Browsing Tag

producer

Florida’s DJ Blitz breaks down the windows on Taking Over Future 3

Posted on 18 February 2023

With a sensory overload which might trigger many sentiments usually saved for a blockbuster movie, DJ Blitz destroys all fragility with a rather laser-swooshing effort to turn up when the day is dull, Taking Over Future 3.

DJ Blitz is an in-demand Miami, Florida-based electronic producer, songwriter and acclaimed DJ who loves it when thousands are bending the floors of dance floors everywhere.

”At the age of 16, Blitz knew that he wanted to be a DJ after hearing a song titled “Alone” by one of his influences, Producer / DJ Marshmello.” ~ DJ Blitz

Fleeing the trenches and gaining steam like a runway train throughout, DJ Blitz justifies the hype with the type of performance to wake up early for. With a dominant production and so much to be inspired by, this is a rather sledgehammer-like display for those who love it rather barrage-filled.

Taking Over Future 3 from Miami, Florida-based electronic producer DJ Blitz is a rather weighty experience to cherish for anyone who needed to knock the dust off. Lathered in a powerful vortex of menace, while the hardcore soundscape tears down the frantic and grows up the innocent ears left.

This is one for those clubheads who are still on the sweaty dancefloor.

Listen up on SoundCloud. See more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

London’s QURE destroys all fragility with weighty electronic piledriver ASTER

Posted on 8 February 2023
https://soundcloud.com/quremuzic/aster?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=129ADA108CE7492A9BDD57B7A69A4C50&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Edging the crowd on with something so thunderously entertaining, QURE lacerates the tires with a sensationally stimulating techno beat-slammer to knock all shyness away inside with the finger burner that is, ASTER.

QURE is a well-established London, UK-based indie electronic music producer and DJ with a rave-like single to get truly excited about.

”Aside from music production and disc jockeying, I am also an aspiring audio engineer.” ~ QURE

Sometimes you hear a track and it invokes so many memories which were previously forgotten about. ASTER from the underground legend QURE is an exceptional entry into any playlist imaginable.

ASTER from London, UK-based indie electronic music producer/DJ QURE is one of the most powerful songs likely to be heard in 2023. Gosh, there is a hardcore component here which will thrill many, and scare others away under their blankets again.

Steaming through the curtains like a runaway iron, we find a truly ear-popping single to elevate all moods like a natural booster.

Listen up on Soundcloud. See more on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

The Sun Hit an 80s New Wave Atmosphere in Sabet and Doherty’s Single, At the Brink of Dawn

Posted on 30 January 2023

Docking their boat at the harbour of 80s new wave atmosphere, the soundtrackers, professional songwriters and producers, Sabet and Doherty, orchestrated a sonic depiction of when the sun hits in their single, At the Brink of Dawn, taken from their sophomore EP, The Secret.

Starting with cavernously choral angular guitar work in the same vein as Slowdive, the instrumental aural escapade builds into a feat of full-bodied beguile through the percussive fills brought by Doherty, best known for his work with Ben Folds and They Might Be Giants.

The oceanically cathartic testament to the collaborative chemistry that spills between the two artists is a unique invitation to slip array from the fray of typically structured music and become part of the flotsam while you trust in the expert orchestrators, who drift you into one of the sweetest 80s rock crescendos towards the outro.

At the Brink of Dawn is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skinny G Radio reached the pinnacle of existential humour with his alt-electro hit, Unplug Me!

Posted on 17 January 2023

Unplug Me! is just one of the eccentrically disarming alt-electronica singles found on Skinny G Radio’s funky 8-Bit album, The Heightening. The tongue-in-cheek exposition on the perils of social media in the age when fear and hate are relentlessly pushed to keep us transfixed to platforms is an all too efficacious reminder that we should consume media not the other way around.

Instead of letting the doom and gloom from the lyrical messaging control the track, the LA artist and producer utilises his on-brand sense of existential humour to give back some of the serotonin stripped by doom-scrolling. The playful polyphonic synth sequences make delving back in for repeat listens all too tempting. Can someone protect Skinny G Radio at all costs, please? He’s ingeniously precious.

Unplug Me! is now available to stream on Spotify.

Connect with Skinny G Radio on Twitter & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Float with the tropic flotsam in Agaaze’s open psychedelic love letter ‘Cinnamon Paradise’

Posted on 31 December 2022

Rochester, NY multi-instrumentalist, artist and producer, Agaaze reached the pinnacle of sonically sugared electronic dream pop with his latest single, Cinnamon Paradise.

With tropic pop textures adding temperate soul by the smorgasbord, the dreamy release envelopes you with the pure pining emotion which inspired the love letter to his crush. For six sweet minutes, the breakthrough artist takes you on a psychedelic trip through his innocent affection while the genre-fluid instrumentals break the monocultural mould.

Currently attending the University of Michigan, Agaaze built the foundations for his music career at age six while learning classical guitar. In the coming years, he experimented with jazz guitar, trumpet and South Indian Carnatic vocal lessons, winning classical and jazz guitar awards along the way, in addition to performing at the Rochester Jazz Festival and playing classical guitar on WXXI radio in 2019.

In 2020, Agaaze started to compose his own music, inspired by an eclectic array of artists, including Tame Impala, Tyler, the Creator and Pink Floyd. His debut EP, A Portal Inside, arrived in December 2021.

Cinnamon Paradise is now available to stream on Spotify, along with the sophomore single, For You, which dropped on December 30th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

GrainyPastel – Ovrdone: Kaleidoscopically Euphoric EDM

Posted on 19 December 2022

The Oklahoma-hailing independent music producer, GrainyPastel, siphoned euphoria through his latest entrancing EDM earworm, Ovrdone. The jazzed-up hip-house instrumental hit flexes its polyphonic charm as the snares meet the synths to spill a kaleidoscope of polished colour that will brighten any mood in just one hit.

His ambition and drive to spread the love through his high vibe productions sonically shines through in the transcendently electric feat of electronica, which refuses to colour inside the lines of an electronic sub-genre. You’d be incredibly hard-pressed to find another electronica producer with a more vibrant sonic signature. When he’s not crafting floor-fillers and dopamine-spillers, he is often found dabbling in other genres, from cinematic scores to jazz ensembles to pop hits.

Ovrdone was officially released on December 2nd; it is now available to stream on YouTube.

Stay up to date with all the latest releases from GrainyPastel by following him on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Alt-90s Cinematically Lives and Breathes Through Agent Envy’s Grungy Industrial Rock Single, No Friend

Posted on 9 December 2022

San Diego artist and producer Agent Envy is fresh from the release of her sultrily fierce single, No Friend, which cinematically amalgamates trip-hop, industrial rock, grunge and metal. Under the wide-spanning influence of acts including NIN, Tool, Massive Attack and Deftones, Agent Envy found her own striking sonic aesthetic that is nothing short of iconic in itself.

Any fans of Warpaint and Wolf Alice will want to sink their teeth into this demurely powerful protest against life’s prolific protagonists who guise their usury entitlement as friendship to take what they can, and guilt trip you when they’ve bled you dry of your empathy but still haven’t quite had their fill.

“No Friend is about finally saying, “enough is enough,” and captures the triumph and catharsis of setting a boundary. The track explores a powerful side of my vocal range not previously featured in my earlier songs, along with the deep, sultry vocals that my audience is familiar with.”

No Friend will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from December 9th. Catch in on Spotify & YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Suspenseful and Seductive in the Instrumental Realm

Posted on 5 December 2022

This has been a great week for new lo-fi tracks. In addition to the stellar producers that I’ve been handed earlier, a couple of days ago, I also get to talk about playNo’s newest instrumental “My Chick.” The Texas born producer and composer has released a fantastically psychedelic music video on his YouTube channel. The music is great, but the swirling colors looking like a tie-die fractal is something I could stare at for days.

The track is simultaneously upbeat and laid back, which in and of itself is quite an accomplishment. Beginning with some sound-design cascades offering a mood setting intro, the track breaks into new chords and pulsating static notes that take over the tune. The playful marimba and piano dialogue make for a mysterious sound – but not something that takes itself too seriously, which is nice. If you could cross some of the best music from “Plant Vs. Zombies” with an upscale jazz club in Harlem, you might get a sense of what I’m describing. Background vocal samples round out the dazzle with “My Chick” and we have a lovely listening experience.

Hopping over to playNo’s Instagram page will be a joy for dog-lovers. Many of his stories feature his pet pit-bull which is an adorableness overload. It’s nice to see the personal side of a gifted producer who obviously works very hard on his craft but isn’t afraid to play also.

From the Southeastern Woods of Louisiana, Rayne Kristine Spoke with A&R Factory on Her Motivation to Create Moody Tracks for Lost Souls

Posted on 21 November 2022

Whether it comes to you in a crowded room or grips you in the midst of your reclusive routine, loneliness has become endemic across the globe, here to shatter the stigma and to comfort the lost souls is the neoclassic electronica artist, Rayne Kristine. Who sat down with us to discuss her inspirations and motivations to bring a slither of solace to those who find beauty in melancholy.

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Rayne Kristine, welcome to A&R Factory! We were introduced to you via your stunningly serene neoclassical EP, Transient, which was released in September 2022, but you have been involved in multiple projects since you entered the music industry in 2006; is the EP a departure from your former projects? 

Thank you, it’s a pleasure to talk with you. Neoclassical music has always influenced me in some way, ever since I was a teenager. However, I also wanted to give the music on Transient a dark “soundtrack” vibe. This is most evident in “Charon’s Vision,” where the distressed sounding vocals tie in with the synth layers.

How did you first immerse yourself in the music industry, and which artist(s) sparked that passion?

At 14, I fell in love with opera, and my musical journey began. I ran across a few of Loreena McKennitt’s tracks and was spellbound. A few of my other favorite artists/bands were Enigma, Cocteau Twins, and Dead Can Dance.

We love your motivation to create moody tracks for lost souls; where does that inspiration come from? 

The world is filled with people who feel isolated from society in some way, yet they often find beauty and comfort in things that others disregard. They tend to connect with melancholy music more so than happy music. They may be labeled as “weird” or “morbid” for this preference, but music is a cathartic experience for them. If my songs can touch the hearts of shy loners, then I have succeeded as an artist.

You make your music from the woods in the Southeast. How much of a bearing does that have on your sound?

The woods can be quite spooky but so comforting at the same time. Whenever I feel unmotivated, a walk in the forest can set me on the right path again. There is no painting on earth that is as beautiful as nature. Trees cloaked in a cold morning mist, the shimmering sun peeking through the trees…. It’s the perfect visual for the type of music I create.

What draws you towards instruments such as the harp and the glockenspiel? 

As a kid, I was mesmerized by the mellow strains of the harp. It sounds like no other instrument. Just playing a simple glissando is therapeutic because you cannot make a bad sound. The chime-like tones of the glockenspiel are also captivating and eerie.

You create all of the visuals for your music along with producing it. Is it important for you to be in complete control of the final product?

Yes, I prefer to be. You know your own music better than anyone. Being self-sufficient gives me a better idea of how to frame the overall project, and the visuals play a role in this process. In addition, I also have a better idea of how to execute future works. Photography is my passion, so it makes sense for me to design the album artwork.

You’re currently working on an LP for your other electronic project, Silver Carpet; can you tell us a little more about that?

Déjà vu is scheduled for release in the Spring, and I’m halfway finished with it. It is so strange how you can love a track one minute and despise it the next!  The album will feature more industrial elements than my previous music. It’s coming along, but all things take time.

Listen to Rayne Kristine’s EP, Transient, on Bandcamp and Spotify.

Follow the artist on Instagram.

 

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Meditate in the moodily cold synaesthesia of Rayne Kristine’s ambient neoclassic score, The Faded Curtains Remind Me of Home

Posted on 17 November 2022

Taken from her EP, Transient, Rayne Kristine’s ambiently neoclassic single, The Faded Curtains Remind Me of Home, is an arresting extension of her commitment to creating moody tracks for lost souls.

The minimalist instrumental score pours lush reverb over the neoclassic progressions to envelop you in an atmosphere that epitomises sonic catharsis. The meditative layers stand as a testament to the Celtic harpist, pianist and music producer’s tenacity in spilling synaesthesia with her cold yet meditatively tranquil soundscapes, which capture the harsh facets of life and convey the gravity we feel to whatever will abstract us from the brutality of them.

Rayne Kristine has been recording music since 2006, influenced by the music of Loreena McKennitt. During her time as an artist, she’s worked on electronic and metal projects to sculpt her intrinsically authentic artistic vision.

Stream Transient in full on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast