More than a quintet, PYJÆNis the unified expression of the emotions, journeys and influences that comprise its diverse members. The group seamlessly melds funk, afro-beat and contemporary sounds with nods to hip-hop and disco, whilst acknowledging the heady days of 1920’s era jazz.
Teaming up with the young creative force duo that is Blue Lab Beats, the team have created a special new single titled, ‘Sage Secrets’ . Already championed by the likes of Giles Peterson and Huey Morgan, the joyous, downtempo display from the team is already catching the right attention
Have a listen to their new single below, and let us know what you think:
Zen-Zin and Pawcut are not your typical rap group. Zen-Zin is a MC and singer from Karthoum, Sudan. Pawcut is a beatmaker from Minden, Germany. “The Wait“ is the first Zen-Zin & Pawcut release since their debut album „Butterfly Effect“ on Jakarta Records.
Zen-Zin started rapping at the age of 12 after getting into 50 Cent, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Malaysian hip-hop group Too Phat (a popular rap group from Malaysia). Pawcut’s first release was “Duplex”, a split album with FloFilz.
“People should know that we’re alive and well and that we’re looking forward to contributing to the genre.” Zen-Zin explains. “I don’t think there’s a place in the world where hip-hop isn’t the most popular music, unless you’re in a cave or some remote island somewhere. The problem is trying to make the local artists in these territories across the globe become involved in this success, Drake did a good job with putting Canada on the map and Stormzy and other grime artist are doing the same for London.“
Where are you from? Describe the kind of creative culture within the city you were raised in?
Actually I was originally born in Moscow, but grew up in a small town called Joensuu in Eastern Finland, where nothing much was happening. I found the local music scene pretty dull and introvert. It used to be heavy metal and rock driven community, where hip-hop wasn’t even considered as real music. I never really felt being a part of it. Luckily there was a small group of like-minded people and together we were able to do our own thing, ignoring the surroundings. My biggest respect goes to the event organizers, who truly supported the culture by arranging economically unprofitable events, just to bring creatives together. One of the best memories I have was me opening the night for Slum Village. Imagine that in a small town of Eastern Finland, hah.
Finnish Music is often associated with dark and melancholic vibes. I guess due to lack of sun and warmth. But personally I don’t think that music and environment should speak the same language at all. For me music is a perfect get-away. Soundwise I’m tripping somewhere in LA, while looking into the cold and dark emptiness. Through music I can imagine what the rest of the world looks like – some sort of fantasy.
What made you get into music, who were the people around you who influenced you?
As I described the local music scene, there was not much of interesting stuff going on for me. But without my mom I would probably never have got into music in the first place. She took me to children’s choir, piano lessons and so on. Besides my mom, the most important musical influences I got from MTV, especially Yo! MTV Raps. That program teleported me a million miles away from my surroundings and gave me so much inspiration.
Before MTV, my true passion for hip-hop kicked in when my friend played me ”Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan. We were 12 years old. I was like: this is the vibe and attitude, fuck all the rules. Finnish Hip-Hop scene was elevating fast at the time and soon I found some dope local rap acts as well.
Are there any producers/artist you work really well, what makes your relationship work?
There are many of them, but Monma, Cocabona and Jussi Halme to name a few. Me, Monma and cocabona made a collaborative album Aura for Chillhop Music last year. Me and Monma used to be in the same Finnish rap group for many years and we’ve always shared pretty mutual taste in music. Cocabona is a great Finnish producer and bass player. We’ve been making lot of stuff together and he has also been playing bass in my rap live set. Both are really good friends of mine. I think a trustworthy friendship is a rock solid foundation for musical collaboration as well. I can say the exact same things about Jussi Halme.
How did you develop your relationship with Halme?
