Latvian electronic pop duo releases their second single from the upcoming EP, which will come out 2022.
Music, lyrics and production – Līva Komarovska and Matīss Repsis.
The song “Don’t Panic” was made during the second wave of the pandemic. It’s based on our feelings, emotions, thoughts and fears while sitting at home during the lockdown.
The song’s story is about the chaos during this weird time which has made people lonely and desperate. We should not be afraid of the unknown, so don’t judge a book by it’s cover because the truth could be an illusion. There is already a huge mess going around the world which consists of hate, fear and misunderstandings. So we want to keep calm during this storm.
We miss all the good times with our friends and family, unlike this period which feels like a cage.
We don’t ask much but we want to feel like we used to, spending time with our loved ones, friends and surrounding people.
The lyric video is by Didzis Bardo who has captured our daily emotions and feelings.
The song is available on all major streaming platforms:
Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Youtube
The Latvian alternative pop-rock band “Sudden Lights” releases the third single “Siltas vasaras ēnā” from the upcoming album and invites to a concert in event venue “Balodis”. The song tells a story about summer, about longing and love. “Siltas vasaras ēnā” continues the sound experiments that “Sudden Lights” has started so far, combining modern indie style with elements and references of various other music styles.
The song was created as a soundtrack for fleeting summer, telling about the experienced, felt and longed. The band’s soloist Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis talks about the song: “In the key phrase of “Siltas vasaras ēnā” I wanted to include the incomprehensible nostalgic feeling that takes over as summer draws to a close. The song is about longing that never ends. One summer is passing and we are waiting for the next one.”
“SKD debuts on Monolith Records with „Nemiera Gars” (The Spirit Of Unrest), an eclectic EP providing 3 original cuts crafted by the Latvian producer and a remix by Zaliva-D, whoʼve been creating progressive and personal dark electronics for more than a decade, based in Beijing, China. „Nemiera Gars” is adventurous and psychedelic in nature, blending dark downtempo techno, rhythmic noise and tribal delusions as a state-of-the-art sound collage, the peculiar sonic incests of „Deepfake Mirrorscape” and „Debris Dance” are the outcome.
The abstract yet sentimental turmoil of „Translucent Dimension Drift” provides the last gasp of sonic hallucinations before reaching the melting point of the EP with the pounding rework of „Deepfake Mirrorscape” provided by the dark oriental electronica master Zaliva-D.”
This juicy blend of ear pleasing sounds and a fluent jammy flow looks on the classic boom bap through a fresh lens. The glitchy, unpredictable beat arrangement of Rick Feds keeps you locked in guessing what’s going to happen next and is followed by simple, clean rhyme schemes of an 18 year old rap prodigy March. Definitely displaying also great video talent of the 23 year old visual artist Mark Landman. The music video has been filmed using the green screen and so the two leading characters travel through different environments creating positive energy and almost a humerus feel at times. The funky, vibrant selection of colours sync well with the music and leaves you with a good summery vibe.
Rick Feds is considered to be one of the greatest finger-drummers in the world today, but if you ever catch him live it will be something that you’ve never experienced before. The former jazz drums and classical piano background makes a key difference in Rick’s playing abilities on the sample pad and allows him to perform all elements of beat arrangement live in a way that’s never been done before. And it goes on.. All of his pads are synced to visuals and lights matching the sounds and telling the visual story alongside music. Basically he is playing God controlling your entire reality with his fingertips. In Rick’s eyes he is an ambassador of a new art form and striving to do his part extending future technology dimensions that a man can use to express impulsive emotions.
Rick has opened shows for James Arthur, Jungle and AraabMuzik.
He has done solo shows at venues like The Cutting Room (NYC), SXSW (Austin) and has been included in Ableton’s TOP 5 performers list for two years in turn. Also included in SCENES Media ”7 musicians to watch in 2019”. But don’t get too drawn away only by the performance side. His production/sound design skills are like ear vitamins that are easy to be consumed while listening to his tracks.
The unstoppable Latvian band Very Cool People has produced a new video for a music piece that is already the fourth single of the upcoming group’s new album, “50 Years of Influence + 30 Years of Cool Equals 13 Years of Music Hooliganism”, expected in October.
When “Very Cool People” goes to play concerts to Liepāja and drives through Biksti, the band members have a tradition of poking each other (‘bikstīt’ in Latvian means ‘to poke’, so the town ‘Biksti’ would be ‘Poketown’ in English), thereby waking up those who sleep and annoy those with weaker nerves.
