DISCOVERING THE NEW MUSIC UNDERGROUND AROUND THE GLOBE
Rock/Review Ratchet - Closing The Door
Ratchet is an independent indie/alternative artist based in the Netherlands. After trying to impress a girl by learning the guitar, he now makes music on a daily basis and isn't planning to stop anytime soon. His music is best described as a stroll in the middle of the night through a lit-up city. Every song has its own (dark) aesthetic, and most of the time it tells a story about Ratchet's personal problems.
Pop/Review Naked Brunch - Human Dust
The music of the London 5-piece Naked Brunch bridges the space between chamber pop and post-punk. With a harmonic backbone of cello, viola, and bass, the group produces an atmospheric and contemplative sound that is cut through with the addition of guitar. The low and gravelled tones of one voice weave within the hypnotic highs of another, the two singers combining to create a vocal channel that is as prominent in sparse acoustic duets as it is in the texture of the band’s full sound.
Pop/Review Alterlight - One Night Away
Alterlight is a pop rock band from Belgium.
Punk/Review Snakesnakewhale. - Castle, PA
Snakesnakewhale. is Matthew Clark on vocals; Kevin Boggs on guitar; Tyler Hernandez on guitar; Max Murray on bass; and Edwin Mericle on drums. They've all played music throughout North Carolina and got to know each other well throughout the process. After years of playing shows together, they decided to join forces with their best friends from all different bands to create Snakesnakewhale.
Country/Review Down South Pepper band - Hand in my Pocket
Down South Pepper band (aka DSP band) is from Kvalsund in Norway and plays Americana and catchy outlaw country music. The songs are inspired by things they observe and experience; often, the songs are about actual people or incidents. The songs are on rotation at independent country radio stations worldwide. DSP band had placement on the International Country Music Chart, both at the top 40 single chart and the top 200 artist chart.
Rock/Review 9 o'clock Nasty - Crowland
9 o'clock Nasty is emerging, glistening from the plague pits of Leicester. They play with glitter, and they take no prisoners. Relentless and yet full of love, they take a side-eyed look at the world and punish it with driving beats and mild sarcasm.
Electronic/Review Doktorbaş - Doctor Baush
Doktorbaş/Doctor Baush is a multifaced Turkish artist who produces in the fields of composition, production, songwriting, sound design, sound engineering, concept design, and visual arts. He is known for his unique works that blend various genres, instruments, performance styles, and natural sounds into a contemporary style based on electronic music, which he presents outside of common musical patterns and publishing formats.
Metal/Review Gary Dranow - Bedroom Mentor
The band's formation transcends geographical boundaries, with members spanning Park City, Utah, Melbourne, Australia, and various cities in Ukraine. Drawing inspiration from musical legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Metallica, their music weaves together elements of blues rock, alternate rock, hard rock, and metal. This rich tapestry is further enriched by their personal experiences and diverse influences.
Hip-Hop/Review Sav DaBrain - Reading Books
Straight out of Georgia Tech, this 33-year-old rhyme maestro, also a Presidential Scholar, isn't just content with dominating the tech world. Sav DaBrain has stepped into the rap arena with a debut that's as bold as his business moves. Known for more than just breaking the mold, Sav DaBrain breaks beats and barriers, dropping lyrical bombs that resonate from the block to the boardroom.
Rock/Review Transcending Into the Unknown - Giants
Transcending Into the Unknown is a Norwegian band that currently consists of Filip, Robert, and Stian Dahl. As indicated by their surnames, they are all related, and Filip and Robert are brothers, while Stian is Filip's son. The name of their family project and the band was chosen because they initially felt that this was like entering into a completely new and unknown experience.
Rock/Review Bromsen - Someone
Bromsen, formed in Berlin, Germany, consists of Richard and Karlo Bromsen, who have known each other for more than 20 years. In the mid-2000s, they performed together with their previous band, "The Pampelmuse," at numerous indie rock clubs in Berlin. However, the band disbanded in 2006, just before what was expected to be their breakthrough. Many years passed before Karlo and Richard decided it was time to reignite their passion for music and pursue their dreams once again.
Country/Review Backstrom - Train Wreck Coming (feat. Bart Topher)
Backstrom is a Swedish independent songwriter in the genres of country, folk, and rock music. After a long break from music, he had a creative year and wrote a lot of songs in the winter of 23. Then he spent the rest of the year producing them, and he will release his debut album, "The Carousel," on January 18.
Tech House/Review Chandler Taylor, Jody Vukas - Donde Las Damas
USA-based artist and label owner, Jody Vukas, is well-cultured in House music globally. The Distant Drum Recordings and Big House Music frontman cut his teeth in the US scene in the nineties and has remained present and correct in the industry ever since. Chandler Taylor has gained strong footing in the House music industry by getting signed to the mega-dance label Defected.
Latin/Review Ricardo y Rey - Necesito Verte
Ricardo y Rey are a dynamic musical duo known for their genre-defying sound that blends a myriad of influences. From the infectious rhythms to the soul-stirring melodies, the duo invites audiences to embark on a sonic journey that reflects the diversity and vibrancy of their musical influences. Ricardo y Rey are gearing up to release new music throughout 2024 that will bring their electrifying sound to audiences around the world.
Soul/Review Gianfranco GFN - SUNSHINE "And I Had a Dream"
Gianfranco GFN has been part of the Groovy Acid-Jazz scene since the 1990s. However, the career of the Italo-Swiss, born in October 1966, dates back even further: a self-taught guitarist, composer, and producer, he gave his first concert at the age of 15, and his first vinyl dates back to 1984. A regular on the underground scene, this jack-of-all-trades is adept in both jazz and rock and stands out particularly in smooth jazz, in Switzerland, Europe, and even beyond.
Rock/Review The Mars McClanes - Until You Lose
Fresh from the studio with a new wave of electrifying tracks, The Mars McClanes are redefining indie rock. This band, with roots in Dallas, TX, has carved out a sound that's as unpredictable as their journey. They stumbled upon their unique style when faced with an unusual booking predicament early in their career at a well-known country bar. The band had signed on to play four hours of music that night but didn’t have any country songs in their catalog.
Rock/Review West Wickhams - Vivre Sa Vie
West Wickhams are Jon Othello and Elle Flores, a psyschedelique Garage Noir Deux peace, originally from Tresco on the Isles of Scilly. Tresco is famously the island of lost souls and is home to subtropical plants and shipwrecked figureheads. They recently relocated to Richmond, Surrey, where the creatures rule. West Wickhams are an imagined rival gang to punk-style icons the Bromley Contingent.
Rock/Review Kelsie Kimberlin - We Are The Promise
Kelsie Kimberlin is an American-Ukrainian musician and singer. Her work is not only accessible and entertaining but also steeped in important social themes and dual meanings, underscoring her deep understanding of the power of creative music to evoke change. From an early age, Kelsie immersed herself in music, singing in choirs, participating in Yoko Ono’s Peace Project, and spending much of her childhood in music studios working on an endless stream of original songs.
Rock/Review Koalra - Something Fails
Fusing the fuzz-fueled guitars and loose rhythms of acts like Dinosaur Jr. with the experimental soundscapes of artists such as Sonic Youth and The Cure, Koalra is an emerging indie rock band who recently moved to Portland from their native Chicago. With their latest release, Koalra have once again upped their sound with a darker and more epic tone with their album titled “Disasterclass.”
Hip-Hop/Review Da Hipster - Hundreds On Hundreds
Da Hipster followed in the footsteps of other Memphis rappers, bringing a sinister charm and imposing rap skills to songs of confrontation and intensity. Da Hipster emerged in 2020 with a series of snippets and online tracks that hinted at the versatile style he came to develop, one that blended elements of emo rap and trap influenced by Three 6 Mafia, Gucci Mane, and Lil Wayne with the energy of punk and metal inspired by Slipknot and Blink-182.