Author: macha

“Cellar Cat”, an indie and alternative rock band from Riga, have released their “quarantine” video – the live music video for the song “Time & Space”/ It was shot and simultaneously recorded at the band members’ homes. Music of “Cellar Cat” is often compared to the likes of “Coldplay” and “The 1975”.

The band tells about the idea for the video: “In the current situation of public emergency in Latvia we couldn’t rehearse of record at the studio, not even mentioning playing gigs. Still, we decided to try and nor get demoralized and use this situation for the best. We thought that we might try doing something more unconventional for us — record a new song at home, while actually filming the process, and then glue the sounds and the videos together. Looks like it was a successful experiment.”

As the band members say, this experience let them have a feeling of unity despite the social distancing.

“Though we managed to pull everything off almost as we envisioned it, we still want to get back to normal life as soon as possible and play this song in front of the audience!” the band’s singer Alex says.

New single is from artist’s upcoming album ‘Lighter’ and is a melancholic electro-pop track from Latvian artist who currently lives and performs in Austria.

„I Can Tell You My Sins“ is the new single from BAIBA’s upcoming album „Lighter“.  It is her one of her first tracks which is more focused on electronic and is pursuing her hunger for good electronic pop music.

“It’s dark, sexy mood of the song expresses the hope and despair of young lovers. Craving to open up to each other, merge into each other’s essence to express their deepest secrets, sins and desires and yet, the song is also sharing the insecurity of young love,” BAIBA explains.

The track is a slow burner – it is supposed to be listened on melancholic and beautiful summer nights, together with lovers and their touch.

You can listen to the new single on Spotify

BAIBA is a young Latvian musician, currently living in Innsbruck, Austria. In 2017 in collaboration with the Austrian producer Christoph Holzknecht (CHRS) she released her debut album ”These Storms”. Since then BAIBA is performing solo, producing herself and moving away from the melancholic singer songwriter corner and embracing more and more the curiosity of electronic pop music.

Her singles ‘Running’, ‘Light Inside’, ‘Touch You Right’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’ which she released under her full name (Baiba Dekena), had radio airplay all around Europe and were also featured in numerous Canadian and American music blogs. Her single “Waiting” was in a daily rotation in one of the biggest Austrian radio stations “FM4” and mid November she entered the „Official European Independent Music Charts“ on number 19 with the title track of her upcoming album „Lighter“ and stayed in the top 50 until March 2020.

Painting the ever-changing canvas of pop and R&B with her own distinctive palette, ELIZZA is a fresh, emerging talent whose songs are leaving an indelible mark on the contemporary music scene. Her latest single, “Habit”, is out on 12th June 2020.

Based in London and inspired by artists such as Sia, Dua Lipa, The Weekend and Jorja Smith, ELIZZA’s vivid new sound is destined to become the heartbeat of pop music in the 2020s. The stage has already been set for her inevitable rise, thanks to a run of remarkable releases that include ‘Can’t Quit’, Myles Stephenson collaboration ‘Want To Keep’ and her latest track, the summer-ready new single ‘Habit’.

“”Habit” is questioning your commitment to a person and trying to answer these questions – has this relationship turned into a habit or is this still alive and worth holding onto?”

Showcasing the singer’s range and versatility, “Habit” sees ELIZZA stunningly vocalise her romantic uncertainty over a beat that takes cues from reggaeton and dancehall, penning reflective lyrics that explore the dangerous territories where love and addiction collide. Another leap in her progressive musical evolution, this most recent offering points towards a new direction for ELIZZA, as she brings together sounds, rhythms and styles from across the mainstream to produce a radio-ready heater that’s destined for the Top 40.

Speaking about her artistic progression, ELIZZA remarked: “For me, it’s a wow moment every time a song you have been working on, comes to life, gets released, and I hear from people who loved it. It’s so important for me to remember where you started but also always stay hungry for more and keep pushing.”

The ideas behind “Habit” came out of the blue during a journey to a studio session – an artist who overflows with natural creativity, ELIZZA often receives bolts of inspiration from the blue, recording melodies and lyrics as voice notes in her phone before fleshing them out in the studio with talented producers. This creative process has brought to life a series of incredible singles that point towards a long and successful musical career for a musician determined to express her vision to the world.

“This release is very personal, being able to share this is me speaking the truth. This is what I want my music to be about. It can be scary to say what I feel out loud sometimes and that’s how music helps me. Hopefully, it can help others too.”

ELIZZA is dedicated to sharing her experience and emotion with others through the medium music. Her fire, passion and authenticity shines through every note she sings, and is now inspiring a growing international fanbase. She believes that, unlike anything else, music has the power to break boundaries, arouse deep feelings, and spark new ideas. Her intense, heartfelt songs do just that.

“These are songs of lightness, they are perfect for moments when you just want to relax laying in the sand by the sea or on freshly cut grass somewhere in the countryside. When you want to do nothing and allow the time to flow, ” Edvards writes about his EP Songs Of Niceness.

