Claiming the role as a producer, singer, songwriter and music engineer all at the age of just 21 years old, Kate Brunotts really ticks all the right boxes. Receiving support from Lefuturewave, who stated that her music ‘creates new universes, she’s a surefire creative and artistic force’, as well multiple Spotify editorial playlists including ‘Fresh Finds’, Kate is certainly turning heads within the industry. Back with indie infused contender ‘GEMINI’, the track is a self-produced single all about the experience that comes from the duality of both a physical and digital self.
Talking about the sensational new single, Kate explains, “GEMINI is about the facade of ourselves that we portray online and how that reputation unfortunately precedes our one in the physical world. I produced this track after being inspired by the eerie soundscapes of FKA Twigs and feeling a distinct separation between who I am personally and digitally.
I thought it was important for the bed of the sound to be made up of my own distorted vocal samples, with my true vocal singing on top of it. I started with the vocal samples and built up the beat from there.”
The first single off of Kate’s self-produced EP ‘all caps’, slated for arrival later this year, GEMINIcomes across as euphoric and the suitable song for the perfect backdrop to your favourite TV show. Entirely self produced with further mixing done by Devin Spear, the hypnotic track features vocal staples, drum samples, choir samples and even a flute as well. Showcasing that versatility is important to this songwriter, Kate likes to create innovative music without boundaries.
Out on October 30th via Bandcamp, “Oblivion Bound”: the first full-length collaboration between Mark Murdock and Dmitry M. Epstein
The eve of Halloween 2021 sees the release of “Oblivion Bound”: a concept album, devised by Dmitry M. Epstein on Mark Murdock’s request, a record which tells a story of a rock star who dies and is given a second chance to live - provided he can change and get cleansed through his love, his only constant on this mortal coil - but what if he returns and no one remembers his name? It’s a story of Orpheus and Eurydice turned inside out and upside down, with a possible happy end – recounted over the background blending hard-rock vigor and prog sophistication and set to a string of highly memorable melodies.
The joint project of Japan-based American Murdock, famous for his part in Peter Banks’ Empire, and Canadian Epstein, a music journalist and a runner of the “Let It Rock” website (dmme.net), who followed the veteran’s career and reviewed albums he released with such ensembles as Cymbalic Encounters and Masheen Messiah, started in early 2021.
Perceived initially as a Murdock record, “The Game of the Name” – this is the opus’ original title – turned into a duo’s one once Mark asked Dmitry to come up with a concept which would run through all the songs they planned to write. The latter obliged, even though he had never penned a narrative-based lyrics, as opposed to image-driven words, and the former sketched out demos to be fleshed out by artists often present on his discs. Thus, The Id’s Tim Pepper became the voice of “Oblivion Bound” and NEKTAR’s Ron Howden shared drumming duties with Murdock, while Fernando Perdomo, his colleague in The New Empire, and his son Preston are but two of the guitarists featured on the album.
While the record was being prepared, Dmitry co-wrote two songs on Mark’s Atomic Rooster tribute, Nuclear Bird’s debut “Tyrannical Megalomaniac,” and Mark finished and has just released his new solo CD, “Visitors from Another Planet.”
Says Mark Murdock, “Based on the creative writing of Dmitry’s reviews, I felt he was the right person to approach about doing a concept project with. In this project the lyrics were written after the music, but perhaps as follow up we can reverse the process.”
Adds Dmitry M. Epstein, “It was a gripping experience directing Mark’s music as well as being directed by it. The result of our efforts is open to interpretation, but don’t hurry to jump to conclusions just because the end of this story might have to be written yet.”
The tracklist: 1. Coming To 2. Ain’t No Avalon 3. Echo of My Ego 4. A Way Out For the Weak 5. The Game of the Name 6. Voices in My Mind 7. Outside Whorl 8. Vanishing Point 9. Will You Take Me Back (to the Fold)?
All music composed by Mark Murdock, except Song 9 which was composed by Preston Murdock Lyrics by Dmitry M. Epstein
Mark Murdock - drums, percussion & keyboards Ron Howden (Nektar) - drums on song 8 Tim Pepper (The Id) - vocals Fernando Perdomo (The New Empire) - lead guitar on songs 1 & 2 Katsumi Yoneda (French TV) - guitar Dave Juteau (The Dave Juteau Band) - guitar on song 8 Preston Murdock (Cymbalic Encounters) - guitar on song 9 Jeff Curry (Izmatik) - bass Daniel Kubota (Cymbalic Encounters) - guitar on song 4
Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Mark Murdock Recorded at Off-Shore Studios, Tokyo and U.K. Artwork by TimPani Graphics Copyright 2021
Iceberg Black – also known as "Ice” – has carved out a lane of his own in the industry, using self-produced beats, a prolific work rate, and a distinctively gritty sound, accentuated by production consisting of sparse melodies and booming 808s. He's received praise from outlets across the web, as the music videohas earned more than 275,000 views on YouTube since its release on October 13th.
