Ashton Nyte has recently released his album and companion book titled ‘Waiting For A Voice’. This is a wonderful interview, to say the least. More of a conversation, actually. What we get is that voice we’ve all been waiting for. And that voice is the type of voice we need in this day and age. I’m not talking phonetically. I mean spiritually. Musically.
Both the album and book are from the mind of someone who observes and interprets. The songs are the music that sews the heart to the sleeve and the book is a brilliant and compassionate collage of lyrics, poetry, and autobiographical segments. And the result is a medium of solitary substance that, I hope, the listener inherits as much as they ingest.
And what we get today is that deep conversation with Ashton, where we talk about the album and book ‘Waiting For A Voice’ and get in-depth about both an introverted human being giving the world a voice we’ve been needing but also that inspiration that we can use to move forward.
Take a look at what ‘Waiting For A Voice’ is and get a copy HERE.
Check out our other features about Ashton Nyte HERE.
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ASHTON NYTE’S ‘WAITING FOR A VOICE’
Dubbed the “lovechild of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave” by NPR, the new work sees Nyte blending poetry with haunting acoustic minimalism, animated by his rich, diverse baritone voice. Waiting For A Voice, Nyte’s 7th solo album was largely written and recorded after his 36 date European tour with Wayne Hussey (The Mission) concluded in October last year and features his most personal songwriting to date.
The album contains 11 original songs, written, performed, and produced by Nyte, along with an intimate rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” dedicated to Nyte’s father, who passed earlier this year. The accompanying 134pg book expands on themes explored on the album, and is available in hardcover and paperback, along with vinyl, CD and digital versions of the album.
“In quiet desperation, I pulled the words aside To cover up the violence That blurred my aching my mind. And gazing through the portholes Deafened by the noise I spoke into the ocean I’m waiting for a voice.”
– (Waiting For A Voice – Ashton Nyte)
Now based in the USA, Ashton Nyte is a South African born composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer. He has released 7 solo albums, in addition to 9 albums as The Awakening, one of South Africa’s most prominent alternative rock bands. He has also contributed lyrics and vocals to several projects – most recently Beauty In Chaos, which features members of The Cure and Cheap Trick among others.
Ashton has written and performed in theatrical productions and organized philanthropic events including his Rock Against Rape concert series, and presenting a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. He is a prolific songwriter, with a released catalog of over 250 songs, including an Afrikaans-language album, “Moederland” (2014) which was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Netwerk24 in South Africa.
Ashton has toured extensively and headlined festivals in the US, Europe, and South Africa, including Ramfest and the Oppikoppi Festival to over 30 000 people.
Last year also saw Ashton working on the score of “Don’t Let Go,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. He is currently working on a number of album re-issue projects, along with on-line performances, and will tour the new book and album when it is safe to do so.
ABOUT ASHTON NYTE
The artist has released 7 solo albums as Ashton Nyte, and 1 as Ashton Nyte And The Accused, in addition to 9 albums as The Awakening, one of South Africa’s most prominent alternative rock bands. Now based in the USA, Ashton Nyte is a South African born composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. Nyte’s signature style focuses on his uniquely rich and widely diverse vocal abilities, while his instrumentation ranges from minimalist acoustic guitar ballads to epic arrangements.
Ashton is considered to be the “musical chameleon” of South Africa and has been described in the major press as “Johannesburg’s Bowie” for his widely varying music styles and theatrical performance style. With a released catalog of over 250 original songs, Ashton has had dozens of top ten singles and airplay on major independent radio stations around the world.
Nyte’s works have been featured on NPR/PRI in the USA, and he has performed live in-studio to 125 million listeners on the international radio show “Border Crossings” (Washington, DC). Nyte has toured extensively and headlined music festivals in the USA and South Africa to upwards of 30 000 people.
