Zouz are anything but monotonous, Sonic Tribe can’t get to sleep, Daniel Wifi gives it up, Martin Ruby keep on trucking 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) follow me on Spotify HERE, check out my Top 200 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, enjoy these stone-cold thrillers:
Zouz | Monotone
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Indie-Rock That Brings The Noise.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Active since 2016, Zouz quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with via their aptly named EP1 and EP2, and redefined their sonic spectrums before arriving at their debut album. The abrupt and disproportionate rock that made them known has consciously mutated into thinking noise, evacuating the bravado of rock to reveal a zone for anguish, sadness, love. The result is Vertigo: A rock album of permeable compartments, with more complex arrangements and rhythms, often connoting math rock and post-punk without ever settling into a single box, and filled with poetic images of freefall, affection and decline. It’s the work of a band that has reclaimed its means to become its own vehicle. In this live session with singers Shaina Hayes and N Nao, Zouz perform Monotone.”
Sonic Tide | Insomnia
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: Indie-Rock From The Dark Side.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The hypnotic animated video takes the viewer along on a journey through a world of stunning, unreal landscapes and visuals inspired by the bandmembers’ dreams.”
Daniel Wifi | Ça Donne Ça
HOME BASE: Cameroon.
GENRE: Hip-Swivelling Afropop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The beatmaker, artist, composer and performer Daniel Wifi excels in Afro pop, Afrobeat, R&B and more. The strings of his bow are piling up and Daniel Wifi feels the need to make them resonate. Having waltzed with the sounds as a dancer, he wants to move the dance floor. For this, he developed his sound with the help of Cameroonian arranger Joel Le Magnifik. The future holds surprises with a host of ongoing projects. Daniel Wifi promises to be a centerpiece of the new and next generation under the skies of the Cameroonian show business.”
Martin Ruby | Rusty Trucks And Daisies
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Tom Waits Has The Blues At The Folk Fest.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Martin Ruby are an alt-folk band led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Marco North. Born in Brooklyn, he has been living in Moscow for the past 13 years. Laying his demons bare, North pulls on characters like a series of strange coats. Paring back the extraneous, coaxing out the wry details, always seeking that conversational tone, his songs are a wandering collection of midnight confessions. His first album Heaven Get Behind Me was written on a 100-year-old parlor guitar, and recorded in a Soviet-era living room on a collection of vintage instruments. North’s unique songwriting is steeped in not only the melancholy grace of Nick Drake and Mark Linkous, but also the foggy noir of Johnny Cash’s American albums, and the somber meditativeness of Nick Cave’s recent output. Rusty Trucks and Daisies is a tribute to a bandmate that died quite suddenly from Covid. It was mastered by Oz Fritz, who has recorded and mixed for Tom Waits (Mule Variations).”
Maurizio Luciano | Continuando Il Viaggio
HOME BASE: Italy.
GENRE: Mellow Mediterranean Mark Knopfler.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “After years of writing lyrics and music, singer-songwriter and self-taught guitarist Maurizio Luciano released his first album Degli Angeli E Dell’Amore in 2016. With the essential contribution of Maestro Nuccio Tortora, who takes care of the arrangements and artistic production, he creates pieces that define his pop music as intimate and melodic, with a fusion of sounds between country and folk. Luciano returns in 2022 with the single Continuando Il Viaggio (Continuing The Journey), which anticipates the release of his new album at the end of 2022.”
Ponteix | La Bohème
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Tripping The Synth-Pop Fantastic.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “From the epicenter of the Canadian prairies, Ponteix condenses hypnotic grooves influenced by R&B and psychedelic indie pop. Mario Lepage’s soft and sincere vocal melodies are sung brightly above saturated electronic motifs, a warm blanket of lush synthesizers and buttery bass lines. Now as always, Ponteix explores language barriers while delivering to its audiences what is undeniably central to music, emotion. Ponteix pays homage to Charles Aznavour with an impressive reinvented interpretation of La Bohème. Wonderfully orchestrated in the flavor of Ponteix, the song transports us into a deeply intoxicating trance with electro-pop and psychedelic accents. While remaining faithful At work, the soft and sincere voice of singer Lepage makes us rediscover this great classic and he takes us into his serene, sexy and groovy universe.”
