Normunds Rutulis collaborates with Finnish DJ Oliver Paris and sings in English.

Normunds Rutulis is releasing a new song created in collaboration with Finnish DJ and music producer Oliver Paris. Their first collaboration is the electroswing song “LET’S SWING!” Summer and parties already wait for it!
Normunds Rutulis: “A year ago, I was approached by Latvian music producer DJ Plastic with an offer to create a melody for Finnish DJ music demo who was not yet known to me at that time. I decided to try. I called DJ Oliver Paris and agreed to start this international music project immediately. First I sang a demo without words, just the melody and phrase that came to mind at that moment. Eventually, the full form came, and lyrics was later written by Oliver’s brother IGOR, who successfully operates in the Finnish hip hop scene. As this project was not a priority, we only got to the end now. However, we are both pleased. Electroswing is a type of dance music, and although its origins can be traced back to the early 1990s, it has not gained much popularity in Latvia. We hope that with “Let’s swing!” will be able to improve its position in our music market. True, this is one of the few times I allowed myself to sing in English. But since this single is also being released in Finland today, it’s understandable. “
DJ Oliver Paris: “The audience of Riga clubs has got to know me, because sometimes I perform here with my DJ sets. I have been in club music since 1999, but in 2007 I was invited to become the DJ of concert tour by Swedish club music star Pandora. Soon after, I also started producing music. Although I grew up with rock, rock and roll and pop music, which I “absorbed” on MTV and VH1, I have established myself in club music. And I really like to build mashup mixes. My passion is music and I love different genres of music, so this time I allowed myself to experiment with an electroswing style that is quite stylish, rhythmic and danceable. I am glad that I managed to meet Normunds, because I am looking for a Latvian singer who feels equally good in pop music and swing, as well as dance music. The melody and vocal manner he created inspired a new wind for my track and now, it can be heard in Helsinki, Riga and everywhere else in the world. Let’s swing! ”
Producer and author DJ Oliver Paris
The melody was composed and sung by Normunds Rutulis
The words written by Igor Parri
Song mixmaster by Jānis Kalve (Labo recording studio)

Latvian producer MICKEEN releases single “Feel Free”

Electronic music producer MICKEEN (Miks Pinzulis), in collaboration with Saule (Krišjānis Suntažs)  on May 4th, released the single “Feel Free”.

Saule about the song:“Message is pretty straightforward, but at the same time so true. When I wrote the lyrics, I was in a place in my life, where everything was changing, everything about my life was getting more and more serious and I felt like i’m losing my spark, my spontaneity, my inspiration to have fun. That’s what the song is about, an encouragement for people to not be shy, to do silly things and embrace life fully.”

MICKEEN about the song: “When working on this song I wanted to create happy but still emotional feelings with thought that adults sometimes should feel like kids and feel free. With Saule we already knew the motive of this song when we started.”

The single was released with a video about friendship, the feeling of being free and having a good time.

“Rihards Lībietis Orchestra” after performing a livestream concert will begin a crowdfunding campaign

On the 24. March 20:00 after performing a livestream concert “Rihards Lībietis Orchestra” will begin a crowdfunding campaign for the upcoming album “Willful Blindness” that is set to release at the end of May. The campaign is being hosted by the crowdfunding site “Projektu banka”.

“This album has been in production for the majority of last year and was recorded in autumn of 2020. We have poured a lot of time, care and love into it. Coincidentally, the making of this album coincided with the epidemic and all of its consequences. Somehow this album has been constantly plagued by hardships and financial troubles. Musically, this album definitely has the most layers out of all the other albums which we have released so far. Contrasting themes and powerful soundscapes, this album is meant to touch on complicated themes. We believe that it is very important to finally finish this album so we can present it to our listeners and so we can move on.” Revealed the leader of the band and the author of the music Rihards Lībietis. “We decided to make the crowdfunding campaign on “Projektu banka” because it is a wonderful way to support good and creative ideas which need finances to achieve.”

