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August 21, 2020 Band Phantom Isle release surreal music video

Band Phantom Isle release surreal music video

Directed by Matthew Nelson, the video for MAR V is as surreal and chaotic as the world that we’re living in at the moment, reflecting the pulsating energy of the song itself – wall-to-wall with everything from flashes of a latex-clad gas-masked dancer to tour and lockdown antics.

Discussing the video, director Matthew Nelson explains: “The concept behind the video was a glorified tour vlog turned nightmare. I took influences from directors like Darren Aronofsky and the 90s dance track “Killer” by ADAMSKI.”

Some of the footage used in the video was from the last show that the band played just before lockdown, which was in front of a 1,000-strong crowd at MaNo-Musikfestival in Germany. Drummer, Sam Thorne says “I’d say that the video sort of represents our experience over the last 5 months. The craziness of MaNo and those amazing gigs, all the people and parties, and then a different kind of craziness once we crash landed into lockdown straight after.”

Lead singer and guitarist, Peter Marchant continues: “We had all this footage of us on tour, in the studio etc. which is all well and good, but we wanted to throw some kind of bizarre fly in the ointment. So Matthew suggested we film lots of extra footage in our flat, and use whatever bonkers ideas that came into our heads. We had a lot of hilarious moments shooting these ideas all night.”

Consisting of hypnotic synth lines, goosebump-inducing rhythm and a hint of dark and mysterious atmosphere, Phantom Isle’s latest release, ‘MAR V’ sees the band stray from their art-pop roots with great success; highlighting their effortless capability to blend genres and moods for maximum effect – think LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip style indie-house.

Keyboard player, Joshua Pullen who took the lead with writing the music says: “The song started as a remix of our previous single ‘I Am Urs’ but became a very different beast when I was messing about with a new drum machine I bought. I was listening to a lot of Soulwax and Simian Mobile Disco at the time and loved how they would produce songs with a pounding single-note loop throughout.” 

Despite its upbeat and energetic feel, there’s a dark side to ‘MAR V’. Lyricist and drummer, Sam Thorne explains: “The lyrics were actually written about feeling anxious and alone” comparing that feeling to an old friend that follows you through life, saying “you almost miss it when you leave it behind”. Singer and guitarist, Peter Marchant adds, “the song pretty much became the soundtrack of MaNo-Musikfestival in Marburg, Germany, where we headlined in March this year”. 2,000 fans jumped and danced frantically to MAR V’s hypnotic pulse at the festival’s closing show, seen in the single’s official video along with a montage of mischievous and surreal footage from the band’s journey so far. The band arrived in Marburg on March 5th (hence the romanised title, ‘MAR V’), they saw and conquered.

Follow Phantom Isle: 

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August 21, 2020 Band TV PEOPLE announce new music

Band TV PEOPLE announce new music

Rising Dublin quartet TV PEOPLE return on 4th September with their third single of 2020, ‘Nothing More’ and its accompanying video directed by Robert Clarke.

Mixed and recorded at Darklands Audio with Dan Doherty (Fontaines D.C., Vulpynes) and mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright (Radiohead, Blur, LCD Soundsystem), ‘Nothing More’ sees the band come to terms with identity and the struggle of finding a purpose in life.

Speaking about the single, the band explain: “It reflects on the superficial challenges of finding yourself that you face in adolescence and early adulthood, and contrasts these with a deeper existential anxiety that emerges in their place as you begin to overcome them.”

 “The song documents the experience of trying to make peace with the realisation that life may be inherently meaningless and deal with the burden of being responsible for your own life’s purpose. It was written remotely during the lockdown period by sending each other music and mixing a home demo which was a new way of writing for us.”

‘Nothing More’ follows the release of singles ‘Kitchen Sinking’ and ‘Time Eats Up’ earlier in 2020, with ‘Kitchen Sinking’ earning a spot on Spotify’s ‘An Alternative Éire’ playlist, and ‘Time Eats Up’ receiving heavy promotion from the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

Hailing from the heart of Ireland’s capital, TV People are a Dublin four-piece who lace their indie/garage rock sound with punk-infused undertones. Despite forming in early 2019, the band have been honing their craft across the live scene, making themselves one of the most exciting bands coming out of Dublin right now.

First toying with the idea of creating the band, Paul, Brendan and Len later recruited Rob to perfect the group’s dynamic. Since, TV People have worked with Dan Doherty (Darklands Audio) and Christian Wright (Abbey Road Studios) on their latest releases and also garnered support from the likes of Abbey Road Studios, The Daily Star, Earmilk, When The Horn Blows, Amazing Radio, RTÉ and 98FM, and more.

