Category: News

Fiņķis and DoStudija presents their newly created band “FUND” and announces concert in December 8 in music club “One One”. Special guest Māris Mihelsons (DJ set), member of the Latvian pop/rock band “Brainstorm”.

In the beginning of september 2016 Fiņķis and DoStudija released their first studio album “Bāra ceļš. Akmens dārzs” (“Bar road. Stone garden”), which was presented during the modern culture forum “White Night 2016” in Riga.

Along with the concert disclosure, musicians release the video for the song “Music / Groove” from the new album. Operator Edgars Staune, dancers – Stella Upaciere un Francis Upaciers.

This week as an introduction to the upcoming Advent tour Little Christmas Melancholia the vocal group Latvian Voices releases their newest single Totari – a composition by one of the groups’ singers Laura Jekabsone. The mixing and postproduction of the single has been made in collaboration with Gustavs Erenpreiss.

“Latvian folk songs have always been a fundamental part of the repertoire of Latvian Voices and an inspiration for new discoveries in music. Also the composition Totari is inspired by Latvian folklore although the musical material is Lauras’ original work,” tells the participants of the group.

With this song Latvian Voices encourages not to forget ones ethnic identity during the time of Winter solstice, to straighten ones back and breath in the air of Latvia’s winter!

The first concert of the Latvian Voices tour Little Christmas Melancholia will take place on November 27th at Ogre St. Maynard Catholic church

The concert program Little Christmas Melancholia will introduce the listeners to new compositions made by the singers of the group (for example, Totari by Laura Jekabsone) as well as offer the opportunity to recognize traditional Christmas melodies intertwined with Latvian folk music and Winter solstice traditions. “During the eight years of groups’ existence we have gathered a lot to say in the lyrics of our songs and in our original music. This tour will be like a summary of our years together because this will be the first time the group tours in Latvia and not somewhere abroad during Advent and Christmas time. We have also included in the program ancient Advent melodies combined with our own musical ideas – a meeting of the traditional and modern. Of course also the texts from folklore with our melodies will be an essential part of the concerts.”

Also well known Christmas melodies will be sung to give the audience a light and elevated feeling when going out of the concert. Concerts will include songs like “What Child Is This?”, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, “Totari”, “Kalado”, “Little Sad Christmas”, “See Amid The Winter’s Snow”, etc. The producer of the new program is Paula Plavniece and the visual design is in the hands of Marcis Ziemins.

Latvian band The Coco’nuts recently released their new single called “Fading slowly” from the new material.

Right after having their first debut album “Amid opposites” in the beginning of this summer The Coco’nuts had a creative camp in Ēvele, where they already started working on new program. It has been presented in several wonderfull concerts during past three months. All new songs are made with completely new inspirations, that’s why they are quite different from usual sounds of The Coco’nuts. Compositions are flowing, they take listener in the world of reflections and toughts.

Band  releases song “Falling slowly” as the first because it tells about changes – just like new material – about new beginning, about new path in our lives, that changes are not always easy to realise in the moment, until at one point you lose control over everything so you just want to dissapear or fade out for a second until it all starts from the beginning and the unstoppable flow of life keeps going.

Live performance you’ll be able to hear on 16th of December in jazz bar “Trompete”. For more information you can follow band on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thecoconuti/

Latvian trio Audience Killers are about to release their first full-length album Floating Islands today on May 20th. The band formed back in 2010 and features the soothing, almost whimsical vocals of Normunds Petrovs with Arletta Supe on keyboards and backing vocals and Edgars Oplucans on the drums. 

New album has been produced by lead singer Normunds Petrovs and the band itself. Recorded at their newly built Trii House studio in Riga. Engineered and Mixed by Reinis Kārkliņš (band Franco Franco), mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles. Album artwork by Paulina Wyrt.

In their new video for Sounds Like You a fiercely independent kid sets out on a trek through the city and across serene mountainside landscapes in Newfoundland, Canada. She tramps across breathtaking landscapes of waterfalls, still seasides villages and spans of the sea, all the while with a glowing star slung over her shoulder. In the end, the child sets the star free, syncing up with the songs powerful crescendo. 

‘The lyrics of Sounds Like You seem to me like the words of someone in mourning, wether it be for a failed relationship, the passing of a loved one, or even the loss of oneself. The last words are ‘There is nothing I can do’. So I wanted the video to reply to that lyric and say ‘No, here is something you can do’. To me, the video is about rekindling lost hope. A fall, and a rebirth. Sometimes, we have to let go of something that brought beauty in our lives. ‘To move on’ can be difficult, but a necessary act for new hope to bloom. Everything has its time. Everything has its place. Live. Laugh. Be free again.’

The new remix saw its debut last night on the popular dance music channel TASTY NETWORK, and it has already been listened to more than 10,000 times!

In preparation of the 20-year anniversary concert in Arena Riga, which will take place already next Wednesday, the company “Mikrofona ieraksti” dug through its archives and found the track “Waterfall” recorded in 2001 by Brainstorm. This motivated the creation of a new remix of the song.

The first new remix was created by the group of producers “Boyza II” led by Lotars Lodziņš. They had already made a remix in 2001. Back then, a remix was also made by one of the most successful Latvian dance music producers of all time Ralfs Mākulis (BTH). This version was nominated for the Annual Latvian Music Records Award. In 2001, the single was released in several countries by labels of the English company “EMI Records”.

This year, however, when the new remix version by “Boyza II” had already been made and the band had listened to the results, the lead Renārs Kaupers decided to re-record the tracks. After the tracks were recorded anew, the idea emerged to invite other dance music producers to create a modern remix, and this time “MicRec” entrusted it to the young and talented producer Rūdolfs Elviss Zariņš A.K.A. “REZarin”, who this year has already helped the remix of the song by Justs “Heartbeat” recorded by “MicRec” to reach the English Music Week’s UK Upfront Club Top 40.

The tracks released by the producer “REZarin” have earned recognition by world famous deejays and producers. Last year, his track “About You” was played at the radio show of DJ Hardwell. This year the track “I Got That” and the remix of Justs’ “Heartbeat” were played at the popular Don Diablo radio show. Such world famous artists as Robin Schulz and Mike Williams have included tracks produced by “REZarin” in their DJ sets.

Latvian bands’ “Once Upon” song “A Letter to My Agony ” has been nominated for the 15th annual Independent Music Award in the category “Best Metal / Hardcore single of 2016”, and is recognized as one of the most prominent independent music recordings of 2016.

After a fierce competition this song is amongst the five which are eligible for the prize. The winners will be announced at the award ceremony that will take place on November 12th, in New York, USA.

This is the 15th year “IMA” giving away awards, emphasizing innovative musicians who records their music themselves, as well as independent record label artists.

The winning projects will be selected by blue-ribbon panels of top recording artists and influential press and talent buyers from the Americas, Europe and Pacific Rim that include Amy Lee („Evanescence”), „Slayer” , „Shinedown” , „Sepultura” , Warren Haynes („The Allman Brothers Band ”, „Les Claypool”, „Coheed and Cambria”) , industriju – Benji Rogers („PledgeMusic”) , Fred Beteille („Music Business Association”) , Anthony DeCurtis („Rolling Stone”).

Alternative / modern metal band “Once Upon” formed in autumn of 2012 consists of  Artūrs Ročāns (vocals), Edgars Meijers (guitars), Artūrs Krasts (drums), Jānis Brolišs (guitars) un Edgars Poika (bass).

In April 2014, “Once Upon” participated in “Metal 2 The Masses” and after the jury and fans decision they were chosen to represent Latvia in UK’s largest independent heavy metal festival “BLOODSTOCK 2014”.

Latvian band “The Coco’nuts” publishes their first official music video for “Love song” from first studio album “Amid Opposites” today.

