A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Worcester (UK), 21-year-old Danny Drew lives to create and play music as a medium through which to express his life experiences. For him, music is a link to connect his songs with people, bringing them joy and comfort through the ups and downs of life.

With a tone full of feeling and with poetic reflective lyrics drawn from experiences of loss and love, the sound of Danny has its roots in the indie genre, ranging through other styles to mix with pop, rock and folk. Among his major influences, Danny mentions Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Presley and Tears For Fears.

Currently busy closing production on his debut EP that he wrote and recorded in his garden shed, Danny Drew recently released his second single titled Everything.

Written at a time when Danny was watching someone suffering with internal troubles, heartbreak and loss, Everything employs metaphors about the weather and different seasons to remind us that, even if we’re feeling kicked to the curb, we’re not alone and hope is always near.

To find out more about Danny Drew and his music, check the links below:

Michael Baker // They Look Just Like They Know

They Look Just Like They Know is
Michael Baker's new melancholic ballad

latest single by this splendid singer-songwriter who shines with an emotive delivery

Waiting for his debut album Salt, expected on March 6, after Past The Evening and Baby Books, the Brighton (UK) based author Michael Baker returns with a moving single.

We’re talking about They Look Just Like They Know, an acoustic song full of charm to the point of leaving you breathless, the perfect soundtrack for these months that accompany us towards the end of winter. With this exquisite, tender and immersive listening experience, Baker gives us a moment of reflection accompanied by a sense of renewal.

Michael wrote They Look Just Like They Know when he moved to Brighton after spending a couple of years living in his van and getting around. As he says: “I wrote ‘They Look Just Like They Know’ when I had moved to Brighton after spending a couple of years of living in my Van and moving around. This song is a melancholic ponder on both the comfort and discomfort of memories, and how sometimes, in the darker times, your own home can feel strange and unfamiliar. It’s the difference between feeling at home in your mind, and feeling trapped in it.”

Graciously full of reverbs, cinematic moments, and beautifully plucked strings, with They Look Just Like They Know Baker showcases a mature and colorful songwriting and storytelling, bringing attention to his airy and touching vocal performance, perfect to make all listeners relate with the theme of the song.

Listen now to They Look Just Like They Know, the latest release from Michael Baker, available on Spotify [ here ].

To find out more about Michael Baker and his music, check the links below:

Shelly // Tranqui

Enterprising and motivating, Stefany Castellanos is a multifaceted artist, voiceover and dubbing actress from the world of entertainment. Creative and productive, Stefany is also known under the stage name of Shelly, working in the world of music as a singer, songwriter and arranger, as well as vocal coach, with over 10 years of hard work dedicated to the development of her vocal qualities.

Her new work is the single Tranqui, a song in which Shelly exquisitely mixes the enthralling rhythms of the Latin American genre with those of reggaeton, creating a formidable danceable floor that goes well with a pleasant mix of sounds the soul classics.

With Tranqui Shelly not only showcases all the bewitching strength of her vocal performance, through which she masters verses in Spanish and English, but gives us a song that, as she says, “empowers women”. Fresh and compelling, moved by an engaging rhythm and a catchy chorus, the track is even more appreciable thanks to the remarkable quality of the production.

The release of the single, already available on Spotify [ here ], is accompanied by the official video that sees Shelly perform as a talented protagonist. You can find it on Shelly’s Youtube channel at this [ link ].

To find out more about Shelly and her music, check and follow her profile on Instagram [ here ].

Deeper Vileness // Shadows of Medieval Torment

Deeper Vileness is a dark metal-ambient band, founded in 2014. Made up of two members, Kadesh (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards) and Arjun (lead guitar, bass, drums, mixing and mastering), through their work this band tries to explore the darker realms of music.

Their most recent work is the 4-track album Shadows of Medieval Torment. Written between 2016 and 2018, this release with a suggestive title immediately recalls the main theme characterizing the music made by Deeper Vileness.

Without filters or half measures, with songs with equally suggestive titles like Amidst Funeral Winds, Daemonolatria, Amasarac, and Kingdom of Ruin, Deeper Vileness unleash all the crudeness and hypnotic power of their music, that literally seems to come out of the darkest corners of the past, reconditioned to the most modern and extreme drifts of goth metal.

In Shadows of Medieval Torment, while the power of guitars and drums unleashes, wild and viscerally wicked, ancestral and demonic voices alternate with tears of lacerating screams. Deeply rich in a sense of desperate anxiety, the album never allows for a glimmer of light, not even in the church organ intro of the second track, Daemonolatria.

