Lil Silva feat. Kent Jamz - "De Ja"

13th May saw the release of Lil Silva's latest EP, entitled JIMI (Journey Inside My Imagination), released on Good Years. It's six tracks long and the music that is featured on it bares more in comparison to the 2014 release Mabel, rather than last years more UK funky/dance orientated Drumatic. I love the way that in interviews Lil Silva describes his sound as "Lil Silva", and at the moment my favourite track from the new EP is "De Ja", featuring the luxurious vocals of Kent Jamz.

When a track is called De Ja, it's a chance that it is designed to evoke past memories. I think it does by the lovely string sound that features. The sound that is featured sounds like a throwback R&B track, with the way everything melds together, but not cancelling anything out. It also feels like there is a leisurely confidence as the beat moves along. This is also aided by the warm delivery of the excellent vocals. There is a wistful, almost knowing sense of the mistakes that the protagonist has made, whilst being aware that they may be made again.

As always with Lil Silva he has created an EP that will inspire creators to create music. His sound is constantly evolving and the way he can create dancefloor filling tracks like The Play, all the way back to the early/late summer haze of the aforementioned De Ja and Lines. He has the Lil Silva sound and expresses it so confidently on this EP, you can't help but to be drawn in and inspired.

Strong Asian Mothers - "Out of Love"

I first came across this track on BBC Radio's Introducing London show. Strong Asian Mothers are a 3-piece act, compromised of Amer, Kalim and Josh, who have been playing in various bands together since childhood. It sounds like they have found their their true identities now, as it is quite clear what Strong Asian Mothers are; an electronic pop act, who utilise elements from trap and hip-hop, with interesting vocal melodies. To play the lazy comparison game when I hear their tracks I can hear elements of Rustie (trap-style drum rhythms and an at times euphoric sound), Django Django (the melodious singing accompanying the beats) and Yeasayer (the worldly style vibe).

Their latest effort is called Out of Love, and is taken from a forthcoming EP called Lynx Africa. The first thing that grabs you is the insistent keyboard/organ melody at the start. There's something retro about the sound used, and then it's combined with a verse that is sung in a tone that manages to convey the feeling of lost love,  which seems to be the theme of the song. It's sung at quite a rapid rhythm, complimenting the trap-influenced drum beat really well. I love the way this is then juxtaposed with the chorus which only contains the words "Out of Love", but harmonised in a beautiful way and it's like the rapid delivery of the verse resolves into the beautiful chorus. When the breakdown happens about 2 minutes in, it works to an amazing extent.

This tune performs a great trick into thinking that you have heard a long track, but it in fact clocks in at the radio friendly format of 3:24. I think this is due to the range of ideas that are displayed throughout it. It certainly doesn't feel rushed and there are a wide range of influences to dissect before you come to the conclusion of whom Strong Asian Mothers are. In conclusion what they are at the end of the day is an act well worth keeping your eye on!

Nothing But Thieves - "Trip Switch"

Nothing But Thieves are a 5-piece band from Southend, England, who have been gaining momentum through a couple of single releases, backed by some interesting videos. In my opinion their latest release "Trip Switch", for which the official video came out last week is my favourite tune of theirs so far. The first thing that you notice about the song are the vocals provided by Conor Mason. The band's biography describes his vocals as "angelic and soaring", and that description is certainly apt in terms of describing his contribution to this song. When I hear the vocals there is a certain similarity to the way that Matt Bellamy from Muse sings his lyrics, where he beautifully varies from a delicately beautiful touch in the verse to a powerful soaring delivery in the chorus. It's a pretty funky tune, but with a rock edge to it, which seems to be a thread heard throughout their music. The guitarists, Dom and Joe, compose some interesting guitar melodies that accompany the vocals really well. There is a really cool riff in the verse, accompanied by a muted guitar part that comes in and out, that feels that it goes out of key and then resolves itself right at the end of the line. From listening to their tracks it feels like that scale is somewhat representative of their approach, they have enough unusual elements that will separate this band from the legions of rock bands that pop up on the landscape of British music every year. Another element being a dark and moody video that never quite lets you know where it is going to end up.

An album is scheduled to be released in autumn and let's hope it does not fall victim to the album delay element that can stall many a promising young bands career.

