Elad David powers up, Masao Masu have you seeing double, Semh introduces Mr. W, Christoph Kardek hits the beach 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, tune in to these worthy artists:
Elad David | Electrified
HOME BASE: Israel.
GENRE: Electro-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I’m a professional musician, session guitarist, composer, performer, mix and mastering engineer from Israel. I have more than 25 years of experience, but just recently started releasing my own original music. Electrified is the third single from a new concept EP that will be released in October. It’s a fun and unique project — a mixture of electronic beats with rock guitars, synths and wind instruments. Electrified is a more rock/fusion vibe and includes a saxophone, a lot of samples, kind of like a crazy video game soundtrack with a crazy guitar solo. I’m doing everything myself in my home studio.”
Masao Masu | Lóba
HOME BASE: Cameroon.
GENRE: World.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Masao Masu offer a more traditional approach to Cameroonian sawa music by dramatizing the Elimbi. It is a work of art sculpted on a single piece of wood, ancestral witness to a form of communication between the living and dead ancestors. It represents a human being lying on his back. The wide open mouth harbors desire, images and sounds of music full of sincerity and spirituality. When they discovered it 10,000 years ago, the Bantus loved the high female tones and low male tones close to their language. Dressed in a traditional loincloth for each stage performance, the twins, Ben and Peter Ndocko — inspired by artists such as Manu Dibango, Françis Bebey or the late Myriam Makeba and Fela — share their music in the Esewe tradition.”
Semh | Mr. W
HOME BASE: Germany.
GENRE: Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am a composer and singer. Mr. W is my new single — a perfect summersong ;-).”
Christoph Kardek | On The Beach
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Reggaeton.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Jean-Christophe Garcia (aka Christoph Kardek) has been into house and electronic music for around 20 years, DJing in Cannes, Nice, Monaco, St Tropez, and elsewhere. His influences vary from jazz, soul, funk, Afrobeat, world music and deep tech/house to electro, minimal and ambient. His attraction for experimental sounds, and his memories from a Moroccan childhood are projecting him into multiple visions of sound. His music — always tinged with soul — reveals serious production skills. His new title On The Beach takes us on a journey of positive feelings and happy sunny vibes. Warm emotional vocals add spice to this smooth, unique, groovy track, whic is just perfect to dance on at any time of the night.”
Lyd. | Entre La Douceur Et Les Coups
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Pop.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lyd. is Ann-Lydia Plourde’s new solo project. Visceral, explosive and feminine, this artist’s music will please franco-pop-electro-808-sad lovers. If you think it’s joyful, it only appears so. Born & raised in Québec City, Plourde began studying music at a young age — she first mastered the trumpet, then turned to classical piano before taking up synthesizers. In 2017, she released her first album with her group Tiger Tea Club. In 2019, the group took a French turn under the name of Anne et le Tigre. The following year, she joined the keyboard phenomenon Élégie. 2021 marked the arrival of Lyd. La Doucer Et Les Coups, her latest single, has a dance sound straight from the ’80s. Lyd. evokes a desire for independence and addresses the duality between romantic feelings and combat.”
Greek Brothers | Sotomayor (ft. Danico)
HOME BASE: United Kingdom.
GENRE: World Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Greek Brothers was the name given to us by locals in the north London neighbourhood where we grew up. Working after school in our family-run Greek restaurant, we’d close up and perform to guests after hours. We went on to play the pub scene, and ran a Greek folk band playing across England and Germany. Now we’re releasing original music — a blend of pop/rock and Greek folk music. This is our first release. It’s a collaboration with Chilean artist Danico. The song started life as a parody of U.S. pop artists who culturally appropriate Latin stylings. We decided to join in ourselves, making a song about Cuba although we’ve never been there. It was mixed by Tim Latham (Fun Lovin Criminals, Yerba Buena, Black eyed Peas). The title refers to our childhood sporting hero Javier Sotomayor, a Cuban high jump star in the ’90s.”
Meunier | 100Merci
HOME BASE: Canada.
GENRE: Rap.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I have been a singer-songwriter for over 20 years. I have released six albums and several collaborations in Quebec. So I’m throwing you a song that’s close to my heart: 100Merci. It is inspired by what is happening right now in the world and my life.”
Charly Siaba | Desnúdate
HOME BASE: Cuba.
GENRE: Jazz.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “A piano song with a ’50s vibe, along with jazz and bolero influences.”
Clarissa Bruns | Tua Pele
HOME BASE: Brazil.
GENRE: World.
THE TRANSLATED & EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “In her new album, Clarissa Bruns takes us to a place of vibrant intensity and, at the same time, of warmth and delicacy. With an evident artistic maturity, the singer has as a musical reference the universe of Brazilian music and all its diversity, mixed with the contemporaneity of the paths chosen for the conception and birth of this new work. Multiple styles stitched together with contagious arrangements, in addition to luxurious participations, such as that of Jaques Morelenbaum, Lívia Nestrovski, Suzie Franco, João Arnas and Isadora Marques (her daughter), resulted in a “breath of breath in frantic times, a dip, a sigh.” With modern compositions, from an intense and fruitful career, Clarissa takes on the challenge of releasing a complete album, in times of ephemeral singles and EPs. It tells a complete story, and yes, all compositions are authorial.”
Disparilis | Sea
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Instrumental Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I just released my latest single.”
Tyson O’brien | LDN Ferg (ft. Paluma)
HOME BASE: Australia.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Tyson O’brien is an Australian producer & DJ. Fergie’s party classic comes correct for 2022 via a heaving underground re-rub by minimal tech masters O’brien (fka Generik) and Paluma. The sizzling hats, blistering groove and vocal hook for the ages has been bubbling both online and in clubs, now arriving as a hotly tipped summer anthem for enthusiasts of clangin’ house — or those just frothing to burn on the dance floor!”
