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Music Producer Blog & Promotion

Diehard Romantics Will Meet Their Match in Kaleb Cohen’s Bluesy Indie-Folk Release, Our Eyes Met on Friday

Posted on 26 July 2024

Kaleb Cohen is set to become the second biggest Cohen in folk after the release of his bluesy indie single, Our Eyes Met on Friday.

After opening with an introspectively tender extended prelude, inviting listeners into a defining moment that captures the essence of a soul finally finding its home the song unfolds through increments of upbeat folk elements reminiscent of the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons which surge through the ingenuity within the genre-bending energy.

This release showcases Kaleb’s profound ability to make loungey piano keys bleed pure raw emotion, complemented by his seraphically timbered vocals that masterfully blend the gruff with the smooth. The continuous sonic reinventions throughout the track play havoc with rhythmic expectations, yet each new arrangement is as euphonic as the last, exhibiting the devilishly playful innovation of an artist who could easily skate by on his larynx of gold but chooses instead to go the extra aural mile to beguile.

Kaleb Cohen, an indie-folk-rock prodigy from Connecticut who writes, records, and self-produces his music is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production. As an omen of the illustrious path he is destined to pave, his first-ever show in New Haven was a sell-out with fans coming as far as Pennsylvania to witness one of Indie Folk’s most promising names etch their legacy.

Our Eyes Met on Friday will be officially released on July 26; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get into an intimate RnB groove with ILL PHIL’s seminal single, Abo(U)T [Cinnamon]

Posted on 25 July 2024
THE MEMOIR by ILL PHIL PRODUCTIONS

The lead single, Abo(U)T [Cinnamon], from ILL PHIL’s EP, THE MEMOIR, which dropped on July 8th, is locked and loaded with vibe-heavy vulnerability. The track opens with an aphrodisiacal R&B intro that instantly locks you into a melodious groove that will leave you out of the proverbial palm of this illustrious artist’s hand.

The candour within the ode to a soul he doesn’t feel worthy of filling invites you to live vicariously through the passion that mused the mellow declaration of unflinching affection. The lush and laidback production that allows hints of hip-hop roots to pull through the soul-swathed melodies is a testament to the dynamic artist’s ability to use his own worldview to create vignettes which reflect wider emotional phenomena. Anyone who has ever felt the inflection of inferiority in the presence of someone who appears to be rendered in perfection will find visceral resonance in every honeyed vocal note in Abo(U)T [Cinnamon].

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, ILL PHIL is a seasoned producer and artist with over a decade of experience in the hip-hop and R&B scenes. Known for his versatility, ILL PHIL excels in producing, songwriting, beat making, mixing, and mastering, crafting high-quality tracks that resound with creative authenticity. Abo(U)T [Cinnamon] is the ultimate example of how ILL PHIL is holding dominion over the NYC RnB scene.

Abo(U)T [Cinnamon] is available to stream on Apple Music and Bandcamp.

Follow ILL PHIL on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ben Thuesen mastered the art of indie pop euphonic immersion with ‘Angel Face’

Posted on 19 July 2024

In his latest indie-pop release, Angel Face, the affectingly irreplicable Ben Thuesen channelled the soul-wrenching mourning of a love lost into a composition that haunts with its lyrical depth and intricate melodies.

The Sacramento-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer exhibited how he has perfected the art of euphonic immersion with this vignette of the bittersweet aftermath of affection. The anthem for the lovelorn echoes the melodic poignancy of artists in the same vein as Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, while ensuring that no influence overshadows the uniqueness of his distinctly cultivated sonic signature.

By weaving guitar strings and heartstrings together, the independent artist crafted a sonic landscape that mirrors the isolation of heartbreak. The stinging clarity of his guitar lines cuts through the nightscape with the precision of a seasoned jazz musician, his roots bleeding into each note, offering a raw, unfiltered emotional narrative which reflects the alienatingly quiet hours of introspection that often accompany the loss of love.

