Artist Spotlight: Jesse Boykins III
Jesse Boykins III is one of those artists who we’ve had our eyes on for a while…
Dwele
New Release: Mar – Our Attempt
Dutch soul-singer Mar is back with bite this month, releasing the lead single off his debut solo EP Seeing Her Naked (slated for a release by the end of this month). Our Attempt begins with Drake/The Weeknd style production (fizzling string-pads and gittery Hip-Hop rhythms), which is then brought back down to earth via a blues guitar riff doused in melancholic distortion. Together with Mars silky vocals, the track is a beautiful example of what the future holds for RnB and Soul music, joining other forward-thinking artists like The Internet and Frank Ocean who are really pushing the boat out within this type of music. We’ve also been told that a new Full Crate and Mar album can be expected by the end of 2012! All good things to come…
New Release: Mar Variation – Avril 14th with Szjerdene
It’s safe to say that Aphex Twin, known as the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music today, has had a pretty interesting 2011. Kanye West sampled the track Avril 14th off the 2001 drukQs album to make a melancholic love joint with John Legend called Blame Game. Now, Dutch-born RnB/Neo-Soul singer Mar (of Full Crate & Mar) and North London counterpart Szjerdene have collaborated to showcase their version of the famous piano track. It is in keeping with Mar’s Variation project, which has him reinterpreting old songs in his own style, accompanied by some very cinematic videos. The video for Avril 14th is a bit heavy, (it might even be a homage to Aphex Twin’s notoriously messed up music videos) but we love the new interpretation – AAAAND it’s a free download which you can get here.