Fabien Oustry | Si Je Pouvais
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Reggae-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Fabien is an author, composer, performer and originally from Sète. He just released his first album Histoires De Vie, a set of true and well-written songs about divorce, love, disability. Life is surprising — maybe your life story already has a song.”
SaltmanKnowles | Everybody Wants To Rule The World
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Jazz.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: Many great albums pay an unwitting tribute to the magic of enduring musical relationships, and the 20 years that Mark Saltman (bass) and William Knowles (piano) form the basis of their eighth album Native Speaker. Meeting as composition students at university and sharing an affection for the music of Billy Strayhorn, Horace Silver and Charles Mingus, they have spent time together as artists-in-residence for the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, won various awards and received two grants from the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities. With Native Speaker, the Washington pair return — alongside Keith Butler Jr. on drums — to celebrate the truly inclusive spirit of the African American artform, inviting listeners from all over the musical spectrum to take part. Everybody Wants to Rule The World is a reimagining of the Tears For Fears hit.”
Jacob Hauge Mateo | Silent Stars
HOME BASE: Denmark.
GENRE: Neo-Classical.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Jacob Hauge Mateo is an experienced producer, singer-songwriter, pianist, and a father of two boys based in Aarhus, Denmark. Over the years, Jacob has produced five albums and amassed more than 14,000 followers on Facebook and often over 10,000 monthly listeners across digital streaming platforms. Recognized by his ethereal, peace-inducing, and multi-faceted style of music production, Jacob Hauge Mateo has garnered love and attention from dedicated listeners all over the world.
Sam Feinstein | Chasing The Bull
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Alt-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Sam is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who writes theatrical rock music with jazzy influences. Chasing The Bull is a funky alt-rock song with elements borrowed from artists such as Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Modest Mouse. Sam’s gruff voice, chaotic instrumentals, and sardonic lyrics cast him in the role of a wrestling heel that listeners will love to hate. In this song, Sam plays the part of a scam-artist, parting unsuspecting victims from their hard-earned cash. This represents the first song in an album of songs about scams, crime, gambling, and snake-oil salesmen. Chasing the Bull has been compared to Alabama 3’s Sopranos theme Woke Up This Morning and Cave’s Red Right Hand, from Peaky Blinders.”
Cara Louise | Must Be Nice
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Folk-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Must Be Nice is the second single from Cara Louise’s upcoming album Wholesome Dread. The single addresses hypocrisy and religious effrontery, and its adverse effects on familial relationships. Featuring roaring guitars, pedal steel, synthesizers and gang vocals, Must Be Nice blurs the line between ’90s Sheryl Crow radio rock and contemporary indie Americana. The sonic landscape of the song acts as both a launching pad for Cara’s soaring vocals, and a silver platter to serve up Louise’s heavy lyrical subject matter.”
Vacant Church | Stabilizer
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Indie-Folk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “From Madison Wisconsin, Vacant Church are a self-described psych-rock pop-folk band. Written by singer-guitarist Michael Madden, their songs feel friendly, melodic, and have a sense of gentle comfort. The lyrics cover an incredibly deep range of emotion and struggle reflective of this time on planet Earth. Madden has a very personal, introspective lyrical style that speaks of sadness and transformation. He does not present answers, but rather the real questions that haunt us all. While their album Stabilizer brings to mind 20th-century Americana classics, it is clearly of this century. One is reminded of many artists who have gone before: Nick Drake, Flaming Lips, Beck, The Velvet Underground. Each marked a shift in the style of basic songs, and Vacant Church pulls off the same futuristic feel while firmly rooting the songs in the tradition. Vacant Church do not push an explicit message but manage to show us a path of reflection and a graceful understanding of how to cope in a challenging world.”
Damanithesun | Love Or Sin
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Pop- Punk.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “I am a Denver music artist with a melodic, creative, and unique style of delivery and emotional and energized lyricis. I incorporated a lot of styles into my music but have a unique voice, mixed with the modern melodic vocals and hook lines, and some tracks add a pop-punk style. Love Or Sin is on my Lost Tapes EP.”
Keith Mosfet | Uneasy
HOME BASE: Netherlands.
GENRE: Indie-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian artist Keith Mosfet has been on a journey of self-discovery through travel. Now calling Amsterdam home, he is the definition of an artist. Using inspiration from impressionist oil paintings and combining his background in electronic engineering, Keith took on the challenge of writing, recording and mixing his music himself. Uneasy is about remembering the good and the bad of a past relationship. How they hurt you, made you feel worthless, but you still had those happy moments. It is about wanting to forget about them and move on, but it isn’t always so easy. ‘Do you remember when we danced under star light fire?’ A sad, but truthful part of life.”
PIB | Better Man
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “PIB is a French producer (and animal lover) who derives inspiration from his daily life spent between the suns of Barcelona and Ibiza. “Get some summer heat by checking out my new track Better Man,” he says. “As always, I tried to express personal experiences in this song mixed with a strong summer vibe and melody.” PIB donates most of his streaming royalties to charities that support dogs and cats.”
Tough On Fridays | Growing Pains
HOME BASE: United States.
GENRE: Folk-Rock.
THE EDITED BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Over the past five years, Tough On Fridays have been turning heads with their ability to artfully smash together alt-rock, indie and grunge into their own brand of infectious, in-your-face rock ’n’ roll. Well-seasoned performers throughout the Texas music circuit, Caleigh (guitar/vocals) and Carly (bass/vocals), along with studio/touring drummer Chris Schreck, connect to create an alluring energy. Their newest album The Encore You Didn’t Ask For (is scheduled for release in November).”
