News – Page 15 – RCRD LBL

November 9, 2023

November 9, 2023November 9, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Notable Norwegian producer Niilas unleashes a new LP, River Of Noise

On November 3rd, 2023, Niilas unveiled his fourth album, River Of Noise, via his own label Niilas Music. Already amassing international attention prior to its release, River Of Noise’s first two singles have received extensive support from Stereogum and VICE. The tracks have also earned airtime on both NPR Music and BBC Radio 1. The Norwegian beat-maker’s prior work has gained notoriety, with his debut album Also This Will Change earning him a Norwegian Grammy Award. Niilas is known for his passionately dynamic live performances – previously headlining Munch-museum, appearing on the same bill as Gorillaz at Øyafestivalen 2022, and warming up Spot Festival 2023 for notable beatmakers Caribou and Todd Terje.

River Of Noise is an eclectic mix of organic and electronic music, showcasing Nilas’ prowess as an arranger and producer. He pays homage to his indigenous Sámi heritage and Arctic aesthetics in the album’s music by using recordings from folk instruments – a Norwegian Harding-fiddle and an Iranian Santur. The synthetic elements range from ethereal soundscapes to drum & bass to organic house. The album is transportive, celestial and primordial – ready for the massive sound system of a club or outdoor festival.

Niilas commented on the album: “I’ve tried to completely let go of my own expectations, and rather try to let the immense changes that the world is going through impact my creative direction. Sort of letting the music river run through me. River Of Noise has both conventional club tracks, and some really interesting collaborations with folk-musicians from both Norway (with the Harding-fiddle) and Iran (Santur)“.

Follow Niilas:

Website – Facebook – X – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

November 6, 2023

November 6, 2023November 6, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Spotify set to pay less royalties to up-and-coming artists

Spotify has revealed an adjustment to its royalty structure, which is expected to result in reduced payouts for less-famous musicians. Under this updated structure, a minimum threshold of streams per song is introduced for artists to qualify for compensation. As reported by Billboard, Spotify intends to “devalue tracks that had previously claimed 0.5% of Spotify’s royalty pool.” This change will affect artists with relatively lower streaming numbers, individuals facing allegations of fraudulent behavior, as well as those who upload content categorized as white noise or nature sounds.

In a recent conversation with Spotify, Music Business Worldwide has uncovered that the minimum threshold for monetization will be set at 1000 plays. According to the publication, this decision aims to “de-monetize tracks that currently, on average, generate less than five cents per month.” It remains unclear how Spotify will distinguish tracks categorized as white noise or nature sounds. In a statement provided to Mixmag Magazine, Spotify stated, “We continuously assess how we can best support artists and engage in ongoing discussions with partners to enhance platform integrity. At this moment, we do not have any updates to share.”

The specific alterations in how Spotify will calculate royalties remain unclear, as the company will need to negotiate new agreements with the majority of record labels and distributors to implement the proposed changes. According to Billboard, major record labels are likely to support this shift as it is expected to increase their revenue. Spotify is currently engaged in discussions with numerous record labels, including Universal Music Group (UMG). As reported by NME, the CEO of UMG announced a “newly expanded agreement” with Spotify, emphasizing an “artist-centric” approach that will benefit “genuine artists with dedicated fanbases.”

The new royalty plan is anticipated to take effect early next year.

November 3, 2023

November 3, 2023November 3, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Versatile artist omyügen reveals an incredibly intimate single, ‘Dark Corner’

The innovative US-based singer-songwriter, producer and filmmaker omyügen (moniker of Michael X. Schallert) has unveiled a new single titled ‘Dark Corner’, released on November 3rd, 2023 via his label Omyügen Records. In 2016, omyügen began to produce under the alias Juse before rebranding to his current moniker, producing tracks that include his vocals, blending pop, electronic, and a multitude of other genres. Sponsored by the Wyoming Art Council, omyügen has worked as a producer for rap artist Gunnr and had his music featured on UKTalk Radio top 10 charts for Feb ‘22. ‘Dark Corner’ was mixed by Sean Dorrian, who worked on a number one billboard song with Breaking Benjamin, and mastered by Chris Athens, who has worked with the likes of Drake, Kodak Black, Hollywood Undead and Joji, to name a few.

‘Dark Corner’ tells a story of the isolation and pain that a person struggling with anxiety is subjected to. It begins as a piano ballad, tender yet tense, and unexpectedly ignites with the introduction of a gritty trap beat & bass as omyügen’s glitchy, effects-soaked vocals float hazily over the fray. Omyügen’s voice is smoky and husky, suitably dark for the song’s melancholic lyrics and charged with deep emotion.

omyügen commented on the track: “My song, Dark Corner, is about the life of an introvert with anxiety, basically. I wrote the song when I was back home from college for the summer. It’s my first ever song to get professionally mixed and mastered, so that’s kinda cool.”

Follow omyügen:

Website – Facebook – X – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

October 30, 2023

October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Interview with Irreverent Indie Rockers The Valmonts

Irish Indie-Pop rockers The Valmonts have an entrancing new EP, Living In A Paranoid Trance out now. Coming to you from Dublin, with a sound influenced by New Radicals and INXS, The Valmonts bring a quirky edge and raw power to the indie-pop world. Bringing to mind the effortless, fun delivery of The Kooks with a saccharine grit similar to The Vaccines. The EP’s featured single ‘Cry & Get A Little Drunk’, was quickly picked up by Notion Magazine, as well as being added to GoldenPlecs ‘Irish Songs You Need To Hear This Week’. With airplay on over 50 international radio stations and sold out performances in Ireland, The Valmonts are set to take over the indie-pop world. Darragh Whyte (vocals, guitar), Keith Whyte (drums), Cathal Sweeney (guitar), and Tymek Kocurkiewicz (bass) answered some questions about their distinct sensibility for pop hooks, laid over zany melodic riffs.

Walk us through your creative process?

The creative process is something that can always take you by surprise. Sometimes you can be messing around with a sound for weeks. Somedays it all comes together within minutes. It’s that constant dedication that’ll bring out your best performances. Having a space to be creative is super important for us as well as a band. As independent artists there’s a lot of hats that you need to wear so it’s important to kind of separate the analytical brain from the creative.

Who are your biggest artistic influences?

Biggest ones for the band would be acts like New Radicals, INXS and even AC/DC. It’s one of those questions that you almost feel bad answering because you’re never fully satisfied with the answer you give.

What would you like to work with if you weren’t musicians?

We’d be footin’ turf if it wasn’t gonna be music.

What’s one piece of gear you can’t live without? What equipment are you using?

Not necessarily gear but we all can’t live without Cathal. He’s the brains when it comes to all the technical stuff behind the band. Without him we’d be so lost. Some of us can’t even plug in a guitar lead without it going completely wrong. (Not looking at you Darragh)

Tell us something unrelated to music. What are your hobbies?

We all seem to be into our hikes and just going away into nature. Nothing clears the head better than being surrounded by massive hills or a forest. It’s either that or sitting down on a couch and throwing on some GTA San Andreas hahaha.

If you could meet one performer/artist who would it be?

It would be pretty dope to meet Little Simz. Totally different world musically compared to what we’re doing but we just have so much appreciation for what she does. Also meeting boygenius would probably result in a well of tears.

What does the future hold for you as an artist?

We’re already thinking of what we’re gonna release next. We’ve plenty of music we’re currently working on. Some of it is already finished. We’ve had the tunes from “Living In A Paranoid Trance” with us for ages so we can’t wait to show you guys what’s gonna come next.