French electronic producer Astrobal has announced his forthcoming ‘Memories of Stars’ EP via German label Karaoke Kalk, combining psychedelic soundings with a soft pop. He is already previewing the lead track ‘Australasie ft. Laetitia Sadier’. The accompanying video was produced by Patrice Curtillat (a.k.a. Poborsk), whose fantastic illustrations flow over the geography of Australasia, as clouds of drones and satellites float in the sky, before inevitably diving in a kaleidoscope from where one emerges on stellar landscapes, where colors and hybrid forms blossom like mechanical insects.
Astrobal is the solo project of Emmanuel (Emma) Mario, who burst onto the scene in his native France through collaborations and production work with some of the country’s most cutting-edge artists, including Laetitia Sadier, Arnaud Fleurent-Didier, Holden, Institut, Monade, Hyperclean. and Iko Chérie. It is no coincidence that the Stereolab songstress should feature on ‘Australasie’, as Emma Mario’s work as a producer and drummer for Laetitia Sadier has left an enduring legacy, rendering some of the most singular work from the iconic French chanteuse.
Mario has produced several Laetitia Sadier albums ‘The Trip’ (2010) and ‘Something Shines’ (2014), as well as the latest ‘Find Me Finding You’ album from Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble, all three albums released through Drag City. He’s been extremely busy this year, touring as part of the Ensemble and sometimes even opening the show as Astrobal.
“Our blood runs hydrous with the seas/The essence of oceans spills through our veins.” Laetitia Sadier matter-of-factly unfurls these words on the opening track and they prove prescient. Astrobal’s wispy, French-accented vocals intermix with Sadier’s enchanting voice as she delivers spiritual and scientific information about the universe as if engaged in a shamanic incantation.
“Emmanuel became a long-time collaborator and he’s very good at working with other people, but there was also a desire to do his own stuff. He was kind of doing it before he started working on this project, but then I guess he found his focus and made this incredible piece of work,” says Laetitia Sadier.
“From one track to another, you’re transported to very different countries, but it’s also very familiar to Emmanuel, and I find that to be a real strength: to have such a variety of different styles, but still be familiar and to have some similarity. He reaches really far out to find certain tracks and to bring them back to a whole.”
The album is aqueous, each track a slow wave building, with clean lines and fluid form. Symphonic strings and ethereal ambient washes are married to buzzing synths and Astrobal’s crisp, crackling drums. Though eclectic, Astrobal presents a cohesive vision, with the guiding principles of texture and fluidity uniting the disparate threads. Astrobal creates a universe one can swim around in – from start to finish, the particular mood always beholden to the vibe. One leaves his dream world having lived a unique experience laced with sonic and solar dreamy.
Karaoke Kalk was founded by Thorsten Lütz in 1997. By releasing music that bridges several electronic genres, including minimal, ambient, and techno, this niche label is helping to define the sound of contemporary pop.
Karaoke Kalk has put out records by Bill Wells, Hauschka, Toulouse Low Trax, and many others. Karaoke Kalk also co-released Astrobal’s debut full-length album ‘Australasie’ with LA-based Plug Research in June of this year.
LINKS:
http://www.astrobal.com
http://www.facebook.com/Astrobalwaves
http://twitter.com/astrobalwaves
http://soundcloud.com/lesfraisessauvages
http://www.instagram.com/astrobal
http://astrobal.bandcamp.com
http://astrobalwaves.tumblr.com
http://open.spotify.com/artist/4CWXZeuMIFCkejorIIbny6
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Blacklite District – Goodbye (Regular & Minecraft Version)
Spearfish, SD based electronic alternative rock act Blacklite District (BLD) has released two videos for their single, “Goodbye,” off of their third LP, Instant Gratification, one an official video and the second a Minecraft video.
Blacklite District follows no rules. With sounds of everything from electronic, EDM and hip-hop, to hard rock and alternative, the band truly stands out from the pack of what has become today’s generic sounding “Active Rock”. Formed in 2012 by Kyle Pfeiffer and Roman James, ages 12 and 11 respectively, the band grew organically in their local music scene through the years to come. In 2011, BLD was discovered by Grammy Award-winning producer, Stephen Short (Paul McCartney, Queen), which resulted in a 10 day recording session at the world’s largest residential recording studio, Sonic Ranch, just outside of Mexico in Tonillo, TX. The group re-located to Los Angeles and played some of the most famous venues in the world for the remainder of 2011.
In 2013, the group released “With Me Now” as the lead from it’s debut album Worldwide Controversy. “With Me Now” immediately went to #1 on SiriusXM channels Octane and Faction, hit the Top 40 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart (#32), and sold 100,000 copies. BLD went on a very successful US tour with Saving Abel in Jan-Apr 2014, with 26 of those shows SOLD OUT. After a legal battle with their management and record label, Blacklite District went on hiatus in late 2014.
On August 23, “The Struggle” was release to radio and To Whom It May Concern went for pre-order at digital retailers. Revolver Magazine premiered the music video for “The Struggle” on August 25. The band also announced a 41 date tour called “The Struggle Is Real Tour”. Blacklite District released a Nightcore remix of “The Struggle” to YouTube on September 6, which got over 2,000,000 plays and resulted in the single breaking the Top 40 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Indicator chart at #36.
One month later, on October 6, the group released a Nightcore remix of “We Are The Danger” which got over 400,000 plays on YouTube. A couple of weeks later, the band released “Broken Souls” to radio, as well as a Nightcore remix which resulted in 500,000 plays and hitting #30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator. This was the second song in the month of October to break the Top 40 (along with “The Struggle.”)
