The Home of Music Musing
In 2015 Emmanuel Nwamadi secured his spot on BBC’s The Voice, the show that would radiate his talent to some 8.5 million viewers. The UK press herald him as having a ‘soulful voice’ likened to ‘Seal’ and ‘Barry White’, but the artist himself felt otherwise and rather misunderstood. Taking a few minutes out of his […]
Mark Ronson’s hit song featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like a Heart captured worldwide attention and of those captured was British Country Group, The Wandering Hearts. The song already had an Easy Country feel to it, which made sense for the group to strip it back to a guitar led track, over-layed by their […]
Released in 1995, Glory Box by Portishead is a real sultry classic. Searching for equality in a relationship and yearning to be a partner’s everything – this song cries out for a man to let a woman have a moment of taking charge. I just love the ethereal tempo, with the ravishing guitar striking through, […]
Milly Pye is back with new mischievous and catchy song ‘Boys Are Drugs’, with an equally thrilling honey-trap video. The cliche song focuses on the emotions of a new relationship, the female being drawn in and totally losing themselves in the process – only to become hurt after discovering their beau is only after sex […]
Italian Composer and Fashion Designer Luca Dimoon releases latest video to ‘Mad World’ a cover of the Tears for Fears hit. Luca, who in the past re-worked the Stylistics song ‘People Make The World Go Round’ – a track available on his album Telescope – is known for releasing world-conscious music. Be sure that when […]
Last year Musicvein caught a ripple from Oxfordshire band Little Brother Eli. That ripple soon turned into a wave down south as the outfit smashed out hit after hit, bringing in a tidal wave of fans. Embarking on the release of their first Live Album this month, Musicvein had to catch up with the band […]
Adam Deitch: drums, percussion | Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff: guitar Erick ‘Jesus’ Coomes: bass | Ryan Zoidis: alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom: trumpet, horns | Nigel Hall: vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards Thinking of the salad, lettuce is a wispy piece of air in desperate need of dressing or an assortment of […]
Saturday 1st June and Inner City Electronic returns to Leeds for a massive 24hr Festival. Headlined by Russian DJ Nina Kraviz, the city will see 11 leading venues, which includes Brudenell Social Club, Church Leeds, Distrikt, Freedom Mills and The Wardrobe, open their doors to showcase a range of master classes, industry talks, parties and […]
Wondering where you can catch the dynamic duo Two the Band playing live? Wonder no more as Gemma and Alfie announce appearances at this year’s Kendal Calling Festival in July. The line-up for this years Kendal Calling features Mahalia, Nina Nesbitt, Badly Drawn Boy, KT Tunstall and more! Tickets are still available through the festival’s […]
Loving the new thumping track ‘Wheel’ by French-Congolese singer Faty Sy Savanet aka Tshegue. With a hypnotic, electronic beat – the equally heart-racing accompanying video shows the Club Etoile Rollers – some as young as 13, careering around the streets of Kinshasa, fearlessly hanging on to the backs of vehicles as Tshegue flows “Just keep […]
Florence + The Machine’s interpretation of’Jenny of Oldstones’ which was featured during end credits of last weeks Game of Thrones, has smashed Adele’s previous reign for the number of Shazams in 24 hours. Adele’s ‘Hello’ back in 2015 racked up 200,000 Shazams in 24 hours while Florence + The Machine attracted 300,000 worldwide following the […]
If La Isla Bonita is where the tale begins, 33 years later we hear the update from Madonna as Madame X in Medellin. Noting similarities between the Queen of pop’s 1986 hit, in which the video shows a young and naive Madonna in catholic prayer wishing to run away to fictitious San Pedro, then writhing […]
A lot of artists I interview say they take their inspiration from nature and their surroundings but no one took that statement further than FKJ (French Kiwi Juice) when he performed live from Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, courtesy of Cercle. Cercle, known for filming artists in the most unique of settings, streaming it live on […]
