The Musical Internet time-sink
Friday, May 6, 2016
I want to talk about music today. Looking for 5 recommendations? Read on!
TL;DR:
Listen to the latest releases from these 5 talented artists:
The long story of how I got sucked in to Spotify
Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot more music, bringing the ratio of music-to-podcast back to a healthy 50%.
I needed something to work along to, and since re-reading this article, I figured, why not listen to something hard, heavy and filthy: Skrillex. Beats1 has actually given Skrillex his own show, called “OWSLA Radio”, after his own label. So I caught up on recent episodes here on Mixcloud:
[mixcloud www.mixcloud.com/PAUL_DI/o… width=100% height=400 light=1]
At some point in this sixth episode, Skrillex & co started shouting someone’s name: “Bibiii”. This part of the episode kinda stayed with me. So, earlier today, when I browsed through I-D’s website and saw a video feature about the lady in question, I decided to check it out.
Turns out that Bibi is actually a songwriter who’s written Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money”. And one of the background tracks in the video is from her. Something I had heard before but hadn’t had the chance to identify the singer at the time. I started listening to her on Spotify. She’s actually released her debut EP “Free The Real (Pt. #1)” today!
But her story also reminded me of another artist I really like: Jon Bellion. Jon is the songwriter behind Eminem’s 2013 hit “The Monster” (featuring …Rihanna, again). It even got him a Grammy.
So then, I started adding Jon Bellion to my Spotify Listening Queue. I’ve been a fan of his for a couple of years now and can’t wait for his first studio album (“The Human Condition” —out June 10th.) I really like Jon’s style, and have so much respect for him because he’s able to write, sing, produce and record all on his own. He’s just ridiculously talented.
And then I looked over on Hypebeast Music, one of my favourite websites to keep up with music, only to realise that 3 albums that I expected had dropped.
- Kaytranada’s debut album “99.9%”
- James Blake’s new LP “The Colour in Anything”
- and on a more gangsta-related note, Skepta’s latest album “Konnichiwa”
Kaytranada
This album is SO GOOD! Kaytra is an incredibly talented beat maker and producer based out of Montreal. I’ve discovered him via Soulection’s iconic radio shows and I was so excited about his debut LP. And the man delivered!
This is a great album that will get you to jump, dance, vibe, and enjoy! And a possibly the album to play all summer long!
https://open.spotify.com/album/1dZZh7PvVgce1DDsDPzy8Z
James Blake
Like his previous albums, James Blake delivered a very ambiant and melancholic album. I love this type of music and this really did it for me. I feel like it’s gonna be on repeat all autumn/winter-long. It’s the kind of music you listen to on repeat on a rainy day, when the sky is grey and your mood is clearly meh.
But just like everything Blake touches, it’s really well produced. And I’ve absolutely loved “I need Forest Fire”, featuring… BON IVER (!!!)
At 17 tracks for a total of 76mn, it’s a long one, but definitely worth your while.
Skepta
And finally, the return of the king of grime. I’m not too familiar with grime or with Skepta in general, but there’s been a lot of hype for this album, and around Skepta and grime in general, so it was very interesting for me to indulge in this artist’s world.
Wanna go full circle? Skepta is actually the brother of Julie Adenuga, one of the hosts of… Apple’s Beats 1 Radio.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2yegc4SUhhXxUXUavLHUqL
So there it is, the end of yet another busy week, with my musical recommendations: