Weekly Update (22nd June – 28th June)

Hey everyone, hope you’ve had a decent week. Music has been phenomenal this week, so without further ado, let’s get into it!

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Features

The incredible storytelling and spiritual aura of The Koreatown Oddity’s new album Little Dominiques Nosebleed makes it his most complete project to date

For about a decade, Dominique Purdy, aka The Koreatown Oddity has established himself as one of the most unique and versatile hip-hop artists within the LA music scene. On his brand new album Little Dominiques Nosebleed, the talented artist tackles the origin story to his “supernatural powers and spiritual awakening” that came from two separate car accidents from his childhood that happened while growing up in Los Angeles’ Koreatown District. Artistically, The Koreatown Oddity has grown tremendously since his last album, creating an introspective, personal and inspiring body of work that captures a heart and soul that is both infectious and captivating. His storytelling ability is phenomenal, and the way he is able to navigate his story so cohesively throughout a 16-track project is incredible. Little Dominiques Nosebleed is his most complete album to date. Read more

Soulful, contemplative and inspiring, MIKE takes the Weight Of The World on his shoulders for a mesmeric new album

Producing the majority of the album as dj blackpower, New York-based artist MIKE is able to craft a subdued, intricate and soulful soundscape, with soul loops and samples that captivate me like no other type of production this year. There’s still so much to digest on this incredible project, and trust me it will be on repeat for the rest of the year, being a clear contender for album of the year. There’s something about his music that mystifies me. The muffled and almost suffocating mix of vocals and soulful yet futuristic production. It’s like I’m drowning in the music, being a part of it like no other artist. It’s truly something special and something I find a hard time processing sometimes. On Weight Of The World, MIKE finds more clarity and reassurance that he’s on the right path for himself. Taking the weight of the world with him, he navigates through a spacious, soulful and dense soundscape. A true inspiration. Read more

Ego Ella May’s debut album Honey For Wounds is an inspiring moment for healing, self-reflection and inner growth

Ego Ella May’s talents as a vocalist and songwriter cannot be understated. The South London-based artist has had quite the incredible few years, blossoming musically into one of the most ethereal, soulful and spiritually uplifting musicians in the city. Her 2019 anthology album So Far was simply incredible, with lavish, textured instrumentals that just sound incredibly soothing and a vocal performance that is delicate, ethereal and powerful. Her tone and energy she brings in her music is just mesmeric, so when she announced that she was releasing her debut album this month, I was naturally thrilled and excited. Now that Honey For Wounds is here, I can reassure you that it’s equally as musically potent, angelic and soulful as expected.The soulful, textured and lavish instrumentals throughout the 11 tracks provide a perfect backdrop for Ego Ella May’s soft, delicate and soothing voice. Honey For Wounds is a moment for healing, self-reflection and inner growth. She talks and sings with grace, embracing every imperfection and moving with the currents into a world full of love and inner peace. The energy and atmosphere of this album reflects that, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Read more

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Releases

Knxwledge – Koko

Knxwledge has been killing it recently, releasing project after project these last few weeks and months. The legendary prolific producer is back with an incredible new 5-track beat tape titled Koko. Featuring more 808s and trap influenced beats, the project sounds punchy and incredibly engaging, with incredibly smooth and hard-hitting tracks like “whoshere” and “whynot” bringing well needed energy. His eclecticism and range as a musician is what I’ve always admired, and Koko is great addition to his ever-expanding discography. Well worth the listen!

Knxwledge – 10​,​000 Proof

And we have Knxwledge again! This project is titled 10,000 Proof and features more melodic and funky production. Both Koko and this project were originally released on 7-inch vinyl and 10-inch vinyl as a part of the “Knx Box” edition of 1988. With incredible piano and synth-led melodies throughout, this project sounds like vintage Knx, as throughout the 12 tracks his beats sound crisp, clean and incredibly soulful. Tracks like “yourwelcome” and “bodies” are personal favourites of mine, with incredible piano keys and beats that capture the energy of this project beautifully. It’s an amazing EP that perfectly embodies his eclecticism and talents as a producer!

NAMELESS – Sup..