Mele - "Ambience"

I first came across this tune while listening to Annie Mac's Friday night Radio 1 show last week. I subsequently discovered this was being released on Lobster Boy, which is run by Redlight, who is an artist that I am a huge fan of. When I first heard this tune I had no idea that it was a UK producer, as I was a bit behind the curve with Mele, as he has been releasing tracks for a few years. He was born in Wirral and is now based in London.

The track itself is a track that owes a lot to the funk carioca sound of Brazil, combined with what you could identify as a female vocal that you could find in house music as it is particularly powerful, but in this case it is utilised in a way that reminds me of a lady leading the carnival procession right at the front. She alternates between moments of encouragement, screams and sung phrases, which is so effective. The beat has the type of drums you would expect to find in Brazilian music. I love the way the beat moves along with the main bass drum sound (which I think is played by a surdo drum in Brazilian music featuring prominently.

This is definitely a tune that should be big in the summer. It is a brilliant piece of music! I think people would be surprised to know it comes from a Wirral based producer, but that is the beauty of the eclecticism that is found in British music. "Ambience" is available for pre-order now.

Jesse James Solomon - "We Do"

Jesse James Solomon is a young MC who came out with an EP last year called "Jesse From SE". The best thing about it was the old-school sensibilities that could be found within the work, whether it is Jesse's laconic flow or chilled out production. He has returned with a track called "We Do", which feels like he has continued a progression that will one day see him crowned as one of the premier rappers in UK hip-hop. On the track Jesse is reminiscing about the days of his childhood and some of the antics that he used to get up to. But there is nothing sinister involved; it's just a laid-back reminiscing over getting bagels, playing football and having his Mum told that he needed to do better in school by teachers whom he thought were fine. In this era of what I call "council-estate rap" where various London youths make cheap YouTube videos around the council estates of London with wordplay intimating that they are eager to dish out some kind of violence, it's a refreshing outlook. The production work suits the vibe that Jesse is going for in an amazing way. There is a vocal sample that has been treated and sounds almost tribal in origin. Backed by a beat that begins with a ticking sound, that reminds me of the sands of time ticking away. The beat never rushes; it is almost like the beat is in no rush to arrive at it's destination, with a lilting feel tracking it all the way. For me personally it is interesting to hear Jesse reminisce about his adventures in school, as I was actually working in the school that he is remembering in his rhymes. He certainly was a talented footballer and the stoned flavour to his raps is no exaggeration! I remember there was a match in year 11, where I was managing and he was my most talented player. Then he got excluded from school a few days before a cup quarter-final for getting caught smoking weed in the toilets, throwing my tactical plans into chaos! However this is no misguided youth. He is an extremely positive person who I am glad to say I know and have been following his musical progress with interest. "We Do" is another example of the growth in this future hip-hop hero.

Fake Blood - "Hornets/Hornets EP"

Fake Blood, whose real name is Theo Keating, yesterday (18th May) released an EP entitled "Hornets", which was released by the Food Music label. The EP features the title track, 2 remixes and another track entitled "Music Box". My favourite Fake Blood tune is "Mars", which came out in 2008. And in the drum beat for "Hornets" I can hear some of the qualities which grabbed me from the first time I heard "Mars". It goes along at 128bpm, but has more similarities to fidget house, with a funky shuffling drumbeat propelling the beat along rather than a straight-up four to the floor house beat. The true aspect of innovation in the track is how the sound of hornets is appropriated, firstly through the evil sounding laugh that is sampled through the piece. Also when the bass drops there is a certain amount of venom within it that reminds me of some of the sounds that were prominently featured in UK grime music at one time, as the bass makes minimal pitch movement and it feels it is there more as an effect for feel.

When the piece moves into it's second section after the intro there is also this really cool buzzing sound, that could well be real hornets sampled. There are also a few other sounds that give you the feeling of a bunch of hornets flying. Also on the EP are remixes by Benton & Pluto.

"Music Box" is another really enjoyable track, coming in at around the same tempo, but with a gentler feel in what I would call the music box section. There is a great bit with a real heavy bassline that starts around 2:12, which then combines with the music box element. There is still a heavy dose of something funky going with the drums, with a kind of jazzy sound then making way for a more straight-ahead rhythm. This is definitely an EP worth checking out; the remixes are really good, but I really love Fake Blood's original creations!