Oh, it’s quite a long story. I’ll try to keep it short 🙂
Jussi Halme is a 58-year-old Finnish keyboard player, composer, arranger and producer. His musical style varies between boogie, disco, jazz and funk. There was almost zero demand for these genres in Finland in the early 1980s. To me his music represents an unyielding vision and an alternative to traditional Finnish popular and rock music. It reminds me of Bob James,George Duke and Bobby Caldwell. His first private pressing 7″ single (Funny Funk and Autumn Gold) was released in 1983 and it has become a sort of Holy Grail for DJ’s playing Finnish groove music. It was not made with a huge emphasis on commercial success, which allowed the music to be in the center of attention. This 7” single has outlived many trends and it still lives on and keeps finding new generations.
I heard this rare single from my DJ friend, who used to play Finnish grooves from the 70’s and 80’s. However, it took many years for me to actually reach out to Jussi. Over a year ago I posted a comment on one of his YouTube uploads. It was a song called ‘Early Evening in Brazil’, that me and Monma ended up sampling and recreating into a song called Brazil which was later released by Chillhop Music. That’s where we started.
Since Brazil, me and Jussi have also collaborated on Funny Funk ’18 and my latest single ‘Luv Pact’. We love the same chord progressions and same vibes. Besides making music, we’ve become really good friends, which is even more important. He’s sort of a mentor figure to me now. The one I never had before.
What were early experiences in music, did you start with playing instruments or go straight in to making beats?
I used to play piano and clarinet in an orchestra when I was a teenager. However it was during my puberty, when I found hip-hop and suddenly quit playing piano and clarinet. I’ve been making rap (in Finnish) for quite a while. Started making beats about 10 years ago. After a long hiatus with piano, I’ve got back in to it recently. I guess I never liked playing classical pieces like a robot, so now I approach it through Neo-Soul, RnB and Jazz and I love it. Are there any other musicians, and DJs in Finland we should be paying attention to?
In my opinion there are lot of very talented musicians in Finland, but most of them are limited to an extremely small target audience because of the language. There is only 5,5 million people living in Finland and our native language is being spoken only inside this country.
Unfortunately this geographical and mathematical fact put local musicians in a challenging situation, where you have to choose between making music for the masses or for a very small group of people. I mean that’s if you want to make a living out of it. I’ve been telling everyone to start making music in English or get some international collabos going on. Thanks to the Internet, the community is where you want it to be.
Anyway I’d like to present both producers and artists here. The complete list would be very long, but here’s a short version 😉
What musical influences outside hip hop do you have?
Generally speaking, I love RnB, Soul, Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova, Disco, Boogie, Funk, Progressive & Psychedelic Rock. It tends to go in seasons.
I also have a weak spot for different kinds of obscure grooves, but especially the ones from Soviet Union and funky Bollywood soundtracks. Music like this here . I’ve been even running a club dedicated to Soviet Grooves. I just love when different cultures and vibes get mixed. That’s when it all comes together – no borders in music and art.
When can we expect more music from you, and will we see you DJing around Europe or the UK soon?
My next single drops on February 19th!
On March 3rd me, Monmaand Cocabona will be playing live at the Beat Geeks club in Berlin. Really looking forward to that and would be very excited to play more shows after releasing my debut EP through Melting Pot Music at the end of March.
Its been a little while since we’ve heard new music from London based music producer and lyricist, Louis VI. His last single, Station Wagon, felt far away from the more silky jazzy production style of his last album, ‘Sugar Like Salt’, but his latest single ‘Nature’ feels like more of a return to a the ‘boom bap’ style of hip hop.
Giving the kicks and snares room for the backing synths keys to melt amonsgt the drum pattern allows you take his lyrics more clearly. Louis’s lyrics seem more politically and socially fuelled than ever , with some remarks to how the planet is suffering at the hands of our actions. Something which he has been vocal about on his social media platform, and has now more eloquently expressed this through his art.
Check the out the single below, and support the artists via bandcamp:
Summers Sonsreturn off the back of their impressive debut album Uruhu through German based record label, Melting Pot with the new single ‘Blue Skies‘.
