar, lawyer and policy expert. His piano compositions fall within the categories of minimalism and modern classical, with elements of blues and jazz. He is similarly conservative as a composer, his music drawing heavily on harmonic and melodic practices of 18th and 19th-century European compositions. “Dreams (Keep Me Awake) was created in late 2011 during a sleepless night, as are many of my works,” he says. “The title refers to the fact that playing this music naturally induced me to close my eyes and abandon the flow of thoughts, while keeping awake. I never played it in public because it would be like disclosing something private. However, I played it at home for friends, who convinced me to publish the work. I put it on my 2020 album Post Quarantine Piano.”
Abi Mia | Make Myself Tall
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Abi Mia is a singer-songwriter from London. Taking influence from powerful and soulful female artists such as Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato & Kelly Clarkson, she has developed her unique style. Mia has a confident and powerful voice with elements of soul and writes songs from the heart, inspired by her experiences and things happening in the world. Her aim is to uplift, empower and move people through her music. Make Myself Tall is her fifth single. Says Mia: “It is an empowering song written in reaction to someone in my life who kept putting me down constantly just becuase I wasn’t doing things their way. Just because they think their way is right it doesn’t mean it is the only way to be successful! It is up to use to make ourselves tall and do things our way!”
Bachot Muna | I’m Gonna Rock Your Night (Orchestra)
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: Jazz-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter and emerging artist Bachot Muna presents his newest love anthem I’m Gonna Rock Your Night. The soul/R&B fusion delivers a groovy production with uplifting instrumentation, feel-good vocals, and a jazzy beat driven by an infectious sax. The upbeat vocal adorns the instrumental that shines and sparkles at every turn. Muna’s message-heavy lyricism and wordplay will take listeners on a musical journey that highlights an empowering love tale.”
Worakls | Les Gardiens De La Forêt (ft. Rusanda Panfili & Antonin Winter)
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Orchestral.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Known for his electro/melodic productions and vibrant shows, Worakls is a composer above all. Raised in a family of musicians, he learned piano at age 3 and carried on with a conservatory education. Later, he moved toward electronic music production and founded the Hungry Music label. Today, he mixes the universes that inspired him with his new soundtrack. After collaborating with Hugo Clément on the score of the documentary Sur Le Front Des Animaux Menacés, Worakls composes the score of the journalist’s new piece Sur Le Front Des Forêts Françaises, airing on TV France 2.”
Cedjje | This Way
HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Synth-pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: None — this duo apparently prefer to let their music do the talking.
Black Paisley | Without Us (Acoustic)
HOME BASE: Sweden.
GENRE: Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Stockholm’s Black Paisley debuted with the 2017 album Late Bloomer, followed by Perennials in 2018. Their third album was recorded in 2020. Here’s a bluesy, emotional version of their original rocker Without Us, performed by vocalist/guitarist Stefan Blomqvist and guitarist Franco Santunione. The band re-arranged it for a Swedish radio show, and realised the version became a new song of its own that deserved release.”
