Music Genre

Young-Borra – U Get What U Pay 4 (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Blogwave, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

“We can't resist at one more Nu-disco candy as the crystal synthesizer loops fill the air with energy bubbles! Don't miss this fabulous dancing vibe from Young-Borra. Truly special and proffessional.”

-Nagamag.com

— NYC-based Young-Borra shares his latest offering “U Get What U Pay 4” on Casablanca Sunset Records.

Born in the Bronx and raised in New York City, Jonas Young-Borra (AKA Young-Borra) is today’s answer to yesterday’s pop-star. He believes in quality over quantity in a world that is flooded with the latter. He listens more than he speaks and speaks more when he needs to. He is well-informed and he is a much-needed character in a character business.

His new single, “U Get What U Pay 4” is an anthemic 80s-esque tune that features uplifting instrumentation highlighted by infectious sing-a-long vocals, groovy up-tempo rhythm, and dangerously energetic synth melodies. The song is also highlighted by an explosive guitar solo in the second half recorded by the legendary New York-based guitarist Paul Pesco. Pesco is best known for penning a portion of the guitar arrangement in Madonna’s “Lucky Star” and C+C Music Factory’s jock-jam “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” in addition to working closely with a number of superstars like Hall & Oates, Jennifer Lopez and more.

As a singer-songwriter and artist, Young-Borra is no stranger to working alongside talented musicians. “U Get What U Pay 4” was produced by the NYC-based producer Alex Suarez (AKA LEFTI) who is known for his involvement in the band Cobra Starship. Borra's father is a jazz musician who played saxophone with a number of artists including shows with Phoebe Legere and Huey Lewis & the News. His mother was also a talented Broadway actress/singer.

Recently doubling down on his artist career, Borra draws from his previous work experience as an event curator, DJ, doorman and promoter in some of New York’s best clubs. Many of these experiences influence the context of his music and lyrical input; nightlife, heartbreak, striving for love and success, relationships, sex, parties, breakups, makeups and living under the bright lights of the big city. Now, after several years of creating, producing and fine-tuning his sound, Young-Borra is releasing his original material; ushering in a new wave of music to accompany the start of the new decade. Look out!

Stream: https://smarturl.it/UGetWhatUPay4

http://www.youngborra.com/
http://spoti.fi/3cJEGM5
https://www.facebook.com/youngborra
https://www.instagram.com/youngborra/
https://soundcloud.com/youngborra

Highschool Jacob – Open Sickness (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Blogwave, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

“Funk and Nu-disco has long been a favorite of many music charts. And the music Highschool Jacob no exception. New single Open Sickness filled with vintage sound of analog and digital synthesizers, drum machine and quality samples.”

“Funk и Nu-disco уже давно стали фаворитами многих музыкальных хит-парадов. И музыка Highschool Jacob не исключение. Новый сингл Open Sickness наполнен винтажным звучанием аналоговых и цифровых синтезаторов, драм-машиной и качественными семплами.”

-Nagamag.com

Los Angeles' Highschool Jacob is ready to share his highly awaited single "Open Sickness," the fourth release from his "HSJ 2020" collection. The series of singles each come with a corresponding video game (yes video game!) and have garnered praise from tastemakers worldwide.

The alternative-pop project based out of Los Angeles was started with the intention to combine elements from modern pop and R&B. Inspired by art pop, indie rock, and nu-disco, Highschool Jacob (HSJ) continuously delivers music that is both deeply personal and sonically riveting. Having mastered retro-inspired jams, HSJ shares feel-good music influenced by our favorite parts of the '70s and '80s.

"breezy, funky, alt-pop single du jour" - EARMILK

"HighSchool Jacob's retro synth soundscape is a breath of fresh air amongst the sea of hip hop and grunge" - Atwood Magazine

"full of soulful synths that pair well with its downtempo beat." - mxdwn

"Nostalgic in name and in sound this song hits all the notes." - Beat Lab Academy

"It's not hard to understand the magnetism to this curious alt-pop act." - The Music Ninja

HSJ takes it back to his roots with the gorgeous indie-pop tune "Open Sickness." A memorable guitar melody opens the track and leads you into soaring harmonies and echoing verses swirling in a dreamy, synth-laden soundscape. This elevated-ballad is an ode to moving on and accepting responsibility; Highschool Jacob embraces the hard conversations we need to have with ourselves in the wake of emotional grief.

He explains, "This song was written after a difficult conversation with an ex on a cold winter day in New York City when I was crushed with the realization that she had undoubtedly moved on. I began writing the song focused on how sorry I felt for myself, but then I realized I was the reason for the circumstances in the first place. How dare I approach someone I had been apart from for so long and expect them to feel the same way I did? How dare I meet their emotional maturity with tears? Often these sort of songs (especially from the male perspective) look to demonize and shift blame to the other person, and I wanted to draw attention to how that is often not the case. I wanted to write the angry breakup song where my ex was some crazy mean girl and make myself the victim, but in the end it was my fault. I couldn't make her the bad guy no matter how hard I tried."

Tastemakers like Atwood Magazine, Earmilk, and mxdwn have supported the project from the start and HSJ has climbed HypeMachine charts hitting the #1 Spot on the Popular Charts. Additionally, he has been featured on coveted Spotify playlists like Fresh Finds and more.

With every single release, Highschool Jacob and creative collaborator Jack Herzog created a flash game available on the Highschool Jacob website to coincide with the single release, giving listeners a chance to further dive into the world and ideas wrapped into each song. Inspired by vintage video game advertising, they carried that theme over to the artwork for each track release as well. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting quarantine, HSJ realized that everyone could use some fun until life gets back to normal.

Follow Highschool Jacob
https://www.facebook.com/hsjacob/
https://www.instagram.com/highschooljacob/

Eric Blake – Dance With Me (Video)

Categories: Pop, The Latest, Video|Tags: , , , |

“With a top notch groove melodic catchy line, which mixed/mastered in a right way to stomp the dance floors. Layered with a right and beautiful minimal way to give space to the upbeat, positive soulful vocal performance of Eric Blake, inviting us to an endlessly fascinating dancing. ”

-Nagamag.com

This is pure, undiluted disco deliciousness, delivered with panache by newcomer Eric Blake. The song delivers a cheerful disco-ready bassline just in time for the holiday

https://www.instagram.com/ericblakeofficial/

Benbo – Room In A Box – Original Version (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Electronica, The Latest|Tags: , , , |

“What is hidden in this room in a box? Benbo and Michelle Bee don't afraid to innovate, stepping outside of usual forma they represent. Giving us in a most beautiful minimal way, a sensual acid house, which becomes dangerous addictive! Try it! ”

-Nagamag.com

Pink Lizard Music's pxnklxzrd imprint released Benbo & Michelle Bee's non-COVID acid anthem ‘Room In A Box’ on Nov 20, complete with a Hannah Holland remix, a shiny new radio re-version, and a loose-limbed Caucasian funk live version with the Pink Lizard All-Stars, that recalls the baggy heyday of the early 90s.

https://facebook.com/faceybenbo

Digital renaissance man Benbo is the multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, producer, remixer, artist and designer behind a stylistically dizzying volume of tracks & remixes.

Chiefly a producer-writer, able to open creative doors for artists who don't want to compromise, his collaborations have turned up on VICE on HBO (with Neotropic); at Christmas #2 for Cape Town's GHFM (11-week chart run with EJ von LYRIK); pounding from Detroit club speaker stacks while the stage lights up with laser wearables (with Mother Cyborg); and as a Record Store Day Exclusive clear vinyl 10", originally premiered by Gilles Peterson (with Pablo).

His remixes are similarly unpredictable - check the carnival bass of Beat Rivals ft Lifford's '(Gotta Be) Free' Benbo Bass Remix, the woozy techno of Otti Albietz's 'Becoming Close (Benbo Remix)' or the balearic acid classical of Alexandra Benedict & Tris Taylor's 'Sleeping Lions - Benbo Remix.'

But his solo work is kept closest - with an album begun in 2003, signed to Cooking Vinyl in 2009, and briefly released but withdrawn in 2011. Its quality is signalled in the #1 Indie Shuffle Alternative chart placing for 'If You Feel Emotional', mixed by Gordon Raphael, in 2015, and volumes of radio support for 'Gravity Pulls Me Down,' finally completed in 2017 thanks to production by Marta Salogni.

The ultimate accolade, though, must go to 'Sheep On Drugs', which fulfilled a life's ambition by appearing on legendary BBC1 show 'Homes Under The Hammer'.

After disappearing in the wake of his 2017 mini-album EVERYTHING IS FINE, not a peep was heard on any Benbo profile, until a one-liner earlier this year in Popbitch recommended his parody COVID manual HOW TO SURVIVE A PANDEMIC.

Someone then took a line in the book referencing an imaginary Benbo Global Megastore too seriously, and the real Benbo Global Megastore was launched in August - packed full of exclusive designs across clothing, accessories, homewares, books/zines and - yes - music.

Is it real, or is it just absurdist fantasy? Doesn't matter - the creative products and services keep coming.

https://instagram.com/instabenbo

Harry Nathan Interview on Nagamag.com

Categories: Features, Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , |


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

Harry Nathan:
Lofi House, Disco, Nu-disco


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Harry Nathan:
Harry Nathan is an Australian/Greek producer, singer & songwriter, known for his dreamy storytelling and eclectic production, with a fluid connection between soulful lyricism and a deep burning house influence, which can be traced right back to Harry Nathan’s roots in his youth as an up and coming DJ. “I loved house music growing up and have always been a fan of soul and disco. When I was 14, I wanted to mix like Roger Sanchez but couldn’t afford DJ gear, so I cross-wired three stereos to practise mixing. If I needed to slow one down, I would press pause twice really quickly. When I got a regular gig as a wedding DJ when 15 years old, I was stoked just to use better gear and change the pitch. We had a little wedding consortium with some DJ friends from high school. I had to learn to appeal to all tastes, from disco to funk to classic Greek (for the Greek weddings) but I was really crazy about old school house and disco. When the bride and groom left, we’d drink the leftover wedding booze and go back to back mixing house classics till the morning." – Harry Nathan


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

Harry Nathan:
I remember being at Summadayze festival on the Gold Coast in Australia as a teenager, front row, watching Roger Sanchez mix three different songs at the same time, from looped acapellas to drum loops and random samples, it was as if there was always at least two tracks playing the whole set. This style of DJing really intrigued me, it brought a whole new dimension to the art of DJ live performance. Carl Cox is another DJ I greatly respect who performs like this also. I'm fundamentally inspired by wanting to evolve the game, creating new sounds and new ways of performing that push the art form of songwriting and music performance.


Nagamag:
How much has your own life played in the creation of the recent Sweet Release EP?

Harry Nathan:
I’d say the EP is pretty honest and close to my own life. Sweet Release” explores the ups and downs of being in a turbulent relationship. “Frontin’ Me” was actually a stream of consciousness recording. I was just jamming into a 1984 Sony M-10 micro cassette recorder. When entering this kind of trance, my lyrics tend to reflect unsurfaced emotions. It wasn’t until after I had finished the recording in one take that I realised the song was about living in LA, and meeting people that are fake, putting up a façade trying to impress all the time. Harriet Tubman is an outlier here, but still mirrors my life experience at the time living in LA. My across the hall neighbour, actor Ryan Lee (who has been in all of my music videos) popped over to grab a fun fizzy drink from my fridge. Our doors are always unlocked, it’s like a Seinfeld situation, sliding into each other’s places a la Kramer style. He walked into my studio and started talking into my microphone, not knowing I was recording. The first part of this recording ended up in the outro of ‘Fool For Your Love’, from my first EP. It landed perfectly in that spot. Ryan continued talking, as if hosting a fictional radio show, when an imaginary Harriet Tubman decided to join us. I legitimately had no idea who Harriet Tubman was, asking ‘Who’s Harry Tubman?’ - to which Ryan replied ‘Underground Railroad Queen’.


Nagamag:
You are also an award winning film maker? Your music videos are quite unique in that you make them with your friends?

Harry Nathan:
My first single Rooftops has won 34 independent short film awards, including Best Fantasy Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards, Best Music Video at the Sydney Short Film Festival, and Best Music Video at the Athens Short Film Festival. The sequel to "Rooftops" was "Fool For Your Love", which is set in the same alternate universe. We make these videos with our best friends, Hollywood actors Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee and Christian Valderrama at my place in Los Angeles. Our most recent video was for "Frontin Me". The original idea was for me to perform the song, though it quickly evolved on the fly to me being on an ambiguous red carpet, being interviewed by Tammy. I entered a trance that took me back to my fourth-grade sleepover.” Rooftops: https://youtu.be/AYJTTBmJwHI Frontin' Me: https://youtu.be/I_AZCOhTOPE


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

Harry Nathan:
Khruangbin "Evan Finds the Third Room"


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

Harry Nathan:
Everything But The Girl "Tracey In My Room (Lazy Dog Bootleg Vocal Mix)"

Discover & Listen to Harry Nathan

Harry Nathan on Spotify

Harry Nathan's Signature Track

Harry Nathan on Social Media

Harry Nathan's Website

Load More Posts
Go to Top