“The Ghost of You and Me” was released as a music video and a Nightcore remix on December 28, 2016. The song was yet again a success for Blacklite District resulting in 400,000.
On January 20, 2017, BLD released “Living In A Nightmare” as the first single from upcoming album Instant Gratification. With a coinciding Nightcore release, “Living In A Nightmare” broke the Top 25 on the BDS Indicator chart, marking the bands highest spot in chart history. The song has been streamed over 250,000 times.
On February 24, famed radio DJ Lou Brutus posted the bands video for “Cold As Ice”, which was released the same day. The song scored a whopping 350,000 streams in its first week alone, and as of May 2017, has over 3.5 million combined views on YouTube. “Cold As Ice” serves as the second single from Instant Gratification. In the summer of 2017, “Cold As Ice” was added to Spotify’s “Rock Hard” playlist, and was put into rotation on SiriusXM’s alternative channel Faction. In October, “Cold As Ice” was added to rotation on SiriusXM Octane, and it’s Minecraft music video has over 10 million views on YouTube. There are about 4 videos about a Herobrine invasion with zombies and “nether watchers” and how the main character, a player in a blue suit, survives. There are 4 songs in total in the order of The Struggle, Cold as Ice, We are the Danger (possibly not from Blacklite District), and Just so you Know.
Blacklite District released their third album Instant Gratification on September 22, going Top 10 on Amazon’s Top Electronic Albums chart.
LINKS:
http://www.blacklitedistrict.net
https://www.facebook.com/pg/BlackliteDistrict
http://www.twitter.com/officialbld
https://www.instagram.com/blacklitedistrict -
Drew Davies – Man On The Run
Mixed with all the right pop sensibilities as well as memorable harmonies and just plain good songwriting, Drew Davies adds his beautiful crooning style of vocals to his new track titled ‘Man On The Run’. The track chugs along with a stylistic beat and gives me the initial impression that, while definitely a fit for radio, the song still has street cred for the ‘cool kids’ that usually mean a future classic in the eyes of those who listen to music and not merely hear it.
About Drew Davies
Yorkshire born and bred, now London-based Drew Davies has released his single Man On The Run and prepares to release his forthcoming long player in the Autumn of 2019.On Man On The Run, Drew says “The song is an ode to modern dating; it portrays a frustrated character pushed to the edge after a failed relationship with a particularly fickle young woman, whose actions and words rarely matched up. Lyrically I wanted to play with the protagonist’s desire to write a straightforward love song but how his feelings towards the situation prevented him. The chorus refers to being ‘inside’ in both a figurative and literal sense, as a reference to both the emotional prison some relationships can leave you in and also how these feelings can boil over and cause us to act irrationally.”
The video is also available and Drew has now readied a full backing band complete with guitars, bass, keys, drums, and backing singers, bringing the full sound of the song to the stage as it can be heard at London’s The Finsbury on May 24th.
Musically, the self-titled debut is infused with a vast array of influences that stretch from 50s rock n’ roll to modern electronica. From the hook-filled, to-the-point numbers of Roy Orbison or Tom Petty, to the cinematic synth sounds of John Carpenter, Vangelis and Kavinsky, the music is imbued with a heavy tenderness; wrapped up in the genre-bending timelessness of artists like Bowie, Queen or Eurythmics.
The album was produced by Drew himself and was recorded at Tileyard Studios in London, before arriving at the hands of mixing engineer Steve Honest (Oasis, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac), with mastering by John Webber (George Michael, David Bowie, Super Furry Animals) at the legendary AIR Studios.
Drew is no newcomer to the music business though, having spent the better part of the last decade treading the boards of venues and festivals across the UK with various bands, working in musical collaborations, writing for other artists and singing in session gigs to get by, all while fighting his own personal battles.
With his older tracks getting plays on BBC 6 Music, Radio X and MTV Drew has seen some of the highs and lows of the music industry; from cutting his teeth and paying his dues on the so-called toilet touring circuit to recording in some of the top studios on the planet.
Through these highs and lows, friendships and loved ones come and gone, successes, setbacks and everything in between, Drew continues to have such a fierce passion for what he does; pouring his heart and soul into his musical labors to produce his most personal work to date.
The first single ‘Man on the Run’ is imbued with a baritone alt-rock vibe. With a pulsating beat that builds through its verses into an uplifting chorus, it carries the listener through a lyrical journey much darker in content than the music would have you believe at first.
LINKS:
https://www.drewdaviesmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/drewdaviesmusic
https://www.twitter.com/drewdaviesmusic
https://www.instagram.com/drewdaviesmusic
https://drewdaviesmusic.bandcamp.com -
Ollie Trevers – Stage Of Fools
London based singer/songwriter Ollie Trevers studied at Leeds College of Music and ICMP. He started writing and performing music at fourteen years old, harboring artistic aspirations from the very beginning. A veteran of the band circuit, Ollie released his first solo EP Saucy Naughty Rubbish in 2018.
Stylistically, the record saw Ollie exploring a powerful and energetic blend of post-punk and classic rock. His musical direction has since evolved into the five songs you hear on his new EP Cordelia. It is a kaleidoscopic meeting of styles, channeling punk, alt-rock, prog, blues, folk, and psychedelia. Ollie takes inspiration from artists such as Led Zeppelin, Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf, Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley, Pink Floyd, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, and David Bowie.
Having only performed with his new band since March 2019, Ollie toured in the South of France a few months later. He plans to tour Britain, Europe, and Nashville throughout 2020.
LINKS:
https://www.ollietreversmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/ollietreversmusic
https://soundcloud.com/ollie-trevers
https://www.instagram.com/olivertrevers