Music Producer – RCRD LBL

February 9, 2026

February 9, 2026February 9, 2026 Mew Zikwryder

Plain Mister Smith Delivers Hazy, Personal New Single, ‘Dream To Be Free’ with Jordan Klassen

Plain Mister Smith has released ‘Dream To Be Free’, his new single featuring Jordan Klassen, now available via Amelia Records/Symphonic following its February 6 release. The track is the fourth single from his upcoming album, due in spring 2026. The artist, a long-time guitarist in Canadian darkwave outfit Moev and current cellist with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, has built steady momentum as Plain Mister Smith with coverage from NPR Music, Wonderland Magazine, CLASH Magazine, NOTION, Under The Radar, Earmilk, METAL, Noctis Mag, and Atwood Magazine.

Split between Vancouver and London, Plain Mister Smith works where indie-folk clarity meets psych-rock drift, threading sharp lyrics through quieter reflective stretches. ‘Dream To Be Free’ connects directly to the worlds of Death Cab for Cutie, The War on Drugs, and Pavement. It moves between inward pull and lighter whimsy, built on bright, repeating keyboard lines over gently syncopated drum work. Layered instrumental shifts frame the direct, plaintive vocal exchange, evoking blurred images of cities rushing past in recollection.

Across this run of singles, Plain Mister Smith shows a clearer hand at the controls. He keeps dynamics tight, letting percussion breathe under melodic fragments while vocal lines overlap to heighten the emotional weight without overstatement. Bringing in voices like Jordan Klassen adds natural harmonic depth that fits into the arrangements rather than standing apart. The tracks cohere through deliberate choices, such as subtle tonal bends and careful negative space, rewarding close listening and pointing to an album with real structural unity, grounded in personal detail yet precise in execution.

Plain Mister Smith shared: “Dream to be Free’ is a mesmeric reflection on a decades-old trip to Kyoto, where memories came flooding back – how such a trip to a faraway place can seem like an ultimate act of freedom, or it can be a more subtle escape from home. This trip took place during Daimonji time, when locals light giant bonfires on hills around Kyoto to guide the spirits back to the spirit world. In a way, this trip felt like a return to a source of rebirth.”

Stream ‘Dream To Be Free’:

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December 17, 2025

December 17, 2025December 17, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Seth Tabatznik Returns With Expansive, Wintry Single Ahead of 2026 Album

(Seth Tabatznik / Image Credits: Timmy Henny)

London-born folk artist Seth Tabatznik unveiled his latest single, ‘Let Go Of Fear’, on December 12th, 2025 through Moth Music (Mother Of The Heart). Hot on the heels of his recent singles ‘Shining For Love’ and ‘Choose To Be Alive’, both championed by tastemakers like CLASH Magazine and EARMILK prove Seth’s star is rising fast. Since his debut in 2024, he has already surpassed 100,000 streams and counting. His live shows have quickly become must-see events, with sold-out performances at Boschendal Estate in Cape Town and Green Note in London’s Camden. With a second album on the horizon for 2026, Seth Tabatznik is carving out his place as a standout voice in the Indie Folk scene.

Seth’s journey from the heart of London to the wild beauty of South Africa’s Western Cape mountains shapes every note he plays. His acoustic folk and medicine music pulse with a deep respect for the earth, blending soulful harmonies and honest lyrics that connect ancient wisdom with a fresh, modern spirit. Guided by mentor Nick Mulvey and inspired by his guitar teacher Rainer Scheurenbrand, Seth crafts songs that are both a reflection of his personal path and a spiritual exploration. Fans of Bon Iver, Novo Amor, and Sleeping At Last will find themselves drawn into his next release.

‘Let Go of Fear’ marks a wintry shift from the guitar-driven indie folk of Seth’s earlier singles. Expansive yet close, the track drifts on lush strings and shimmering piano, while Seth’s gentle vocals hover above, quietly beckoning listeners to release their fears.

Seth shared: “Let Go of Fear is a cover of a Nick Barber song: Heart’s Mystery. Its a song I fell in love with and adopted over the last few years; as passed onto me by my guitar teacher Rainer Scheurenbrand. I’ve sang this song round the world, in ceremonies, in singing circles and at festivals as an audience singalong and am grateful to be sharing this personalised recorded studio version.”