Flint, Michigan producer NAMELESS comes through with a brand new beat tape titled Sup.. . I’ve been following this man’s music for a little while now, and his ability to sample and chop his beats is mesmerising. Sampling some contemporary jams and a few meme videos that have been around recently. The drums throughout are heavy and complemented by incredible basslines make this an infectious, head-bob heavy listen. My favourite tracks include “Jack-N-The-Box”, “72 Hours” and “We Got Rules.” Te whole tape is great, so go support that!

Don Leisure – STEEL ZAKUSKI

Cardiff producer Don Leisure has been creating and releasing legendary beatmaking music for a while now. He’s also one half of the incredible Darkhouse Family, creating a vast array of sounds and styles through his music. STEEL ZAKUSKI is his new project, a dynamic and eclectic new project that takes inspiration from Eastern European/Russian sounds and samples. Tracks like “Valery’s Fate” bring incredible guitar grooves that sound mystical and beats that hit hard. “Double Lariat” has an incredible vocal sample, looped over a groovy and funky bassline. There’s a lot more I can mention about this 21 track album, but I’ll let the music do the talking. All I’ll say is that it’s an eclectic, dynamic and phenomenally produced project.

TEK.LUN – COLORS

Baltimore producer TEK.LUN has released a new project titled COLORS. Rather these are tracks he’s released over Instagram and Soundcloud, compiled in a cohesive and engaging album. He is known for his dynamic and colourful beats, so it’s always a pleasure hearing new music from him. This new project is no different, with a dynamic and colourful beats that perfectly capture the eclectic and groovy nature of his sound. Tracks like “MARLEIGH” and “Stringy” are examples of his amazing ability to create textured yet subdued and beautifully melodic sounds. He really exceeds expectations yet again and I can’t wait to hear what he has coming next!

OXP – Swing Convention

OXP consists of French producer Onra and Belgian composer and multi-instrumentalist Pomrad. Their new album Swing Convention is a groovy, funky body of work that takes inspiration from old school R&B and disco/funk from the 80s. Featuring the likes of Devin Morrison, Horace Brown, T3 of Slum Village and Natalie Oliveri among others, this is a silky smooth and incredibly soulful project. Tracks like “Swish” featuring Devin Morisson and “That Something” featuring Natalie Oliveri are two examples of beautiful, textured funk jams. Both of them have the ability to create exceptionally groovy and funky music, with incredible beats and basslines that dominate the vast and engaging soundscape. One to definitely support!

Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – Chicago Waves

The two talented long-time collaborators Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson have teamed up for a mesmeric new project titled Chicago Waves. Having flown to Chicago to participate in Makaya McCraven’s live release performance of his excellent 2018 album Universal Beings. It was an inspiring show and fueled both LA-based musicians to craft a project of their own with the International Anthem label. The result is an incredible new project that focuses its energy on mood and tone rather than grooves or melody. With vast, string and synth-led soundscapes, they are able to craft an angelic project that is grandiose in tone and beautifully produced. The 9-minute stunner of “Part IV” is an example of this, as the angelic, gorgeous tonality of it all is just a joy to listen to. Please do support this because it is an immense body of work that captures so much emotion it’s just other-worldly.

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Weekly Playlist

Tracklist
The Koreatown Oddity – Little Dominiques Nosebleed, Pt 1 ft Sudan Archives (Little Dominiques Nosebleed)
The Koreatown Oddity – A Bitch Once Told Me ft Ahwlee (Little Dominiques Nosebleed)
The Koreatown Oddity – Lap of Luxury ft Qu’ran Shaheed & Kintaro (Little Dominiques Nosebleed)
MIKE – What’s Home 1/2 (Weight Of The World)
MIKE – No, No (Weight Of The World)
MIKE – Allstar ft Earl Sweatshirt (Weight Of The World)
Ego Ella May – Song For Bobby (Honey For Wounds)
Ego Ella May – Girls Don’t Always Sing About Boys (Honey For Wounds)
Ego Ella May – Tonight I’m Drowning (Honey For Wounds)
Knxwledge – dangerous [inst] (10,000 Proof)
Knxwledge – whynot (Koko)
Don Leisure – Double Lariat (Steel Zakusi)
OXP (Onra & Pomrad) – Swish ft Devin Morrison (Swing Convention)
K15 – Elemental (Vol.1)
Jung Mergs – Paranoia (Single)
808INK – Riddick Bowe ft Jesse James Solomon (Single)

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