Daz Rinko’s exceptional new EP “Sweet Jeezy” smoothly blends together elements of jazz, future-house, disco, soul and hip hop. Daz’s endearing Memphis drawl sits so perfectly in the pocket atop slick the dance grooves that you might completely miss the message. Coming from a somewhat dark place lyrically, themes of poverty, heartbreak, family drama and general disillusionment are a throughline throughout the album. “The paranoia of struggling, living paycheck to paycheck my entire life, the struggles of having a child without being able to support them emotionally, and the feeling of being alone in the present because I’m always working to be stable are things I touch on and continue to think about.” As a counterpoint to the heavy subject matter, the music is upbeat and joyful, even celebratory in tone. The infectiously hooky “When You Call Me” is a gorgeously produced throwback featuring jangly guitars, DX7 jazz chords and […]
Most cover albums are predictable and boring, which is why we’re generally not overly interested in taking them on for representation. In order for one to be worthwhile, it needs to be a completely original take on music that hasn’t been covered too many times before. Which is why when DJ Nu-Mark asked if we’d like to take on his album “Run For Cover” we just couldn’t resist! Oddly enough, as far as covers go hip hop and R&B from the late 90’s and early aughts is kind of uncharted territory. But for a member of the acclaimed hip hop band Jurassic Five, this era is all but too familiar. I mean, Nu-Mark was THERE! You’d also expect a turntablist to approach covers as sample-driven remixes, but again you’d be wrong there. Instead, DJ Nu-Mark brought in live musicians to reinterpret these songs and give them a completely new spin […]
As the summer winds down to a close, everybody needs some smooth grooves to relax to. “Naked Neighbor”, the new album by New York City Nu-Disco collective Bad Business Club, whisks you away to a dreamy 70’s poolside soiree with the smell of chlorine, coladas and cocaine in the air. With flawless chops and super tight production, Bad Business Club gives us a modern take on Giorgio Moroder-esque Disco and classic Yacht Rock. Granted these are two genres most people either hate to love or love to hate, but there’s no denying that it’s as smooth as silk. The standout single on the record is “Runnin’ From You”, a masterpiece complete with funky bass, jangly guitar, congas, swirling synthesizers and sugary harmonies. If this one doesn’t get you to unbutton your shirt a little, chances are nothing will. Check out the brand new music video for “Runnin’ From You”:
One of the advantages of making politically tinged folk music is that it never seems to age much. Folk music is by definition a tradition. Politicians come and go, but the same underlying issues have remained static for decades and are unlikely to change any time soon. The trick is to be non-specific in the details and universal in your message. Maybe throw in some horns for flavor. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Adrian + Meredith’s “Bad For Business” was written and recorded in their Nashville home back in 2019, but hasn’t aged a day since. “Somehow we got the feeling that the topics of Systematic Racism, Climate Change, and finding more common ground as Americans, was starting to reach a boiling point, and needed some empathy. It’s not our responsibility, per-say, to initiate the uncomfortable conversation any more than anyone else, but we can do it with a killer backbeat.” […]
Very few rappers list their mom as an influence, but in the case of Chuuwee it would be impossible for him not to acknowledge his mother, rapper/producer Redd, for sparking his love for hip hop. Having her on his team from day one gave him a big leg up on the competition. By the time he got to high school, Chuuwee had spent his whole childhood developing his flow and jumped head first into the rap game. Chuwee dropped his first mixtape “Mauve Monster” back in 2009, a 12 track tribute to the color of his hometown team the Sacramento Kings. What followed was a relentless 13-year tsunami of releases totaling more than 40 albums and mixtapes and including collaborations with artists like Lil’ Flip, Del The Funky Homosapien, Riff Raff, Dizzy Wright and Trizz. Now with more than half a million monthly listeners and 80 million streams on Spotify, […]
Sometimes you write an incredible song but have to put it aside until you know people are ready to hear it. Having the patience and foresight to hold back until the right moment is what separates good artists from great artists. Nobody knows this better than Claire Guerreso, who has built her successful career co-writing with the world’s best writers and producers and delivering songs to her adoring fans through sync. I mean who needs a music video when you can introduce your song to the world on “Grey’s Anatomy”? Claire’s newest release “New Day” found its home at the end of a heartwarming digital short called “Generation Impact: The Coder”. The first in a series of episodic shorts by The Garage by HP, “The Coder” is about Jay’Aina “Jay Jay” Patton, an inspiring teenager whose love for coding breaks through racial and gender barriers and transforms her into a […]
From the moment you listen to Instupendo‘s music, you instantly get sucked into his beautifully eccentric mind. At just 22 years old, he spent the better part of his teen years meticulously developing his own singular sound marked by his soft, whispery voice amidst a flurry of artfully enveloped electronic textures. With his brilliant new album “Love Power A-Z”, just out this week, Instupendo takes his craft to a whole new level. Considerably more poppy and upbeat than his previous album “Boys & Girls”, Instupendo balances out his deadpan vocal delivery with a healthy dose of whimsical sound design. “For everything, I designed tiny sounds that fill and stretch the songs to their full potential, like gum (akin to Vespertine-era Björk). Each song’s meant to feel like a diorama or fold out book, stuffed with little secrets waiting to be noticed.” Never content with going too far in any one […]
Who doesn’t love a remix? Not like a boring dance remix, I mean the good kind. When thoughtfully created in collaboration with new voices, remixes can completely reinvent a song, adding depth and new meaning. Not shying away from the idea of reinterpreting her highly personal album, Laura Marano has just released “YOU (Deluxe)” featuring artists like Jean Deaux, Mark Diamond, and Alextbh. Most intimately, she invited the subject of her song “Run”, Thom Macken, to sing a duet and contribute a new verse. “It was a really cool thing to collaborate with someone that I obviously feel so connected with and trust so much,” says Marano. “We reworked all the songs and made them all feel like me, and I feel like we definitely tell the same sonic story throughout the whole EP.” A prolific songwriter and classically-trained musician, Laura Marano has earned more than 200 million streams across […]
Hands down the most badass rock act on our roster is Ida Maria. Like, no contest. Imagine if Bjork never left the Sugarcubes and just steadily grew more ferocious over time, eventually bursting into flames and rising up like a Scandinavian punk rock Phoenix. And clutched in her flaming talons would be “Dirty Money”, the absolutely immaculate record which officially dropped today! “Dirty Money” was written and recorded in LA with guitarist/producer Ryan Spraker (The Glorious Sons, Eli “Paperboy Reed), who helped Ida achieve the loudest and most powerful sound she’s ever produced. Paired with top notch songwriting and Ida’s signature punk rock aesthetic, this album beats you over the head and sticks to your brain for days. The clear standout for sync is “Celebration”, with the perfect blend of swagger, guitar riffs, vocalese hooks and handclaps sufficient to make any music supervisor swoon. The song could work equally well […]
You might not expect a man whose given name is Princeton Von Coleman to be a big dude with shoulder-length dreads living out in rural Arkansas. But for that same person to go by the stage name Yuni Wa (short for Yunibasaru Wa, or “Universal Harmony” in Japanese) you get the feeling he’s perhaps not someone you can easily put into a box. Or maybe he’s just living in the future and can’t be bothered with your antiquated expectations. Having produced a total of 34 albums (not a typo) since his first release on his 17th birthday in 2014, to say that Yuni Wa is prolific is a gross understatement. It’s almost like a new word is needed to describe his creative output. Among his first releases was an album called “Context”, the first in what has become a four-part series culminating with the final edition “Context 4” which just […]