Listen now to Shadows of Medieval Torment, the album from Deeper Vileness, available on Bandcamp [ here ].

Altur Santos // Baby Love

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Robert Santos is the young, brilliant and talented singer, saxophonist and emerging singer-songwriter, known by the stage name of Altur Santos. His goal is to write and perform uplifting and positive music, which encourages people to make their dreams come true.

Starting to make himself known also outside the Dominican Republic, Santos has released his debut single titled Baby Love, an exquisitely romantic song, which stands out for the quality of the production and Artur’s vocal performance, through which while singing in Spanish, he delivery with passion and feeling all the genuineness proper to childhood love and the ability to love over the years.

Baby Love is already available on the main streaming platforms, and is accompanied by an official video available on Youtube [ here ], which sees Santos performing and acting as the protagonist.

To find out more about Altur Santos and his music follow him on Instagram [ here ] and visit his official website www.altursantos.com

Electric High // Harder To Justify

A source of pure rock energy

ELECTRIC HIGH showcase radical authenticity and uniqueness with their debut single HARDER TO JUSTIFY

Feverishly fascinating, “Harder To Justify” is a number with which Electric High show all their talent, honed also by playing in other groups such as Sahg and Emmerhoff and The Melancholy Babies. The sound exhibited in this single stands out for consistency, compactness and density, making us experience that typical exciting thrill that runs down the back when a genuinely rock piece starts.

In “Harder To Justify” we perceive all the chemistry that exists among the members of the band. Although it is a debut single, the tight and cohesive way in which they perform creates an exciting and empathic connection with the listener, one that grabs you by the throat and stomach right from the start and does not let go until the end of the song.

Inspired by sacred monsters like Aerosmith and Black Sabbath, Electric High know what they are doing, and they do it well. They show they know how to write a real rock piece, and they do it damn well. They know all the right strings to play, and make them vibrate with power and vehemence.

“Harder To Justify” is the perfect business card for Electric High, who give us a song that finds its most perfect explanation in the name of the band. A formidable, unmissable release, to be listened to repeatedly.

Officially released on January 24, 2020, “Harder To Justify” is already available on Spotify [ here ], Bandcamp [ here ] and Soundcloud [ here ], and is accompanied by a stunning video to support its release, available on Youtube [ here ].

To find out more about Electric High check the links below:

Prince of Sweden // Cabaret

From PRINCE OF SWEDEN comes CABARET

a poetic introspective songwriter parable

Twenty-eight year old, from south of London, Prince of Sweden grew up in the countryside, his main musical education came from his dad, and he learned the guitar from the boy with the strawberry farm opposite his house.

His latest single “Cabaret” is probably one of his most captivating releases that this talented artist has published to date. Sinuous and sometimes charming, through an approach to timeless songwriting, with “Cabaret” Sweden warms the listener’s soul with disarming simplicity, giving to us a rewarding and charismatic pop rock song, in which indie and melodic influences fade gently.

Through riffs and lyricisms that are far from trivial, Prince of Sweden sets up a musical aesthetic with a vaguely retro touch, sealed at the same time by the exquisiteness of the personal, unique and contemporary style that this artist exhibits with his soft, expressive and engaging vocal performance .

A creative, organic and permeating unicum, perfect underlining of the introverted and reflective text of the song itself.

Prince of Sweden‘s latest single “Cabaret” is already available on Soundcloud [ here ] and on Youtube [ here ].

To find out more about Prince Sweden, his music, and his upcoming venues dates, check out the following links:

The Great Dictators // “Killing Fields”

From The Great Dictators comes the music video for their latest release "Killing Fields"

Through oddly nostalgic black and white images, the Danish trio returns with an electronic indie rock single, enriched by a psychedelic pop vibe.

At first glance, the use of footage from the first half of the 20th century connects the visuals of “Killing Fields” to memories from the past of Western culture. But those memories are so deeply rooted in our collective background that the video ends up pointing in a not-too-subliminal way to aspects of our contemporary society.

The sound aesthetic of “Killing Fields” is a splendid auditive theater, characterized by a feeling of intimate melancholy, with a musical delivery and lyrics aimed at stimulating a sort of introspective and philosophical sense of reflection. But among the delicate, dark hues silhouetted by the disasters that afflict the world and fall on us and on today’s society, takes form a glimpse of hope, when the permeating voice of Dragut Lugalzagosi sings in the chorus “In between your gutted dreams, turn to me”.

