Author Archives: Mitch Marzuola

[Experimental] POLO – greta

POLO
greta

POLO is no stranger here at The Music Ninja. He continues to shape-shift and delve into all types of genre hybrids, and “greta” is a prime example of his dive into a more experimental approach. Constructed as an ode to his significant other, this song juggles emotional weight, jittery and sporadic synth stabs, and a powerful sense of passion that rattles your speakers while somehow also tugging at your heartstrings. It’s jarring in the best way. “greta” is just a taste of what’s to come as POLO has schedule weekly releases to be part of an upcoming album that’s sure to confuse and intrigue simultaneously. He’s created quite a style for himself, and we’re always ready for more.

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Saturday Selection Vol. 11: Alizzz

Saturday Selection Template

Saturday Selection is getting a little bit of a makeover. Instead of five songs you may have missed or need to hear from the previous week, we’re looking to explore some of the best highlights of a single artist or group. Our first focus will cover Barcelona native Alizz and his unpredictable yet undeniable combination of R&B, club, and pop music that he’s crafted into his own signature style.

Knowing when to shift in a new direction musically is an inherent skill than isn’t easy to pick up on most of the time, but Alizz has managed to score releases on Jeffree’s, Arkestra, and Moving Castle without slowing down or compromising his sound. His recent work with Santell is a testament to his ability to nail down and push the possibilities of R&B, while his foray into more of a pop sound is prime material that certainly defines itself as a standout release in the Moving Castle discography. Even with his massive tune “In Chains”, Alizzz stays dynamic and takes care to constantly transform and improve from song to song. When it comes to reformulating genres and creating something fresh, Alizzz comes to mind every time.

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Alizzz – Better Than You feat. Promnite, Santell, Iyeball
Alizzz – Your Love (feat. Max Marshall)
Alizzz – Body Slam feat. Santell
Lido – I Love You (Alizzz Remix)
Alizzz – In Chains
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Miki Rose – Right There (prod. By Giorgio Oehlers) [TMN PREMIERE]

Miki Rose
Right There (Prod. By Giorgio Oehlers) | 'XOXO'

If you weren’t planning on feeling sexy today, you might want to do some rescheduling because that’s about to change with this first cut off of Miki Rose‘s forthcoming EP. We’ve been lucky enough to catch and cover some of her previous work with El. Train and Toolbox, so it goes without saying that we’re extremely delighted to give you the first look into her solo project with Darker Than Wax.

“Right There” reflects a miraculous blend of R&B, soul, and electronic influences that exude an unashamed and warranted sense of pride that Miki has in her work. The groove is contagious. It shakes you up just right and gets under your skin in the best of ways. The slick and sensual delivery of every line isn’t the only treat in this tune, as the prowess of Giorgio Oehlers is equally put on display with his magnificent instrumentation. You can instantly and easily lose yourself between the keys and Miki’s voice alone, but the entire song stands as a triumph for her incipient XOXO EP. Good luck not breaking a little sweat listening to this one.

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[Indie Electronic] KOLAJ x Eric Nam – Into You

If you haven’t heard of KOLAJ yet, you definitely will after “Into You”. This is one of those singles that can define an artist’s trajectory into big things, and their signature blend of tropical house and K-Pop brings together the best of both of those worlds. In their premiere with Fader, they exclaim,

We first got inspired by the tone of Eric’s voice, it’s breathy but cool in the verse so we wanted to playfully complement each other in a way that felt like we were incomplete without each other. We only got together for one day and basically turned out the entire song. We were big believers in the song even if it was outside of all of our comfort zones we still wanted to share with the world. K-Pop and Tropical could sound sweet together… perhaps we invented “K-Trop.”

Good luck getting this one out of your head because you’ll be hearing it all summer. Hit play and enjoy!

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Saturday Selection Vol. 10

Saturday Selection

Here we are at volume 10 of Saturday Selection. It feels good. What makes this so enjoyable is the fact that we’re lucky enough to get great music released every week, and we’ve got the artists & producers to thank for that! Whenever, wherever, and however you can, support these talented people. They make our lives better and the least we can do is attempt to reciprocate by showing we enjoy what they create. On that note, let’s explore what we’ve found from the last week!