Curseurs | Bolide
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Le Summery Indie Pop Breezes.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Formed at the beginning of 2022 at a crossroads of influences including bands like Vansire, Men I Trust and L’Impératrice, Curseurs bring us to a boulevard of vaporous emotions — deliberately nostalgic, definitely romantic, probing the sweet waves of adulthood which seem to be over but never unattainable. Armed with French lyrics and supported by an artistic direction from the United States, they are currently preparing their first album.”
Dorcas | Tiger
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop In A Melodic Groove.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Dorcas, a new pop figure in the French landscape, plunges us with her first single Tiger into a colorful and catchy universe, and tells us about the adventures of a fulfilled woman in an alloy of confidence and passion. Dorcas is a French artist who has always sought to free herself from prisons, imperatives and the absolute imposed on her. At the slightest moment of freedom, she slips into the imagination and gets lost in the maze of huge palaces filled with stories and chimeras. Singing is for her the purest way to reach the other, to move and bring us together in a time of shared upheaval.”
Mythie | Mermaids
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Dark Dreams Stored On Computer Chips.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “With her cinematic, dreamlike work, Mythie is making her way through the alternative electronic scene in France. Taking inspiration from trip-hop, electronic pop, and minimal music, the artist welcomes us into her poetical and mystical world. There, somewhere between dreams and reality, the listener begins an initiatory journey, in which by giving into the darkness, they might just find light. Writer, singer, and producer, Mythie likes to fabricate her own sounds, from instruments (kalimba, stylophone, keyboards, melodica…), that are then sampled, edited, and changed, as well as her voice, altered, multiplied, and passed through her machines. Always remaining curious, she constantly experiments, so much so that she sometimes surprises herself. Mythie is currently working on her debut EP Until The Fight, planned for autumn. Mermaids is an ode to women on a background of electronic music that borrows from the universes of Björk and FKA Twigs,, but also from the trip-hop, experimental and alternative electronic universes.”
Yoni Babitsky | Wait
HOME BASE: United States,
GENRE: Modern Rock Classics.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My name is Yoni Babitsky — guitarist, record producer, songwriter and artist. Wait is the first single from an album I’m working on with different singers and creative collaborations. This song features an awesome French American singer, Julies Galli. With this song I wanted to combine modern “programmed drums” and synths with guitars, catchy pop rock melody on the chorus, and of course a guitar solo. Guitar solos are coming back!”
Nipazen | Secret Love
HOME BASE: Switzerland.
GENRE: Seduction By Saxophone.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Discover the Nipazen universe of inspirational and emotional orchestral sounds, relaxing tones, instrumental pop and progressive music. Get ready to relax and start dreaming.”
Nicolas Réal | Annule Et Remplace
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop-Rock For The Tender Hearted.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Nicolas Réal grew up in Africa and studied in France and in England. For years, with the complicity of his lyricist friend, Laurent B, he has been working on his songs like miniature films, sometimes borrowing from westerns, film noir and science fiction. By turns surreal, hallucinatory, sensual, his songs are crossed by a vertigo of identity: In the middle of all my doubles, my real and digital reflections, what remains? In this song, Réal tells the story of a girl who changes all the time. She is the opposite of him — he has had the same friends since childhood.”
Rice Geh | I Meet M2
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Think Globally, Groove Instrumentally.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am a composer, performer and producer. My influences are jazz fusion, Afro music, instrumental music, and chilly jazz. I live in France but I am a man of the world. I am a composer who grew up on jazz fusion and African polyrhythms. There are distinctly different styles in my compositions. Bassist at heart and multi-instrumentalist, I have released an album of freshness and audacity that reflects my approach to music. Each title is a picture that takes you into a musical story, with effective choruses and riffs. For the record, I wanted to show the sound quality of the M2 bass that I bought as a second bass. I was inspired and I thank Marcus Miller, the great gentleman of the bass.”
Dalton John | Karma
HOME BASE: Congo.
GENRE: Poppin’ Up Out Of Africa.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Dalton John mixes genres, styles and people. After releasing his first EP Ready To Go, with four songs about a breakup, he travels in search of new colors and sounds. To find them, he went back to the source, absorbing energies from the culture of his African homeland. Now, the king of afro-house returns with Karma, a harmonious encounter between pop, Afro house and jazz. It is a karmic mix where three types of emotions meet and give birth to a powerful, positive and groovy elixir.”
