All the Latest Music News on Nagamag
The Latest
All Nagamag’s online magazine music articles in one place. Here you will find our latest posts and whole back catalog of articles.
Felipe Malaquias – Momentos (Spotify)
“Offer yourself a moment of deep harmony and peaceful relaxation with "Momentos". Brand new and shinny Cinematic jewel from a real talent in the scene. This track starts like a faint star in the dark sky and gradually glows like the morning Sun!”
-Nagamag.com
https://felipemalaquias.com/
https://felipemalaquias.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/felipemalaquias5/
Gaute Storsve Trio – Einar (Spotify)
“"Gaute Storsve Trio" present their new single in melancholic mood at this time. An interesting fusion of Jazz and Neoclassic sounds, dedicated to a loved person. Recommended for all violin-sensitive ears, "Einar" will leave its sign inside your mind.”
-Nagamag.com
This is the second single from Gaute Storsve Trio’s upcoming album “El gran Gotzilla”. The title refers to Gaute’s granddad Einar, who recently passed away. It is written as a homage to an amazing man gradually disappearing through dementia.
It was originally intended to be a trio track, but one day Ingrid Berg Mehus visited the studio and added a totally new dimension with her beautiful violin playing.
AndRave – Gibbi – Radio Edit (Spotify)
“Do you feel frustrated and exhausted? Just pick the suitable music and free your mind from every presure. This smooth Progressive House track brigdes the gap between deep ralaxation and dancing mood. Wide background pads, craftfully combined with poping beat and colourful melodic samples.”
-Nagamag.com
AndRave is a rising producer specializing in deep, organic and progressive house.
Yet another soul lost to the world of synths. Hailing from the very middle of the Russia, he has been working on his sound for quite some time, traversing many genres, resulting in a unique blend of happiness and emotions.
AndRave has established a unique signature as a designer of infectious beats, syncopated rhythms and impelling melodies and has solidified his place within the electronic music community with ongoing support from electronic tastemaker labels Seshling (US), Judi (BE), Green Nights (SP) and Eventandrave Records (RU).
Club DJ transitioned to music production in 2019, and shortly thereafter his debut "Gibbi" EP was mentioned on ITunes Top EDM singles list of 2021.
AndRave has deep roots in the progressive genre that have helped his production career to grow exponentially since his "Total Ignore" first EP.
A second "Condor" EP, was released by Judi Records, hit number two on the Beatport TOP 100.
There’s a depth of concept in each he release that gives you the sense he knows what it’s like to be rescued by the music. He’s among the few who can channel his experiences into something that resonates with a wide audience.
Continuing a slowly growing emphasis on song form, "Magical Fores" topped the Seshling Records chart. Also "Lucky Worms" EP became his first Beatport TOP 100 deep house number one.
AndRave masterminds musical spaces in which anything feels possible. He brings a human element to the infinite sonic horizons that characterize the organic genre.
The following year, AndRave launched his own Eventandrave Records label, marking the occasion with the single "Space Bull". More label releases followed quickly including the "Mandela FX" EP with Sergey Kutsuev.
With wordless wonderment, each soundscape manages to remind you that even in free fall, you’re capable of anything. At least in AndRave's case, imagination knows no limit. With his career breakout under way, make sure you don’t sleep on this emerging talent
https://www.instagram.com/andrave.ru
Gianluca Silvestri – Electrolution (Spotify)
“Welcome to the magic world of Ambient & Drone via "Electrolution". Captivating track with 3D atmospheric patterns and a slight taste of mystery flowting in the air. Its guitar echoes inside our brain and the kick shows the right way.”
-Nagamag.com
https://www.instagram.com/gianlucasilvestrimusic77/
Mario Varvarikis – Hope Street (Spotify)
“From the first seconds of listening, it is possible to spot small, but representative samples of Reggae sound. Wide vocals from -Mario Varvarikis- and rhythmic music which captivate our attention. Also the prototypical approach to the arrangement can be surely admirable. ”
“С первых секунд прослушивания не сразу удаётся понять, что в этой песне есть небольшие, но очень выразительные вкрапления жанра reggae. Цепляющий вокал -Mario Varvarikis- и ритмичная музыка концентрируют на себе внимание, а оригинальным подходом к аранжировке можно только восхищаться!”