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San Holo – Still Looking

You may have caught this tune in our latest Wednesday Workout segment, but it’s so good that we just had to mention it again! With that being said, San Holo needs no introduction. He’s been on a roll for a while now, especially since his monumental release “We Rise”. He’s taken to bitbird to show off his latest track, and the first taste of the label’s upcoming Gouldian Finch compilation. “Still Looking” is textbook San Holo in the sense that it combines the best of melodic, trap, and bass elements into his festival-ready style. It’s carefree. It’s substantial. It’s innovative. Enjoy this one when you just want to feel good.


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KHAI – Alive

Here’s what’s cool about Khai: he’s unapologetic in his ability to detail exactly how he feels in his music and creates something beautiful around that principle. “Alive” is the latest shining example of this and, after his awesome If You EP, we’re just so glad to he’s back at it. There’s an air of optimism amidst the brooding production in this tune, and the balance between the two defines this stellar single as one of Khai’s best releases to date. Play this tune when you’re feeling a little down, but you’re also sort of okay with that.


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Jerry Folk – Where I’m Going

Jerry Folk has been on an interesting journey with his music as of late. Each release really has been something entirely different from the last, and this is somewhat the mission statement of loosely structured project, The Kids Tape. With “Where I’m Going”, he actually lends his own vocals to the radiant production that juggles prominent and funky slap bass, smooth keys, and an overall sense of positivity. Enjoy this one with the windows down.


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g l u e 7 0 – Conclusions

Sometimes all we need is a little bit of lo-fi in our lives. Some may find it stale, but when it’s done right, it’s pretty phenomenal. g l u e 7 0 is here to provide some of the best of it. “Conclusions” feels like a hazy and slightly distorted dream world driven by a hip-hop influence while scant vocals flutter every which way across the soundscape. You sort of get drawn in without noticing, and before you know it, you’re digging through the entirety of g l u e 7 0’s material. The magnetism of this sort of music is tough to deny. Listen to this one on a late summer night right as the sun is going down.


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M!NT – Sleepwalker

M!NT just dropped off his Through Darkness EP and it is NICE. It was difficult to only pick one tune from it to talk about, but “Sleepwalker” stood out after a few listens. It’s part spooky, part chill, and wholly great. Without a doubt, the innate sense of head-bobbing-ness (let’s just pretend that’s a thing) is strong with this one with a smoothly riding beat and big presence that’s tailor-made for a night cruise. Explore the city late night and enjoy the flashing lights with this one.


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[Trip-Hop] Rain and Flashing Lights – Breathless

ONMZUSS23: Rain and Flashing Lights
Breathless

Rain and Flashing Lights is the latest addition to the always beguiling Onamazu label, and his debut tune makes quite the case for why they picked him up. “Breathless” immediately plunges you into a dreamy state of affairs from the first note, and, as the synths wash in and out over the minimal drum patterns and slow but steady crescendo of pads, you slip into a welcoming tranquility.

Onamazu prides itself on its focus around the “wave” subset of electronic music, which is vague in structure, but you know it when you hear it. 23 singles later, they are still bringing great new stuff to the table, and Rain and Flashing Lights has already become an instrumental part of their fresh direction. Grab a free download of “Breathless” here!

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Hi Fi Cali – Ocean Love [TMN PREMIERE]

Hi Fi Cali
Ocean Love

Hi Fi Cali sprung up as an unintentional side project between two of the members of Bora York. A few unpublished synth-pop tunes later, they began catching people ears, and it encouraged them to continue creating together. With a name like Hi Fi Cali, it’s tough to imagine anything but sun-drenched, pleasant tunes that wistfully waft around in the warm summer. Well, the heat is here, and “Ocean Love” fits that bill with prime material to make the best out of the sunny days ahead.

Inherently carefree and optimistic, this song exhibits the best traits of what synth-driven pop can accomplish, because a lot of it can get lost in 8-bit, 80’s nostalgia. These two pull in just the right amount of pop and alternative elements to eschew the typical styles of this genre. “Ocean Love” is absolutely a pleasant listen. It makes you feel great. We can always use a little more of that.

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