(@takubeats @wafiaaa)
Last month, Australian producer Ta-Ku released a song called “American Girl”. Unexpectedly, it’s a duet that finds Ta-Ku singing (!!!) on the first verse with Wafia on the second, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Inspired by Estelle’s “American Boy”, Ta-Ku wanted to create a stripped back, emotional version of her song, and I’m glad that he did because it’s incredible.
Kanibeat is an 18-year-old beat maker from Siberia, Russia, and he recently linked up with Cult Classic Records, where he released his debut album, Youth. You’ll find 10 beats that embody the downtempo, jazzy hip hop vibe, so you could let these soothing tunes be the soundtrack to the end of your busy days and capping off your relaxing nights.
He says they capture different emotions, people, feelings, and everything he’s been through in his life. “It’s filled with warm memories and nostalgic vibes. How about having a little journey?” Stream the album below, and feel free to name your own price when you click that “buy now” link at Bandcamp.
London-based singer-songwriter, producer, and DJ Scrimshire (@scrimshire) released his third and final Forgotten Songs EP, on May 1st. I wrote about the first, but forgot to post up his second volume (go ahead and grab that). The five songs on Forgotton Songs EP: Vol. Three were made when he was putting together his previous album, Bight. They’re a mixture of being jazzy, atmospheric, and experimental; and they’re all hypnotically lovely. Two of them were written by Daudi Matsiko (“As You Pass By” and “Reflection”), and another one was with drummer Chris Boot (“Cloud Cover”). “212 555 4200” and “Bright Lights” were Scrimshire‘s own creations, and he describes them as being “an exercise in exorcising some darkness. And with the cupboards now fully cleared I hope to make a proper start on new material soon.”
Last year, Yarah Bravo (@yarahbravo) released her Love Is The Movement album, which I reviewed and talked about in our 6th Magazine issue. Although short, “Carousel” is one of my favorite songs to listen to (the whole album is a gem!) when I want to zone out and/or ease my troubled mind.
Produced by TrommelTobi, and on his Le Gruyère album, Yarah Bravo rap-sings (in Swedish and English) an uplifting, beautiful tune about life and her love for music, over a smooth, heavy bassline, a bunch of sweet-sounding guitars, and a vocal sample. In the music video, watch a smiling-faced Yarah roam through a theme park and fly through the air, on a swing ride. “I sing until the lungs stop breathing // Die as soon as the drum stops beating.”
Just as planned, on March 17th, electronic producer Droid Daughter (@droiddaughter) released his album, titled Auxera. A week ago today, he and I talked about the album in length, in an interview. If you haven’t yet, make sure you read that, so you can get the inside scoop about the songs, his direction, and much more.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite album of his. I like that he went out of his comfort zone to experiment with sounds and genres that he doesn’t usually dabble in, because it paid off greatly. This album is eclectic in sound, and it’s beautiful to listen to and be taken away by, from one track to the next. While some of Auxera brings in ethereal vocal features (for example: singers BEXAH, The Whip Angels, and Fishdoll), the majority are instrumentals. This is a very personal one for him, too, covering subject matter of love, loneliness, and loss. It’s so, so good, from beginning to the end, with no tracks that you want to skip (if I were to name favorites, it’d be a long list–if not naming all 17 songs). You must listen to it! Without further discussion, stream it below, then purchase the album digitally for only $7.
Lately I’ve been really digging the new releases from MARZ LÈON (@marzxleon ). W H I T E L I O N Z in particular has hypnotized me with its mellow down-tempo and creeping bass. Tiffology has written about MARZ and her incredible sound for some time, which is how I came to be a fan of her music. W H I T E L I O N Z is her newest release– only 5 days into the world and it’s rightfully sucking everyone who listens to it into it’s vortex of audio amazingness. Now I pass on the sounds to you guys. If this is your first time hearing MARZ LÈON, be prepared to fall in love.
Following Aquilo‘s (@aquilouk) breath-taking “Human” song, I recently watched the music video for “I Gave It All“. It’s a sad song, that tells a story about young love and being torn in a triangle of emotions and decisions. Broken into 2 parts, to tell the story through 2 songs (this one, and “Losing You” which will be covered in the next post), this video gives illustrative, cinematic depth to “I Gave It All”, as it seems to show the girl’s perspective and her different attachments to both boys.
Beautiful R&B-stylized vocals and superb songwriting, alongside haunting electronic production, lead by gentle piano playing and thumping kicks, makes this a song to play over and over, when you’re deep in your feelings. Get this song on their Human EP out now. Watch the video below.
Depending on how you wanna look at this, this could mean a song that completely erases whatever worries you have or a song that helps you focus. Since either requires you to let go and breathe, today’s songs will most likely possess calming qualities and maybe you’ll find that they help to clear your mind, too. Check us after the jump to find out what we chose as our songs of the day.
Chicago-based producer Zavala (@zavalabeats) has been putting in work on his first and forthcoming solo album. Yesterday, he dropped a brand new track, called “Only You”, and I’m loving it. It slowly climbs with airy, atmospheric percussion, a lot of hushed vocals, and calm synths, right before taking off with galloping drums, straight into blissful electronic territory. There’s so much delicate beauty and layered movement in this feel-good, love-guided song. Stream and download for free; you won’t be disappointed.
Philadelphia-based producer Ill Clinton dropped a new instrumental album earlier this week. Have you heard it yet? Released on November 11th, AMBAP is an amalgamation of the words ambient and boom bap, and it’s a word he created to describe his sound.
With 8 beats under the hood, I find AMBAP to play as a soundtrack to a peaceful, atmospheric, and sensual experience. All of the beats ride heavy on dense drums, and are wonderfully juxtaposed with layered samples (of gentle strings, angelic bells, warm keys, whispering woodwinds, soothing horns, etc) that add a delicate beauty. He also threw in a few vocal samples, and stamped the album with vinyl crackles, to help illustrate the mood. It’s such a great body of work, and easy to listen to, so check it out when you get a chance.
Based in the Lake District, UK, Aquilo (@aquilouk) is a downtempo, electro-pop production duo, made up between two guys named Tom and Ben. Since breaking into the scene earlier this year with their ethereal, self-titled EP (stream here), they are returning with a brand new one at the end of this year.
DJ/producer Tape Mastah Steph released an instrumental album, called Disk Write Protect, back in May. I was going to post this a couple of months ago, alongside a mini interview with Steph, but things kind of fell through. I didn’t want this album to go without coverage here on CrayonBeats, so here we are.