This is how after the equally formidable previous release “By The Throat”, The Great Dictators give us a new bewitching work, capable of amalgamating in an articulated, granular and material groove their expressive music, elegant lyrics and evocative frames.

Pervasive and vibrant, albeit free from exaggerations or excesses, “Killing Fields” impeccably reflects the size and breadth of a puzzle, the union of the pieces of which forms an exceptional transversal conceptualization where the past meets the present.

Taken from their next album “One Eye Opener“, which will be released on April 17 via Celebration Records, with “Killing Fields” The Great Dictators once more reaffirm the caliber of their stylistic signature, adding another unmissable gem to their incredible catalog of albums and EPs.

To keep in touch with The Great Dictators, and to find out more about their music, check these links:

Nandan Gautan // “The Divine Flaw”

From Nandan Gautam comes The Divine Flaw

a metaphysical album with an otherworldly sound

Writer, composer and renowned yoga exponent from Baku, Nandan Gautam grew up in Bangalore, India. A graduate in liberal arts from McDaniel College, Maryland, USA, he then worked for a few years on the USA Today newspaper. Back in India, he devoted twenty years of his life to the study of yoga and meditation under the spiritual master Bharat Thakur.

Transversal and capable of grasping the deepest essence of being, in developing his creative acts Nandan is perfectly at ease remaining in delicate suspension on a swinging but never unstable balance that is pulsating, immersive and transcendental.

Sophisticated, reflective and at the same time extroverted, Nandan’s latest musical work, “The Divine Flaw”, is way more than a mere stylistic exercise of assembling assonances and dissonances. Composed of 11 meditative tracks, the entire album is the reflection of the binomial between the depth and the boundless greatness of human introspection.

Through long guitar solos, piano and ethereal vocalizations, in “The Divine Flaw” Gautam weaves metaphysical plots, that, net-like, capture us and make us sink into immersive sound scenarios, and then turn into flying carpets that take us in flight through boundless galaxies. Over 1 hour of listening, through which we are led to uncontaminated spaces, dark realms, and the myriad of folds that are hidden within that vast universe inherent within each of us.

To better understand the essence of this creation, we reached Gautam for a short interview. Read on to know more.

Q: “The Divine Flaw” is your second album linked to a metaphysical novel. How did this concept come about and how are album and novel connected to each other?

A: They say that a story takes its shape and form not only from the content but from the language in which it is communicated. For example, the same exact sentence in Spanish and English will communicate a slightly different meaning to the listener. So when we talk about two entirely different kinds of languages – one in which the symbols (words) point to another reality, and one in which the musical notes point to an emotional state or a state of mind, we get two completely different reactions. You could say that the novel is the sequence of events that took place, either in reality or in my imagination. It tells you what happened, like a film or a documentary. And the music represents the emotional, spiritual and at a deeper level, the vibrational states of the characters. Sadness is a specific emotion linked to a specific frequency. Happiness and joy is yet another frequency. And then there are all the ones in between and some even beyond these emotions! I wanted to bring it all together by telling the listener what happens to the soul, not just the body or the mind…

Q: What are the inspirations and aspirations behind “The Divine Flaw”?

A: The two words ‘Divine’ and ‘Flaw’ are sort of paradoxical. Because divinity implies perfection. And flaw implies imperfection. But is there a place where these two opposites can meet? Are these imperfections part of a grander state of perfection. Can chaos and order exist simultaneously and even feed off each other? Can one be madly jealous and also be truly in love with someone? Or is that impossible? This is the greater theme that runs across not only the album but also the novel.

Q: In “The Divine Flaw” there are many guest artists. Can you tell us about them, who they are and how it was working with them?

A: It was nothing but a privilege to work with these master musicians and composers who literally changed the face of modern music. It makes me believe in miracles… and its very very humbling. Rainer Brüninghaus was part of the group Colours formed by bassist Eberhard Weber, who was probably one of two bassists who changed the way we think about the bass back in the 70’s. (The other being Jaco Pastorius obviously). Rainer’s piano playing combines elements of classical music and jazz that I believe only two pianists truly ever achieved (The other being Lyle Mays who passed away just a few days ago). These two don’t get nearly the amount of attention they deserve because you can’t put them in a box easily. Tom Schuman is co-leader of the best selling jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra, which I think is single handedly responsible for combining jazz and pop music back in the 70’s and 80’s – they sold over 10 million copies without using any vocals! Tom is a genius at melody, improvisation and composition. Antonio Sanchez is probably one of the best drummers in the world right now. He won a Grammy award for Birdman where the entire soundtrack is composed and performed by him. He also plays drums with Pat Metheny a jazz guitarist who is a modern day Mozart of composition and improvisation. Chad Wackerman is a rare breed of drummers who sounds like a rock drummer but plays like a jazz drummer. He has played with giants like Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth who influenced a generation of guitarists. Working with them was incredible and it showed me exactly why they are who they are. The understand the language of music so intimately, so well that it was almost effortless for their genius to naturally take form, no matter what kind of music you present to them. They were all incredibly generous with their time and their desire to give their best to a small project like mine. Additionally several of my friends who are incredible players like Tony Das, Ilia Maisuradze, Amit Heri, Ananth Menon and Sabit Memmedov added so much to the music with their solos and their sonic textures. They trusted a non-musician like me to do something good. I owe them a lot.