Blue Skies is the first single to feature on the duos forthcoming album titled, ‘The Rain‘. Turt’s goes straight into setting the scene and quickly shows off his storytelling ability through clever rhymes and wordplay. Slim’s stripped back production style allows Turt’s lyrics to stand out, all the while giving a calming mood with the delicate piano and double bass accompanying his vocals.
Look out for their upcoming album ‘The Rains’ on 23rd November
Have a listen below, and let us know what you think:
Chicago born and bred native, Matt Muse released his new EP titled, Love and Nappyness. The EP explores a range of themes from more personal topics from his upbringing as well as, promoting self love and care. Matt took some time to answer our Q&A series to learn a bit more about him.
What were your biggest motivations for going into music?
My biggest motivation to start music was watching both my parents love for music manifest in various ways throughout my upbringing, and watching artists like Common and Kanye West who look like me and are from the same place as me find successful careers in hip-hop.
Did you explore other mediums, like art, if so, do you still continue them?
When I was much younger I had a huge sketchbook that my dad bought me and I’d draw in it all the time. I also played the trumpet and piano growing up. I no longer draw, but I’m getting back into playing the piano and I want to learn how to play the guitar asap
Tell me about how you got involved in Young Chicago Authors artist organisation and what it is?
Young Chicago Authors is a literary organization in Chicago that uses hip-hop/poetry pedagogy to encourage students to become masters or their own narratives through the lens of creative writing. The organization hosts Chicago’s longest running youth open mic called ‘Wordplay’ every Tuesday and I got involved with the organisation by attending that open mic. I would travel back and forth from my college Wordplay whenever I could so folks could hear the music I was working on. After I graduated, the organisation was hiring and I put in an app and got hired, it’s the best job I’ve ever worked.
Check out the video to his single ‘MYSELF’, taken from his new EP Love & Nappyness:
What advice would you give to your younger self when you first started making music?
I’d tell my younger self to take advantage of time, don’t waste any of it. I’d tell him to be more open-minded. I’d tell him that its all gonna pay off the moment you start to fully believe in yourself and bet on yourself.
What’s challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?
Self-doubt is really the only challenge I’ve faced. I work on it every day by affirming myself and reminding myself that I’m not in competition with anyone but the man in the mirror.
Is there anyone you have been listening to in the UK, if so, who?
Technically Jorja Smith and Adele, but I need to step up my UK game, I’m open tp any and all music suggestions.
What else do you have planned for the rest of year, any live shows, festivals?
Dropping some more music videos. Had a release show for Love & Nappyness and that was incredible. Looking to do some more performances as the year goes on, but the main focus is getting more visual content out for my fans/listeners
You can have a listen to his latest EP, Love & Nappyness:
Taking the plunge into studying music from the early age of 16, Ziv Barashi went form staring as the lead singer of a group, to writing, producing and recording her second EP titled ‘Near Mint’
She incorporates a blend of lo-fi RnB, and soul with her luscious vocals providing a befitting accompaniment to the downtempo mood throughout her latest EP.
One of the stand out tracks is ‘9/11’, which has a beautiful sultry tone radiating from the boom bap drum pattern, which nicely envelopes over her slightly distorted vocals. ZIV’s experimentation with her vocals and sounds highlights an interesting direction in her music, coming from a jazz and classical background
Speaking on the EP she writes, “The exception of being Near Mint was a big step for me to except myself. I used to push myself to perfecting and it costed my soul a lot. In terms of love and relationships, Near Mint describes both sides of the coin. Falling in love, rising in love. Love makes the world move but love breaks your heart.”
Nearly four years since their last collaboration, producer-rapper duo L’Orange and Jeremiah Jaehave revealed a new album, Complicate Your Life With Violence, out October 4th on Mello Music Group. The new record is a continuation of their 2015 concept album The Night Took Us In Like Family, which followed a 1940’s mob boss who let his guard down and was framed for murder. They’ve revealed the first look and listen with “Dead Battery.”