-Nagamag.com
https://linktr.ee/Mario.varvarikis
Ethan Gold – Storm Coming (Video)
“Ethan Gold with such a thrill, transfer his feelings that fully justify the name of this beautiful and lyrical composition. You can immediately feel the smell of rain, green foliage and electrified air particles. Bliss in every sound!”
“Автор и исполнитель с таким трепетом передаёт свои чувства, которые полностью оправдывают название этой красивой и лирической композиции. Сразу чувствуется запах дождя, зелёной листвы и наэлектризованные частички воздуха. Блаженство в каждом звуке!”
-Nagamag.com
Looking for a new rabbit-hole to dive down? Try hanging out with the visionary, metamorphic spirit of Ethan Gold for a song or a season. The San Francisco-bred, Los Angeles-based global-citizen indie singer/songwriter/director/dharma-dream-scaper has probably experienced some level of heartbreak, joy, contemplation, or angst that you can relate to. And where many of us kick, scream, love, and stuff things down, Mr. Gold turns them into transformative artful expressions. Through personal loss, physical trauma, and both literally and metaphorically toxic living situations (see his Pitchfork and London Times touted, self-produced debut album Songs from a Toxic Apartment) he’s opened his heart through music, and transformed pain into perception.
Right now, Mr. Gold is launching his return to live performances, with solo shows through northern Europe centered around a trilogy of LPs that explore the experience of being a 21st century earthling. The singles featured below come from the first installment, Earth City 1: The Longing.
Gold’s next release, “Storm Coming,” is a moody, dreamlike song that anticipates a future that may be either one of romance or of regret. Dedicated to Gold’s friend and manager the late Irish musician Joe Cassidy, the cascading guitar and Gaelic snares steer us through stages of grief—not only for Gold’s friend but for the fate of our ailing planet. Eventually, the somber denial and sadness give way to distorted guitars shouting anger and reverent martial melodies straining for acceptance. Gold’s understated lyrics balance the natural imagery with self-reflective spiritual inquiry.
Video director Paul Khera, who was photographer and artist for Suede and other Brit Pop bands, chose to heighten the environmental message in the lyric video. His sequence of stately monochrome encounters between the natural and manmade worlds captures the futility of discussions about the global climate, by presenting impactful data points that disappear within seconds, making them unintelligible, like ignored warnings in the midst of the storm of imagery and song. Ultimately we’re left to contemplate Gold’s mournful, final question: “Why did you wait so long?”
Follow Ethan Gold:
http://ethangold.com
http://facebook.com/ethangold
http://twitter.com/ethangold
http://instagram.com/ethangold
http://tiktok.com/ethangoldmusic
Rebecca Clarke x Dana Zenobi x Oliver Worthington x Chuck Dillard – Sleep (Spotify)
“Beautiful as if morning Sun, opera with accompanying piano on the background. It's amazing how you can convey all those feelings in such a minimalistic sound. Nothing superfluous, only the pulse of delicate silence reminds itself.”
“Прекрасное, словно утреннее солнышко оперное пение с аккомпанирующим пиано на фоне. Удивительно, как можно передать все чувства в таком минималистическом звучании. Ничего лишнего, лишь только пульс безмолвной тишины напоминает о себе.”
-Nagamag.com
Navona Records presents JOYS ABIDING, an album of vocal duets by female composers including previously unpublished duets by British-American composer Rebecca Clarke, the text of which inspired the album title. The extensive track list of duets from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods is performed by Dana Zenobi, soprano, Oliver Worthington, baritone, Chuck Dillard, piano/harpsichord, and David Murray, double bass. JOYS ABIDING aims to elevate the important work of female composers who have historically been excluded from the male-dominated classical duet canon.
https://www.danazenobisoprano.com/
Dana Zenobi has earned national recognition as an interpreter of Art Song by women. She has also garnered operatic success in roles ranging from Mozart and Verdi to Mark Adamo and Philip Glass, appearing with Austin Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, The Living Opera, Opera in the Heights, line upon line percussion ensemble, and the Austin Civic Orchestra. Both her performing and her studio teaching have received accolades from The American Prize.
At Butler University, she teaches studio voice, pedagogy, diction, and vocal literature courses, and directs the Butler University Vocal Competition. A grateful recipient of the 2020 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Vocal Pedagogy Award, Zenobi has presented at conferences and festivals including NATS, the International Music By Women Festival, the Voice Foundation, the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), Bel Canto Boot Camp, and the Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference. A native of Northport NY, she earned both a D.M.A. (Voice Performance & Pedagogy) and M.M. (Opera Performance) from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Music and Women’s Studies from Duke University.
Shawn E. Okpebholo x J’nai Bridges x Paul Sánchez – He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands (Spotify)
“Three artists have worked together for this Classical diamond. A colourful puzzle of delicate piano keys, mezzo-soprano vocals and cello, packed with sophisticated creativity. When you listen such music, nothing can distract you.”
-Nagamag.com
On LORD, HOW COME ME HERE?, composer Shawn Okpebholo turns the mirror of history on today’s society with his own work and a reimagined collection of spirituals by enslaved Africans and American folk hymns that draws upon music from the past to critique contemporary racial injustices in the United States and around the globe. An ensemble of mezzo-soprano (J’Nai Bridges), baritone (Will Liverman), piano (Paul Sánchez), cello, and flute poignantly bring Okpebholo’s music to life, from hopeful anthems celebrating community to laments between a mother and her Creator and hymns celebrating faith and hope over hate and fear.
https://www.shawnokpebholo.com/
Shawn E. Okpebholo is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning composer whose music has been described as “devastatingly beautiful” and “fresh and new and fearless” (The Washington Post), “affecting” (The New York Times), “searing” (The Chicago Tribune), “staggering” (The New Yorker), “lyrical, complex, singular” (The Guardian), and “powerful” (BBC Music Magazine).
Some honors include The Academy of Arts and Letters Walter Hinrichsen Award, First Place Winner of the 2020 American Prize in Composition (wind band division), Second Place Winner of the 2017 American Prize in Composition (orchestral division), First Prize Winner of the Flute New Music Consortium Composition Competition, and the Inaugural Awardee of the Leslie Adams-Robert Owens Composition Award. Granting agencies, including the National Endowment of the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council, have supported Okpebholo’s work. He has received commissions from many renowned arts organizations, opera companies, soloists, chamber groups, and large ensembles — artists who have performed his works at some of the nation’s most prestigious performance spaces, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Currently, Okpebholo is in residence at the Chicago Opera Theater as their Vanguard Opera Composer and the Fifth House Ensemble as their Composer-in-Residence, and has held residencies at many universities across the United States and two in Nigeria. PBS’s NewsHour and radio stations all across the country — including NPR’s Morning Edition, SiriusXM’s “Living American” series on Symphony Hall, and Chicago’s WFMT — have featured his music. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in composition from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where he also studied music theory.
Okpebholo is Professor of Composition at Wheaton College-Conservatory of Music and lives in Wheaton, IL with his wife, violist Dorthy, and daughters Eva and Corinne. For his complete bio and to experience and learn more about his music, visit shawnokpebholo.com
https://www.instagram.com/shawnokpebholo/
KAYAN Project – Dancing For No One (Spotify)
“There is something that awakes one into mysticism when Middle Eastern instruments produce their organic sounds. The inner journey appears, and the path is shown. Her voice carries us to the next destination on the dace called life. ”
-Nagamag.com
KAYAN Project's long-awaited album is finally being released !
https://kayanproject.bandcamp.com/
This debut album captures the complex beauty of the levant, bringing together composed poetry in Hebrew and Arabic, from melancholic to upbeat tunes. KAYAN, meaning existence, transcends the borders of the middle east in music, language and poetry.
https://www.instagram.com/kayanproject/
Out of Berlin’s bustling music scene comes the unique and authentic sound of KAYAN, a group dedicated to folk music from the Levant, combining jazz elements and singing in languages that rarely come together in a positive context: Arabic and Hebrew. Drawing from sources from all over the Middle East, the quartet around lead singer Eden Cami transcends borders and language barriers. Adding improvisation and own compositions, Kayan creates a fascinating and emotional vibe on stage, reuniting two sister languages and musical traditions of both Arab and Jewish roots. In times of tension and conflict it is a daringly positive approach that recalls what unites rather than divides us.
Jeangu Macrooy – Worship (Video)
“Special instrumental mix of sounds in perfect balance with the lyrics. Jeangu Macrooy’s vocal performance is also so advanced that it can easily stand alone. Interesting Dream Pop production, recommended for listeners with experienced ears.”
-Nagamag.com
Jeangu Macrooy (pronounced as zjangú makrooi) was born and raised in the tropical warmth of Paramaribo. At the age of thirteen his parents bought him his first guitar and two years later Jeangu and his twin brother Xillan started writing and performing their own music. In 2014 Jeangu decided to continue his musical career at the other side of the ocean, in the Netherlands. He met producer Perquisite and was signed to his label Unexpected Records.
In April 2016 Jeangu’s debut EP ‘Brave Enough’ was released. The day of the release Jeangu was named ‘Serious Talent’ by 3FM radio, and the week after he played his first single ‘Gold’ at Dutch national talk show ‘De Wereld Draait Door’, where he has become a frequent guest ever since. ‘Gold’ was later used in a commercial for television network HBO. During the summer of 2016 Jeangu and his band played a multitude of summer festivals, after which he toured the Netherlands with Popronde in autumn. He also provided the support for Blaudzun, Remy van Kesteren, Bernhoft and Selah Sue, resulting in a total of 120 shows in just 12 months. In short, 2016 was a golden year for Jeangu, that was concluded with a performance at Eurosonic/Noorderslag and a nomination for an Edison Award in the category ‘Best New Artist.’
Jeangu’s debut album ‘High On You’ – for which he collaborated with Perquisite again – is more energetic and danceable than its predecessor. Melancholy still prevails in songs like ‘Circles’ and ‘Sleep You Off’, but generally the focus has shifted to a rawer sound that drives songs like ‘Crazy Kids’ – a duet with twin brother Xillan – and ‘Head Over Heels’. ‘Antidote’ and ‘High On You’ show Jeangu’s affinity with soul music. It is on tracks like these that his powerful voice is intensified by the addition of brass arrangements that can be heard on the majority of the album. The common thread throughout the record, however, is still Jeangu’s unique vocal capacity, that hypnotises in the low range and moves the listener in the high range.
‘High On You’ was released on Unexpected Records on April 14th, 2017. The record entered the album charts, became ‘Radio 1 CD of the week’, and received critical acclaim from the press. ‘Algemeen Dagblad’ gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote ‘He’s only 23, but has a soul veteran-like depth in his voice. ‘High On You’ might be the best Dutch debut album of 2017.’ De Telegraaf added: ‘Your mouth will drop with surprise and admiration. What a way to start your career!’ Giel Beelen, 3FM DJ, said: ‘I bet this is going to be the release of the year’ and Oor Magazine called Jeangu ‘a newcomer that will really excite you’.
The release of the album will be celebrated with a club tour throughout the Netherlands. Besides the club shows, Jeangu will be playing an abundance of festivals, including North Sea Jazz, Lowlands, and Festival Mundial.
https://www.instagram.com/jeangu_macrooy/

