Angel Face will be available to stream on all major platforms from July 19; stream it on Soundcloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Batka – Ałive: An Electronic Odyssey Between Serenity and Storm

Posted on 7 July 2024

BaŁka went down a cinematic storm in their latest release, Ałive, featuring PRESPHNE. The seductively progressive hit opens on a note of ethereal transcendence with the intricate instrumental layers efficaciously complementing the quiescent harmonic whispers, but it isn’t long before the intensity builds within the momentum of the tour de force of seamlessly chameleonic shifts in tone and tempo.

The head-spinning hits of Drum ‘n’ bass contort Ałive into a pulsative juggernaut of an anthem; the industrial rock aesthetics which follow act as further attestations to BaŁka’s ability to move sonic mountains with virtuosic melodic manipulations.

From the exponentially expansive crescendos to the transient installations of nature-infused cathartic tranquillity which follows like serenity after a storm purges the atmosphere, Ałive is definitive proof that few artists are as capable as BaŁka in depicting the duality between the brutality and ferocity of the human experience.

The inspiration for his powerful sound design is so much more than just an abstract concept. The thematic essence of his work hits you as hard as the beats, which goes a fair way in explaining how in six months within the industry, he’s already had an official release on MONTA Records, been signed by the LA-based music group, Cage Riot, and garnered over 30k streams.

Stream Ałive on all major platforms, including Spotify, now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

EmiTQM has made an ethereal debut with his installation of Latin indietronic pop, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE

Posted on 5 July 2024

Latin pop sensation in the making, EmiTQM, has made an indelible mark on the Latin pop scene with his dreamy indietronica debut single, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE, which arrests with ethereal melodic waves in the same vein as Cigarettes After Sex, and originates via tenderly warm and exploratively 8bit-adjacent sequences which envelop you in a sonic world of kaleidoscopic colour and soul.

Translating to ‘maybe you thought of me’, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE is a reticently sweet embodiment of hope and yearning to reverberate around the mind of the person who ceaselessly occupies every waking thought.

The single is an affectingly unforgettable introduction to the Mexican pop singer-songwriter and producer’s unique style which has already seen him amass a loyal army of fans who relish in his ability to visualise universally resonant facets of the human condition.

The emotions that will flood through you as you follow EmiTQM’s lead through this future-forward earworm reach the pinnacle of visceralism. The hazy love-drunk hues translate with perfect articulation as the lines between reality and imagination blur.

One of the only things with more promise than his music career is that the sun will rise tomorrow. We are already stoked to hear what he has in store for his sophomore release.

IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE was officially released on June 27; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

António Sá – Partition_Monolog: An Ambient Immersion into Digital Reflection

Posted on 4 July 2024

António Sá’s debut LP, CACHE 01, presents Partition_Monolog, a track that immerses listeners in subtle cerebral reflections, a tonality of transcendence and syncopated spectres of futurism.

The soundscape within the concept LP, which explores how memories are increasingly digitised, subdues the listener into a profound state of catharsis while pondering what it means to be human when our autonomy is increasingly enmeshed with the artificial artifices of technology.

António Sá, an artist, producer, and sound engineer, efficaciously utilised spatial effect within his diaphanously lush downtempo progressions which are shrouded in an aura of deep reticent thought. Partition_Monolog invites you to lose yourself in its sonic world, invite ambience into your psyche, and join the visionary as he follows his muse through unchartered territory.

The CACHE 01 album, released under Diffuse Reality Records, brings a fresh perspective to the electronic music scene. It speaks volumes of the Portuguese-based originator’s talents and ability to awaken the imagination within his evocatively euphonic scores.

Partition_Monolog is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of António Sá’s debut LP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Electro-House Goes Pop in Secret Wish’s EP Melody of the Music Man

Posted on 1 July 2024
Secret Wish

Secret Wish’s hotly anticipated EP, Melody of the Music Man, kicks off with the unfetteredly feel-good 7th Heaven Radio Edit before blasting into the 7th Heaven Club Mix, then progresses into the DJ Combo & Rayman Rave, Duumix, DIM3NSION, and Stelios remixes; offering nine different ways to experience the euphoric waves of electro house as they progressively crash on the shores of airwaves and dancefloors worldwide.

The opening iteration of Melody of the Music Man starts with a simple AVICII-esque piano melody before erupting into a disco-grooved EDM anthem for the ages, not just the summer; the appeal of an EDM anthem in this evocatively and melodically liberating vein could never come close to temporal.