This record contains 6 songs, the ideas of which originated over a long period of time, but acquired a more serious outline this winter and were completed during the pandemic.

“I would like this recording to serve as a kind of portfolio for me as a composer and arranger, but most of all as a producer and recording engineer. This is what a couple of people can do in 2-3 months in a studio in Riga with the most beautiful surroundings. ”

Edvards Broders is a musician, composer and producer who’s currently playing in a band called The Bad Tones and has written the soundtrack for the films Despair, Overturned Moon, etc.

The songs of this EP were created alone, but musicians Toms Valmiers, Kalvis Sležis, Alise Golovacka and Teodors Kerimovs also took part in the recording process. The EP was fully recorded and mixed in Riga, in Red House studio, but mastered by Jasper Ras, De Gheijn Music studio in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The experienced Latvian music producers Lotars Lodzins, Janis Kalve, and Karlis Indrisonoks (Labo ierakstu studija), in association with English musician and songwriter Ky Ismet, have joined forces under the name YDJ and invited the lead singer of the English supergroup of the 90’s Soul II Soul, Charlotte Kelly, to jointly create a new song, the main theme of which was created by the legendary Latvian trumpeter and arranger Gunars Rozenbergs. This Time It’s For Real is published and released by MicRec.

The talks with the Soul II Soul lead vocalist were short, as Charlotte immediately agreed to cooperate after listening to the prepared demo.

Wessel van Diepen, host of the Global Dance Chart show of the popular Dutch radio station Radio 538, says: “An inspiring song. Very well done, great job!” The famous Swedish DJ and record producer StoneBridge commented after listening to the song: “High-quality composition, well-produced and with a very eye-catching lyric video.”

This Time It’s For Real is a modern house music track with a fresh and trendy vibe. Lyric video was created by Dween Production.

At the height of summer, musician Markus Riva brings a new song both in Latvian and Russian to his audience. “Vēl pēdējoreiz”/ „Белые ночи” (One Last Time / White Nights) is the first single from Riva’s upcoming fall album.

“Self-reflection is inevitable when you face this unprecedented solitude, which brings about nostalgia and melancholy. These sentiments linger both in this song, as in the tone and content of my forthcoming album,” says the musician.

Markus Riva also enjoys popularity in Russia and other CIS countries; in fact, Riva is one of the few Latvian musicians with a considerable fan base among Russian-speaking listeners. His work is usually released in one language so it does not always resonate with all listeners. However, “Vēl pēdējoreiz” found its sound both in Latvian and Russian leading to the decision to gift the song to a larger audience.

“A larger follower base means having to make sure my creative endeavours do not leave anyone out. Fans in Latvia and Russia and other countries are all waiting for new music from me,” asserts Markus. “I am extremely happy to release this single in both languages at once. Although my new album will be recorded in Latvian, a Russian version might be in the cards in the near future.”

Markus Riva is the author of the music and lyrics of “Vēl pēdējoreiz”, while the lyrics of „Белые ночи” were contributed by Igor Tatarenko, Riva’s long-time musical associate from the Ukraine. The song was recorded in “Factory sounds studio” and arranged by its co-author Gints Stankevičs.

Carnival Youth release their new album “Good Luck” on the 16th of August. It is available on digital streaming platforms as well as in CD and double vinyl. Limited Edition LP is also available.

As the band describe, the ideas for the new album have been collected over a couple of years of touring and experiencing contrasts within the world and people, at the same time, understanding that we are all united by the same things: “The same lust for human compassion, openness, as well as lust for love and freedom. Whilst writing the material for our new album, we tried to be very open and intimate within our environment, letting freedom flow through various musical experiments.”

Songs were mainly created during creative camps, which are almost always held somewhere close to the Latvian nature, however, the album was recorded in Red Bull Studios in São Paulo, Brazil with producer Gatis Zakis. As Carnival Youth describe: “While we were recording the album, we let the Brazilian air affect our music and writing methods. We gave way to more expressive and passionate rhythms, using local percussions, which in result creates a great balance with a couple of more melancholic compositions.”

The album name “Good Luck” came up during the recording process: “Thus far, the names of our albums have always been thought through and made up after it has been recorded. But this time it was more spontaneous. During one of the days of recording in São Paulo studio, our producer Gatis, whilst sitting behind the sound mixer, after one our recording tries, announced to the three of us via microphone “Ok, let’s try that again” and very ironically added “Good luck…”. At that moment something clicked, and we said “Hey, that sounds like a great name for an album”. This phrase can be taken both as a genuine wish for good fortune or figuratively, as it’s often used with an ironic smirk, when someone is trying to accomplish something challenging or something that at the moment can seem impossible. In those instances, what can we say? Well…Good Luck…”

The album was mixed by Grammy winning producer Nicolas Verhnes, and the master was done by Greg Calbi at “Sterling Sound” in New York.