The UK’s foremost Electronic music conference takes place at British Airways i360 Beachfront Centre on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th April 2019; with the full programme running from Wednesday 24th to Saturday 27th April at venues across the city. The i360 conference site, sponsored by Scan Pro Audio, features BMC Professional Conference Theatres 1 and […]
Westgate, Oxford, and Little Brother Eli spent an intimate evening with a small Backseat Becky’s crowd. Entering the brightly, pastel-coloured Breakfast Club diner, with sumptuous wafts of waffles, chicken wings and sweet potatoes in the air, the instructions were to head behind the SMEG fridge. Feeling a sense of illicit intrigue, I pulled back the […]
The past decade has seen some huge changes in the flavour of music coming out of India. No longer is it restricted to Traditional Classics, Bhangra, Filmi, Bollywood, the music now incorporates R&B, Pop, Hip-Hop, Folk, Jazz and Latin genres. Fading out are the coy and innocent women, playful men, formation dances and all things […]
Check out the new video ’25’ by eight-piece alt-soul collective Fieh. This toe tapping deep-soul track features an unusual video, directed by Jack A Bowden (Nike, Missguided), depicts the group initiating a new member, cult style. You can see the Wes Anderson and Tarantino influence here. Founded by 22-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist Sofie Tollefsbøl, who […]
Bathed in spotlight with the whizzing of Mecozzi’s violin bow filling Union Chapel, Ludovico Einaudi opens with “Cold Wind” accompanied by Hasa on cello. As the notes whirled around the auditorium, filling the space with a enigmatic chill, you sense the beginning of a journey unfolding. Sat side profile, a staunch Einaudi set to delivering […]
In Decca’s 90th year, the historic label still paves the way for change in the music industry with innovative new production technologies. The packaging for new album, ‘Our Planet’ due for release on 5th April, is made from ecological material – algae and FSC fibres. Shiro Alga Carta, has been developed as a way to reprocess […]
On 5 April, Decca Records/Universal team up with Globe, Netflix and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to release the powerfully moving soundtrack to the upcoming series, Our Planet. A poignant exploration of the current issues facing the sustainability of life on earth from the creator of Planet Earth, the new eight-part Netflix original documentary series has been made in collaboration with Silverback Films, […]
Michael Ball – photo credit James Hole Park Michael Ball looks on course to land the top spot with new album, ‘Coming Home To You’. Currently ahead of Jack Savoretti and Tom Walker, Michael will land his first No.1 solo album in nearly three decades! If sales continue at such a rate, this will firmly cement […]
Groundbreaking composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi will be performing two dates at London’s Union Chapel, 28 and 29th March. Both shows sold out within minutes, making this Einaudi’s biggest London show to date. One of the most successful musicians on the planet, the Union Chapel dates follow the release of his 14thstudio album, ‘Seven Days Walking: […]
DJ Lady Style DJ Lykx | DJ Myma | Miss DVS There’s been a steady rise in female DJ’s over the past decade but cutting through the noise of a male-dominated industry is still very much a challenge faced. Musicvein caught up with four women in the DJ world, who talked about the bias, sexism […]
2Pac Vs Biggie Smalls So here we are with the final round of the series – 10 Times Artists Went Sparring but who will deliver the TKO, 2Pac or Biggie Smalls? 1996 and Junior M.A.F.I.A released ‘Get Money’ featuring Biggie Smalls and Lil Kim. The remix, which sampled Dennis Edwards ’84 track ‘Don’t Look Any […]
Travis Tritt Vs Sheryl Crow Almost there with round 9! Country stars Travis Tritt Vs Sheryl Crow. Back in 1992, Sheryl Crow’s hit ‘Strong Enough’ reached the No.5 in the Billboard Hot 100. The song about a tormented woman with emotional baggage asking if her new beau was strong enough to deal with it all. […]
Yesterday the tragic news broke of the death of Prodigy frontman Keith Flint. The hell-raising star who rose to fame in the 90’s, when the group revolutionalized the rave scene, bringing it from the underground to the UK charts, was known for his crazy antics, drugs, women and mental health issues. Liam Howlett, founder of […]