The band’s cello player Erna Daugaviete also added: “It’s plain to see that in recent days many artists of different types deeply miss the opportunities to present their art to a wider audience.  Especially musicians and dancers. During the last year we all have experienced a huge spectrum of emotions, that it’s hard not to express it through our art. We long for listeners we could tell at least a fraction of the stories that comes from the language of our souls. Through music one can say many things. Music has the power to heal both the player and the listener. Obviously, a livestream concert doesn’t have the same energy exchange as a live concert but for now this is the only way we can contact our listeners with our music. It’s also a great opportunity for us to have a heart to heart with our listeners.”

The livestream concert will feature songs from the upcoming album “Willful Blindness” some of which will be performed for the first time. The concert will be broadcasted on Rihards Lībiets YouTube channel:

The crowdfunding project will be available to supporters on “Projektu banka” platform for one month – until 22nd of April. More information about the album’s release and ways to support it can be found here: https://projektubanka.lv/projects/albums-willful-blindness. It is informatively supported by “Valmiermuižas” beer brewery and Rocket Bean Cafe.

The name of the album “Willful Blindness” refers to the desire of individuals refusing to acknowledge alarming things happening to oneself and everywhere else on the planet. The themes of the album are about each person’s responsibility to oneself, accepting one’s light and dark side, which creates a desire to learn and experience new things, strive to be responsible and believe in oneself.

The album will include 12 instrumental compositions the author of which is Rihards Lībietis and in collaboration with the other band members. Aside from Rihards Lībietis (acoustic and electric guitar), Erna Daugaviete (cello), Gints Smukais (acoustic guitar), Matīss Repsis (percussion) and Jānis Polis (bass) the album also features Mārtiņš Miļevskis (percussion), Laura Rozenberga (trombone), Valters Šmits (saxophone) and Reinis Klatenbergs (french horn). Album was recorded at “AMFO Music” studio in Rīga. Sound production was managed by Toms Lisments.

The two prior released singles from the album  “Night Follow Me” and “Driftwood Island” are available on all streaming platforms including Spotify.

“Rihards Lībietis Orchestra” is a quintet performing dynamic instrumental world music. The band fuses together African, Middle-Eastern and Lavian folk music while taking inspiration from blues and jazz music.

Local group “Dagamba” and the new singer Dārta Stepanova released a new collaboration – the song “I must go further”

On April 30, the local group “Dagamba” and the new singer Dārta Stepanova released a new collaboration – the song “I must go further”.

The title of the song is especially significant for Dārta Stepanova, as this is her debut in the world of Latvian popular music. The author of the single’s music is a member of “Dagamba”, cellist Valters Pūce, while the author of the words – singer Patrisha, the representatives of the musicians informed.

Latvian rockers Kayro have released their debut EP “Strangest Times”

 

The EP was recorded in the second half of 2020, during the global pandemic as a reflection on the hardships of isolation and self re-discovery.
Kayro was founded in 2018 by guitarists Karlis and Ritvars. In 2019 they were joined by the lead singer Reinis and bassist Agnis, solidifying the band’s sonic footprint. The band’s influences range from pop to modern metal, melting together in an energetic and emotional performance.
Strangest Times was recorded and produced by Kayro themselves with Karlis as the main audio engineer. Right now Kayro are actively working on new songs for the next album and will probably release some singles at the end of the summer.
Band photography – Janeta Jumtiņa

 

Rock band Cacophonics releases a new song We Did Not Use It All and a video

Local Latvian rock band Cacophonics presents their newest song We Did Not Use It All and an accompanying video.

The song’s author Ingus Sala comments: “Just like for many other bands, last year has been a big challenge for us. We greatly missed spending time together, rehearsing, also gigging and visiting shows of other musicians. At the same time, it has been a good opportunity to slow down and evaluate past events and decisions so as to more effectively use the chances that live presents and appreciate things that seemed self-evident in the past”.