Stream ‘Let Go Of Fear’:

Follow Seth Tabatznik:

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

October 16, 2025

October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Tree of Tranquility Lands from Deep Forest-Rahul Sharma Duo, Backed by Fall Tour Dates

The August 25 rollout of Tree of Tranquility marks a solid return for Éric Mouquet‘s Deep Forest project and santoor ace Rahul Sharma, their second team-up since Deep India dropped back in 2013. Mouquet, a key architect of the French Touch wave, built Deep Forest‘s rep on sampling distant vocal traditions into house-tinged electronica, culminating in that breakthrough 1996 Grammy win for Boheme—a feat that put French electronic on the map as the inaugural non-Anglo victor in world music.

The catalog racked up 10 million physical sales plus consistent 20 million digital spins yearly, underscoring Mouquet’s grip on the genre’s evolution via solo ventures like Deep Forest Live Machine. Sharma, carrying forward his father Pandit Shivkumar Sharma‘s legacy on the 100-string santoor, has flipped the folk staple into worldly experiments—think his runs with pianist Richard Clayderman or that prior Deep Forest splice, all while holding tight to Hindustani improv’s soul. This latest pairs the album with a packed 2025 tour slate, giving audiences a front-row shot at the blend.

Across its eight outings, Tree of Tranquility carves out quieter, more personal ground in electronica, zeroing in on nature’s quiet pulse. Sharma’s playing shines with refined touch—santoor notes blooming in varied, almost meditative loops—bolstered by Mouquet’s textural overlays that hum and swell like ambient fog.

Rooted in the Old French root of ‘tranquilite’ for straightforward calm and joy, the title’s tree imagery serves as a low-key call to shake off stress and lean into mental stillness. Tree of Tranquility delivers on that promise, serving up a listen that’s equal parts unwind and uplift—timeless yet fresh enough to loop on repeat. With the tour kicking off soon, Sharma and Mouquet are set to amplify this chemistry live, turning studio subtlety into shared-space energy that world music heads won’t want to miss.

Be part of the experience and get your tickets HERE

Stream Tree of Tranquility:

Follow Deep Forest:

Spotify – Instagram – Facebook

October 15, 2025

October 15, 2025October 15, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Q052’s Thunder Child Lands with Unyielding Bars and Beats

(Q052 / Image Credit: Jean-Philippe Sansfaçon)

On October 10, 2025, Q052 released his fourth studio album, Thunder Child, via Musique Nomade, a set that cements his status as a Mi’gmaq hip-hop force tackling systemic inequities head-on. Quentin Condo, the man behind the name—drawing from his first initial and the 052 code for his Gesgapegiag, Gaspésie roots—now operates out of Sherbrooke, Canada, where he amplifies calls for Indigenous youth empowerment and safeguards for women and girls. With streams topping 140K on Spotify, he’s claimed Best Male Hip-Hop Artist at the 2023 International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards, alongside noms for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the 2021 ADISQ Gala, Expressive Music Artist/Group and Blues/Rock Artist/Group at the 2022 Teweikan Gala, and Hip-Hop Album at the 2022 GAMIQ. His commanding live shows have drawn coverage from CLASH Magazine, spins on Radio Canada, and support for ‘Loud Sunday‘ from BBC Radio 6‘s Don Letts on Culture Clash Radio. Q052 has rocked major lineups with Cypress Hill at events like FEQ, La Noce, OFF Québec, Innu Nikamu, Festival Kwe!, FME, Festival Bleu Bleu, and Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée.

The album’s tracks demand close listens, stacking Q052‘s sharp wordplay against instrumentals that nod to classic hip-hop roughness, infused with grunge and alt-rock elements from influences like Ty Segall, Immortal Technique, Cypress Hill, Black Sabbath, Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Run DMC, and King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. Leading the charge is ‘Look It Up‘, the focus single that dials back the layers to spotlight his aggressive verses dismantling authority, in the vein of Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Danny Brown, and KRS-One. It embodies the project’s push for awareness and resistance, blending spoken-word intensity with hip-hop’s backbone and rock’s snarl for a sound that’s grounded in urgency.

Q052 had this to say: “Hip Hop artists are considered to be street journalists who share stories from their environment. In this album, I’m taking listeners on a tour in my mind and expressing how I view the world right now. It’s gone to hell!! From world leaders to the environment, from television shows to the news, from law enforcement agencies invading homes to assassinations, from social media platform addictions to a cold beer!! I’m reporting on it…is this mic on?”

Thunder Child Album Tracklist

1. Whap Bam-Boo
2. Wickedness
3. Look it Up
4. Thunder Bows
5. Piece of Man
6. Loud Sunday
7. Post Like Addict
8. Space Invaders
9. Restricted Radio
10. Sláinte

Stream Thunder Child: