This is going to be such a huge record this Summer (and hopefully beyond). 27-year-old multi-instrumentalist Gene Dudley has been making some noise over the last few years, with releases on the Wah Wah 45’s label. This one might be his best yet, with a nice A-side featuring Eric Boss of Myron & E. The B-side kills with a heavy funk rendition of the Todd Terje dance classic, “Inspector Norse.” I dropped this on Soundwaves a few weeks back, and am looking forward to playing this out as much as I can. Hopefully Gene comes to the U.S. for a tour!
Gilles Peterson will always be an inspiration and motivator for my passion for radio. Dude is cream of the crop in the independent radio world to me. Pushing out consistent content for 20+ years is not an easy task, and yet Gilles makes it look easy, with radio programs, dj mixes, dj gigs, an international festival, and even his own awards ceremony, celebrating good music from across the globe. He is truly a remarkable brand, and human being.
I got an email from the Gilles Peterson Worldwide email list today about their revamped website, and they posted a picture of the new Brownswood FM radio studios, located in the basement of Brownswood Records. This is what I need to be doing! This setup looks amazing, even in its minimal nature (no posters on the walls?!). I'm now inspired to get my studio to this level.
So Rebecca Ferguson has pop exposure already, being a runner up on the X-Factor. That being said, this type of album doesn't normally come down my path, but I heard "Mr. Bright Eyes" and I thought this was some underground soul singer making her breakthrough. I was wrong, and that's okay. I guess it's a good thing I don't watch TV. Maybe I would've been sick of her if I actually watched that season of X-Factor. I listened to the entire album that "Mr. Bright Eyes" was on, and wasn't 100% sold, but I DID find this song, the closing track to the album, which is amazing. Who does she remind me of? Patti Labelle? Not sure. Enjoy.
I heard this track quite a bit over the last month, and then stopped hearing it, as DJ's moved on to other songs from her new album, "Is Your Love Big Enough?" But this one was in my head allllllllll morning. Lianne La Havas is an amazing singer/songwriter from London, who really solidified her place in my heart with "Forget." This is one of very few artists whose lyrics actually stay with me. I NEVER pay attention to lyrics. My brain doesn't process them, for some reason, but rather groups the melody of the voice as part of the overall musical piece. So this is a big deal.
Another thing I can't stop praising is Lianne's guitar playing and great arrangements to accompany her insightful, somewhat melancholy take on love and ex-boyfriends (I watched her performance on this year's iTunes festival and she attributed a whole segment of the show to her ex). I absolutely love the guitar intro of this song (kind of reminds me of this), and would love to make a re-edit of this if I can make some time in the near future. Lianne La Havas is in town this November at The Roxy. I highly recommend you see her. I'll definitely be there vibing out!
I cannot get enough of this track, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for this UK singer. The UK’s making the states look bad on the music end, y’all! Always quality material coming from across the pond, and I can’t hate. You can find Lianne La Havas music anywhere. Go check it out on Spotify, or do what I did and buy her vinyl direct from London. My receipt said “expected delivery date: June 23.” WHAT?!
Her “Lost & Found EP” is available now, and be on the lookout for the Forget EP.