The main idea of song and video is a classic story about neverending love. This story helps us remember to spend more time on good things and good feelings instead of putting them aside for later and concentrating on things that we think are more important at that moment.

Video was made in the end of this summer, in different locations close to Riga. Main roles were played by Inta Cikule and Vitauts Cikulis, grandparents of bands contrabass player Toms, and also, of course, “The Coco’nuts” themselves. Director – Elīza Eikerte, operator – Jānis Vīksne.

Last week there was a presentation event for the new material in art and culture space “3 Māsas”. Also yesterday along with “Love song” video it was presented in lovely “Dad cafe”. Nevertheless “The Coco’nuts” never stop developing and soon there might be more news connected with bands new musical view.

Today, on 12th of May in Stockholm at Globen Arena  second semi-final of 61st Eurovision Song Contest will take place.

Latvia’s entry Justs will take a stage as first contestant with a song “Heartbeat” written by Aminata who herself finished 6th  on last year’s competition. Justs is one of the favourites to get into the finals.

Very soon, on 12 May, the young and promising Latvian singer Justs will be the first to step on the stage in the second semi-final of the international Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. Justs will be singing the piece “Heartbeat” composed by the last year’s Latvian entry to the contest Aminata; he has already won the LTV competition “Supernova” with this song.

Aminata: “It was a strategic decision to make remixes in order to popularize the song among various audiences well ahead of the competition. Last year, “Love Injected” remixes emerged across the globe only a couple of days before the final, but this year we tried to do everything to make sure that they serve as an additional promotional support to Justs and the song in the contest.”

The company “Microphone Records” aka “MicRec” , in co-operation with the company “Aminata Music” representing the author of the song Aminata and the producer of the original version of the song Kaspars Ansons, has undertaken to aggregate the remix collection, promote the popularity of the song in dance music clubs and at radio stations the world over.

Guntars Račs (“MicRec”): “From experience I know how important it is to start promotional activities of a song in good time. With the help of remixes, we reach audiences, who get to know songs in clubs, as well as from radio stations and internet portals broadcasting dance music. Dance music is currently the predominant genre and reaches the greatest number of listeners. The first to show interest in the new versions of the song were Australian DJs.”

One of the remixes is the creation of the DJ and music producer well-known across the Baltic States Mareks Dainis, known with the stage name [Ex] da Bass. It was his remix of the breakthrough single of Aminata “Love Injected” that earned the highest recognition both nationally and internationally. The remix of the song “Heartbeat” by [Ex] da Bass is already being broadcast by radio stations in Estonia (Hit FM etc.) and Lithuania (RC). The authors wished that the increasingly popular DJ and producer Makree (Mārtiņš Makreckis) also makes a remix version of the song, and he has done exactly that by using elements characteristic to him.

The most unusual remix version has been created by the American producer Ricky Mears, who in his home country — the USA — is steadily gaining success and whose remix of the Bob Marley song “Three Little Birds” has been issued in the USA, and in SoundCloud it has been listened to for more than half a million times already. Ricky has created remixes also for such artists as Seven Lions, The Bloody Beetroots, $ign and Beyoncé. The British legendary DJ union 7th Heaven (Jon Dixon and Andy Wetson), who, since 2006, have been among the most in-demand remix artists of all times in the United Kingdom and who have created remixes for such artists as Katy Perry, OneRepublic, Sugababes, Jason Derulo, Enrique Iglesias, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Cascada, Shakira, also have created a simple remix version of “Heartbeat”, which has already become very popular among British club DJs. Their name is very well-known in the London’s DJ circles. A rather sunny version that has gained popularity among the deejays of several leading clubs in Latvia has been created by the Latvian producer DJ Dween. This version was eagerly received by several Dutch DJs, who often participate in special club events of the Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden.

 
Alternative metal unit HARTA present their newest single and music video “247”.
 
HARTA is eager to present you their newest piece – a song and music video “247” – following up the band’s debut releases last year – “Sky Is the Limit” and “Kam Tu Klanies”. The new material has…