The track reaches the epitome of sun-drenched rhapsodic bliss through layers of transcendentally augmented instrumental layers; the beats bring just as much enraptured ecstasy as the synths as they endlessly ascend throughout the progressive house mix that stands as a testament to the Belgian duo’s ability to craft infectious dance-pop anthems with global appeal.

Their music consistently tops charts across Europe and Asia, demonstrating their ability to transcend borders with crowd-pleasing anthems while injecting high-octane energy into productions hooked with a timelessly finessed pop sensibility. It’s safe to assume that Melody of the Music Man will be sitting scintillatingly pretty at the top of the charts before long.

Stream the Melody of the Music Man EP in full on all major platforms via this link from July 1st.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sharon West – Fake: A Euro Disco House Anthem of Pulsating Vindication

Posted on 17 June 2024

Sharon West’s latest single, Fake, created in collaboration with Nick Jay and Jean Luc is an electrifying euro disco house installation of euphoria underpinned by a scathingly sharp persecution of pretenders. The track’s synthesis of retro disco grooves, solid beats, and Sharon’s powerhouse vocals creates a hedonically rhythmic hit that delivers catharsis with infectiously kinetic rhythms that any dancefloor would want to devour.

Sharon West’s journey from live band performances to becoming a sought-after House, Dance, and EDM vocalist and songwriter is reflected in this potent release. Her evolution in the music scene has been marked by her debut album, Revelation, and a series of celebrated collaborations.

Now that Fake has permeated the airwaves, there will be no stopping West in her mission to revolutionise the airwaves. It’s so much more than a nostalgic nod to the forebearers of house; it’s a deeply visceral experience where familiar rhythmic warmth meets the searing burn of truth.

Stream the Radio Edit of Fake on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

$chaff the Prophet – TELEPHONE: The Cosmic Psych-Trap Track You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

Posted on 13 June 2024

$chaff the Prophet burst through the bubblegum pop trend and established his own cosmic bubblegum psych trap niche with his second LP for 2024, PSYCHEDELIC BUBBLEGUM.

The standout single, TELEPHONE, is an electrifying synth-driven kaleidoscopic synthesis of 8Bit, trap, hyperpop, and Owl City-esque electronica. If the viscerally hued sonics of the track don’t ensnare you, $chaff the Prophet’s sticky-sweet approach to painting a neon-lit vignette of a lonely protagonist searching for connection while keeping social life in the palm of her hand hits hard enough to bruise.

The exposition of how easy it is to get “lost in information, pixels and tones” couldn’t hit closer to home now given the hyperconnected nature of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. The artist’s signature arpeggios lend themselves effortlessly well to the playful yet empathy-evoking production, which shows just how far $chaff the Prophet has come since the launch of his debut in 2019. Now 11 LPs deep, his authentic sound has become so cultivated that he deserves to be revered as a pioneer in his own right.

TELEPHONE is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Primary Phase Principle has unveiled their cerebral post-industrial fable, The Subdued Mechanist

Posted on 12 June 2024

Taken from the debut EP, Echoes of the Mechatronic Age, the standout post-industrial electronica score, The Subdued Mechanist, from the Winnipeg-hailing solo artist, The Primary Phase Principle, paradoxically pacifies the senses while heightening emotions to such a visceral extent, it is almost primal.

The concept EP implants listeners in a fictional civilisation which depends on a universal mechanism they can no longer fully understand to deliver the ultimate parable of the AI-dominated future we are sleepwalking into.

The atmospherically filmic ambience of The Subdued Mechanist cerebrally alludes to Orson Welles’ belief that there is no confidence equal to sheer ignorance; it’s a liberating, quasi-Stoic score that holds a mirror to humanity and its willingness to evolve beyond its own comprehension.

By pouring influence of NIN, How to Destroy Angels and Tangerine Dream through a science fiction lens, The Primary Phase Principle unlocked the narrative power of post-industrial. He has a superlative gift in his ability to chronicle immersive fables simply through juxtapositions of harsh mechanical synthetics and crystalline flashes of enlightenment. His EP is so much more than just another addition to the airwaves, it’s a beacon of higher consciousness.

Stream The Subdued Mechanist on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast