Category: News

Carnival Youth release “Good Luck Remixes” EP which features alternate versions of 6 tracks from their 2019 album “Good Luck”. This eclectic mix of different genres and styles is no short of surprises. The EP includes already released singles “Only the Moon Can See the Sun (Bel Tempo Remix)”, “Boys Do Cry (Kasetes Remix)” as well as remixes by such Latvian electronic masterminds as Elvi, Kashuks, Platon Buravicky and Carnival Youth long term collaborator and producer Gatis Zakis.

Carnival Youth came up with the idea of “Good Luck Remixes” about a year ago. Emils Kaupers from Carnival Youth explains: “We called up a few of our friends – artists and eventually came to a very colourful bunch. We gave them absolute freedom; they could choose the song themselves and do with it whatever comes to mind. Add new musical structures, use only the voice tracks (as Elvi did with “Desktop”), or remake songs beyond recognition. The results are very different and interesting. We believe that “Good Luck” has gained a new parallel life!”

To coincide with the EP release, the band shares a visualiser for one of the remixes – “Baby”, courtesy of Gatis Zakis. The video is done by Creators 22 team, who also remade the previously released – “Only the Moon Can See the Sun” and “Boys Do Cry” – remix videos. Gatis Zakis comments on his remix of “Baby”: “Creating a remix is like taking a baton and continuing on a map that has not yet been drawn. Fortunately, the song itself contains an inexhaustible amount of both sound and content, hence the journey turned out to be easy and exciting.

Listen to “Good Luck Remixes” EP here

The Latvian indie band Carnival Youth is one of the most successful new generation bands from the Baltic region. Carnival Youth fuse neat melodic lines with the energy of alternative rock and indie music, while their emotional range varies from youthful melancholia to pure, bright joy. Since the formation of the band, Carnival Youth have released five records, from which the latest one – “Good Luck” came out in August 2019

August 14, Riga, in this summer the only large-scale festival will take place on the shores of the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum on Jugla lake.

This year festival will feature one of the most legendary Latvian folk-metal band “Skyforger”, which has earned international recognition and performs its compositions in the genre of folk metal. Visitors will not be deprived of musical attention by the organizers of the festival – the group “DAGAMBA”, which also will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the festival.

The organizers of the festival “Laivā” identify event with a bridge between traditionally classical values and the modern world, just as “crossover” – the fusion of genres and styles what forms a link between classical and folk music with contemporary music. Festival are described by organizers as: “Music without borders, traditions of ancestors intertwined with the present, and addition all world’s beauty and picturesque Latvian nature – best characterize the crossover festival “Laivā”. The format of the festival this year will correspond to cross -genre themes. Thanks to our new and unusually positioned stage, the concert can be enjoyed on the waves of Lake Jugla or sitting comfortably on the shore in a territory of Latvian open-air museum. We are also pleased that last year our festival was highly appreciated not only by a large number of festival visitors, but also by industry professionals who have honored us with the “Excellence Award.”

Visitors are offered a variety of opportunities to visit the festival – by boats, motor boats (with a motor raised from the water), on SUP boards or catamarans, on public, personal transport or a bicycle. Thanks to the unusually placed stage with a 360 ° view, on which the artists will perform, the festival can be enjoyed both from the water and from land.

The first festival “Laivā” received “Excellence Award 2020” in the nomination “The Most Outstanding Live Concert in Non-Traditional Forms During COVID Restrictions 2020” from the Latvian Forum of Events.

The concert starts at 19:00, entrance to the event territory will be open from 17:00. Tickets can be purchased on the portal https://ej.uz/festivalsLAIVAA, as well as in all sales points of “Biļešu Serviss”. The ticket price is 25 euros. Regardless of the number of spectators on the boat, the ticket must be presented to each visitor to the festival “Laivā”. The organizers of the event offer boat rental services. Coming into festival territory everyone needs to follow up all safety rules established in the country, persons who have not had a COVID-19 infection or have not been vaccinated will be able to attend the festival only on floating vehicles. Event visitors who have had a Covid-19 infection or who have been vaccinated can enjoy the concert both from the waves of the lake and from land.

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.

Stream “Lighter” on Spotify

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”.

A new international project Loud Sounding Empty Pots have released a self-titled summer hit, which is their first single.

The project features several Latvians – rapper Idus Abra, keyboardist Andris Kauliņš and guitarist Elvijs Grafcovs. Rapper Rokas Jama Grajauskas represents Lithuania. Spain and Brazil are represented in the project by two musicians each: the basist Jaume Guerra Mene and the vocalist Jordi Palau, and the percussionists Rodrigo Manfrinatti and Rafael Nascimento Rocha. The Serbian Goran Milosevic plays the drums while another percussionist in the project is Miguel Hernandez Giraldi from Chile.

The idea for such a project came up last year, when the lives of musicians all over the world had almost stopped, but the same could not be said about mutual communication. One evening Goran Milosevic, a drummer of the Serbian group Nakedband Belgrade, was testing his newly bought mics and sent a drum track to the guitarist of Latvian band Very Cool People Elvijs Grafcovs who is known as the world’s friendliest Latvian. Elvijs came up with harmonies solution, played guitar parts and thought that it would be good to add some synthesizer sounds to this.

The recording was sent to the keyboardist Andris Kauliņš. The track was missing some groovie bass part so it was sent to an old friend and comrade-in-arms of Elvijs from Valencia – Jaume Guerra Meneu, who plays in the bands Obrint Pas, Orxata Sound System and Jim War Brou. Logically, the song also needed a text… The project participants thought they could tell the adventurous story of musicians during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two powerful freestyle hip-hop artists – Idus Abra from Latvia and Rokas Jama Grajauskas from Lithuania – were addressed. Knowing each other well, they thought to play with common proverbs used in both Latvia and Lithuania. It turned out that both Baltic nations had both “Shape iron while it’s hot” and “Empty pots sounds loud and far away”, which then became the official name of this project.

Of course, there was no peace, so the idea to throw another language in the mix emerged, and Jaume Guerra Meneu recommended the Catalan singer Jordi Palau to sing the chorus of the song. It turned out that the proverbs of the Baltic nations also exist in Catalan, so he decided to use them in singing as well.

Brazilian musicians Rodrigo Manfrinatti and Rafael Nascimento Rocha, and percussionist from Chile – Miguel Hernandez Giraldi – took care of the feeling of a real Brazilian carnival in the bridge of the song. To make the result even more attractive, South American musicians also sang their vocal part in the song in Portuguese as they all three form Na-Lata Project.

The publisher of the new song is SIA Very Cool People, which is a publishing house and producer association established last year for various funk, jazz and soul music projects. This entry was made with the support of the LaIPA Creative Scholarship.

A synth-rock band from Riga produced yet another music video with no budget – now it’s for the song Touch my Dress. The song is written by the band’s bass guitarist Nikita Andrejevs. The music video was shot by the band’s longtime friend Stephanie Zapolska.

The story unfolds in a shady neighborhood in Riga. A young man buys the “Party” video tape from a mysterious dealer, unaware that it contains a viral song that would eventually spread to the whole world and cause people to dance recklessly and dress up in bizarre clothing.

The music video involved all of the friends and friends of friends that the band could invite. While Stephanie Zapolska was shooting the band’s drummer Jānis Zariņš tied up to a chair, Daniil Ravinsky and Nikita Andrejevs were cooking chili in the kitchen for the whole band. Tasty chili is the secret of making a music video with no budget and any professional actors, says Daniil, the band’s lead singer. The idea for the video is a result of a mutual desire to produce a music video packed with action and references to dark comedy and the previous videos of the band. The band wishes to thank all the participants of the shooting!

DANI RYAN has already released 4 music videos for songs from the PARTY! album and do not plan to stop. Now the band tirelessly prepares for the album support tour, waiting to meet everyone at the future concerts that will provide more than an exciting musical show – a visual one as well. DANI RYAN did not ever sound or look like that.

Latvian band Very Cool People has released a new single and video Camarada Emigrante. In the video, all members of the band take part in a talent show in which they have to show their hidden talents.

The band’s leader & guitarist Elvijs is a street juggler who specializes in cup tricks with money laundering, the group’s keyboardist Māris Vitkus is a passionate archer in a green cloak. Māris Jēkabsons is a karatist who is able to break boards with all parts of his body. As it has long been known, the game of saxophone and karate are based on the same principles, so it is no wonder that the sexiest saxophonist of Latvia is dressed in a kimono with a fourth dana black belt.

His colleague Kristaps, on the other hand, is a break dancer with excellent dance steps from the highest shelves of the brakedance tradition. The fact that Kristaps is a great dancer has so far been seen in the band’s concerts, where he is also the choreographer of the Very Cool People wind section. Laura is a boxer-cake baker who can knock out any member of the jury if the results are not what she expected. Oskars, well, who doesn’t know Oskars yet – a kebab tycoon, philanthropist and the best director-screenwriter of Ķekava. Bassist Jānis is an unbeatable hot dog eater with an excellent appetite and a huge mouth, in which he can stuff up to three hot dogs at the same time. And finally, Andris is a botanist-crazy professor who knows how to grow everything from everything. He has been growing tulips and watermelons for years, and even knows how to select tomatoes and special long rhubarb. The only one who demonstrates musical talent in the video for Camarada Emigrante is the Brazilian actor, dancer and songwriter Jorge Barreto Gonçalves who lives in Latvia. All these characters then interact as much as they can, and all the talents are inevitably valued. Evaluation is known to be a serious and complex process, so it is carried out by a no less colorful jury, which logically are also played by the members of the band themselves.

The new single is composed by Elvijs Grafcovs. The creation of the clip was completely entrusted to the excellent Latvian filmaker Reinis Janulis and the Colortime team. The recording of the song was made under the direction of Tālis Timrots in the legendary Mints Music studio – basement of the Reformed Church, then the recorded result traveled to Ogre where the mixing work was made by Andris Buiķis and then Jānis Kalve took care of the master version of the track.