Browsing Tag funk
Citizen Kay – Ego
At the age of six, Citizen Kay and his family migrated from Ghana to Australia. He made it his mission to make music that blended traditional hip hop with soul, jazz, blues and rock. He refined this task with each new album, developing into a seasoned songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer.
Following his debut mini album Demokracy (2014), With The People (2015) and Belly Of The Beast (2017), he has now written brand-new material. The first of these songs is his new single Ego. A true vibe-starter with its funk-filled guitar and bassline, and swirling keys and strings.
Citizen Kay explains the motivation behind the song: “Ego might seem like a song about me chasing a long lost love or something. But it’s my love/hate relationship with money.”
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 35):
Lush Puppy – Ms. Grey
And now for something completely different… Please meet new Netherlands-based duo Lush Puppy. Singer Roos studied at the Rock Academy in the Dutch city of Tilburg. Italian-born Gabriel is well-known in the EDM scene as half of DJ duo Gabriel & Castellon. They collaborated with Sam Feldt, Robin S., Todd Terry and others. From that perspective, Lush Puppy seems far beyond his comfort zone. In truth, however, it’s actually where he and Roos both feel they can strut their stuff.
Ms. Grey is only Lush Puppy’s second single, after debuting with Wear Me Out. Just like Confidence Man a few years ago, they combine disco, funk and pop. It’s catchy and accessible, but with an alternative edge. And please, take a few minutes to listen to the hilarious lyrics.
Honey, take the trash outside!
This week, Ms. Grey by Lush Puppy will feature here prominently as the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard.
In the Wildcards 2019 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Ankathie Koi – Cats And Diamonds
When she released her latest single Royal Boy, end of June, Ankathie Koi also announced a new album. Her second long-player Prominent Libido is due out on 13 September. Ahead of it, the jazz singer turned pop diva now unleashes Cats And Diamonds.
The new single starts with a weird synth melody, which appears to have classical influences. The rest of the song, however, is drenched in ‘80s sounds. It’s both funky and electronic, very well sung (as always), and a rap is included. Swell! (as we used to say in the ‘80s 😉 ).
Recommended as well:
Ankathie Koi – Royal Boy
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 32)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Tape Toy – Sad Girl (Wildcard this week)
- Baker Grace – Sad Summer (Wildcard last week)
- Kesha – Best Day [Angry Birds 2 Remix]
- Lola Marsh – Echoes
- Prince – Holly Rock
- Sheppard – Kiss My Fat Ass
- Wallis Bird – Salve!
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Haim, Nouvelle Vague feat. Julie Delpy, MisterWives, and many more.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Prince – Holly Rock
When Prince recorded a demo of a song he wrote for another artist, it wasn’t really a demo. It was often the full final version of the track, usually with nearly all instruments played by the purple one. More than once, the only difference between Prince’s version and the eventual release, were the vocals. That’s why most of the songs on the recently released album Originals are instantly recognisable.
One of my personal favourite Prince compositions has always been Holly Rock, made famous by Sheila E. She recorded her version in 1985 for the ‘Krush Groove’ soundtrack, and boy, did the track groove! Earlier that year, Prince put his demo to tape, where he was fully inside the skin of the one the song was intended for. You can hear him rap ‘Sheila E.’s my name / Holly Rock’s my game’. By the way, Hollyrock was the name used for Hollywood in the TV cartoon series ‘The Flintstones’, but it’s not sure this inspired the title.
34(!) years after it was recorded, Prince’s own version of Holly Rock is featured on his Originals album. It has been edited for release as a posthumous single. A master piece!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wallis Bird – Salve!
Wallis Bird is an Irish artist, who is based in Berlin via London. To be honest, the first thing I heard about her, years ago, was not her music, but the story behind it. Bird is left-handed, but she lost all five fingers of her left hand in a lawnmower accident. Four of them could be put back on, but she learned herself to play a right-handed guitar upside down. Maximum respect before I heard a single note of her music. And guess what? Her music doesn’t need this story, it’s great in its own right.
Having spent the past two years writing and recording, Bird is set to release her sixth album Woman on 27 September. Salve! is the new single. The funky instrumentation and verses sound rather Prince-like, but the voice, which alternates between smooth and raspy, is trademark Wallis Bird.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 31)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Baker Grace – Sad Summer (Wildcard this week)
- Call Me Loop – Self Love (Wildcard last week)
- Bishop Briggs – Champion
- Charli XCX feat. Christine & The Queens – Gone
- Corine – Je Danse Le Mia
- Hemliga Klubben – Asshole
- Striking Matches – Boring
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Feeder, Liam Gallagher, Tegan & Sara, and many more.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Corine – Je Danse Le Mia
France has a rich tradition in rap and R&B. Like all over the world, these are the dominant genres in the country nowadays, but the history goes way back. In the ‘90s and ‘00s, these genres were very popular as well. And these are exactly the focus decennia of the upcoming album Back Dans Les Bacs, which compiles the biggest French rap and R&B songs, reprised by current French artists.
The first single off this album is Je Danse Le Mia by Carte Blanche Music favourite Corine. She featured here three times already. The original version, which sampled Give Me The Night by George Benson, was a huge hit for Iam in 1993. For her make-over, Corine drowns the song in her signature future disco funk, while keeping the classic sample intact. Meanwhile, she proves to be a very fine rapper herself. Great clip as well, by the way. A remake by the book!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Werner’s Weekly (week 30)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Call Me Loop – Self Love (Wildcard this week)
- Frank Turner – Sister Rosetta (Wildcard last week)
- Casey Lowry – Boyfriend
- Inspired & The Sleep – Getting Through
- Lily Moore – Over You
- Nix Dadry (feat. Julie Claire) – Station Street East
- The Bird & The Bee (feat. Beck) – Hot For Teacher
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Angèle, Jonas Brothers, Kraak & Smaak, The Pale White, Rita Ora, and many more.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Claire Laffut feat. Yseult – Nudes
Short introduction: Claire Laffut is a 23-year-old Belgian multi-talent, currently living in Paris. She writes, paints, draws and sings. Yseult (24) is a singer-songwriter and model, who was runner up in the tenth season of French TV talent show Nouvelle Star. Since then, she developed her own pop-trap hybrid, called ‘Y-trap’.
The single Nudes brings these upcoming talents together. It’s a fresh track, full of summer vibes and held together by a walking bassline. The song can be found on the mini album Molitor, named after the Paris hotel with its iconic retro swimming pool. The Nudes video was shot there, mixing vintage and modern styles. A feast for ears and eyes !
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
