Featured music selections on Nagamag. Everything you have to listen!

Cuushe – Magic [OFFICIAL VIDEO] (Video)

Categories: Blogwave, Features, The Latest, Video|Tags: Chillwave, Cuushe, Dream pop, Indie Electronic|

Cuushe – Magic [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
(Video)

“Magic by Cuushe is a dreamy chillwave/pop song with sensual soulful vocals and beautiful melodic lines, delivering small rain drops of nostalgia around through a heartwarming sound design which gives a softness tickling to ears as a fresh fluffy pillow does.”

-Nagamag.com

Following the big and bright return single “Hold Half”, today Cuushe shares “Magic”, the second single from WAKEN. The track features Mayuko’s distinct whispering vocals flowing in and out of the night drive-style electronic melodies. The “Magic” video is directed by Tao Tajima with animation from Yoko Kuno.

Mayuko Hitotsuyanagi puts clear outlines on her music with upcoming album WAKEN — a collection of vital, dream-pop centric beats and analog soundscapes woven with her newly freed voice, set for a November 20th release via FLAU. It moves through flamboyant analog synthesizers that seem to communicate with the universe, distorted guitars and mille-feuille-layered choruses. Wildly struck snares and beats recall the rave sounds of the ’90s, energetic, carefree.

https://www.instagram.com/cuushe/
https://flau.bandcamp.com/album/light
https://www.facebook.com/cuushe/

Frank Iva – Wreckage (Video)

Categories: Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest, Video|Tags: Frank Iva, Neoclassical|

Frank Iva – Wreckage
(Video)

“Wreckage by Frank Iva is a deep emotive solo piano which explores the shades of nostalgy through a well gently performance.”

-Nagamag.com

FRANK IVA is a Ugandan-born American music producer based in San Diego, CA. His work is an exciting fusion of electronic and live music with hints of jazz, hiphop, classical and gospel influence.

Even though his dream was to be a concert pianist, he first attended college as a Statistics major at the prestigious Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Through college and beyond, Frank coached worship teams, taught piano, and worked as a record engineer. In 2006, he moved from Kampala to the U.S. to pursue his dreams as a producer and artist.

As a black international student pursuing a degree in Music from Judson University, Frank’s worldview was soon greatly impacted through working as Worship Arts Director for a predominantly white evangelical church in the suburbs of Chicago. He faced both overt and subtle racism in America, that left him hurt and confused about his purpose.

A series of life-altering events took Frank through a time of no music, no church; of love, loss, and redemption; and across the country to San Diego, CA where he now resides. His work as Music Director at The Rock Church, as well as his MBA in Project Management has propelled his path back to his dreams.

Today, you can find Frank Iva merging his love of Chicago’s improv Jazz with that relaxed California electro vibe, with his first single ‘Conversations’, released May 2019. His anticipated uptempo followup, ‘Bassline’, was released December 2019. He will be releasing his first EP in early 2020. You can also view video of live production and performance in Frank’s ‘Iva On The Track” series on YouTube.
https://www.instagram.com/frankivamusic/

I Awake – Exoticas – I Awake Remix (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Psychill, Psychill Features, The Latest|Tags: I Awake, Less, Psychill|

I Awake – Exoticas – I Awake Remix
(Spotify)

“A hypnotic psychill journey which steps into ritual dub grooves, tickles you with mid range synth bliss and layered with lush reverbs and harmonies of spiritual mysteries. ”

-Nagamag.com

Exoticas is the lead single of I Awake & Less new album "Tabula Rasa". An album grown from a collaborative idea of making two versions using the same stems, I Awake providing the downtempo/neo-ambient flavour, and Less the upbeat club-tracks. This downtempo soundscape journey is the perfect soundtrack for the well tuned ear, a blend between synthesizers and foley all written, produced and mixed for a horizontal experience.

Leonardo the Space Pianist Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Electronica Features, Electronica Interviews, Features, Interviews, The Latest|Tags: Ambient, Cinematic, Electronica, Experimental, Interview, Interview (osf), Leonardo the Space Pianist, Neoclassical|

Leonardo the Space Pianist
Interview

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
My music style’s roots are a crossover of different experiences, the seed is in my background as classical pianist and metal keyboardist. I describe my music as Contemporary Space Music, where there are influences of cinematic, experimental, neo-classical, progressive metal and wave genres.