Madikera | Pas Net
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Reggae With An R&B Soul.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Hemkah Dima aka Madikera, took clarinet lessons until age 15. Surrounded by many musical influences, but with a weakness for rap, she begand to write her first toasted texts on the benches of high school. She releases her first album Love And Love in 2006. Currently part of the Baryo Gang collective initiated by Kris Daddy, she appears on the latest dancehall reggae compilations such as Free Riddim 2 or DJ Kaprisson’s Tchek La Zik compilations.”
Kenzo Zurzolo | Circles
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Neo-Classical Meditations On Melody.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “The first single for French pianist Kenzo Zurzolo, who has worked with artists such as Aloe Blacc, Yseult, Lilywood And The Pricks, Gaetan Roussel and Thomas Azier, Circles brings the listener into a soft and gentle trance. It’s a single that announces Zurzolo’s minimalist and poetic EP Imaginary Garden, inspired by a painting by artist and close friend Lenny Mathe.”
NineTiss | Let Me Go
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Positive Vibes.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Songwriter and performer NineTiss oscillates between different musical styles including rap, R&B and soul to best transmit his music and texts in all its forms. In a noisy era where listening is rare, his music is like a walk with a sweet tempo. In his new single Let Me Go, NineTiss evokes his desire to escape on an atmospheric instrumental with trap/R&B sounds. It makes you feel the good vibes of summer, and the feeling of freedom during a trip.”
Alex Uhlmann | Only For A Minute
HOME BASE: Luxembourg.
GENRE: Falsetto Soul From The Heart.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Alex Uhlmann has left his mark across Europe in the form of gold and platinum records in Italy and music awards in the U.K. He DJs occasionally and is currently the musical director of The Voice. After having lived in London, Paris, Bologna, Berlin and Milan, he can confidently claim to have seen and experienced quite a lot. Alex moved to London when he was 18 years old to dive into music. With his London-based-indie rock band Friday Night Hero, he won an Indie Music Award for Best UK Live Act. As the lead singer of the Italian band Planet Funk, he played over 200 live concerts all over Europe. After several band projects and collaborations, he has established himself as a solo artist.”
Olive | L’Ère De Rien
HOME BASE: Belgium.
GENRE: The Supple Side Of The Dance Floor.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Olive is a singer-songwriter in French pop. Passionate about music and scenic expression, the artist is in her element live: She creates an emotional universe and shares her intensity with the public. Olive offers a poetic-sarcastic journey, oscillating between light and darkness, between lightness and commitment. Olive is surrounded by three very talented musicians: Greg Chainis provides bass and programming, Pierrick Destrebeck drums and Giovanni Rizzuto plays guitar. Olive joins them on the piano on a few titles of the set.”
N8 | Great Fit
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Late-Night Rhymes That Go With The Flow.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “My goal is to be one of the next big things. My fusion of hip-hop and pop create a melodic R&B sound.”
https://youtu.be/t8-oJnMYxZM
Greenface | Plus D’Un
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rhymin’ And Chillin’.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Greenface is a Montreal artist with an original style, a visceral energy, an innate flow and a keen sense of rhythm, moving from French to English with disconcerting ease. After the remarkable release of his first single Track Fckdup, Greenface unveils Plus D’Un, the second single from his project Un Autre Level. With this catchy hit with Latin sounds, he demonstrates a more commercial facet of his music while keeping his street-rap DNA.”
Sgt. Fiasco | We’ll Burn
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Smouldering Singer-Songwriter
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I’m a real nowhere man, sitting in my nowhere land, writing all my nowhere songs for somebody. John Lennon’s lyrics became minimalist under the influence of Yoko Ono. I haven’t met Yoko yet but some of my songs include only a few words, just like this one.”
Eymrod | Love You + Loco Love
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Latin Lover Grooves.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Love You is a call for love and reconciliation in these gloomy and depressing times. The sound brings us back to basics in our relationships with others: Knowing how to say ‘I love you.’ With Loco Love, Eymrod distills his love of seduction, echoed by Naelle. Between the language of Don Juan and Shakespeare, can Loco Love cross the barriers of language?”
