Category: News

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.

On the 21st of March, jazz-funk band “Very Cool People” together with MC’s Edavardi, Ansis and the Latvian soul music diva Kristine Prauliņa are releasing a new album – “Koncertprogramma Pa Apli”.

In Tamsta VCP will perform music from their new album, as well as tracks from their previously released albums “Caution! Contains Words”(2019) & “Heya Some Kind Of Fish!…”(2017). In October 2019, the last time Very Cool People played in Tamsta, the club was packed &  there were 9 musicians on stage at once, but this time there will be 13 musicians on Tamsta’s stage: Edavārdi – MC, vocal;  Ansis – MC, vocal;  Kristīne Prauliņa – vocal;  Elvijs Grafcovs – guitar;  Māris Jēkabsons – tenor sax;  Kristaps Lubovs – bariton sax;  Laura Rozenberga – trombone;  Oskars Ozoliņš – Trumpet;  Māris Vitkus – keyboards;  Andris Kauliņš – keyboards;  Jānis Olekšs – bass; Andris Buiķis – drums & special guest MC – Jama (Lithuania).

“As we are the two last nations from the Baltic Language group we should start to understand each other better & I believe it can be best achieved through music. In this concert you will hear Latvian, Lithuanian, English & most likely some Spanish coming from the stage & the most important unification tool – music! Currently, hip hop in national languages is on its way to conquer Europe. Good examples include the Ukrainian hip hop queen Alyona Alyon and the all-female Icelandic band Reykjavíkurdætur.”, says Elvijs about the upcoming concert.

With a solid backbone in jazz, funk and soul, incorporating influences from surf, klezmer, rock and hip-hop, Very Cool People have been putting jazz & funk back on the dancefloor since 2007. Hailing from Riga, Latvia, the band has lit up clubs and festivals from Estonia to Romania, from Spain to South Korea. Always open to new experiments, Very Cool People have collaborated with plenty of guest artists from a bunch of countries. Even if they are a live band more than anything else, they have six studio albums behind their belt, well-received critically and nominated for awards as well.

The band will present the album in Riga on the 28th of March with a grand concert in Riga’s new hottest concert hall “Hanzas Perons”. A special guest from Lithuania – MC Jama – will join VCP in Riga, so the Latvian audience will get a chance to hear hip-hop in Lithuanian as well. A performance by the scratch master DJ Aspirins will be VCP’s opening act in Riga.

The experienced Latvian music producers Lotars Lodzins, Janis Kalve, and Karlis Indrisonoks (Labo ierakstu studija), in association with English musician and songwriter Ky Ismet, have joined forces under the name YDJ and invited the lead singer of the English supergroup of the 90’s Soul II Soul, Charlotte Kelly, to jointly create a new song, the main theme of which was created by the legendary Latvian trumpeter and arranger Gunars Rozenbergs. This Time It’s For Real is published and released by MicRec.

The talks with the Soul II Soul lead vocalist were short, as Charlotte immediately agreed to cooperate after listening to the prepared demo.

Wessel van Diepen, host of the Global Dance Chart show of the popular Dutch radio station Radio 538, says: “An inspiring song. Very well done, great job!” The famous Swedish DJ and record producer StoneBridge commented after listening to the song: “High-quality composition, well-produced and with a very eye-catching lyric video.”

This Time It’s For Real is a modern house music track with a fresh and trendy vibe. Lyric video was created by Dween Production.

While the indie-rock band “Audrú” is working on their debut EP “The Lighthouse Trilogy”, that’s set to be released in Fall, a mellow and dreamy composition that won’t appear in the record has been brought to listeners attention. “Fog” is the bands second single and it contemplates moments, when we’re on the brink of forgetting ourselves and wish to exchange the reality around us for our individual version of the reality. In a quiet and uninhibited mood, the song carries a story about the need for trust.