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
I was born in Venice, Italy, and discovered the piano at the age of 6 and astronomy at 9. At the age of 12, by reading Isaac Asimov, playing Beethoven and Bach, listening to Queen, Steve Vai and Robert Miles, I decided I would travel the Space and play my music outside planet Earth. So I became a professional pianist AND an aerospace engineer.
As a pianist I graduated at the Music Conservatory in Italy, studying composition and developing my passion for synths and electronic music. I was mentored by Jordan Rudess, Dream Theater's keyboardist. In the meanwhile I graduated with a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Padova, researching on hypervelocity impacts and space safety. During those years I did a concert at the ESRANGE Space Center in cold Sweden while taking part in his first space mission with the SCRAT Project, a very important milestones of my Journey.
In 2006 I created the Music House to develop my View - the project 'Nullo Die Sine Nota’. The Latin sentence means 'Not A Day Without a Note'. I recorded four studio albums and two EPs, with always new music in the flow. I played in several countries like Italy, Germany, UK, Netherlands, and Turkey. I teamed up with many artists during the years, like Yossi Sassi, Aliki Chrysochou and Anna Utopia Giordano. In the last nine years, I have worked with several dancers too; the latest chapter of this experience is 'BlackShip', an innovative show for contemporary music, contemporary fusion dance and visual art.
In 2016 I moved to Malta. I wanted to deeper discover myself, islands are the perfect metaphor of our planet, and an excellent place for freediving…and it is actually working!
Currently I am developing further my space music and researching and lecturing at University in aerospace.
Nearly forgetting, I am also passionate about martial arts and photography.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
The very first memory I have is of myself at 3 years old with a yellow toy-piano. I liked to improvise (clearly!) with it and sometimes to disassemble (maybe an early sign of engineering). Besides this I realized that I wanted to become a pianist when I was 6 years old, I remember there was another kid playing an old upright piano at school, seeing the other school mates around happy and smiling. When he finished I have vivid in my mind that I played my first real piano key, thinking: Wow! I want to play it and share music with people!
So a few months later, I started my musical journey.

Nagamag:
How did the Covid19 pandemic influence your artistic activity?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
I am seeing it as an opportunity of growth, despite the difficult moment that everyone is facing. I increased considerably my online activity, publishing every week vlog episodes on my YouTube channel, starting to stream regularly my music performances on Twitch and releasing with a higher frequency new music on the main music distribution platforms, like Spotify. The effects of the pandemic will take quite a lot in my opinion to be completely managed and society and music industry will be quite different in the near future. 2 new EPs and 4 singles are in the workflow for the upcoming months.

Nagamag:
Who is the Space Pianist?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
I am a Dreamer that step by step is designing his way to perform the first piano concert on Mars.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
IGORRR "Downgrade Desert"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Leonardo the Space Pianist:
Infected Mushroom "Heavyweight"

Discover & Listen to Leonardo the Space Pianist

Leonardo the Space Pianist on Spotify

Leonardo the Space Pianist's Signature Track

Leonardo the Space Pianist on Social Media

Nullodiesinenota

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Leonardo the Space Pianist's Website

www.nullodiesinenota.com

Jonny Southard – Until Then (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: Jonny Southard, Neoclassical|

Jonny Southard – Until Then
(Spotify)

“Until then a collaboration between british composer Jonny Southard andambient artist Kirk Smith is a short but moving neo-classical pianotrack with a minimal yet uplifting ambient music embellished with deep cinematic textures ”

-Nagamag.com

This is a collaboration between UK composer Jonny Southard and Memphis based ambient artist Kirk Smith (We Dream of Eden). Its a neo-classical piano track with ambient, cinematic textures. This short but moving piece creates feelings of longing and hopefulness for what is yet to come.

Sleepwalkrs – More Than Words (feat. MNEK) [Official Lyric Video] (Video)

Categories: Features, House, House Features, The Latest, Video|Tags: House, Progressive House, Sleepwalkrs|

Sleepwalkrs – More Than Words (feat. MNEK) [Official Lyric Video]
(Video)

“Bring us the summer back and let us dance into a covid-free enviroment, concetrated positive vibes here and solid beats to make you dance! Or better we seek the open air dancefloors on south hemishphere and enjoy the hot weather with this beatiful progressive house story. A right tool for djs to wake up the crowd.”

-Nagamag.com

UK dance music talents Sleepwalkrs and MNEK have joined forces on new single ‘More Than Words’, out today.

A four-to-the-floor groover, ‘More Than Words’ displays Sleepwalkrs crossover production prowess alongside MNEK’s superb vocal ability. It follows on from Sleepwalkrs recent hit with Hugel ‘Magnify’ ft. LPW and breakthrough single ‘Outta My Head’. Now collaborating with MNEK, whose global success stories include ‘Head & Heart’, the recent chart-topping collab with Joel Corry, ‘More Than Words’ is certain to further establish Sleepwalkrs as a leader in dance music production.