With the hopes of broadening his audience even more, Ice has now signed with Babygrande Records and makes his label debut with the captivating music video for “Spaceships & Hoodbitches”-- his sensational self-produced track that has climbed to 2.5 million streams on Spotify alone off word of mouth. Ice and Babygrande have also announced that his upcoming album, “The Mothership,” will be released on October 22.
Conceived by renowned director Shomi Patwary, the video takes viewers on a futuristic journey through Iceberg Black’s hometown, as he flexes in dapper attire and fancy cars. The video feels otherworldly and perfectly complements the track, which feels and sounds well ahead of its time. Patwary pairs a captivating storyline with VFX and quick cuts to engage viewers throughout the video. It’s a mesmerizing on-screen performance from Iceberg Black and sets a high bar for his visuals going forward.
Grammy nominated songwriter, trap and R&B artist, singer, producer and recent college graduate, Ché is ready for his next adventure in new single ‘Take You Down’. With vocals featured on songs with Freddie Gibbs, and writing credit for big-name artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Maxi Priest, Ché is revving up for his name in lights and the spotlight to be firmly on him. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Che has always been musically inclined. Singing since the age of three, Che grew up performing with his siblings, all of whom are musicians, and father, the legendary Maxi Priest.
With a sultry yet upbeat mix of R&B and Trap, Che has drawn comparisons to artists such as Bryson Tiller and Torey Lanez. Still, it’s his playful melodies and metaphorical ability that make him unique. Speaking about the new release, Ché shares, “Take You Down embodies my evolution as an artist and tells just one of the many stories of my normal life vs my relationship life.”
“Take You Down” is a fantastic release with layers of credibility, and elements that state that Ché is destined for his name in lights. Specialising in hip-hop and R&B, the new single comes across as refreshingly original and highly energetic.
Though Che has been surrounded by musical genius his entire life, he credits all of his accomplishments to getting it off the muscle. Che’s exploration of his musical identity started with battle rapping. Desiring the appeal of wider audiences, Che began to toy with the fusion of Rap and R&B to create what he calls Trap&B.
Starting with the release of a remix of Ella Mai’s debut song “Trip” in 2018, he quickly became a phenomenon on the Philly club and radio scene, launching his streaming and Soundcloud views to well over half a million.
After a string of small performances and releases, Che began to garner local radio stations’ attention. In the second half of 2018, after the original release of his single “Set the Tone,” the song landed a spot on BOOM 103.9, and Che went on to win the title of Boom Philly’s Up Next Artist of 2019. Since the competition, he’s opened for Meg thee Stallion, Summer Walker, MoneyBag Yo, and the Citygirls.
Santi Storm is a complete visionary in vibrant new single ‘Cyber Boy. Known for their candy coloured, cute aesthetic and highly energetic music, Santi plays the part of both Barbie and Ken. Building a strong fanbase of over 342,000 followers on TikTok alone, this social media creative has received praise from publications such as Paper Magazine.
Speaking about the iconic new single, Santi Storm shares, “The story of Cyber Boy is about falling in love with someone online and fantasising about meeting them. It's about wanting to jump through a computer screen into cyberspace and joining that person in a virtual reality fantasy world and flying off together in happiness. But it’s mainly about fantasising about this concept and that person who you only have an online relationship with. It's about dreaming of a fake world that you so wish to be in, with a person who you don't even know but you love.”
Having performed and travelled across the world as a Nightlife Drag Performer/lip sync artist for five years, Santi quickly realised that they wanted to be performing their own music as opposed than other people's songs. Inspired by virtual reality, video games and anime, you can hear Santi Storm’s vivid aesthetic throughout their ear-catching music. “Cyber Boy '' comes across as a song that refuses to be left on any shelf. Bathed in bubblegum, hyper pop sensibilities, the track may have Santi Storm thinking of their dream fantasy, but we think it could become a reality very soon. An artist that’s destined for greatness simply because they stand up for what they believe in, this LGBTQ+ icon uses music as a form of escapism. I wrote the song when at a time when I was unwell, I was fantasising about an idea of creating a story of being in a virtual reality world where I was the best version of myself. I wanted to write a song and a story that was about meeting perfect people in a perfect world online,” adds Santi Storm.
