Category: News

Rebel Riot is one of the leading hard rock bands in Latvia. While still at work on a new album, they are releasing their latest single Mad Rebel with a music video on July 17 available on all major social platforms like Spotify, YouTube etc.

Mad Rebel is a classy fast paced hard ‘n’ heavy track outbursting a message: ‘Listen to yourself what you wish instead what others say!’ Rebel Riot threw a party at their headquarters and filmed the music video. A separate artwork was made for Mad Rebel just like for the two previous singles.

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The talented local musician and internationally acclaimed songwriter Chris Noah invites listeners to a solo performance at the cultural space “Tu jau zini kur.” (You Know Where) on September 28. This beloved meeting place in the Tallin Street Quarter of Riga will resound with new music from the artist as well.

The program will feature Chris Noah’s most popular pieces (Sunboy, Only Yours, Spark, Fall Through), as well as melodies that have received less airplay but hold a special place in the musician’s heart. Additionally, the audience will have the opportunity to appreciate entirely new and unheard of musical creations.

“This is a special moment in my career that I want to celebrate among friends,” says Chris. “There is much beauty behind me and even more ahead, so I invite everyone to pause for a bit, stay in the moment and spend a beautiful fall evening together. This year, I have been actively working on new material, and I can’t wait to perform it to my guests.”

Chris Noah is a singer and songwriter highly regarded both within the local and international music scene. Throughout his career, he has released several successful singles that have entered various radio charts, and has been nominated for multiple “Zelta Mikrofons” awards, including Best Debut, Best Pop Music Recording, and Song of the Year. Since 2022, Chris Noah is signed to Sony Music Entertainment, which also represents stars such as Adele, Robbie Williams, Beyoncé, and Måneskin. As a songwriter, has also achieved success in the Eurovision Song Contest; this year the song “Stay”, written in collaboration with the Latvian producer JJ Lush and performed by Monika Linkite, represented Lithuania and took and impressive 11th place in the competition’s grand final in Liverpool.

This will be the musician’s first full-scale concert in Riga this year.
Tickets available at ekase.lv.

Latvian alternative/indie rock band “Sub Scriptum” shares new single “Sweet Screens”.

Lead singer Kristers Rudzītis comment of the song: “Everything is possible on screens. Become a superhero or a movie star in a few clicks and you are closer to your dream, or further away from reality! Running along with different fake faces – we lose our real “I”.” This song is in english because it is dedicated to a wider audience.

Sub Scriptum is an alternative/indie rock band from Madona, Latvia that was formed in the summer of 2017. The band consist of four members Kristers Rudzītis (lead vocal, rhythm guitar), Alvis Kozuls (solo guitar), Maikls Drobins (bass), Armands Runcis (drums). The band released their debut album “21.gs. mode” in 2020 The singles that have been the most successful to win the hearts of the audience are “21.gs. mode ” and “Viegli ievainots”. Sub Scriptum has a huge concert experience and have played in many different venues. The most notable concerts are festival Summer Sound, Great Amber concert hall, Liepaja and ‘’Sporto visa klase’’ an event held in Arena Riga. The band is currently working on new music. This spring the band released an EP ‘’Mīlestības”. The single “Kam Tādam” from the EP has gained popularity in Latvian radio stations.  Sub Scriptum has also gained popularity in Ukrainian radio stations with the single “‘’зійде сонце’’.

Sub Scriptum music is characterized by catchy melodies and rhythmic hooks. The band always brings youthful energy to their shows.

A musician and producer from Latvia with an artist name osiits (real name Oskars Gvido Gailītis) releases a new song “Šonakt (Absolūts miers)” – a tribute to a time well spent. A song you must definitely listen to.

“This is definitely not my typical, classical sad song and it’s not a love song either. This is something happy, fast and something you could move your hips to,” says osiits.

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At the Osokins Freedom Festival, which took place this summer, 32,608.45 euros were collected for the support of Ukraine from event ticket revenues and audience donations. A convoy with the necessary goods for citizens and soldiers has just been seen off on its way to Ukraine, and the delivery of other aid is currently being organized.

This was pianist Andrejs Osokins fourth Freedom Festival, for the second year dedicated to Ukraine and its people as the devastating war there continues. This year for more than a month the Festival took place in Riga and Valmiera, providing a diverse program of events, including concerts, master classes, discussions, meetings of musicians with Ukrainian families, charity actions and other events. World-renowned Latvian and Ukrainian musicians, actors, artists and professionals from other fields performed in the Festival, including “Labvēlīgais Tips”, “Melo-M”, Ralfs Eilands, Katrīna Gupalo, Georgijs Osokins, “Kremerata Lettonica”, Sonora Vaice, Ieva Parša, Edgars Ošleja, Platons Buravickis, Gundars Āboliņš, Dita Lūriņa, Laura Čaupale, Ģirts Krūmiņš, piano quartet “Quadra”, Kristīne Garklāva, Kristīne Rudzinska, Mārtiņš Daugulis, Andrejs Osokins.

For the amount of donations, in cooperation with Ziedot.lv, the association “Tavi draugi”, the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia, the confederation of associations of Ukrainians living in Latvia “Viche” and “Biļešu Paradīze”, humanitarian, medical, defence and pet help was provided to the war and flood-torn territories of Ukraine. With these funds, two all-terrain vehicles, a drone, thermal imagers, protective glasses, protective gloves, backpacks, meal kits and food for Ukrainian soldiers, hygiene products for Ukrainians, feed, medicines and various things for pets in a shelter in Dnipro “Pegas” for wild and injured animals have been purchased and have already been delivered to Ukraine with several convoys. Soon, technical equipment and other goods urgently needed by Ukrainians and soldiers will also be brought to Ukraine, delivering them to military hospitals, rehabilitation centres and other places.

“When we started this charity campaign, we couldn’t imagine how powerful it would be and how many people would join it! It is important and solemn for us every time a convoy goes to Ukraine with purchased things for the soldiers and citizens of Ukraine, and we are really proud of the people of Latvia, who have so selflessly supported Ukraine for a year and a half. Every donation saves lives and helps those who are hardest hit by the war caused by Russian aggression. I believe that every donation, every action in support of Ukraine brings closer its victory, which will also be the victory of the whole of Europe over the evil. I am grateful to every participant, supporter and all donors of the festival, because together we can achieve much more than alone and together we can feel each other’s shoulder, support and warmth!” said Andrejs Osokins, pianist, founder and creative director of the Osokins Freedom Festival.

The creative team of the festival extends its utmost gratitude to the participants, donors and supporters of the festival, including Riga City Council, Spice and Spice Home, LNK Industries, LNK Charity Foundation, patron Dmitrijs Volkovs, Valmiera County Council, Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia, Confederation of Associations of Ukrainian Living in Latvia “Viche”, Ziedot.lv, “Biļešu Paradīze”, association “Tavi draugi”, social initiative center “Common Ground”, cat help center “Remi”, as well as to the festival venues, sound and light companies, media partners and others.

Video insight into the departure of the convoy to Ukraine on August 1

Donation campaigns continue

Since the beginning of the war, more than 210,000 euros have been donated to Ukraine in various donation campaigns initiated by Andrejs Osokins. During the last two Osokins Freedom Festivals dedicated to Ukraine, a total of 53,250.12 euros were donated to support Ukraine, while more than 160,000 euros were donated in the donation campaigns implemented by Andrejs Osokins on the portal Ziedot.lv, where funds are collected for meal kits and self-heating meals, providing an opportunity to deliver 24,000 self-heating meals and more than 5,000 meal kits to the front in Ukraine since October 2022. During the implementation of this action, a large number of thanks were received from Ukrainian soldiers for the value of meal kits in frontline conditions, their convenient use, the possibility to heat food without fire and electricity, its quality, asking to continue this action. You can donate to the meal kits at the link here: ziedot.lv/maltisu-komplekti-ukrainu-karaviriem-fronte-4479

The rapper March (Martins Šimpermanis), known as a rap prodigy, has just published a video for the song “The Man” Come Get It, which also features the US rap superstar Redman. In the video, the legendary American rapper shares his ideas about what he believes to be the true hip-hop sound.

Velvet River is a project by drummer Kārlis Roberts Kalējs (LV) and bassist Tauna Woolfe (UK). The musicians started their collaboration at the end of 2019 when both were studying music in the UK. However, shortly after the formation of the duo, the pandemic halted their ability to collaborate in person for several years until they reunited in 2021.

In music, the role of bass and drums is usually to support and complement other instruments, but Velvet River in their EP experiments with what they can create themselves in such a minimalist context. The duo’s sound and unique concept are inspired by the modern and contemporary world of jazz, combined with both musicians’ personal sources of inspiration.

“This EP was not planned. During the pandemic, we exchanged some ideas virtually. We agreed that we could try to write music using only bass and drums. When we met again, there was such energy flowing through us that we composed 4 tracks in one week”, says Kārlis. The musicians say that the so-called “lo-fi” atmosphere suits this EP, which only adds to the fact that the album was recorded with their own
resources at home.

“I had gone to visit Kārlis at his place in the UK. We played music every day in the living room, where Kārlis had set up a minimalist drum kit. Due to the pandemic, we didn’t have access to a proper studio, and we decided to record the compositions right there in the living room”, adds Tauna.

Perhaps, in unconsciously striving to create new musical forms, the emphasis throughout the EP’s tracks became highlighting the interplay between the bass and drums, as well as the musical freedom and space with which the musicians experimented in their compositions. “In such a minimalist context, there are so many possibilities of what to play, and just as many possibilities to not play anything and leave some vibey space”, says Velvet River.

EP “Casablanca” is produced, recorded and mixed by Velvet River and mastered by Toms Jankevics. Artwork and design by Tīna Alise Drupa. Listen to “Casablanca” on all major streaming platforms starting from 02.06.23.

In this album, DANI RYAN present the collection of feelings of the last 3 years. The world has changed, the people have changed, and this album is like a diary of the band. Its name symbolizes the band members’ ability to find comfort and relief from everyday events in their music. This album connects the riff-filled alternative rock with the already recognizable elements of Dani Ryan’s synthrock, and also includes a couple of synthpop ballads. The songs’ themes connect to life and emotions.

DANI RYAN are getting ready for the album presentation concert, which will take place on March 31st in the “Republika” club. Follow the news via the band’s social networks @daniryanmusic and on the website daniryan.lv.

DANI RYAN is a synthpop project created by Daniel Ravinsky (vocals, guitar, synthesizer). After the debut album “Open” (2019), Daniel was joined by like-minded musicians and the project turned into a real rock band. After the band’s experimental second album, “Party!” (2020) he was joined by Jānis Zariņš (drums) and Angelina Volkova (bass guitar). During the pandemic, the band recorded the concert album “Performance”, thus capturing the band’s energetic multimedia concert performances. During these years, listeners have come to love several songs of DANI RYAN – “Exciter”, “Meloman” and also “Radio Anna”, which entered the list of TOP 3 songs on radio NABA and was regularly on air.

DENISS (Deniss Stepanovs), a member of the hip-hop association “Kreisais Krasts”, rapper and mixed martial artist, has released the song “Stop gamble”. With this single, he wants to draw people’s attention to the problem of gambling, also mentioning examples of well-known people in Latvia.

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