Follow TV PEOPLE:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | Youtube | Bandcamp

August 19, 2020 Interview with London-based electronic/alt-R&B/Hip-hop duo E L E V N S

Interview with London-based electronic/alt-R&B/Hip-hop duo E L E V N S

London-based electronic/alt-R&B/Hip-hop duo E L E V N S made their debut in 2019 with their first single ‘Let Me In’ hitting Spotify’s New Music Friday on release day. They have been busy travelling between London, Paris, NYC and LA performing and finding artists to collaborate with, including getting endorsements from companies such as Soundbrenner and ROLI.

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

Gramm: I was lucky to be part of a band when I was 15 years old. My first gig was probably the best memory I have and also one of the reasons I’m into music. The excitement mixed with stress before going on stage became like a drug. I only started producing at the age of 25 and hearing the first song done from scratch without having to work with other producer was quite a proud moment.

Aurelian: I started playing the drums when I was 12 and I was listening to a lot of different things like Michael Jackson and Blink-182. I had a few bands and like Gramm, performing live became a drug. I would go to jam sessions and play with other musicians for hours. I realised I could produce and write music myself after listening to Ben Kenny, bass player for Incubus. He made an EP where he recorded everything and that was the moment I started producing but it only got serious in the last 5 years for me.

What are some of your key musical influences?

We take inspiration from everywhere, we’re like sponges that absorb anything that could be inspiring. We both listen to a variety of musical styles but in general, it gravitates around Hip-Hop/Soul with artists like Chance the Rapper, Aminé, Brasstracks, Anderson.Paak and Mac Miller, pop with Ariana Grande and Justin Timberlake and electronic with Snakehips, Kaytranada and 20Syl / Alltta. 

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?

It would look like a KAWS painting,  lots of colours and dynamism.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?

We really believe that the more people you work with the more magic you can create. But we don’t really have a specific process. We always start the two of us and then we send a beat to an artist we know or that we found on Instagram. We especially target some artists we love by scouting on Spotify and then reach out to them on IG. With overseas collaboration, most of the time artists would write, record themselves and send us the vocals. From then we wrap up the production. But sometimes we would have a session at ours or in a studio with some friends or artists and do everything in one day.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

We’re more coffee guys than juices so a nice flat white or latte would work best (laughs)! To be more serious, it is the vibe a sound or a drumbeat can create. Creativity is something you need to cease when it comes because you can’t invoke it. For us, it is a lot about the vibe and good energy that things, like travelling and being surrounded by cool people, bring to us. The opposite of quarantine basically (laughs).

As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

Spotify should remove the number of streams, followers and monthly listeners like Apple Music does so people would judge less on the number of streams and focus more on the music.

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

It is awesome! We can really feel the energy they bring and how they interact with us. As we feature different vocalist along with the show, the vibes change often and it keeps a nice dynamic. One of the best crowds we had was when we played Sofar Sounds, people are really here to listen to the music and you can bond with them easily.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

The most memorable one was being added to Spotify New Music Friday on our first ever release ‘Let Me In’. That was insane! We didn’t have any fan base, a few followers on Instagram but that was it (laughs)!

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

We would like to do big tours, travel the world, connect with new people and have fun with our music. Obviously there is all the fame and being able to live off your music but when people move their head to the music and we can see them smile and enjoy, this is a success!

What’s on your current playlist?

There’s a lot of music but here’s a little list (laughs): 

Goner (feat. Audrey Mika) by Souly Had 

Blueberry Cadillac by Landon Sears

Blue World by Mac Miller

The Plug (feat. Drelli) by Party Pupils

Backyard by Kota the Friend

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you in the near future?

We are currently working on releasing a song a month and we’ve got some amazing collaborations mainly coming from the US with Atlanta based singers Zach Paradis and Jaylon Ashaun again and Danny Diamonds from Boston. We are also working on a new live set to perform when things will be back to normal after COVID-19!

Famous last words?

Hasta la vista, baby!

Follow E L E V N S online

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

August 17, 2020 Music producer Franky Wah releases new house song ‘Come Together’

Music producer Franky Wah releases new house song ‘Come Together’

In a time of global uncertainty, Franky Wah shares the euphoric and hopeful ‘Come Together’, his first single release of 2020 which is out today.

A breakbeat twist on the classic UK house sound, ‘Come Together’ pairs hands-in-the-air piano chords with irresistible female vocals and atmospheric drums – delivering carefree vibes with a strong message of unity to encourage and uplift people during this difficult global situation.

 Talking on the single, Franky Wah explains: “I wrote this record at the end of summer 2019 inspired by one of the best summers of my life touring and playing all over the world. I wanted to capture the essence of the 90s and put a modern take on it, and the minute I found those piano chords I really felt I was onto something.” He adds: “I think given the global crisis we’re going through at minute this record couldn’t be more fitting, and I hope everyone resonates with this like I do.”

Follow  Franky Wah online 

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