Browsing Category border breaker
border breaker, single track
Tom Grennan – Sober
Things could’ve turned out quite differently for Tom Grennan. He would probably have been a successful football player, if he hadn’t made a last minute decision to pursue a career in music instead.
Lucky for us, Chase & Status got the ball rolling by asking Grennan to provide vocals for their tune All Goes Wrong. Since then, he’s been a regular visitor of the European Border Breakers Charts with his own songs, Found What I’ve Been Looking For being his biggest hit to date.
But I think this could all change with his new single. Sober is another great tune to showcase his powerful voice, and adds a playful string arrangement to increase this effect.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Youngr – Ooh Lordy
Okay, so Dario Darnell (a.k.a. Youngr), is August Darnell (a.k.a. Kid Creole)’s son. That’s nice to know, but not more than that. Especially because Youngr single-handedly built a music career of his own. And with single-handedly I also mean he is a one-man-band. Give him a set of instruments and a loop station and he’ll build up any song from scratch, to such an extend that you think: who needs bands, anyway?
Youngr came to the scene with his single Out Of My System, which immediately became a hit beyond his home country (Great Britain) and landed him a European Border Breakers Award, which he received during showcase festival ESNS in Groningen, the Netherlands, last week. He also performed there, while he was at it.
After Out Of My System, Youngr kept himself in the picture with a cover of Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition (the video of which shows the ‘one-man-band’ thingy to great effect). You’ll probably remember Give It Up by Youngr x Endor as well.
All of those three, plus seven more, are on Youngr’s debut ‘album’ This Is Not An Album. One of the remaining seven, the opening track Ooh Lordy, is his new single. Another fun song!
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
IAMJJ – You In My Arms
After the ingenious online campaign #whothefuckisjj it was revealed that IAMJJ is the artist name of a 24-year-old Danish singer-songwriter, who writes and performs in English. Following in the footsteps of his heroes Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen, his tracks are drenched in melancholy. Both musically and lyrically. A modern crooner!
His first proper single Homer will be out in January 2018, followed by his debut album Bloody Future on 23 March. This was also the title of his introductory teaser single. I like the second teaser track You In My Arms even better. It features a piano melody that makes me think of David Sylvian (whose music I love). Check it here:
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Shanguy – La Louze
French singer-songwriter Eon Melka, Italian dj NRD1, and indie singer-songwriter Frank-O had successful careers of their own, before joining hands in this new, interesting project. Shanguy brings different music worlds together.
La Louze is only their first single, and sounds a little like Stromae’s Alors On Danse. Highlight of the song is the trumpet that brightens up the drop and makes it impossible not to move to this ditty.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Voyou – Seul Sur Ton Tandem
One of the countries whose artists feature regularly on Carte Blanche Music is France. In my opinion there’s a fresh wind blowing throught the French music scene, with lots of new artists demanding their place in the spotlights. Entreprise, the label that brought us acts like Fishbach and Bagarre before, has such a new artist lined up.
Thibaud Vanhooland, who was in the bands Pégase, Elephanz, and Rhum For Pauline earlier in his career, has gone solo using the stage name Voyou. His music is French both in style and in language, but don’t let that hold you back. It’s as beautiful as it’s simple.
Seul Sur Ton Tandem (‘alone on your tandem’) is the first single off Voyou’s second EP, that will follow in January 2018.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album track, border breaker
Melis – Parallels
Melis is half Czech, half Turkish, but currently lives in Berlin. There, she continued her career as a solo artist, having been in electropop duo Iyes before.
They duo haven’t separated though, for Melis recorded her just released debut EP Parallels with her Iyes collaborator Josh Christopher. After recording it in both her Berlin apartment and a small rehearsal/studio space, the EP was mastered by John Davis, who worked with Lana Del Rey and Led Zeppelin before.
Three of the five tracks on it have aready spread in the blogoshere: Holding Hands, Flower and Sober (Over You). However, the opening song and title track of the EP is my favourite. A delicate track, where a sparsely used vocoder effect is just that; a subtle effect on the voice. Not a feature to conceal that the singer can’t actually sing.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Skygge feat. Kiesza – Hello Shadow
So this is where technology can lead us. Skygge – Danish for ‘shadow’ – is a French collaboration between composer, author and producer Benoit Carré (Françoise Hardy, Michel Sardou, Imany) and François Pachet (director of the Flow Machines project). Flow Machines became headline news in September 2016, after releasing Daddy’s Car, a song ‘in the style of’ The Beatles, composed by artificial intelligence.
Inspired by this project, Carré invited artists like C. Duncan, Kyrie Kristmanson, Camille Bertault, Mederic Collignon and NZCA Lines into the Flow Machines studios. He let them compose, write and sing with complete artistic freedom, using the power of artificial intelligence. This scientific project has led to a soon to be released album.
Hello Shadow is the new single off it, partly written by Belgian hitmaker Stromae and sung by Canadian singer Kiesza. Nothing short of a proper pop song, in my opinion.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Therapie Taxi (feat. Roméo Elvis) – Hit Sale
Therapie Taxi is a Parisian trio, consisting of Adé, Raph and Renaud. They only released their first EP earlier this year, but their new single comes just in time to make sure their definitive break-through will take place in the final month of 2017.
Hit Sale not only mixes electronic music with pop melodies, it also features a contribution of famous Belgian rapper Roméo Elvis. It’s a ‘dirty hit’, that’s for sure. Look out for Therapie Taxi’s first album, that will come out on 2 February 2018.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Sara Hartman – Buttons
Compliments to Sara Hartman’s parents, who introduced their daughter to the likes of Goldfinger, Radiohead and Talking Heads. It inspired her to make music herself as well. After Sara spent the first 20 years of her life in the state of New York, she moved to Berlin two years ago, because of its ‘intoxicatingly creative’ atmosphere.
I like the first fruits, coming from that inspiring environment. Her latest single Buttons is a delicious, catchy, up-tempo slice of pop music.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Tim Dup – Une Envie Méchante
Tim Dup is a 22-year-old French artist, who recently contributed two songs to the latest album of his hugely popular fellow Frenchie Louane.
Dup’s own music cultivates paradoxes : rapping and singing, softness and outrage, shadows and lights. This also explains the title of his album : Mélancholie Heureuse.
His new single is about today’s society forcing perfection upon everyone. This pressure makes people extremely unhappy, even those who appear to be perfect, according to Tim Dup. The theme has been worked out in the alarming video as well.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