Real name Roberto Manfredi, Sleepwalkrs made a big impression last year when he joined his old friend THRDL!FE for ‘Outta My Head’, a single that garnered BBC Radio 1 airplay from Scott Mills and has since amassed 7.5 million Spotify streams. More recently he linked up with French artist HUGEL on ‘Magnify’, an acclaimed single that made it onto the Kiss ‘Dance’ and BBC Radio 1 ‘Party Anthems’ playlists, as well as being remixed by Mike Mago and Sammy Porter. Continuing his ascent through the ranks, Sleepwalkrs’ music has received further heavyweight support from the likes of Oliver Heldens, Hardwell, Cassius and Don Diablo.

GRAMMY-nominated South Londoner MNEK has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, collaborating with the likes of Zara Larson, Stormzy, Jax Jones and Gorgon City, and writing with international stars such as Beyoncé, Little Mix, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera, Mabel, Anne Marie, Selena Gomez, The Saturdays and Clean Bandit. His back catalogue includes a number of worldwide hits including ‘Ready For Your Love’, ‘Never Forget You’, and ‘Blinded By Your Grace’. Most recently, his hit with Joel Corry, ‘Head & Heart’, has become a global success, topping the charts in a number of countries and marking his first UK #1 single.

An instant hit, ‘More Than Words’ is shaping up to become a permanent fixture in the charts and on the airwaves. An exciting display of UK talent, Sleepwalkrs and MNEK are ready to present the next global anthem.

To find out more about Sleepwalkrs, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/sleepwalkrs/

To find out more about MNEK, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/mnek/

Aysedeniz Gokcin – Prologue of Promises (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: Aysedeniz Gokcin, Cinematic, Neoclassical|

Aysedeniz Gokcin – Prologue of Promises
(Spotify)

“Prologue of promises the second out of a fourteen track album from classical/rock crossover pianist Aysedeniz Gokcin, is a mastefully performed solo piece with an eclectic yet elegant aura that ask from listeners to contemplate on reshaping the future and how we want things to be fixed through pure musical notes”

-Nagamag.com

Prologue of Promises is a track that hosts all our wishes and hopes for the future in musical notes. It is a reflection of how we would reshape our future and how we would like to fix things...

AyseDeniz is a classical/rock crossover pianist currently splitting her time between Los Angeles, London, and Istanbul. She started playing piano at age five and was considered a child prodigy in her native home of Turkey. She completed her Bachelor's in Piano Performance at Eastman School of Music in New York and her Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

AyseDeniz is recognized internationally for her ability to unite the classical genre with classic rock and creating original rock arrangements and compositions, which she now performs for fans worldwide to sold-out shows. She has appeared on BBC News, Vogue, Classic FM, Prog Rock Magazine, and more. The Arts Council England endorses her under the Exceptional Talent Visa.

https://instagram.com/adpianist

Kerensa Stephens Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, The Latest|Tags: Ambient, Experimental Rock, gypsy folk, Interview, Interview (osf), Kerensa Stephens, Lyrical Electronica, mid-tempo, performance poetry, Vocal|

Kerensa Stephens
Interview

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Kerensa Stephens:
Eclectic lyrical Electronica. Probably more toward the ambient persuasion but also mid-tempo groove. https://cosmicleaf.com/en/products.php?action=artist&id=107
It somewhat depends on who I'm collaborating with. I've explored gypsy folk, experimental rock and performance poetry.

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Kerensa Stephens:
My Dad was a musician, Mum liked to sing, so I was exposed to a lot of music and musical events growing up. I played violin in the school orchestra and sang in the choir, school productions and local shows. I was seriously into dance the first 2 decades of my life where I also learned to intuit music.
I became involved in the experimental music scene in my home town of Dunedin, NZ, in my early 20's. After I had my 2 boys, I started singing, writing and performing in big NZ festivals with 3 different kiwi artists, ecophonik, laughin' gas and Terra Nine. I took the moniker Aviatrix and explored DJing. Fun times!
Touring was not an easy option being a parent so I gradually moved more and more into the studio, collaborating with overseas artists like Side Liner, Zero Cult and Tony Modi. I have written prolifically and recently I came across an old song book of mine, I think I need to re-visit those tunes and reform them with a contemporary flavour.. watch this space ;)

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Kerensa Stephens:
I have eclectic tastes and I think exposure to everything from tribal to classical , folk to rock and experimental, soul ,reggae and trance, has made me a flexible artist and an original writer. Collaborating with artists from afar across the internet is huge now and being flexible, generative and at ease creating in my own space, I'm able to collaborate with many more artists than I thought imaginable.

