Keeping It Fresh

Today I have a nice and fun, genre-bending song for you by REMI.  Now I know it has been a while since my last post, and I will hopefully be able to start posting more frequently. But since it has been so long, I thought it would be fun to kickstart it with a song like this. What I love about this song, is how unconventional of a track it is. This is a style of hip-hop that does not conform to the normal standards of radio style and urban hip-hop. This is a style that we see quite a bit from the underground community since it is more on the "freelancing" side of music. A lot of times with hip-hop, we find artists that carve out their own niche style and sound. These artists don't necessarily fit the underground vibe, but they also don't conform to the radio either. And these in-between styles of hip-hop are starting to show their colors more and more. We are starting to hear this kind of music in more places, whether on streaming platforms, commercials, movies, and...

Today I wanted to bring up some music by one of the greatest voices of our time. Jessie J is such a powerhouse, and I find that her music is either underappreciated or underwhelmed by the radio. But I wanted to take today's post to chat about how incredible she is, not only as a vocalist but as a lyricist as well. The British singer has an incredible amount of talent and pedigree to her name. One of the things I love about Jessie J, is that her musical and performance style is rather unconventional. She has this incredible way of blending soul, contemporary, R&B, hip-hop, pop, and electro-pop all into one song. Her music has is a unique blend of so many genres, yet somehow, she is able to pull it off and do so with fantastic amounts of style and power.  In this track, we hear Jessie J tackle a mix of contemporary, soul, and some 90s styled hip hop beats. While this may seem like an odd combination, Jessie J has brought them together in a way to make all the sounds mesh ...

Today I have some music for you by the artist known as Armand Van Helden. Now this is a guy who has been around in the music industry for a very long time. His name isn't one that is easily recognizable or recognized at all for that matter. But he is one of the biggest influences in the New York electronic music scene. He works with all kinds of genres, from funk to R&B to hardcore EDM. What I find really cool about Armand Van Helden is that despite the fact that he has been such an influential presence in the music scene of the Northeast, his music still sounds underground. He hasn't lost any sense of what his soundscape is supposed to sound like, and is very comfortable with creating sounds which eventually become the popular norm. There are still so many elements of his music that sound really nice and underground, very unique and quirky. Armand Van Helden tends to sample older songs, generally from the 80s or 90s. And he does so because of how rooted in funk and groo...

Today we are continuing with the African themed music. But today's artist is a British-born Nigerian artist by the name of Maleek Berry. One of the reasons I find his music so intriguing is because despite growing up in England, Maleek Berry has been able to grab hold of that contagious Afro-pop energy, and has harnessed it to create music which is so rooted in his Nigerian roots. There are a lot of artists out there who are able to do that, but for some reason, it really struck me with Maleek Berry's work. Not only is the instrumentation and soundscape reminiscent of African pop, but he even sings in that pidgin style of speaking which is found in Nigeria. The first thing you tend to notice with Maleek Berry's music is the beat. He takes it straight from the world of Afrobeats, giving way to more traditional and African leaning percussion to set the tone of the song. He gets us prepared for the style and sound he is trying to accomplish, from those initial beats. And it...

Wow, it has been some time since my last post. It feels odd to not write for so long! But I'm back again today and have some really fun and interesting music for you. I know I have spent ample time discussing music from around the world, especially focusing on Indian, Korean, and Latin music. And a travesty for us all, I haven't spent a lot of time discussing music from Africa. Now, this seems such a shame since there is so much music today which has taken influence from African music. But this week, I wanted to talk specifically about artists who are from Africa and have gained their popularity there. And so, today I am starting with an artist out of Nigeria who goes by the name Mr. Eazi. Now I really wanted to talk about African artists, because this group represents up and coming artist. African music has been the source of inspiration for so many musical movements, and most notably, the Afrobeat movement. The profile of African artists has started to skyrocket within the...

Today I a bit of a sadder and commemorative post. This past weekend, we lost a music legend. Avicii was one of the most venerable DJ's and artists of our time. Many DJs have cited him as their muse. Many others have expressed their love and awe at his skills and artistry. And as listeners, we have Avicii to thank for spearheading a shift in what we consider EDM. He completely changed what it meant to be and EDM artist. He redefined dance music and paved a pathway for the rise of the DJ. To be honest, it is hard to wrap the mind around what Avicii has done for musicians and artists because he was a trailblazer and innovator. Above all though, Avicii was an artist who did what he loved- making music. Despite the health issues he experienced within the past few years of his life, Avicii never stopped making music. He never gave up his passion, the one thing that made him happiest. For many, Avicii created a transcendent connection which spread love and support to all music liste...

Today I have some music for you by an artist all the way from Spain. And this is a bit of a nice detour, especially since much of the Spanish music I talk about is from Latin or South America. But I would like to introduce you to an artist who has brought the vibrancy and playfulness of Spain to the music world. Alvaro Soler is a wonderful singer-songwriter who really knows how to make the music feel free and alive. This song is his most famous song, but Alvaro Soler still remains a rather underground artist, especially here in the States. So there are two versions of this song- one in Spanish and one in Spanglish. But today, I want to talk just about the Spanish version of the song. There is this incredible richness to the way Alvaro Soler sings in Spanish, something that cannot be fully expressed in English words and verses. There is a specific energy and atmosphere which can only be captured by singing this song in the native language of Alvaro Soler, and that is what makes this ...