Author: The Predatory Wasp

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Music

Raelle – Wake Up Sunshine

London-based Raelle is part of an ever-growing Neo soul scene in the UK; an artist whose music is heavily influenced with the 70s soul she grew up with. Her debut single was only released back in 2o20, but Wake Up Sunshine – the title track from her new EP – already seems to be something of a turning point for her, certainly in an emotional sense, as she says it “represents hope, as I move forward with my future, as well as loss as I say goodbye to people and things that no longer serve me but were once all I ever knew”. Whatever the background to its creation, this is an absolutely stunning slice of dreamy, melodic soul, with Raelle’s delicate vocal matched with equally chill drums and a bassline Thundercat would be proud of.

https://www.instagram.com/raellemusic_

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Music

Wildhart – Those Kisses

Those Kisses is Wildhart’s fourth single of 2021, continuing the recent rejuvenation of the Gothenburg-based duo that will culminate with their sophomore album due out this Autumn. Tender, ethereal and – like most of their output – drenched in nostalgia, it’s yet another welcome addition to their canon.

https://www.wildhart.se

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Music

Tirzah – Beating

I haven’t yet had the chance to dive into Tirzah’s second LP Colourgrade which landed today, but I really, really hope it’s all as good as Beating suggests it will be. Lo-fi, fuzzy tape feedback, washed-out synths and her plaintive vocal combine to create an atmosphere that’s both otherworldly and highly intimate and a track that stands out as sounding like nothing else you’re likely to hear this week/month/year.

https://www.instagram.com/tirzahmusic/

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Music

Theo Troy – Cyberhoes

At time of writing Californian artist Theo Troy has zero followers on Soundcloud – the only place his music currently seems to be available – which is puzzling, as he’s making some really great records, not least of Cyberhoes which is lo-fi (but not annoyingly, druggily so) hip-hop/trap that boasts not only some really intriguing textures and woozy beats, but a memorable vocal performance which stays just the right side of indecipherable drone, the combined effect of which makes this stand head and shoulders above the constant tide of similarly DIY rap fare.

https://www.instagram.com/theotroymusic

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Music

irini – lost in dreams

Traumprinz is back, with a new alias, and another epic 3 hour drop of music. lost in dreams is the latest collection from the anonymous producer and follows last year’s double DJ Metatron / The Phantasy release, which, even though there were unquestionably some gems in there, I didn’t rate quite as highly as most of their previous work. lost is dreams is an absolute masterpiece though, reminiscent of his dj healer set from a few years back. It is truly remarkable that someone this talented has completely removed their ‘self’ from their art, and delivers such an insane amount of incredible music without ever feeling the need to revel in the glory that would inevitably come from unmasking themselves. Long may it continue.

https://soundcloud.com/planet-uterus

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Music

MPU101 – M185 2SYS1M

Ilian Tape so rarely put a foot wrong it’s almost not worth highlighting their releases any more: just subscribe to them on Bandcamp or wherever you get your fix and revel in the consistency of their schedule. This is taken from an oblique album by MPU101 (no artist bio, tracks named after various bits of Roland hardware), and is at the more relaxed end of their techno spectrum, with kick drums almost completely expunged in favour of meandering acid lines and warm, hazy synths, and is, in a word, gorgeous.

https://iliantape.bandcamp.com/album/itx022-mpu101

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Music

Art School Girlfriend – Colour Me

Breathy vocals you say? Tons of reverb? Distinctive and consistently moody atmosphere punctuated by glistening synths, is it? Yes, yes, 1000 times YES.

https://www.artschoolgirlfriend.co.uk

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Music

anaiis – undulations

French-Senegalese artist anaiis released her 12-track debut album this is no longer a dream earlier this month, which includes this absolute gem of a first track. The album is a self-reflective exploration of the last few years of her career and the effect success has had on her (amongst other things), and is never more engaging that on undulations, which pairs her delicate vocal with hushed piano chords for an utterly spellbinding opener.

https://anaiis.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-no-longer-a-dream

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Music

caro♡ – drop in the ocean

I remember a time when the mere mention of PC Music could illicit conflicting moans – of either rapturous pleasure or abject despair – from people I had previously thought were fairly aligned on what they considered Good Music. What feels like decades later but what in reality is probably only a few years, a quite brilliant album from caro♡ (the lead singer of Planet 1999 which was PC Music’s first full band signee), has flown relatively under the radar, which is a shame as it’s a really joyful thing, with enough glossy cartoonish bounce to satisfy the PC purists, and enough genuinely thoughtful and subtle moments to stop anyone getting too angry about it. drop in the ocean is definitely one of the calmer moments, evoking Selected Ambient Works Volume II-era Aphex, albeit backed up with some dappled, shoegazey beats.

https://pcmusic.bandcamp.com​

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Music

TWEAKS – Fusion Frenzy

The latest single from Jamaican-American artist TWEAKS is named after a series of parties they hosted over the summer, beginning with their debut Boiler Room appearance in Los Angeles. It’s hard-hitting but also haunting, its jungle rhythms and rave-evoking stabs countered by haunting synths and eerie vocals that lend it a more contemplative atmosphere than at first appears.

https://www.instagram.com/fka_tweaks