Discovering the new music underground around the globe

Jazz/Review Exploding Pig - Jazz Futura
Exploding Pig is an emerging eclectic band originating from Austria. Comprised of a talented group of friends with rich musical backgrounds, they’re set to make waves with their versatile sound and style, often described as "Jazz Futura" or "Jazz meets 70’s porn." As a result of quarantines and lockdowns, Exploding Pig came into existence. Influenced by American pop culture and the band mascot Ebɛr, Exploding Pig radiates a feel-good, genre-defying sound.

EDM/Review French Caviar - Canto Del Pilon
French Caviar is an innovative and audacious duo of French DJs, Hubert and Jean-Mi. Formed in 2022, this group brings together their offbeat humor, powerful electro music, and diverse musical influences to captivate dancefloors around the world. Jean-Mi, a prominent figure in the French clubbing scene, has performed at renowned clubs and major events, while Hubert, a talented musician and producer, has made a name for himself with his DJ Guitar Show concept and his collaborations with French and North American artists.

Rock/Review Velcrocranes - What If I Die
Velcrocranes started out as a small jazz ensemble, but it wasn’t until they discovered the music of Porcupine Tree and the malleable world of progressive rock that their true sound came into focus. This new, expansive direction was the future of Velcrocranes. In 2018, the band released the EP 'Afterlife', which would bring the stirring and ethereal vocals of Efim Kolitinov into the forefront, as well as the harmonious guitar leads of Liza Kotova, who serves as a primary songwriter for the group, and the intricate arrangements from Alexander Papsuev.

Rock/Review Vanilla Franco - Traction
Vanilla Franco is the brainchild of frontman Joey Quinn, who was forced to create the band after he joked about having one (he didn’t) and invertedly booked the non-existent group a gig. Recruiting friends and neighbours who promptly learned their instruments, Quinn formed Vanilla Franco and named it after a long-running joke within the group based on a mellow version of Trainspotting’s most violent character, Francis “Franco” Begbie.

Hip-Hop/Review Cris Cain - POWER UP
Cris Cain's "POWER UP" has been played on New York’s Power 105.1.

Pop/Review Jagas - Ma Brésilienne
The French band Jagas sings to life and celebrates the living! Jagas follows the tradition of committed French-language rock/chanson with his energetic and powerful songs, far from cynicism and the prevailing resignation. Furiously humanistic and gleefully militant, Jagas allows the passion of Mano Solo, the poetry of Jacques Brel, and the generosity of Ogres de Barback to collide.

Pop/Review Avaraj - Precious Memories EP
Avaraj, the genre-mashing singer-songwriter from Georgia, is trying to help others find light in the darkness and build connections with them. She started writing to better understand her own life and come out stronger on the other side, but it became her passion. Consumed by the desire to connect with others through shared experiences, she transformed words into songs.

Pop/Review Alison Wahl, Brian Berggoetz - Christmas Is The Right Time For Us
Brian Berggoetz is a self-taught guitarist and a natural-born singer living in Tucson, AZ. He has written many songs throughout the years since, and he has played at various venues local to where he has lived, both as a solo artist and as the leader of a band. Alison Wahl’s work as a singer, composer, and songwriter spans many musical worlds and seeks to center authentic human presence. Her songwriting combines surprising harmonies and complicated fingerpicking patterns with coy, imaginative lyrics.

Synthwave/Review JPRiZM - Analog Dreams
An Ambassador to Curiosity, JPRiZM loves the blank canvas, seeing an open universe of creativity within his soundscape; he is untethered to boxes. His style reflects the origins of his moniker, JPRiZM. Artist, songwriter, and producer JPRiZM works both on solo projects as well as collabs with diverse artists of various musical styles and genres, including pop, hip-hop, R&B, aftobeat, and EDM.

Classical/Review Allen Yu - Winds of Change
Allen Yu is a piano composer who, after over three decades of composing privately (he has been composing since high school), finally decided in 2023 to publish some of his music. In 2023, he had the pleasure of meeting a great musician and pianist, Victor Morales, serendipitously. He decided to collaborate with him to release some of his music, and it has been a wonderful experience.

Rock/Review SIR-VERE - Destroya
SIR-VERE is a UK based 4 piece Rock band from MK which fuses Post Punk ethics with Electronic Dance energies. Forged from Drum & Bass // Big Beat Scene they quickly became darlings of the breakbeat & twisted house scene. The band performs live across the country and worldwide from Manumission to Glastonbury to Kings Cross’ infamous Scala and everywhere in-between.

Rock/Review Red Mountain Revolt - Like a Loaded Gun
Hailing from north-central New Jersey, Red Mountain Revolt started out as just a concept band between Christian Nevi and Kyle Merritts. With the two growing up together in the same town and sharing a very similar taste in music, it was only natural for them to want to start collaborating on music projects. However, contact between the two would dwindle towards their high school years since they would attend two completely different high schools.

Electronic/Review Hewkii - The Gaian Mind
Hewkii is the project of Icelandic music producer Helgi Freyr Tómasson. Though often blurring the lines between genres, he borrows strong influences from house, trance, ambient, psychedelia, and progressive rock music.

Rock/Review Gli incubi di Freud - E Poi Non Ridi Più
Gli Incubi di Freud are a solo dystopia and cooperative of alternative talkative rock by Joshua McFarrow, "patient zero" (as well as voice, bass, music, lyrics, videos, ideas, and existential crises) of Ripe San Ginesio (a remote province of Macerata). The other patients and musicians travel along the non-existent Treia/Porto Sant'Elpidio axis. The band is completed with Alessandro Camela on drums, Andrea "K" Piermarteri on rhythm guitar, and Massimiliano Camela on lead guitar.

Folk/Review Kete Bowers - Holy Night (A Christmas Song From The War)
Kete Bowers is a singer-songwriter born in Liverpool. His music crosses many genres, including Country, Rock, Americana and Blues.

EDM/Review Astralix - Lost and Found
Astralix is the dynamic duo of The Manic Emotions, consisting of Gary Dranow from Park City, UT, and Chris Zoupa from Melbourne, Australia, have once again joined forces to deliver an electrifying EDM track titled "Lost and Found.”

Pop/Review Ninni - White Christmas
Italian/English songwriter Ninni has recently transitioned from his former disco-punk bands to solo music. His single, “Just The Touch of My Hands," received international success, being broadcast by more than 60 radio stations across the world. His single, “Have Fun (Remastered 2023)," is a rollercoaster of styles, genres, and everything in between. “Have Fun” is Ninni’s most ambitious single yet, merging influences from American folk blues, rock, and electronic music with the traditional Neapolitan sound.

Rock/Review Autorub - Meatball
Autorub, based out of New York, offers up a great mix of modern and classic sounds in rock, coupled with sarcastic political humor. Autorub is led by multi-instrumentalist Michael Corn. Corn, a former member of the short-lived post-grunge band 'Sammy' [Geffen] and the critically acclaimed 'Heydevils,' continues to compose relevant, catchy, and just plain fun rock and roll. Corn also composed for popular TV shows like "Pawn Stars," "Wahlburgers," and "Duck Dynasty.”

Rock/Review Chaidura - The Light
London-based alternative artist Chaidura is known for a dramatic and theatrical sound with heavy undertones and angelic harmonies. With a growing fanbase, his music defies categorization and captivates listeners with its distinctiveness. Chaidura places a huge emphasis on visuals that blend beauty with horror, striving to achieve a comforting juxtaposition for his audiences. His storytelling abilities often resonate deeply with fans, promoting themes of self-expression, self-acceptance, and understanding.

Classical/Review KSS - Magnificat
Kvindelige Studenters Sangforening (KSS), The Women’s Choral Society of the University of Oslo, was founded in 1895 and is the official female choir of the University of Oslo, Norway. Despite its advanced age, KSS is a young choir consisting of approximately 50 singers. As the world’s oldest academic female choir, KSS has played an important role in relation to the university and the women’s cause.