Kutiman mesmerizes you, George Katsos introduces his better half, Valter Valerio visits the Big Apple, Declan Welsh and The Decadent West speak their mind — and they’re not the only artists with plenty to say in today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) follow me on Spotify HERE, check out my Top 150 playlist HERE, or 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, go HERE. But first, spend some time with these compelling cuts:
Kutiman | Guruji
HOME BASE: Israel.
GENRE: World.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Kutiman is an Israeli musician, composer, producer and animator. Recording in his isolated bunker in the Negev desert, the musical nomad draws from a deep well of aural reconstructions collected from musical plimages around the world. A deadly combination of cold wave synths and hypnotic tablas collide on his explosive electro tabla banger Guruji. Kutiman dreamed of learning to play tabla since being gifted a compilation of traditional Indian music as a teenager. Finally making it to Kolkata in 2017, Kutiman practiced 12 hours a day for two months under the tutelage of Pandit (Master) Tanmoy Bose. One of India’s greatest tabla players, Bose toured the world with Ravi and Anoushka Shankar. Destined to smash post-pandemic dance floors, Guruji begins with looping sitar and a halftime tabla rhythm, before a cascade of synth-played motifs rain down, centered around a droning bass synth. He played all instruments on Guruji (no samples were used) and created the video (direction, 3D animation and choreography). The psychotropic sounds of Guruji designate new territory for this prolific multi-instrumentalist and producer.”
George Katsos | Better Half
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Inspired by 1960s British Invasion and Motown artists, George Katsos writes and publishes original popular music. In both recording and mixing practices George captures sounds described as analog, live, and even lounge-like. One song George wrote and performed on was recorded highlighted by Billboard Magazine as the critic’s choice of the week. Performance-wise, George experienced moderate exposure through the Boston music scene. More recently, George paid homage to Liverpool, England during Beatlemania, recording five singles that became his latest independent release.”
Valter Valerio | New York
HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Jazz-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Trumpet player, composer, keyboard player, arranger & producer Valter Valerio was born in Italy. He plays and composes music from jazz to funk, mixing Latin music with electronic influences. This track is part of the LP The Town Trumpet Beat, born from the idea of representing the soul of some big cities.”
Kazak | Stolen Time
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Originally from Belgium, Kazak has been an alternative electronic music producer for three years now. His motto: Music makes everything possible. His experimental electro mixes classical musical sounds and instruments but also more rock sounds. There are no restrictions. Everything is done by the feeling of the moment and the inspiration felt.”
Lundi Bleu | Blue Sky
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: EDM.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Blue Sky is the fourth track by Lundi Bleu. This love song was composed between Paris and New York by Alexis Barbosa and Adrien Calvet. The simple and authentic cut was inspired by Air and Sebastien Tellier.”
Pat Layne | Hockey
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The music that I produce with my partner shows our creative side in playing with words — in this case, metaphors with hockey. Our music shows the Montreal side of our music and our authenticity.”
AGL | Top
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rap.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “This song is part of my Gentleman album. I love this song because it has a lot of atmosphere.”
Nicolas Willot | Space Cowboy
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Nicolas Willot composes, records and produces his songs by himself. He says: “The track you are about to discover is the first single of my second project. It is an instrumental track called Space Cowboy. My inspirations are mainly centered on ’60s and ’70s rock and all its sub-genres (prog, blues, hard, country, classic, psychedelic).”
P-Smark | Intro
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “P-Smark is a beatmaker from Québec, here with a new single to blow it all up. On the program: Distorted bass, kick punch, chained punchline and high-speed flow.”
https://youtu.be/srLxKtfh0AI
Declan Welsh and The Decadent West | Talking To Myself
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Talking To Myself is the new single from Glasgow-based band Declan Welsh and The Decadent West.”
Magic Sugar Coffee | Blkout
HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Pop-Punk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “We make groovy tunes ’cause it’s bop o’clock in bangerville. We’re an English/American pop-punk duo based in Switzerland. Influences include Machine Gun Kelly, All Time Low, The Maine. As two huge 2000s pop-punk fans, we always felt like the party was happening elsewhere. Even today, that seems to accentuate the will to create a name for themselves in their home country and abroad. This shines in the new single: A fast tempo, heavily guitar-influenced collaboration with local artist Joshua Howlett. Blkout plays out as an in-your-face, no-nonsense kind of song, while still portraying the edgy lyricism (courtesy of Joshua) of a classic pop-punk song.”
Fabien Anselme | Temps Compté
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Ambient.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “After concentrating for three years on instrumental music, an exotic project put me back into the electronica saddle: Compositions with a Chinese tone. The ambition is to continue to go in the most personal sound explorations possible, to try different styles (always electro and orchestral).”
Divine Anger | When Angels Sleep + D-Day
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Metal.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Divine Anger were founded in 2015 by Barry Ross (bass) and Luke Krämer (rhythm guitar), in Hamburg. Misaki Hayashi (keyboard), J.J. (lead guitar), Damon (drums), and ART3M (vocals) round out the permanent lineup of Divine Anger. On Aug. 6, we released our debut EP Guru of Hate, a concept album about WWII. When Angels Sleep is about the Goebbels, who killed their children shortly before the end of the war and then committed suicide, in the confused belief that they were doing something good. This song paints a grim picture of what might have awaited them afterwards. D-Day is an anti-war song about the famous battle in Normandy. The song tells the horrors of this combat from the perspective of a soldier.”
Clide & Young Saab | Fake Love
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Clide grew up in a flat in Berlin. His parents worked as classical musicians, so it’s no surprise that he learned to play piano at an early age. At 16 he started off fiddling around with a computer, a microphone and a piano, and hasn’t stopped since. Lo-fi pop is a big source of inspiration. Although still pretty young, he knows exactly what adjectives he wants his music to be associated with: Authentic, innovative and raw. He wants to talk about things that move him and are close to his heart. Of course, love is one of those things but so are questions around his own identity, the search for truth, dreams and interpersonal relationships. The collaboration Fake Love combines U.S. production duo Young Saab’s modern alt-pop approach and Clide’s soft yet remarkably intense vocals. The song deals with the little fights in a romantic relationship, the ups and downs, and the question of what we have is real?”
OneHeadApart | You Got Me
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: EDM.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “OneHeadApart are the German DJ and production duo of Joël Körner and Tim Balbach. Joël is about 2.0 m tall with red hair, while Tim is 1.70 m tall with dark blond hair. After thinking of several names, they finally decided to go with their obvious height difference, which is about the size of one head. Their journey is just beginning. During the lockdown they sat down and produced a lot of tracks that will now be released in a frequent schedule. Stay tuned for a lot of new music.”
Hannes Kretzer | Dive
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “In search of the perfect acoustic mirror for his perception of the world, Hannes Kretzer started early to collect and distort sound effects until they fitted into his mental universe. Synthesizer pioneers from the ’70s were the first spiritual companions on his experimental encounter with sound. From his beginnings in meditative ambient grew an equally strong fascination for straightforward pop culture. Intrigued by the idea of bringing together these contrasting worlds, Kretzer embarked on a new journey to incorporate a sense for dynamics, evolving structure, juxtaposition and space into his new creations. They are meant to evoke deep euphoric feelings in the audience.”
Maestracci | Paradise (ft. Milie)
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Maestracci creates a hybrid of electronic music and video, and collaborates with artists from all backgrounds. After releasing the EP Palindrome, he is back today with the single Paradise, featuring Milie. Written in an electro-pop vein with a haunting voice, there are some chillwave touches.”
