Remixes of Justs’ Eurovision song “Heartbeat” created by Latvian, US, and UK producers.

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.

HARTA release a new single “247”.

 
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…

Carnival Youth releases new single ‘Surf’ and goes on European tour.

The indie four-piece Carnival Youth have unveiled their new single ‘Surf’, from their latest album ‘Propeller’. Alongside the original version Carnival Youth have released its remix – made by Reinis Sējāns of the art pop act Instrumenti.
 
 ‘Surf’ is a bright and nifty summer anthem,…

Alise Joste releases „Mirrors”.

Before her forthcoming shows at The Great Escape festival, Latvian singer-songwriter Alise Joste offers a new single „Mirrors” taken from her current album „Hardships are Ships”.

Alise debuted on Latvian music scene with a self-titled album in 2011. It took almost five years for Alise to complete the sophomore record but it was well worth waiting. Released in October 2015, „Hardships are Ships” received two most prominent awards in Alise’s homeland – Austra Award (goes to the best record of the year, similar to Mercury Prize in Britain) and Latvian Music Award „Golden Microphone”  for the best singer-songwriter album.

Latvian record label “I Love You Records” receives “IMPALA” award.

“I Love You Records” was among five young European labels honoured by “IMPALA” (Independent Music Companies Association) during “Tallinn Music Week”.

As part of its fifteenth anniversary, “IMPALA” launched a new monthly feature “FIVEUNDERFIFTEEN” to put the spotlight on young independent music companies across Europe. “Tallinn Music Week” was hosting the first “IMPALA” “Young Label Spotlight” event on Saturday 2nd of April, with a panel featuring all five labels, followed by an award ceremony.

Five labels receiving awards at “Tallinn Music Week” were “I Love You Records” (Latvia), “Porridge Bullet” (Estonia), “Soliti” (Finland), “S1 Warsaw” (Poland) and “Despotz Records” (Sweden).

“IMPALA” Executive Chair Helen Smith comments:”We want to shine a light on the deeper and wider story of the independent sector. It’s great to start with the panel in “Tallinn Music Week” with five young labels all telling their own stories. And this is what real music fans are interested in. They want the whole picture. Where their music comes from, what it stands for, whether it’s fair, what a label’s work tells them. All artists are born equal and these labels underline the importance of making sure that means something.”

“IMPALA” is an independent music companies association with a mission to grow the independent music sector, return more value to artists, promote cultural diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access and modernise perceptions of the music sector.

LATVIAN SYNTH ROCK BAND “THE CITIZENS LV” RELEASES THEIR FIRST SINGLE FROM THEIR UPCOMING DEBUT ALBUM “CONCRETE DREAMS”.

The new latvian band “The Citizens LV” releases their first single “Happy Family” and a music video from their upcoming debut album “Concrete Dreams” which comes out on October 5th.

“Happy Family” is the newest piece from bands’ written work which a week before recording it in studio was just an idea with some basic guidelines written out.  “Happy Family” is filled with synthesizer riffs, which are complemented by R&B, hip hop and dance music rhythms, but still retains rock&roll taste added from the riffs of electric guitar.

The song’s lyrics are about unfulfilled hopes, pain and disappointment of failed relationships and difficulties, that have to be overcome in order to preserve what is important for oneself.

“”Happy Family” is gloomy but energetic at the same time, and it is hard to stand still and not dance along when the song comes on,” the band says about their new single.

The music video complements  the song’s lyrical message by proceeding the theme of trust, relationships, fear and ignorance. The main character goes through a lot of stormy events and in the end has to face the consequences. The video gives you food for thought – are you happy and whether you know what happiness means to you.

On October 5th, 2015 the band “The Citizens LV” releases their debut album “Concrete Dreams” and its’ presentation concert will be held on October 8th at the club/night venue “Piens”. More information will be published at the end of September.

“The Citizens LV” was formed in 2009 by four friends, at that time schoolmates – Jānis (lead vocals), Reinis (keyboards), Roberts (bass) and Krišjānis (drums). After a while Rihards (lead guitar) joined in. The band throughout its’ existence has experimented with different music genres until they finally found their sound in something that is a mix of everything they admire in music and the band describes it as synth rock. The biggest events they have participated in are Positivus 2014, Kuldīga LiveFest and Eurobasket 2015 as musical performers at the biggest event hall in Latvia – Arena Riga.

Seven Latvian acts to perform in “Tallinn Music Week” .

From 28th of March to 3rd of April Estonian capital Tallinn will host 8th annual music conference/showcase festival “Tallinn Music Week”. Among more than 230 artists to perform in Tallinn there will be 7 Latvian acts as well as a showcase show presented by record company “I Love You Records” and “Positivus Festival”.

Latvia will be represented in Tallinn this year by seven acts, more than 40 delegates and a showcase show presented by “I Love You Records” and “Positivus Festival”. This showcase on Saturday in “Kino Sõprus” is already starting to become a tradition of “Tallinn Music Week” and this year among other performers from USA, Germany, Austria, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia it will also host Latvian singer-songwriter Alise Joste, whose album “Hardships Are Ships” won “Austras balva” in 2015, the Latvian equivalent of British “Mercury Prize”.

Other Latvian acts scheduled to perform in “Tallinn Music Week” are hip-hop legend Ozols, “Instrumenti” frontman Jānis Šipkēvics with his new project “Shipsea”, indie-pop sensations “Rīgas Modes”, talented beat maker and producer NiklāvZ, colorful indie band “Triana Park” and Latvian masters of funk “Very Cool People”.