Los Angeles-based alt singer-songwriter NAKAYA shares her brand new EP, Fire Becomes Me (out now via Better Company Records). This new four-track project is about growth and resilience as it chronicles Nakaya’s journey towards self-acceptance.
Speaking on the EP, NAKAYA wrote: “Honestly, I started this project feeling completely directionless but what I found was that Fire Becomes Me became my source of healing. I would love to tie the theme up with a singular bow but life is not so linear so I will say that it chronicles a vast change. I always made frail attempts at controlling the way my life went, but in this record you can see me grow from a person who fought with circumstance to one that embraced a sense of acceptance through my experiences. I am mutating and growing and shifting and I think the work reflects that.”
Names like queen of R&B Alicia Keys, prolific mix engineer Ann Mincieli, and rapper EL-P have joined forces with Soundwide. This new music ecosystem was launched this week and is a platform for music producers and artists to make music without the hassle and minimal fuss of switching between apps. Musicians like Alicia Keys form part of this artistic evolution with her role in the artist board, where she will give input and advice to the Soundwide team along with other industry professionals and artists on how to create a more sustainable brand.
This company and board were all conceptualized with the partnering of renowned music tech brands Native Instruments, iZotope, and more recently Plugin Alliance, Sound Stacks and Brainworx. All designed with unique functions, they all form and brand together to be part of this revolution of how artists can band together.
The Soundwide CEO shared a public statement: “Going forward, we’re asking ourselves: ‘What do our community members need to tap into their ultimate creative workflow and how can we help get them there?.’ By first uncovering and understanding our community’s needs, we can map out our goals and move one step closer to the future of sound. Soundwide’s Artist Board provides a unique opportunity to offer up more seats at the table and collaborate with board members to bring new voices into the conversation.”
Brooklyn based musician Frank Cogliano recently shared his delightfully eclectic and experimental album Computers of the World. Comprised of 17 vibrant tracks, each song has its own unique flair to them. Incorporating downtempo notes, electronica, and ambient sound effects of busy streets and spaces, one can easily lose themselves in this vibrant sound fusion. Previously forming part of R&B band Sugarbad as their guitarist, the producer wanted to explore his abstract music production further, and the result is breathtaking.We asked music producer Frank Cogliano a few questions about his artistry below.
My parents always had music playing when I was growing up; the Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Nirvana.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
Usually, I hear ideas and sing them into my iPhone. But also, particularly for Computers of the World, each track started with a sample and I built the track around that
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
Studio work, because I have complete control over the end product.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
Whenever anybody responds positively to any of my music it is a good thing. It happens sometimes.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
I post short videos with music I like every day on my Twitter, so probably along those lines.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Uku Kuut – Vision of Estonia
Googoosh – Mano Tou
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Valse
Popol Vuh – Aguirre I
Teisutis Makacinas – I diena einam
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
I would like to make good music. Success is making good music.
jackLNDN launches us into the weekend with rhythmic rolling beats and smooth lyrics. The producer is working his way into the more bluesy side of things with his latest release as he laments unrequited love and the bittersweet tones that encompass it. The single, released today via Jack’s House, is the artist’s second release for the year as the aptly named ‘Return’caught listener’s attention just last month.
The artist tells us about the inspiration behind his latest song: “This song is about dating the perfect woman only for her to end up choosing someone else. The emotions that come from rejection and the helplessness of realizing that there’s nothing you can do. I tried to make the song musically & harmonically as beautiful as the person that inspired it. There’s a touch of melancholic self-pity in this record, but an underlying feeling of hope as even in rejection, the reminder that there are people out there for you can still be comforting.”
The producer has recently announced that he will be appearing at the Dreamscape festival which is expected to take place at the end of May, just in time for the spring to properly set in and start turning towards summer. Other artists appearing at the festival include Rusko and MeganHamilton while the second main act remains to be announced.
