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.” […]
The 1990’s and early aughts were a golden era for hip hop and R&B, and as an original member of Jurassic Five DJ Nu-Mark was there for it all. Fast forward two decades and Nu-Mark is bringing old school back to school with a new project titled “Run For Cover”, focused on reinterpreting songs from this era with live instrumentation from around the world. The first single off the record just dropped last week, and it’s a Middle Eastern take on the classic all-star remix “Pass The Courvoisier” from Busta Rhymes’s 2001 album “Genesis”. Decked out with tons of hand percussion, oud, doumbek, and a full horn section, this track will have you feeling like you’re blasting through the Sahara in a Range Rover. Producer, turntablist and veteran member of the legendary hip hop group Jurassic 5, DJ Nu-Mark is considered one of the most creative on the scene constantly […]
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, […]
Michael Martinez has come a long way since his days of street busking on the streets of Bend, Oregon. More than a decade into his career you can find him in the studio writing and recording with heavy hitters in Los Angeles, producing custom music for brands like LG, Samsung and Facebook, as well as running his own film production company where he directs projects for Marvel and Disney. And on top of all that, he still finds the time to make impeccably written and flawlessly produced Americana records under his artist moniker Meekoh. This week he released “From The River”, the lead single from his upcoming EP “The Sun”. The song was written as a tribute to the love of his life, whose tragic struggle with cystic fibrosis necessitated their retreat back to his home state of Oregon in the leadup to the pandemic lockdown in Los Angeles. “We […]
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 […]
In her stunning new single “Visiones Doradas” (“Golden Visions”), singer/songwriter Loli Molina conjures up an introspective journey through the rugged terrain of the Andes region. The overall tone of the song is melancholy, meant to evoke both the harshness and beauty of the environment. The “golden visions” are an apparition, a mirage in the desolate landscape. The poetry doesn’t translate so well into English, but perhaps it’s beside the point. The music tells its own story, as all great songs do. Loli Molina was born in Buenos Aires but is now based in Mexico City. Her deep connection to Latin America, as viewed through the lens of her own Andalucian ancestry, has an omnipresent influence on her sound. Her goal in music is to always transport her listeners to faraway places, bringing these locations to life and showing that anything is possible. Written and recorded in collaboration with Argentinian singer/songwriter […]
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 […]
We’re often asked what kinds of songs are in high demand and low supply for sync, and one of them is “sexy but not sexual”. It’s a tricky balance, but you know it when you hear it. Chi-town native Johari Noelle absolutely nails this vibe with “Get Free”. In the opening minute of the song her soft and sultry voice sits atop a subtle dancehall rhythm, then out of nowhere a smooth drum fill launches us into a Badu-esque neo-soul groove. Johari wrote this song to try to bring ease and joy to herself and others, just like that old adage you can’t love anyone until you first learn to love yourself. “My music is about getting out how I feel and being very present in that moment. It’s important for me to embrace myself in a way that empowers me to feel each emotion and remain in touch with […]