Category: News

Latvian singer/songwriter Patriks has released his debut album “PENUMBRA” to bring the listeners through an emotional rollercoaster based on a touching story from the songwriters’ personal life.

 

As Patriks says: PENUMBRA is a conceptual album, the main motive is love. Throughout the album love evolves, it faces challenges and then it vanishes. PENUMBRA is the moment between light and darkness, and that represents the emotional state after falling out of love and becoming strangers with the person was Your closest just a moment ago.

Patriks himself produced the whole album and currently is waiting for the summer to finally perform these songs.

Patriks is a singer/songwriter from Riga, Latvia. He identifies with such genres as R&B/Soul, Alternative Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Bedroom Pop/Lofi Hip-Hop, Neo Soul and others.

This album is a mixture of different genres, but the merging component is the lyrics. Throughout his life Patriks has been inspired by artists such as: Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, Local Natives, Joji, James Blake, Rex Orange County, Still Woozy, Tom Misch, Mac Miller, Anderson .Paak and others.

The 15th edition of the international new music festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW) will take place in Tallinn, Estonia from 10th to 14th May 2023. The submission call for musicians wishing to perform at the upcoming event is open until 12th December 2022 via TMW homepage.

TMW 2023 welcomes artists from various genres across the globe. All applications will be reviewed by the TMW programming team, which includes representatives of both Estonian and international music organisations and experts on various genres and scenes. A confirmed line-up of around 150 artists will be announced from February to March 2023.

As the leading showcase of “tomorrow’s music, arts and ideas” in the Baltic-Nordic region, TMW has been presenting distinctive talent from both its homeland and across Europe since 2009. TMW is valued internationally for its diverse programme, a vast variety of genres and high artistic level, as well as the strong representation of the international music industry. TMW’s music festival is attended by an audience of about 15,000 people and its PRO programme, attended by 1,000 delegates, connects artists with industry experts via a programme of discussion panels, workshops and mentoring sessions.

Reviews in international media have recognised TMW as an influential event that opens up distinctive talent to wider recognition and audiences. The last edition of the festival which took place from 4th to 8th May 2022 has been featured in music and culture publications like MOJO, The Line of Best Fit, The Quietus, Loud & Quiet and The Clash, as well as in public broadcasting channels from BBC Radio 4 to Deutsche Welle.

TMW 2023 artist application is open until 23.59 (CET) on 12th December 2022 via TMW homepage.

TMW 2023 takes place from 10th to 14th May 2023. TMW 2023 passes are on sale at the TMW webshop. Until the end of May, the Festival Pass and PRO Pass are available at Early Bird prices of 35 euros and 100 euros respectively.

TMW 2022 conference panel recordings are available for viewing for TMW PRO and DigiPRO clients via TMW PRO platform until the upcoming festival edition.

TMW is organised by Shiftworks in cooperation with several partners and co-curators. TMW’s strategic partner in the field of music is the national music export office Music Estonia.
Tallinn Music Week 2022 in numbers

• 192 music festival performers from 28 countries
• 974 PRO delegates/music industry representatives
• 103 conference speakers
• 30 music showcase events
• 229 team members and volunteers in Tallinn
• 17,425 festival visits

Today, on June 1, Latvian band “The Bad Tones” published a new single “Sunny Side” from their homecoming EP “Back Together Forever”, which will see the light of day in late June.

The lyrics of the song speak about reflections that for a moment arise when we tend to be just so happy that various everyday obstacles seem insignificant and sometimes it’s even hard to believe in their existence. The message of the song is a wish to get into such moments more often and to find joy in simple everyday things. “Walking on the sunny side of the street, especially towards the sun, literally makes me smile. I narrow my eyelids and for some reason my teeth show and make a little weird smile. I wish having sunglasses would be more convenient for me, because I wear optics already,” Kalvis imaginatively shares his feeling about the single.

The first sketches for the single were captured during the band’s annual creative camp and was later recorded at the “Red House” studio in Riga, Latvia. Keyboardist Teodors Kerimovs also took part in the recording. The song was produced and mixed by Jaspers Ras and mastered by Rengert Eggink, who are the band’s friends and partners from their study time in the Netherlands.

“Sunny Side” is one of the five compositions included in the upcoming EP “Back Together Forever”, which will be out on June 29. “The EP’s title “Back Together Forever” speaks for itself. We see it as a turning point in the band’s history. Probably not in terms of sound or any other musical expression, but definitely in the dynamics of the band. This is the first recording made while all of us were in one country, one city, one studio. And here it is important to add that we met ten years ago,” tells Edvards.

Nature and blues inspired union was formed in 2012 and was named “The Bad Tones” in 2017. It is represented by Edvards Broders (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Rudolfs Ozols (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Alberts Levics (vocals, bass guitar) and Kalvis Slezis-Zalkalns (vocals, drums). Up until now “The Bad Tones” has released EP “Bad Tunes” (2018), studio album “Is It Good Enough?” (2019), live album “Ezera Skaņas” (2020), as well as the song “Nest”, which is also included in the upcoming EP.