The song is accompanied with a lyric video, which presents sunny meadows and shrubs of Zakusala, all through the eyes of a racing drone. Video-related glitches that can be spotted throughout the video are caused by the disruptions in the analogue signal happening during the flight. Song is recorded and mixed in “Hodila records” studio. “Audrú” consists of four friends – Ieva, Gita, Jurģis un Artūrs, who have been playing together for two years. Since then the band has crafted their own sound, for which they, jokingly, have coined the term “May-flower Grunge”. It features elements of indie-rock, indie-pop, American folk and vibes from music of the 90’s. “Fog” is soon to be available on most mayor streaming platforms. You can follow “Audrú” on Facebook and Instagram.

Makree and David Harks met during a trip David to Riga in the fall of 2018 in Latvia, instantly striking up a friendship and a deep love of indie dance music as they began testing out some ideas.

Citing the influences of conscientious storytelling house legends Hot Chip, the analogue synth popelements of Superorganism and the straight ahead maturity of Gorgon City productions, Makree and Harks decided to continue working together – this time Makree visited David in Berlin duringone weekend, shutting the door on its busy nightlife, carving out there song – Behind the Blinds .

A foray into lyrically lead melodic house and repetition, Behind the Blinds lays a support to acombination of DIY synth elements and warm bass on an overlay of Makree’s demanding houseproductions, the songs essence is calmly complimented by David’s chilled and melodic abstractlyricism.

Makree brings as always his signature production style to the singles release with an additionalimmersively strong rework of the songs original – with his own club remix, aiming to lift the spiritsof the listener as well as command a stillness in the lyrical message, Behind the Blinds reveals astrong potential between both of these writers.

PRAGAII introduces their first single “Andy-Jam” from their debut album “Sorry, Can’t Talk Right Now” which will be released in November. The duo was created in 2015 by Kaspars Kubeckis and Aleksis Luriņš, who have previously worked on remixes of other bands. Despite the disagreements between members of the bands, life and music has eventually brought them closer… now they are best friends. “We are in complete charge of everything – starting from the first drafts till the very final adjustments” states the Duo.

The “Andy-Jam” single also features saxophonist Uģis Jansons, as well as vocals by Annemaria Szczegolev.

Release and the premiere of the Album “Sorry, Can’t Talk Now” will be held on November 9th in the Art Gallery “LOOK!” on 62 Gertrudes Iela, Riga. Visitors are more than welcome to meet the duo in person, listen to their album and record it in vinyl format.

This autumn the most popular funk band from Latvia Very Cool People (VCP) is coming back to Central Europe with their second tour. The tour includes two concerts in Hungary, two concerts in Romania, two concerts in Serbia and a final concert in Slovenia.

“We are very happy to return to play in Hungary and Romania also this year. We really enjoyed our concerts last year in Szimpla Kert, Budapest and Babel Camp, Balatonboglar, the people & hospitality were amazing, so we are more than happy to come back to these venues. The five concerts in Romania we had with the local band FUNKorporation were also unforgettable, and our cooperation resulted in a recording together with singers Hannah and Erika of the song “Off The Ground”, which is included in VCP’s new album “Caution! Contains Words”. This year we are coming back to Atelier Cafe, Cluj Napoca & and getting to know a new place where we haven’t played yet – Taverna Timisoara, which seems like a really cool place with great artists playing there, like soul music legend Fred Wesley, for example”, comments VCP’ leader Elvijs Grafcovs.

In 2019, VCP played in the biggest European showcase “Eurosonic Noorderslag 2019” in the Netherlands. During the summer the band played in festivals in the Baltic States & Germany: “Görlitz Jazz Festival” (Görlitz, Germany),“Bliuzo Naktys” (Varniai, Lithuania), “Tintes Svētki” (Valmiera, Latvia), “Saulkrasti Jazz” (Saulkrasti, Latvia), “Positivus” (Salacgrīva, Latvia), “Augustibluus” (Haapsalu, Estonia), “Summersound” (Liepaja, Latvia), “Siauliai Jazz 2019” (Siauliai, Lithuania) & many more.

With a backbone in funk, soul & jazz, incorporating influences from surf, klezmer, rock, punk and hip-hop, there is no shortage of energy, tight grooves, catchy riffs, hot melodies & joy of life. The band has released six albums so far the latest in 2019 – Caution! Contains Words! The upcoming tour is financially supported by the special purpose programme for non-academic music by State Culture Capital Foundation.