The video for “Dead Battery” is set in a tripped-out film noir scene, focused on an interrogated revolutionary, tied up in the hot seat with Who Framed Roger Rabbit-esque illustrations. Laced with a wobbly guitar lick and a woozy beat, Jae asks the question: “Would you fight for me?”
Kojey Radical artistry rarely fails to meet the high standards he’s steadily grown for himself. With his fourth project set to be released later this year, he teased us with a glimpse with what to expect with the release of the incredibly catchy and poetic rhythm, ‘Cant Go Back’.
2020 is Kojey’s third release this year which expected to feature on his forthcoming fourth project. Always open and honest 2020 delves into Kojey insecurities around the goals he’d set himself in previous years and it not always turning out the way he expected. Persistently affirming and vocalising his vision throughout the hook, Kojey uses his words as affirmation to push past any doubts and continual improve.
Have a listen to his single ‘2020’ below, and let us know what you think:
Native New Yorker, River Nelson has carved out a respectable following for himself in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the globe, with widespread press acclaim and radio support from the likes of BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne and Giles Peterson. In 2010 River worked with legendary UK producer Lewis Parker and the two created the critically praised The Rise & Fall of River Nelson, described by The Independent as “full of thoughtful sentiments and a positive attitude set to infectious symphonic-soul beats”. This was followed in 2013 with The Shape of The Sky, and his third album How to Dream in 2016, followed by the EP Navigation in 2017.
River Nelson’s latest album Power, Resilience, & Joy has hip hop at its very core. Emphatically speaking from his personal experience which have helped define him, Nelson’s words offer a sense of comfort in how to revive and find joy through bad times.
River offered some time to ask a few questions on his influences, writing process and collaborations:
How did you get into the music you currently make today? Did you play an instrument growing, or from writing poems?
It really came from being a fan first and that led me to become an artist. It turned out that I was so inspired by the artists of my youth, I wanted to create my own songs. I started writing poetry a little after that. But being a fan and studying hip-hop albums is what initially fueled me to write.
Do you have any other creative outlets, like painting or design?
I do have other outlets outside of songwriting, but they still relate to writing. I write poems, stories, and articles on hip-hop history. I’d like to write a novel one day as well.
Who were your influences growing up, and how have they impacted your music?
There’s way too many to name them all, but growing up I was most inspired by A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, Outkast, Nas, Bob Marley, Sade and The Doors.
I noticed you’ve toured with artists like Common, Talib Kweli and Kelis, what was it like to tour with them, and how did being with those inspire the music you create?
It was cool but also bitter sweet because some of those shows didn’t work out exactly as planned. But the fact that I got the opportunity was life changing, and it told me to keep working and keep pushing. Because one day you’re writing songs in your living room, and the next someone asks if you want to open up for Common.
What advice would you give to younger artists trying to make it in the music industry?
You can’t be everything to everyone, so find out what you’re musical niche is and work on developing a level of mastery over it. Also, don’t wait around for anyone to launch your dreams or care about your art as much as you do. Put the work in yourself, create your own noise and then it’ll be easier for you to navigate through the music industry. Because then you’ll have leverage.
Which artists in the current crop would you love to collaborate most with?
I would say the main ones off the top of my head are the rapper YBN Cordae, Joey Bada$$, J. Cole, as well as his artists EarthGang and J.I.D. Plus, the singer H.E.R.
Do you listen to any artists in the UK, if so, who and what do you think of them?
Oh yeah, of course, Lewis Parker, Giggs, Skepta, Jhest, and the singer Davina Oriakhi are just some that come to mind. Not to mention, Sade and the rock bands from the UK that I’m into like Radiohead and Coldplay. I think all of those artists are super talented and they constantly inspire me.
What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
I’m going to keep promoting the new album “Power, Resilience & Joy,” play shows and work on the next LP.
Check out the video to his single ‘Today’ taken from his recent album Power, Resilience, & Joy:
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