Alternative pop band Podruga has just released the single “Don’t Let Me Down” from their upcoming album “Sextasy” coming out in September. 

The melancholic dance track is inspired by the 90’s indie electronica. Airy and liberating, it makes you tempted to follow the White Rabbit and find your own Wonderland. The first draft of the song was written by the band’s vocalist Alise, when she took all of her music equipment and went to a music writing camp in Lithuania all by herself, instinctively recording the feelings of the moment. “Then I realized I’m chasing my own White Rabbit and trusting it to lead me to a better place,” says Alise. 

The music video follows Alise’s journey to a kinky Wonderland. It features some of the brightest names in today’s Latvian art world, such as performance artist Evelīna Baha, audiovisual artist Marss The Person, and drag queen Vencheska Baltique. 

The single was recorded and produced by Edvards Broders (“The Bad Tones”) at the “Red House” studio in Riga, and mastered by Alberts Levics (“The Bad Tones”). 

“Podruga” is: Alise Stefanoviča (vocals, keyboards, flute), Ričards Dauksts (guitar, keyboards), Jana Petkus (bass guitar) and Kārlis Lazdovskis (drums). The band was formed in 2016. So far, Podruga has released five singles and EP “YPA!”, which was highly acclaimed by the Polish radio station Radio Centrum.

‘“Vaga Värded Ķäubed/The Gate of Silence Opens” is generally about the death of language and the rebirth of new life in all its ways. It’s also about misunderstanding and comprehension. And definitely it speaks about Love which is the final reality after every fire and apocalypse. I think it could be a poem of the Easter and the Midsummer Night at the same time,’ contemplates Kempju Karlis, the author of Livonian poetry.

The artists of the project ‘Kuolm randõ/Three Shores’, inspired by the contemporary Livonian poetry, have enclothed Livonian language in nowadays original music. It is chamber music with
layers of different sound nuances and moods, bordering between the discovery of new musical horizons and following traditional canons. The musicians are united by their interest in the
shades of academic, jazz and world music.

Livonian is a language of indigenous peoples of Latvia, and it is listed in the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger as one of the most critically endangered languages in the
world. This year starts the Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (2022–2032) with the aim to draw global attention on the critical situation of many indigenous languages and to mobilize
stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization and promotion. Kempju Karlis is the only poet in the world who writes poetry in the lost and mysterious Vidzeme dialect, which is
also called the Salaca Livonian language, using his own orthography. A song is an opportunity to immerse oneself in the language, get to know its sound, use it, preserve it and carry it to a
wider audience.

Double bass player Stanislavs Judins, the author of lyrics, says about the single: ‘Language, poetry and people impact my thoughts and ideas. In recent years, I have focused on free
improvisation, contemporary music, but only when I met musicians in this project, I wanted to compose a simple melody in the senses of poetry.’

The poem ‘Vaga Värded Ķäubed/The Gate of Silence Opens’ is taken from the book ‘Trilium/Trillium’ (2018) published in both Livonian and English by the Livonian Cultural Center. It
is the first contemporary poetry book in Livonian language, which was widely recognized: it received the Annual Latvian Literature Award in special nomination (2019) and the Estonian
Literature Award for the related nations program (2020). In 2021 the book was published also in Estonian and Latvian languages.

The performers who took part in the recording of the single: Elina Ose (singer and artistic director of the project, producer), Janis Rubiks (double bass), Austris Kalnins (keyboards) and
Ernests Medins (percussions), string quartet JUNO, Kristaps Krievkalns (sound engineer, producer), Armands Treilihs (mix/master).

The single is made in cooperation with the University of Latvia Livonian Institute and the State Culture Capital Foundation and is a part of the upcoming album ‘Kuolm randõ/Three Shores’,
which is planned to be released in the second half of this year.

The project ‘Kuolm randõ/Three Shores’ will be performed on April 20 at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu and on May 5 as part of the music festival Tallinn Music Week within the
Fenno-Ugria Night in Tallinn

Estonia’s premier music industry event Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is thrilled to reveal the first speakers for the conference taking place within the event on 6th – 7th  May. The panellists include Simon Raymonde, Owner and Managing Director of Bella Union, which celebrates its 25th anniversary at TMW, the main instigator of the Britpop movement Jane Savidge, as well as the Managing Director of Mute Song David McGinnis.

• The music industry programme of the conference is developed in cooperation with the music industry development centre and export office Music Estonia.

• TMW 2022 PRO Pass is available for a discounted price until the end of January.

Simon Raymonde, former Cocteau Twin and the owner and managing director of Bella Union which celebrates its 25th anniversary at TMW, has discovered artists like Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Midlake and hundreds more. He also looks after the European releases for Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, etc and has recently returned to making music once more by forming the duo Lost Horizons. Simon will discuss the journey through the music business as well as share invaluable advice for the next generation of musical talent.