Ashton has written and performed in theatrical productions and organized philanthropic events including his “Rock Against Rape” concert series, and presenting a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. His first Afrikaans-language album, Moederland (April 2014) was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Netwerk24. From 2016 – 2018 Nyte completed a 17 date tour, spanning 12 European countries, as well as a national US tour and smaller European tour.
He contributed vocals and lyrics to new albums by MGT (guitarist for Peter Murphy, The Mission, Gary Numan) as well as Michael Ciravolo’s “Beauty In Chaos” project, which includes members of The Cure, Cheap Trick, Ice-T and many more. The Nyte / Ciravolo composition “Bloodless And Fragile” was featured in the television program “The Purge” on the USA network in 2018. Nyte released a new album, “Chasm” as The Awakening on 26 November 2018.
2019 saw Ashton working on the score of the movie “Don’t Let Go” with composer Ethan Gold. The movie stars David Oyelowo (Selma), Storm Reid (A Wrinkle In Time) and Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump) and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. Ashton also contributed to the second and third Beauty Chaos releases and completed a 36 date European Tour with British indie artist Wayne Hussey (The Mission) in September / October 2019. Nyte released “Waiting For A Voice”, his 7th solo album and the first book of poetry, short stories, and musings, on 20 July 2020.
Featured image by Christian Fraude.
LINKS:
https://ashtonnyte.com
https://facebook.com/ashtonnyte
https://youtube.com/ashtonnyte
https://instagram.com/ashtonnyte
https://twitter.com/ashtonnyte
https://theawakening.com
https://facebook.com/theawakeningofficial
https://youtube.com/theawakeningsa
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Rayon Nelson Releases ‘Made of Gold’ Video (The Week in #Indie Segment)
It’s hard to write, much less record, a song that conveys true emotions. That’s why ‘Made of Gold’, the new track and video by Rayon Nelson, is so special. It conveys and expresses those times in our lives that we have all had. Times of loss and helplessness, when we feel at our lowest. Backed by creative genius both musically and lyrically, Rayon’s soulful voice and nuances really give experience to the lyrics and give the listener hope as well as heart.
About Made of Gold
Shimmering guitar lines and a pared-back arrangement serve as a backdrop to Rayon’s heartfelt confessions of failure and imperfection. ‘Made Of Gold’ chronicles those times when the wellsprings of our emotion overcome our flood barriers and overflow as we fail to uphold our own often fastidious psychological standards. “Hard times are no stranger to my door,” he sings, relating his personal struggle with our complicated and erringly human interior lives. It’s a richly layered song that thrums with the splendor of Rayon’s voice. Combining vintage and modern influences, ‘Made Of Gold is a haunting, soulful, and eminently relatable song which lays bare the touching contradictions at the heart of the human experience. It’s an impressive sleight of hand from an artist who is carving an original and beguiling space in contemporary music.Often people think because you present yourself in a certain way, that you have everything together. Made Of Gold song attempts to show that even though these words that I try to live by are ‘made of gold’, I somehow still fall in doubt and I’m most certainly not perfect. I’m a closed person in general so this EP contains some personal songs, and I guess its a way of people getting closer to me.