Q: Creating music is a rather complex and sophisticated creative process. How do you manage to create your music, despite having no knowledge of music theory?

A: In my case it arose out of necessity – I simply wasn’t able to become a musician. I lacked the basic skills and I hated practicing. Even now my left and right hand cannot work together easily. As a teenager I was extremely impatient and the moment I realized I could not be a musician I simply quit (after several attempts!). But because that energy was inside me I listened to music like a mad man. I would spend 6-8 hours a day, 365 days a year, listening to Pat Metheny, Steely Dan, Allan Holdworth, John Abercrombie, Oregon, Sting, XTC, Joni Mitchell, A.R. Rahman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy – everything ranging from rock to jazz to pop. Then one day three years ago, I opened up Garage Band and said to myself ‘I’m going to make music and I will find a way to do it.’ I started looking at chords as colors and melodies as lines over those colors. I was forced to bypass the entire system. It’s as if you gave a caveman in the pre-historical times a keyboard, a microphone and a laptop. What would he do and how would he approach it. He would have to find his own music theory!

Yes, music is a complex and sophisticated process, but I believe there are many ways to approach it. In India (where I’m from) classical music is passed on orally and barely anything is written down. The emphasis is on improvisation and composition is merely a tool. There is no harmony, no chords. But the rhythms are incredibly complex. In western music the foundation is essentially harmony – which is the result of two or more different notes played at the same time. But at the end of the day I am just a listener, listening to myself as I play around with different sounds, waiting for some magic to happen. And when it does, I hit the record button and that’s it. I have that one idea to build upon. And it shows me the way forward. Everything else finds its place in and around it – the drums, the textures, the solos and the voices… it’s nothing short of magic when I finally hear my own creation. I can’t quite believe it. Many years ago I happened to meet the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar (I was teaching his wife yoga at the time). He asked me to play a few notes on the guitar, and for some reason I picked it up and feebly tried to play what little I knew. It was the worst day of my life because we all knew that it was utter rubbish. Still he put his hand on my head and said with a kind smile ‘God bless you my son.’ It was a shattering experience. That’s the day I vowed never to attempt to play an instrument again. But somehow the universe showed me a way 10-15 years later. Music is a divine force. One has to be silent, meditative and receptive… And the blessings of a master can create miracles I believe… That’s possibly the more likely scenario!

Listen now to “The Divine Flaw”, the latest album from Nandan Gautam, available on Spotify [ here ], and check these links to find out more about his music:

Emmy’Anna // “What Is It About Boys”

Female hip-hop artist Emmy'Anna returns with a new single titled "What Is It About Boys".

A number with an engaging beat that is her new means to show her versatility to the world.

Young and talented, Emmy’Anna is a young independent singer-songwriter who is building her path in the world of music. She loves composing music, having ventured into this creative field since her childhood: in fact, Emmy’Anna began writing lyrics at the tender age of 8, and she’s been rapping since she was thirteen years old.

In the wake of her previous releases, Emmy’Anna continues to grow and impress her audience with songs capable of attracting the attention of each listener, providing increasingly interesting productions with each of her releases. Her latest single, titled “What Is It About Boys“, is an energizing and engaging number, kept in motion by a beat with a gripping groove, on which develops a catchy melody that is remarkable for the balanced use of vocoder, just enough for further characterizing Emmy’Anna‘s vocal performance.

If there’s an artist from the whole of the hip-hop scene, not just from the female side, that you want to keep an eye on, surely it’s Emmy’Anna.

Listen now to “What Is It About Boys“, the latest single from Emmy’Anna, already available on Spotify [ here ], and find out more about her music on:

.: NOVA MUSIC blog

Danny Drew // Everything

In view of the launch of his debut EP

young and talented emerging artist Danny Drew releases his second single Everything