The song was recorded at No Fuss Audio studio in Tukums, it was mixed by the drummer of Cacophonics Valērijs Černejs. The song’s music and lyrics were written by the band’s singer and guitar player Ingus Sala. The video for the song was filmed at Tukums city Culture Center, it was shot and edited by Gints Sprēdis in collaboration with the band’s bass player Aivars Daugavietis.

Cacophonics was formed in 2002 in Cēsis, up until now the band had released 1 full-length LP, 2 Eps and 7 singles, has played shows in all Baltic states, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Russia.

Spotify

Press release photo by Laura Grūbe.

There will be free live concerts by Andrejs Osokins and conversations with the audience

Two special live concerts by Latvian pianist Andrejs Osokins are coming soon. Listeners will be able to follow them not only in Latvia, but also elsewhere in the world.

Already this Saturday, March 27, at 19.00 (Riga time) Andrejs Osokins live piano concert “Parallels” will take place online. The concert is organised by the American Latvian Association (ALA) and is included in the ALA 70th anniversary event series. The pianist’s solo program will feature the surprising parallels between American and Latvian piano music in the 20th century.

After the concert, all spectators are invited to take part in a conversation with Andrejs Osokins, Director of ALA Office of Cultural Affairs Valda Grinberga and ALA Executive Director Marisa Gudrais, as well as Latvian composer Juris Karlsons. The discussion will be led by musicologist Liene Jakovļeva.

“In March last year, during the pandemic, our online concerts gained great popularity, gathering several thousand spectators in the United States and Canada. Spring awakens hope and love in our hearts, so I invite my compatriots in North America and across the ocean to put on a festive dress and enjoy this beautiful event,” says Valda Grinberga.

The live broadcast will be available on the Facebook pages of the American Latvian Association and Andrejs Osokins, as well as on the online platform “Zoom”, link here.

On April 19, at 18.00 Andrejs Osokins’ concert “Latvian piano music over the centuries” will be broadcast live from the Latvian Radio Studio 1. The concert and conversation with the pianist will be led by director of Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika” and musicologist Gunda Vaivode.

The concert will feature works by three outstanding Latvian composers – Pēteris Vasks’ “A Little Night Music”, Imants Zemzars’ “Warsaw Triptych” and a very special event – the premiere of Aivars Kalejs’ piano pieces “Songs Without Words”. Andrejs Osokins will perform these compositions as a gift to the music lovers of these composers – all of whom have significant anniversaries in April. The concert will also feature piano works by Jāzeps Vītols, Ādolfs Skulte, Jānis Mediņš, Juris Karlsons, Emīls and Wolfgangs Dārziņš.

The concert will be broadcast live on LR3 “Klasika” and shown on the website. The recording of the concert will also be available in the LR3 “Klasika” archive and on the Latvian Radio YouTube channel. The concert is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.

“It is a great pleasure for me that Latvian Radio “Klasika” and the American Latvian Association in these difficult times give musicians the opportunity to play and listeners to hear excellent Latvian music. The programs of both concerts will be especially emotional, as I will play not only my favourite compositions but also brand-new piano works from my repertoire. I am very much looking forward to these concerts because such meetings are important for both – me and the audience. They give hope that the live concerts may return one day”, says Andrejs Osokins.

Both concerts will also feature Jāzeps Vītols’ Lullaby, performed by Andrejs Osokins.

Latvian producers MICKEEN and DESTRO release a collaborative single “We Lost Us”

Electronic music producers MICKEEN (Miks Pinzulis), and DESTRO (Voldemārs Pauls Dzenis), in collaboration with Jasmine Green Tea (Jasmīne Zavele)  on march 26, release the single “We Lost Us”.

Jasmine Green Tea about the song: It’s hard to put the idea of the song to words, and just as hard to understand what the people around are dealing with emotionally. The words “We Lost Us” resemble a lot of things. Everyone has their own demons to deal with. They can be stored deep within, they can appear in the form of another person. We can’t grasp how simple it is to bestrange ourselves, while fighting mazes placed by others. That’s what the lyrics are all about – not losing yourself trying not to lose someone else.

MICKEEN about the song: I’ve been working together with DESTRO for over a year now, but just now are we actually showing the results to the listeners. As the first original collaboration we decided to release “We Lost Us”, because that’s one of the first songs we worked together on. There were many versions. At the end we decided to go with this one.

Carnival Youth release a remix of “Boys Do Cry” by Kasetes

Latvian indie rock band Carnival Youth have released another remix from their upcoming “Good Luck” remix EP – this time it’s Kasetes remake of “Boys Do Cry”. This follows the “Only the Moon Can See the Sun” remix by Bel Tempo released in February.

Kasetes, who’s latest album “Dialogue” was named Best Electronic Music Album at the 2021 Latvian Music Awards “Zelta Mikrofons”, have given “Boys Do Cry” a fresh 80s synthpop vibe. The remix comes with a reconstructed original music video, that emphasises the new ambience of the track.

Since Kasetes have already done a dazzling remix of Carnival Youth’s “Underneath the Water” a few years ago, they were one of the first ones Carnival Youth thought of when deciding which creators to give “Good Luck” songs to remix. “Cool people and a cool band with a distinct style and their own signature sound within the local music scene,” describes Emils Kaupers from Carnival Youth. “I sent Rudolfs the song tracks almost a year ago and he replied very quickly with an almost finished version of the remix. It’s essentially a Kasetes song with a “Boys Do Cry” vocal tracks since it feels like almost all instruments are added from scratch. And that’s the beauty of this project – each artist can do whatever they want with the song. We love to be surprised!”

Rudolfs Zagorskis of Kasetes explains that it was difficult to choose which song to remix: “After experimenting with three songs, that I thought would work well as remixes, “Boys Do Cry” vocal track brought the most interesting vibe. I began with putting together interesting synth chords that further created the mood of the track and from there it was pretty easy to amplify it with different elements. Since 80s music is close to my heart, I chose to make the whole song with the mood of that time – electric drums and analogue synthesizers. When the remix was almost done, bass player Jurgis Prieditis joined and played bass in the “slap” technique, which added a good atmosphere to the remix.”

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 emotion 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.

New wave rock band JAUDA released their latest single from second studio album “Under water”

On March 26, 2021, rock band JAUDA released a music video from the second studio album with the same title “UNDER WATER”. It’s been more than a year, since we began to form relationships, beliefs, comprehensions and attitudes that contradicts our nature.

Double standards, money, control and propaganda are the tools by which politicians sit in their baths trying to wash off the dirt of responsibility. The water gets dirty and starts to draw in the mouth – disgusting taste, but there is no escape … and panic begins!

The show goes on and has reached its climax, digital fatigue and the public can no longer hold the pressure pumped by the media throughout the year.  We supervise everything, we control everything, the direction is clear, but the human essence, value, intentions, relationships, dreams and daily life remains behind.

We are patients of our government, imprisoned in restrictions and we see how we destroy ourselves and one other. What mind cannot comprehend, the body cannot accept. In the end – someone will fall.

This year, the rock band JAUDA has released several singles like “EYES”, “APART”, “LOVE AND SUNSHINE”, “DEEP INSIDE” and latest single “UNDER WATER”, that also introduces the release of the new album. There are 11 songs in the album that have been created within the last two years. The album includes songs that haven’t been released before, but the overall mood of the album leads through an electronically deep

rock wave that retains its energy and propulsion. The band members say that this album is very different from the first album and more reflects the direction in which the band sees itself in the future in terms of sound. Album is currently available digitally, but band members revealed that the album will also be available on vinyl.

The album is available on major streaming platforms and digitally available on the band’s BANDCAMP profile.