“Tradition needs to be respected,” say the group’s spiritual leader and guitarist, Elvijs Grafcovs, confidently. “When going back to Riga after playing a concert or the next day after the after-party, we all poke each other while passing through Biksti.”
In “Alone in Biksti”, the video portrays a musician who has ended up alone in Biksti and has no one to poke. The song’s sweet-hearted subject, therefore, is about the harsh reality, when you are already completely alone, and then it turns out to be in Biksti. However, the encouraging end of the piece makes it possible to realise that nothing is over yet, and it gives hope that the protagonist will return to Biksti with his friends whom he can poke.
“According to an old Latvian belief, if you walk in Liepāja on Riga street or if you walk in Riga on Liepāja street and a crow poops on you, you’ll be crossing Biksti alone for the next two years…”, Elvijs summarizes the idealistic analysis of the new composition.
The video version of the single has been created by the group’s trumpetist and kebab business magnate, Oskars Ozoliņš, and Elvijs Grafcovs who is also the author of the new tune and has provided his help adding a spaghetti western twist to it. “This composition is like a mix of different musical influences of my own — Ennio Morricone mixed with Dire Straits & some Gypsy jazz with Too Many Zooz on top. It is an instrumental song which would be perfect for a Tarantino movie & mixes a variety of musical genres, crossing all imaginable borders.” – says Elvijs.
Written & arranged by Elvijs Grafcovs; Mixed by Andris Buiķis at Ciemupes Production, Ogre, Latvia; Mastered by Dave McNair at Dave McNair Mastering, NC, USA; Released by SIA VERY COOL PEOPLE.
The new music also continues to include all the “coolest”musicians: Oskars Ozoliņš – trumpet, Māris Jēkabsons – tenor saxophone, Laura Rozenberga – trombone, Kristaps Lubovs – baritone saxophone, Elvijs Grafcovs – guitar, Māris Vitkus – keyboard, Jānis Olekšs – bass, Andris Buiķis – drums and percussion.
After a longer break and a released album “Y A U D A” in August 2020, one of the leading Latvian hip-hop artists Ozols returns with a brand new single “LIELAIS FLEXXX”. The single is released in cooperation with the international record label “Sony Music Entertainment”.
“LIELAIS FLEXXX” was created together with a new local beatmaker “Mauriks”. Ozols comments: “The song was written during a time when the majority of events are cancelled, “frozen” and a large part of the society is experiencing a reform in their professional and personal lives. This time will definitely leave a certain mark on all of us.”
Regarding the cooperation with “Sony Music Entertainment”, Ozols comments: “We’ve established cooperation for multiple singles and in my opinion, this is the right time when teamwork might bring greater results than individual work. I hope we will succeed!”
Kaisu Pulli, Director, Partner Services & Baltics, comments: “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Ozols. We are simply amazed by his talent and artistic vision and have huge respect for the long career he has been able to build by himself. Latvia’s music scene is vibrant and we are looking forward to finally start building more relationships in the local community.”
After a successful start last year ‘Taurud’ continues his journey and has a new exciting release. The latest song, ‘Night Sky’, which for the first time also has a Latvian version (‘Nakts Skan’), is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other platforms.
‘Taurud’, in his own words, describes the song: This is a profoundly philosophical song. It talks about our ever-changing existence and the universe around us. Night sky or night itself is only an illusion, rather a phantasy perceived in some mystical being’s consciousness. Realities through which our consciousness can travel, including this one, are not actual but dream. We are dreamers, and our essence is pure love. We are multidimensional beings, and our power and potential are enormous – yet to be discovered fully. I like the metaphor for the night sky or its sound. It resembles our transcending nature quite well. What is the night sky? While it is night here on earth, it is the day on the moon. So what is the “night sky” – illusion. So let me ask you, what is our perception of reality, ourselves, principles, and beliefs? You know the answer.
This double singe is the last piece of the trilogy. Two singles were recorded and released in the previous year, and now the missing piece. These songs let us get to know ‘Taurud’ and his sound, his views on life. This music once was described as a culmination of dreamy and heartfelt sounds, experimenting with different levels of intimacy.
Later this summer, we can expect more new music from the artist. At this point, it is hard to predict how the events will unfold across Europe and whether ‘Taurud’ will be able to play live shows, but he and his team are hopeful that it will happen and they will be able to visit ‘Taurud’s’ home Latvia as well.
Tonight (May 20), Latvian singer Samanta Tīna will take the stage of the International Eurovision Song Contest, where she will represent Latvia with the song “The Moon Is Rising”. Samanta will participate in the second semi-final as 15th contestant and will fight for the opportunity to perform in the Eurovision Super Final on the evening of May 22. But before that Samanta has decided to please the audience by releasing a new song “I’m The Woman”.
“Since I’m in Rotterdam right now, I think it would be great if I could release a new song in the evening of my Eurovision semi-final because this song is exactly on the same topic as my Eurovision song “The Moon Is Rising” – the power of a woman – “I’m The Woman,” says Samanta.
The single “I’m The Woman” was made in a songwriting camp, which was organized especially for Samanta in the autumn of 2020 in cooperation with the “Latvian Music Development Association/Latvian Music Export”. The aim of the camp was to write a strong and competitive song with which Tīna could participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Eleven demo versions of the songs were recorded at this two-day long camp, from which the single “The Moon Is Rising” was chosen as the Eurovision song, and the song “I’m The Woman” Samanta ranked in her TOP 3. “I ranked all the songs from the camp in order, to choose the right one for Eurovision, and this song was convincingly in my TOP 3. It was made on the second day of the camp, and Arnis Račinskis and Jānis Jačmenkins worked on it,” reveals Samanta.
“The story of the song is like a flowing and natural continuation of my Eurovision song “The Moon Is Rising” – about accepting yourself and that we must learn that what makes us different from each other – that is our uniqueness. Love yourself, keep your head up and go your own way no matter what others think of you. We each have our dreams and goals, and the only one who can or cannot achieve them is you! Be unshakable! Head up and go boldly to make your dreams come true!” urges Samanta.
“While we are in Rotterdam, a TV directing consultant for the Eurovision performance Juris Matuzelis (Pepe) and I created the lyric video for the song “I’m The Woman. In our spare time, which is extremely limited here actually, we continue to work on new material. I am currently working on my new album,” reveals Samanta Tīna.
“I’m The Woman” will be available on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and other music streaming platforms soon.
Already tonight, May 20, the second semifinal of the International Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast live, where our national representative Samanta Tīna will perform as 15th contestant.
Samanta Tīna won “Supernova 2020” with the song “Still Breathing” and earned her chance to represent Latvia in the Eurovision but it was cancelled due to the pandemic, therefore the Latvian Television (LTV) has given Samanta the opportunity to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
Although Reinis got only the 4th place on the show, he has not only released two EP’s “Quarter to Eleven” and “Satan Is Coming To Town” both recorded with producer Kārlis Šteinmanis in Jelgava “KS Records”, but also two singles in native language – “Lai Naktīs” and “Pustumsā”, found on all biggest streaming services.
Video for the song “Always Empty” was made in collaboration with multi-artist Ēriks Saksons.
Electro-pop artist and producer BAIBA has finished work on her second studio album that was made in collaboration with Tyrolean producers CHRS and “Digital Youth”. Her latest work is a dynamic manifesto that beauty can be found different human emotions.
BAIBA has been working on this album for past few years and is both author and producer of songs. Most of the songs are recorded in her little bedroom studio. Songs are produced in close collaboration with two Tyrolean producers – Christoph Holzknecht (CHRS) and Benjamin Leingartner (“Digital Youth”).
Album consists of ten songs that she has written in recent years. During this time she has exchanged her signature acoustic guitar and melancholic lyrics with vibrant synths, piano chords and massive drum beats.
This work is a symbol of a new start for Latvian singer-songwriter. “Lighter” is filled with straight forward and playful electro-pop. “Album is a dynamic manifesto that beauty can be found different human emotions, and that melancholy can be beautiful, filled with rhythm, you can both enjoy and dance to it,” says BAIBA.
Musician reveals that she’s been experimenting a lot with sounds and motives and her lyrics have become much more bolder than in her previous works. “I learned to take my experiences with playfulness and healthy amount of irony,” she says and hopes that it will resonate with her listeners to be inspired to be true and sincere to themselves.
BAIBA is a Latvian musician who currently lives in Innsbruck, Austria. She grew up in a family of farmers in a small town of Tukums, Pure parish. At the age of seven, she began attending Kandava Music School, where she studied piano. Later, BAIBA moved to Liepaja, where he studied culture management and also obtained a master’s degree in writing. During this time, she began to write her own songs and perform at various events.
At the end of 2020 BAIBA took second place in Italian contest for young musicians called “Upload Sounds”. She gained an opportunity to work with such recognised members of Italian music industry as producer Bruno Belissimo (previously working with Italian bands “Calcutta” and “Frah Quintale”) and video graphic designer and director Claudio Zagarini from “Universal Music”.