As co-founder and head of legendary PR company Savage & Best, Jane Savidge is widely credited as being the main instigator of the Britpop movement. At TMW, Savidge will present her new book Here They Come With Their Make Up On: Suede, Coming Up… And More Adventures Beyond The Wild Frontiers, out on 12th April. Besides Suede, Jane has represented other Britpop stars like Pulp, The Verve, Elastica, The Auteurs, and Menswear, and many other influential artists of the era, including The Fall and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Canadian-born London-residing David McGinnis is the Managing Director of Mute Song, the music publishing partner of the eminent Mute record label. Prior, he held licensing positions with PPL and MCPS. Mute Song publishes music by Jóhann Jóhannsson, Max Richter, Underworld, Swans, Bob Geldof, Peter Green, Liars, Wire and many other distinguished composers and recording artists.

Other speakers for the TMW conference include the artistic director of Slovenian festival MENT Ljubljana Andraž Kajzer, founder of Berlin’s booking agency von der haardt Ralf Diemert, agent at ICM Partners/Primary Talent Beckie Sugden, Festival Director of Oslo World Festival Alexandra Archetti Stølen, and Board Member at Norwegian Greener Events Linnéa Elisabeth Svensson. Estonian industry is represented by the popular artist and songwriter Daniel Levi and the Head Promoter of LiveNation Estonia Eva Palm.

The full TMW 2022 conference programme and main topics will be published gradually from February to April.

TMW 2022 takes place on 4th – 8th May in the Estonian capital Tallinn that bears the UNESCO City of Music title from 2022.

TMW 2022 passes are on sale at shop.tmw.ee. Until the end of January the PRO Pass, which grants access both to the music festival and the conference, is available for 150 euros, raising to 175 from February.
The selection of passes also includes Festival Pass and DigiPRO Pass, which provides online access to the conference.

TMW festival is founded and run by Shiftworks OÜ. The festival’s strategic partner is the music industry development centre and export office Music Estonia.

It’s time for a proper rave with Queer On Acid dropping their brand new EP on Catz N’ Dogz’ Step Recordings.

This latest release on Catz N’ Dogz’ Step Recordings follows the darker path that the most recent outings of their catalog have taken, with deep and dancefloor-focused music produced by Baldo, Lady Blacktronika, Elisa Bee and Lewy.

This time the beats come from Queer On Acid out of Latvia, who has previously released on the likes of Ovum, Kneaded Pains, Takeout, and their own eponymous imprint. In the duo’s brand new four-tracker EP for Step they merge 303 Acid lines with in-your-face kick drums, stomping grooves, hypnotic synths loops, and arps. These four productions make up a perfect collection of tracks for the rave.

“Cruising” EP is available from all major online stores and streaming platforms like Beatport, Traxsource, Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud: https://ampl.ink/re4bY.

Aminata has released a powerful ballad “I’m Letting You Go” and is getting ready to take part at the “Supernova” TV show where the Latvian Eurovision contestant will be chosen. The song is written by Aminata and produced by Kim W.

“The song is about two people, who have fallen out of love with each other. Breaking up is always painful, especially if you have  spent years together. Breaking up is frightening because of the uncertain future. The thought of seeing your loved one with another person is painful. Letting go is hard, when you both have become dependent on each other. It is easy to confuse dependency with relationship. Everyone deserves to be happy and there comes a time when you need to let the other person go and be happy on their own. Love does not end at that point, it transforms. Letting go is hard for everyone, whether you have to let go of a person, belief or insecurity. This song is about ourselves”,  Aminata explains.

Latvian singer-songwriter MARTA has shared her new single called ‘Filma, ko negribu redzēt’ (‘A Film I Don’t Want To See’, which is the first song from her second album coming by the end of 2022.

“When Russia started its war in Ukraine, I felt emotionally broken. I realise, of course, that my feelings are incomparable to what people are experiencing there, but I had never felt such fear, anger and despair before. To pause myself from refreshing Twitter and reading the news non-stop, I started playing the piano, however, I was still unable to think about anything else. And that’s how this song came to me – as a film I don’t want to see and neither does anyone.”

The production, studio recordings, mixing and mastering of the song done by JJ Lush, the video made by Kate Ozolina. The single is now available on all streaming platforms.

This and other Marta’s songs will be played live on her upcoming gig in Līgatne (Zeit) on 30 April.

MARTA (Marta Grigale) is a Latvian singer-songwriter. She has gratuated from London College of Music, returned to Latvia and has been releasing music since 2016. Her debut LP ‘Lietas, kas notiek manā galvā’ (‘Things That Are Happening In My Head’)  was nominated for the Annual Latvian Music Recording Award ‘Zelta Mikrofons 2021’. MARTA has collaborated with such well known Latvian musicians as Intars Busulis, DJ Rudd, Kashuks, Kaspars Ansons, Reinis Sējāns and others.