Nagamag:
How do these collaborations come about?

Kerensa Stephens:
Producers contact me with a piece of music, sometimes a fragment, and an idea /concept/ title and if it speaks to me, I'll write something to it. A few tunes have come with another writers' lyrics and I adapt them to the tune. I record my vocals, arrange them and send the file off to the producer. We play file tennis for a while until we're all happy with the product or happy enough when a deadline comes around.

Nagamag:
Which is the biggest most well heard tune that you have in your discography?

Kerensa Stephens:
That would be the OTT Remix of No Return. Written with the notable Terra Nine, Mike Westcot. It was released on the 2013 album Streamofconsciousness through Tempest Recordings.

https://tempestrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/stream-of-consciousness

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Kerensa Stephens:
Aldous Harding "The Barrel"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Kerensa Stephens:
Transient Dreams "Disciplined Sin"

Discover & Listen to Kerensa Stephens

Kerensa Stephens on Spotify

Kerensa Stephens' Signature Track

Kerensa Stephens on Social Media

Kerensa-Stephens-Aviatrix

Carabine – The Word (Video)

Categories: Downtempo Features, Electronica, Features, The Latest, Video|Tags: Carabine, Downtempo|

Carabine – The Word
(Video)

“Don’t judge a book by the cover, likewise from our personal experience in music reviewing when the track moves on further the first second of synth minimalism, artist deploys new heartwarming layers, harmonic dreamy keys, hypnotic deep vocals with fx that pushes further the atmosphere. The downtempo elements here by Carabine, engage a daydreaming level for the listener and a memorable journey which invites you to press repeat again.”

-Nagamag.com

“The Word” is a downtempo, electronic and ambient track, highly driven by synthesizer bass lines, with minimal loops filling in. The music video perfectly serves the purpose of the track’s zen and dark aspects.

The video is an abstract collage of images projected through incense smokes, of a man and a woman assumingely involved in an unhealthy love affair and both captured in this vicious cycle, until their greatest fear happens and ironically leads them to experiencing freedom for their soul.

Both of them separately end up finding freedom; the tattooed man praying behind prison bars and the woman staring at the sky acknowledging that “His yoke is easy and His burden is light” is not an unreachable saying, but a rather tough decision to make sometimes, yet one reminding her that heaven is the only place that offers everlasting love.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

DJ Carabine’s previous album, “VI”, entered the “iTunes Canada Top 200 All Genre Release Chart” in 2018 and reached #5 in the Electronic Music category and has known high peaks on the Spotify Discover Weekly playlist, bringing the first single, “IV”, to more than 150k streams and second single “III” to above 50k. Two years later, DJ Carabine is coming up with a third album.

“Fixed”, being released on September 25, has mainly been crafted during lockdown after a long period of creative struggles and battle against depression.

“I thought that 2019 was a terrible year. It felt like I was drowning more and more. Just before lockdown, I was even thinking that it couldn’t get any worse; I felt so much pressure. As crazy as it may sound, the lockdown became a glimmer of hope and my first reaction was to explode in laughter. I realized that I couldn’t control anything, so I let the music flow.”

ABOUT THE ALBUM, FIXED

Inspired by the likes of downtempo Bonobo, the electric tones of Daft Punk and a Kendrick Lamar touch on the lyrics, “Fixed” is an EDM musical essay that pictures the walk in the valley of the shadows of Carabine.

The album leads you in her everlasting circle of depression. The song “Falling” is an image of what happens when you are too stubborn to listen to any teachings. She said:

“I thought it’s a little funny to reach a point of being so stubborn that you don’t even listen to such things as: “Watch your step when you get off the train”, so you fall off the train… but I can be that stubborn sometimes.”

“City of Nothing” is about the moment you think “you are in full control”. The entire journey leads you to realizing that you are rather a slave of wanting to be in control until the pure moment of let go that is “The Word”.

Sun Rain – Oils (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: Neoclassical, Sun Rain|

Sun Rain – Oils
(Spotify)

“In order to explore his expansive sonic ideas, multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Chad Skinner launched the Sun rain project fusing his vesatile compositional talents into a delicate emotive acoustic solo – piano melody”

-Nagamag.com

Sun Rain is the solo alias of Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and electronic producer Chad Skinner. His debut solo album Sheets was released in May 2019, yet he's been active since 2014, releasing two albums as one-half of electronic production duo Snowday. In 2017 he conceptually launched the Sun Rain project, fusing his versatile compositional talents to explore his own expansive sonic ideas.
https://www.instagram.com/sunrain_music/