Mario Winans Vs The Pirates Vs Noelle Seconds Out Round 8! Noelle Vs The Pirates Vs Mario Winans. ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, Mario Winan’s most popular hit in 2004 about a cheating female brought about the answer song, ‘You Should Really Know’ by The Pirates featuring Shola Ama and Naila Boss. The song, written as an answer to […]
Taking on Ben E King wasn’t the first time Damita Jo had gone head to head with a popular song. Her first bout was with The Drifters who sang ‘Save the Last Dance For Me’ in 1960 – another hugely popular song which has gone on to be covered by Ike & Tina Turner, Cliff […]
Following his departure from the Drifters in 1960, singer Ben E King wrote and released ‘Stand By Me’. One of the greatest love songs of the 20th century, which inspired the 80’s film of the same title featuring the late River Phoenix, ‘Stand By Me’ went on to be recorded by Muhammad Ali, John Lennon […]
Teddy Pendergrass the documentary will premiere in the UK at the BFI, London on 19th February, before a national release at selected UK cinemas on 21st February. Film director Olivia Lichtenstein will host a Q&A session directly after the BFI screening alongside Teddy’s former drummer, James Carter and his keyboard player, Cecil Du Valle. A compelling tale with […]
Back in the 90’s with Girl Power on the rise, female singers had ordinary ladies singing about respect, owning their lives and taking no rubbish when it came to men. Enter American girl group TLC with their 3rd album Fanmail (1999) and single ‘No Scrubs’. The song of female dominance, not having anything to do […]
Over the last few days Musicvein has been looking back over the songs that created a rumbling in the charts between artists. We’ve heard of Frankee vs Eamon and Bo Diddley vs Muddy Waters – today on Cupid’s day we look at the yearning of Neil Sedaka on ‘Oh Carol’. Said to be written about […]
Over the next 9 days Musicvein will be delving into song controversy -looking back at the artists who responded to the songs of other musicians and how it all went down. Long before Frankee and Eamon started trading blows on the same piece of music, artists in the 50’s were also spraying spittle on each […]
The most notorious song fued which spilled over from the page to the press was Eamon vs Frankee back in the early naughties. In 2003 Eamon released his highly charged debut single ‘Fuck It’. A rant about a cheating ex lover, with Eamon spit-firing the charts with the F-bomb – a first for many artists. […]
BAFTA-winning artist, composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds released the new music video for his latest single ‘ekki hugsa’ on Friday 8th February. Filmed in his native Iceland, the title of the new release translates as ‘don’t think’, and features uplifting synthesized melodies combined with acoustic cello hooks, resulting in Ólafur’s distinctive, multi-layered sound. “The video is about not overthinking and getting […]
Following their UK headline tour, including a sell-out show at Islington Assembly Hall, Folk-Americana band The Wandering Hearts released a Deluxe Edition of their 2018 album Wild Silence. The deluxe album includes three brand new tracks: “‘Til The Day I Die”, “Run” and “Heart Stops Beating”, acoustic versions of album tracks “Wild Silence” and “Fire and Water”, plus live recordings of “Burning Bridges” and “The Wonder Of You” from […]
Is there a band or artist out there that you really believe in and want to help further their career? Well now fans can do just that with new start-up company Songbook, which allows fans to invest in an artists music in return for a share of the profits. Sounds too good to be true? […]
Legendary musician Carlos Santana released his new EP ‘In Search of Mona Lisa’, 25 January via Concord Records. On three spellbinding and transportive new songs, the multiple Grammy award-winning guitarist and Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame inductee takes listeners inside a magical and deeply personal experience he had when he visited the Louvre Museum for the first time and set his […]
Sir Karl Jenkins, the most performed living composer, is celebrating his 75th birthday with a brand-new album, tour and a host of reissues from his immensely popular catalogue – all now available on Decca Records. The new album is entitled ‘Piano’ and sees Sir Karl at the keyboard for the first time, performing original piano versions of his best-loved works as well as two new compositions. The album will […]
Lo-fi pop duo Malihini, aka Rome-based couple Giampaolo Speziale and Federica Caiozzo, have unveiled their new track ‘Delusional Boy’. Taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘Hopefully, Again’ – out 8th March through Memphis Industries. The single is the follow up to the title track which recently featured on Lauren Laverne’s 6 Music show. Produced by Richard Formby ‘Hopefully, Again’ […]
Irish singer Sibéal shares her stunning cover of Rag’n’Bone Man’s ‘Human’, with her debut EP set for release in March. Fusing the centuries-old Irish style of sean-nós singing with contemporary repertoire, Sibéal’s remarkable versatility allows her to captivate listeners with her distinctive voice. Born to an Irish father and American mother in the small town of Rath […]
Ariana Grande broke the Spotify 24hr stream record with her latest release “7 Rings”. The single racked up an incredible 15 million plays, the largest amount on the streaming platforms tally since Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” which had almost 11 millions streams on 24th December 2018. Take a look at the other […]
In 2013 Lady Gaga and R Kelly duetted on track ‘Do What You Want’ for her album Artpop. Following years of allegations and damming evidence brought to life through docuseries ‘Surviving R Kelly’ – Lady Gaga has taken a stand and vowed to remove the song from all streaming platforms. Taking to Twitter Gaga tweeted, […]
North-London rockers Passive are the latest to emerge from the pool of young talent swelling in and around London. After hearing their debut single ‘Anti-Romantic’ and latest follow-up ‘Like This’, Musicvein had to get the lowdown on the band. Musicvein: Tell me who Passive are Passive: “We’re Elliott Norman – Lead Singer/Rhythm Guitar, Philip Snowden – […]
Universal Music announced that Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody is officially the world’s most-streamed song from the 20th Century, as well as the most-streamed classic rock song of all time. Taken from Queen’s 1975 album A Night At The Opera and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 – the single has surpassed 1.6 billion global streams […]
Over 50 Artists, Businesses and Execs signed an Anti-Brexit letter, created by Music4EU to the government, calling for an alternative to Brexit. Signatories include Annie Lennox, Jamie Cullum, Alan McGee, Paloma Faith and The Lightening Seeds. Sammy Andrews of Music4EU said: “Rarely do so many factions within the music industry unite on any subject, but […]
TEDDY PENDERGRASS: If You Don’t Know Me – The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Soul’s Sexiest Superstar ‘If You Don’t Know Me’ is the untold and ultimately inspiring story of legendary soul singer Teddy Pendergrass, the man who was poised to become the biggest R&B artist of all time until the tragic accident that changed his […]
Last week Coldplay released the single E-Lo under spin-off band Los Unidades. ‘E-Lo’ the single featuring Pharrell Williams and Jozzy is the first single released as part of the Global Citizen EP 1 – the Global Citizen charity being a movement aiming to end extreme poverty by 2030. Future releases from the EP feature David Guetta, Stormzy, Whizkid […]
Damien Soul at AGT – California “…If there is a chance in a million that you can do something, anything , to keep what you want from ending, do it…” Pauline Kael – American film critic. Heeding to the words of American film critic, Pauline Kael, UK independent artist Damien Soul auditioned for US show […]
After 4 years artist David Gray makes his comeback with a brand new video from forthcoming new album Gold In A Brass Age, due for release on March 2019. For the video of new single ‘The Sapling’, lead-off track off the album, Gray personally sought out Baltimore-based zoetrope artist Eric Dyer to create the kaleidoscopic clip to accompany the single. […]
After years of rumours, Apple have finally confirmed that they are to dissolve iTunes and create a new Music App. Launched in 2001, record labels and artists welcomed the now iconic product which saw the death of illegal file-sharing programmes like Napster and Limewire. Announced at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple’s plans are to […]