About ‘Closer’ EP
Written and self-produced by Rayon himself, and mixed and mastered by Alberto Coin, Closer is a set of songs that draws listeners deep into Rayon Nelson’s artistic world. Confessional and tender in tone, the four songs that comprise the EP meditate on the concept of identity from four distinct viewpoints. From the soulful and relatable psychological interiority of lead track ‘Made Of Gold’, Rayon lays himself open. Following that, there’s the familial ‘Granny’ – a poignant thank you message to his grandparents, which he contrasts with ‘Where Were You?’, a heartfelt message to an absent father. Closing with the expansive and ambitious ‘Freedom’, Rayon steps outside of his persona and empathizes with the global oppressed. By his own admission Rayon is a guarded figure, but through the humbling honesty of ‘Closer’ he lays himself bare, and in so doing he reveals himself to be a relatable, charming, flawed, but also an incisive lyricist with an inimitable new sound.EP Track Listings
- Made Of Gold
- Granny
- Where Were You
- Freedom
About Rayon Nelson
Lauded for his captivating and soulful vocals, Rayon Nelson has achieved remarkable status for an independent artist. With eclectic influences from Jamaica, London, and Suffolk, his music presents an inspirational and compassionate lyricism, set often to a sonic backdrop which encompasses a broad fusion of styles. Shaped by early exposure to an array of different music such as reggae, old school gospel, and soul from artists including Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Lauryn Hill, Rayon Nelson’s work is a matchless synthesis of the styles and vibes that formed him. He was shortlisted for Glastonbury festival, performed at Isle Of Wight Festival, and often featured on BBC Introducing and BBC 1Xtra whilst remaining unsigned. His latest EP ‘Yung Solo’ has attracted over 380k streams on Spotify, and has been featured in numerous blogs such as Hilly Dilly while attracting major industry interest. After a one year hiatus, Rayon is now releasing his Closer EP and intends to firmly make his mark in the music industry this year.LINKS:
https://www.rayonsofficialmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/rayonsofficialmusic
https://soundcloud.com/rayon-nelson
https://twitter.com/rayonnelson
https://www.instagram.com/rayonnelson -
Soundbytes: Andy Cooper Exclusive Interview
‘The Layered Effect’ by US rapper/producer Andy Cooper offers a punchy reminder of the creative fun to be had in digging for breaks, stringing up loops and layering up strata of sound. Brimming full of delightful inflections from the world of Jazz, Easy Listening, Film Soundtracks and Hollywood voices, it’s a perfectly stitched sound patchwork that pays loving homage to the classic, funky days of early rap. A touching testimony to the joys of Hip Hop then and now.
More than just the skinny white dude who’s into old school beats, Andy Cooper has won his stripes after a twenty year stint with Hip Hop trio Ugly Duckling, then a couple more hanging out with The Allergies, not to mention the recent release of eight 7” singles, an EP and now his second solo LP. What is utterly charming is how enamored and respectful he is how it was at the beginning AND of how it still should be. Far from being the “old timer/delusional revivalist” he describes in ‘Last of the Dying Breed’, Cooper cares not about color or age, but that rap stays fresh, exciting, competitive, similar to a precious martial art.
For Andy, rap is a noble form. He’s a wordsmith extraordinaire, snappy and audacious, tipping his hat “to all the microphoners who still bring that dedication and expertise to their craft” and choosing to work with equally rapid sparring partners like Blabbermouf and MC Abdominal. Ownership of the genre is a constant theme throughout the LP. Like a contact sport, you punch and fight your way to the mic and once there “no one can take it from me”. Reverance is constantly being paid to the dons that went before, overtly Rick Rubin & the Def Jam crew, but covertly the Reggae sound systems and jazzers of old.
Not a sloppy note or shabby rhyme here. It’s an album that pops and fizzes with quirky beats and funky rhythms from start to finish. With production lines neater and sharper than a pair of sta press trousers, it’s impossible not to be seduced by the sheer buoyancy of the lyrics, beats, and intention. A refreshingly entire body of work with no low points, only head-nodding highs. It’s good to stumble across a Hip Hop album that has you giggling, thinking, singing and wearing out the soles of your shoes all at once.
LINKS:
http://www.youtube.com/user/uglyducklingvideos
http://www.instagram.com/andycooper75
http://www.facebook.com/acooper75
http://soundcloud.com/rocafortrecords/sets/andy-cooper-the-layered-effect/s-qKLg0
http://rocafortrecords.com -
Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie for 6/7/2021
This week we feature an exclusive interview with Bishop Tha DJ about his new album ‘#trueOGseries Vol 2: New Day Co-Op’ and more. Also, premieres, exclusives, and new music and videos from Faultress, Heartour, Touchy, BrokenRail, Joker’s Hand, La Fleur Fatale, Richard Wølf, and Jim McHugh.