Author Archives: Jake Balbes

[Pop] Inca – Wake Me Up

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 20, 2015

INCA
Wake Me Up

From the dreams of a former stranger, Inca, comes debut record, ‘Wake Me Up’. A songstress of Peruvian and English descent, she has quickly established herself with this boldly delivered wave. The Londoner has a fierce voice and when paired with such instrumentation, it feels quite epic. Dark energy seeps out of the piano serving as a key component to its success and the overall subtle production allows Inca to remain in the spotlight; right where we want her. Another promising act has emerged from the early weeks of 2015. Inca knocks us dead with what she labels as a demo on Soundcloud. With a full EP due out later this year, this will be a big release for her. I’m expecting a major campaign and awesome video to follow this up. Catch a glimpse of Inca live in clip ‘Long For Lips‘, filmed exclusively for Burberry Acoustic.

Indie

[Soul] RÉN- Sunflowers In The Sky

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 15, 2015

RÉN
Sunflowers In The Sky

Soundcloud

Turn your attention to a notable new Brooklyn songstress, RÉN. Her latest offering ‘Sunflowers In The Sky’ flows freely and exhibits thick vocals and vibrant instruments. The lyrics are high-minded and well structured. It’s human nature for us to miss each other and Renée Orshan captures this feeling on such an authentic single. RÉN dove in head first with debut ‘Time‘ and this warm follow up will only help her grow. The Berklee College Of Music must be proud of their recent graduate. I’d like to make a toast to Gianluca Buccellati for some amazing production on this one. For everybody using headphones, have a little fun and just focus on one ear at a time to take notice of the impressive arrangement. “You think you know, but you got it all wrong. You haven’t even lived life that long.“

Soul

Mammals – Depraved (Jahnne Remix) [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 13, 2015

Mammals (Official)
Depraved (Jahnne Remix)

Soundcloud

Mammals comes back around to us with assistance from a Melbourne-based producer, Jahnne. This re-work transforms a darkly-themed original into a deep house effort. It’s steadiness is undeniable. The shimmering vocals are powerful and make it a perfect wavelength for driving at night or in a dance club. ‘Depraved’ originally appeared on the Animalia EP, exposed back in August. Really great work here by whoever hooked these two up. This is a fierce combination of electronic styles. Jahnne impresses with his remix and once the synths pick up, it’s a production that firmly grips us. He really knows how to create an emotional connection with listeners. You can find more of his melancholic dance music on Soundcloud. Mammals will continue to spread their project around with great collaborations like this. It must be exciting to extend the life of an EP in such a constructive way. With five dates booked this January, it should be a fun month for them. I’d love to hear a drop of this remix live.

[Chill] Gosh Pith – Window

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 13, 2015

Gosh Pith
Window

Soundcloud

Circulating the Internet is duo Gosh Pith. Many of us bloggers have vibed to cosmic trap tunes ‘Waves‘ & ‘Smoke Bellow‘, which came in the early stages of what shall be a long journey for two Joshs. Comfort has been found this winter in the cold streets of Detroit as they’ve birthed new single ‘Windows’ to keep us absorbed in their movement. It’s an inviting and raw release with resonant bass, dreamy vocals and expressive guitar. “I feel you knocking at my window. I feel you hanging around.”

Their attitude and visual presentation display confidence. For those who think Detroit is detached, Gosh Pith is here to show you how strong of a connection they’ve created in their city. Only getting wiser, the duo will be playing live in 12 cities this month- dates here. They will cross borders. Be on the lookout for more from this promising act.

Indie

[Electronic] Maya Payne – If Only

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 12, 2015

Maya Payne
If Only (New Release)

Buy

Maya Payne is just a teenager. Her hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand must be very proud. The young songstress experienced great success with first single, ‘Fragile‘, as it received major radio play in her home country and on BBC 1 in the UK. Maya’s Soundcloud is full of great remixes to a delightful debut and leaves us wondering how the remixes will sound to ‘If Only’. But lets take a step back and recognize how great the vocals are on this. At times they feel very delicate but as soon as that drop into the chorus hits, she delivers her words fiercely. With such a powerful production to battle, Maya proves how strong and mature her vocals are. This single is bursting with excitement and brightness that will have a lot of labels interested in more. Lots of potential publishing opportunities with this one. “If only I could change.” Don’t change Maya, we think you’re great.

Electronic

[Chill] Stwo – Frontiers (“Tour Life” – Rashiid Remix)

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 9, 2015

Stwo
Frontiers (Tour Life - The After Remix)

Soundcloud

You could try and find Rashiid on the soil of San Francisco, but you won’t find much about him on the Internet. Re-posted on Soundcloud by producer, Stwo, the dubbed “Tour Life” remix for “Frontiers” is powerful. As soon as it begins it feels epic. You’re really lucky to have found such a settling tune today. “1005 hands clapping again.” Rashiid flaunts his ability to both rap and sing on such a stunning instrumental. All sorts of talent on display here. There is something really so special about his voice that will propel this song all over the place. It puts you in a mood that’s easy to enjoy. Being just his second release, it’s exciting that we’re just getting to know Rashiid. This serves as a follow-up to “The Bill Collector“, a remix to “See” by Tycho. Gear up for more from this potential breakout star of 2015. “So many nights I’m goin dumb to get this money ya’ll.”

Remixes

[Pop] Black Coast- Enough (Feat. M Maggie)

Posted by Jake Balbes - January 8, 2015

Black Coast Official
Enough ft M. Maggie

Soundcloud

Stan Rapoport is Black Coast. He teams up with New York songwriter, Maggie Miller (M Maggie), for the emotional pop tune ‘Enough’. This one stirs up a lot of feelings. It’s about the challenging time in a relationship when partners wonder if they are enough for each other. Ultimately, it comes down to feeling love. “What you gonna do when you got it?”

Black Coast delivers production that sets the mood perfectly for M Maggie’s vocals. Her poetic style comes out in the dynamic lyrics, co-written by Rapoport. This song flows very nicely and the chorus really brings it home. Only their second release on Soundcloud which means a lot of work remains unheard. Be sure to tune in.