Category: News

Rihards Lībietis Orchestra has just released the first single “Night Follow Me” from the upcoming studio album “Willful Blindness”. The composition was written by Rihards Libietis in collaboration with the rest of the band. The director of the music video is Marija Migliniece.

““Night Follow Me” was inspired by the feelings of uncertainty and unknown, during the strange self-isolation time this spring. All this definitely taught me to appreciate more the things we often take for granted – family, friends, nature, music. Hopefully, the listener will feel the calming sense of love and gratitude of this composition.” says Rihards Lībietis.

The upcoming album “Willful Blindness” is due in spring 2021, and it will be the fourth album of the band. Its main themes will be individual human responsibility in attaining the balance between one’s inner light and dark sides. It will feature Rihards Libietis Orchestra original compositions in instrumental world music genre, influenced by West-African music, Jazz, Blues and even Electronic music.

“Night Follow Me” was recorded in  “AMFO Music Studio” Riga, with the support of LaIPA. Recording and mix/master was done by Toms Lisments. Video was shot in the beautiful Abgunstes muiža, it’s director is Marija Migliniece, directors of script – Marija Migliniece, Stefānija Toma, DOP – Raitis Lapāns. Costumes for the men are from “Mans Drēbju Skapis” shop.

Single “Night Follow Me” is available on Spotify and other music streaming platforms.

Rihards Libietis Orchestra is a quintet performing instrumental, dynamic world music, mixing influences from African, Middle-Eastern and Latvian Folk Music with Blues and Jazz. The band was formed in 2015, and has released 3 albums, the newest “Reflection EP” came out in Fall of 2018. Rihards Libietis Orchestra regularly performs in the Baltic area. The band consists of Rihards Lībietis (guitars), Gints Smukais (guitars), Jānis Polis (bass), Erna Daugaviete (cello) and Matīss Repsis (percussion).

At the end of this challenging year the ethno music group “Tautumeitas” presents their latest single “Spodrē manu augumiņu” encouraging people to leave all the dark and negative in the past and look for the light within themselves. Music video will soon reach the audience in wich “Tautumeitas” will appear in unusual characters.

The song “Spodrē manu augumiņu” tells how darkness and all the bad things that have happened to us during the year are left behind. People become brighter and stronger through rituals and things that inspire them and in the ancient Latvian traditions, this internal transformation took place through masking. Respecting the old traditions, singers of the ethno music group “Tautumeitas” will appear in unusual images in the music video of the song – special masks are created by the interaction of several artists and the technological solutions offered by LMT. The music video will be presented in mid-December.

“The most challenging and darkest time of the year has come, which in the context of the current situation in the world can turn into a test for each of us,” says the song’s author Asnate Rancāne. “I hope that this song will serve as an inspiration to find our inner strength and open up the huge creative potential that lives in us. We can be as bright and gorgeous as we feel in ourselves. It’s especially important for everyone to find that inner light within themselves.”

The single “Spodrē manu augumiņu” was made in collaboration with LMT and arranged by Reinis Sējāns, with whom the group “Tautumeitas” has successfully collaborated before. Musicians Stanislavs Judins, Mārtiņš Miļevskis and Elvis Lintiņš took part in the recording.

iTunes

The song “Spodrē manu augumiņu” is available on iTunes from today and will be available on Spotify, Deezer, etc. in the coming days.

The names Markus Riva and Samanta Tīna speak for themselves – both are winners of various international competitions and have a huge fan base outside Latvia, they are loud, ambitious, much discussed and both have a refined style. What happens when you put the two together? A new equation in Latvian music – Markus Riva x Samanta Tīna!

“Man nesanāk” (I Can’t Succeed) is a fresh release – a new single from Riva’s upcoming album and his first collaboration with Samanta. Just like the previous tracks, this piece has a nostalgic vibe that will have a strong presence in the musician’s album, set to come out in November.

Duets and collaborations are nothing new to Markus – he has previously recorded music with Aminata and Dināra Rudāne. His collaboration with Dināra placed high in “Muzikālā Banka” (Musical Bank), and Markus then joked that it was time for a duet with Samanta. And he has kept his word.

“I very much enjoy musical collaborations, and I love being in the studio with other musicians – witnessing the transformation of a song when another musician brings their personality to it is a fascinating experience. This year, I had not recorded a new duet, so the idea to perform one with Samanta was born. Luckily, she agreed, and this has been a productive and very exciting and fun adventure,” says Markus.

Samanta Tīna: ”I haven’t released a duet in Latvian for quite some time. The audience will remember my last collaboration with Rassell – “Esi man klāt” (Be with Me) – from 2012. The song by Markus and Dināra was simply wonderful, so when Markus invited me to team up I agreed instantly, and I am very happy with the result.”

The production of „Man nesanāk” was supported by the grant of the Latvian Performers’ and Producers’ Association (LaIPA) – the grant competition as a support mechanism for musicians was announced in the summer, and the allocated funding helped 53 new compositions come to life. The song was recorded at “Factory Sounds Studio” and produced by Gints Stankevičs with whom Riva has worked extensively. A Russian version of the song is to follow soon.

Spotify

Itunes

Indie rock band “audrú” announces their debut EP “the lighthouse trilogy” and, along with it, a single – “underworld”.

“audrú” is a bunch of friends who share a taste for alternative music – besides the rock music influences their work contains characteristics of folk and pop music as well. The debut EP “the lighthouse trilogy” includes a three-part story – a journey into the waters of the subconscious, where memorable, sonic lines of melody wind through different forms of music. The recording was done in “Hodila Records” studio. Along with the album, the single “underworld” begins its journey to radio stations, the sound of which includes intrigue and unexpected melodic turns.

The EP’s “the lighthouse trilogy” will be released in a special DIY way to honor the nostalgia for early 2000’s, when the band members were gaining their first musical experience and people were still actively listening to music on CDs. The idea came to life through a “Zero Waste” campaign in which they invited people to donate blank CD covers. The limited edition CDs were printed professionally, but afterwards signed with a permanent marker, as it used to be done in the early 2000’s. The band has also given their merchandise – second hand t-shirts and sweaters – a chance to live another life by screen-printing them with special “audrú” designs.

“audrú” has been playing together since 2017. So far, they have performed in several Latvian cities, participated in festivals – “Bildes”, “Vegan Festival”, “VegFest Lt”, “Give & Get” and more. Their music can be heard on several radio stations around Latvia. Previously, “audrú” has recorded and released 4 songs with music videos. All songs are available to listeners both on the video platform “Youtube” and on all the most popular streaming sites.

“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.