Bringing you a pick of the month’s best releases, Maria Hanlon presents 10 tunes that have hit her decks – and got a reload – in January. Starring p-rallel & Dom Valentino, PRVNA, Mom Tudie & Eerf Evil, Close Counters & shiv, Demae, KeepVibesNear, Kojey Radical & Jords, Kwoli Black, Kymara & Lord Apex, KiLLOWEN, Frankie Stew, Harvey Gunn and Hope Tala…
p-rallel, Dom Valentino
Fooling Me Twice
Nevermind Recordings
For fans of… Conducta, IZCO, Fredwave
Why listen… This is a late night track for the DJs and dancers
‘Fooling Me Twice’ is the first single from DJ & producer p-rallel since his ‘Movement‘ mixtape in October 2023. It comes ahead of his brand new EP dropping in March. ‘Fooling Me Twice’ sees
p-rallel join forces with Dom Valentino to create a dance track that embodies London’s vibrant nightlife scene. Speaking about ‘Fooling Me Twice’, p-rallel said, “I came back from Thailand this time last year and went straight into the studio with Dom Valentino. We created a couple ideas and Fooling Me Twice was one of them. We ended up going to Koko Electronic halfway through our session just to catch a vibe for a couple hours and then went back to the studio at like 4-5am and finished it off.”
PRVNA
What U Do
Soundplate Records
For fans of… Keinemusik, Black Coffee, Katy B
Why listen… ‘What U Do’ will give you the energy boost you need to beat the winter blues.
PRVNA is back with a fresh track from her second electronic project, coming out in March. She continues to create a sound that is totally unique fusing together her distinctive vocals with afro tech production for ‘What U Do’. PRVNA shared on Instagram, “This song’s about a witch making a love potion, we’re getting sexy, deep, dark and dirty!” ‘What U Do’ is a very strong start to PRVNA’s year and I can’t wait to check out the rest of the project and see what 2025 has in store for her.
Mom Tudie, Eerf Evil
Waste No Time
Lordship Loft Recordings
For fans of… The Silhouettes Project, Ezra Collective, Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn
Why listen… You can’t be in a bad mood after listening to this bop.
Mom Tudie teams up with rapper Eerf Evil (co-founder of The Silhouette’s Project) who he’s known since he was 16 for this one. The pair were in the same tutor group at school so this collaboration has been a long time coming. ‘Waste No Time’ features horns, drums and will have you two stepping in no time. You can imagine how good this one would sound live too, catch Mom Tudie upstairs at The Ritzy on Feb 22nd.
Close Counters, shiv
FREEDOM WE’RE NEEDING
HOLY SOUND
For fans of… Cody Currie, Dan Kye, Harvey Sutherland
Why listen… If you’re looking for something to get you moving and grooving, this is it.
Close Counters give us another jazz infused track featuring shiv’s stunning vocals. The tune sounds so warm and sun drenched, reminding us of sunnier days. This collaboration seems like the perfect fit, with shiv’s soulful vocals working so well with the upbeat production. Close Counters said on Instagram, “This song was born in London a couple years ago. We instantly hit it off and wrote and recorded most of this tune in a couple of hours!”
Demae
Ain’t Easy
FAMM
For fans of… Cleo Sol, Lynda Dawn, Adi Oasis
Why listen… This track is so captivating, you’ll find yourself hitting repeat over and over again.
Demae’s voice has been a favourite of mine for a while, since her early work with renowned London collective Touching Bass.
‘Ain’t Easy’ is so soulful and warm and allows Demae’s vocals to shine through once again. The lyrics are deep and meaningful and show a vulnerable side to Demae. Speaking about her new track, Demae says on socials, “I love this song because we recorded it with one take which I believe speaks to the vulnerability of the music itself.”
KeepVibesNear, Kojey Radical, Jords
REBEL 2.0
Vineland
For fans of… The Silhouettes Project, Children of Zeus, Jeshi
Why listen… This is the collab we’ve all been waiting for.
Three of London’s finest have linked up to create the incredible ‘REBEL 2.0’. Each of them get their time to shine in the song and TAYLR nails the production. With each listen you appreciate the song more and won’t be able to stop playing. I think this might be my favourite track to date from KeepVibesNear and I’m excited to see what 2025 holds for him, Kojey Radical and Jords.
Kwoli Black
Sorry For Your Loss Freestyle
TLD Records
For fans of… Kojey Radical, Kendrick Lamar, Little Simz
Why listen… This cheeky, bouncy track from Kwoli Black will be your new fave.
‘Sorry For Your Loss Freestyle’ is Kwoli’s latest offering where he addresses his past love interests in his own unique style. Weaving his real life experiences and thoughts into his intricate lyrics, Kwoli reminds us why he’s one to watch this year. JSTRINGS is on the production on this one, who’s smashes it once again. Kwoli has hinted at more music on the way and I can’t wait to check it out.
Kymara, Lord Apex
Not A Fool
Ipako Records
For fans of… Tyler The Creator, Kali Uchis, SAHRA
Why listen… Jazzy, sassy and absolutely stunning, this one is a must-add for your playlist.
This song is so empowering and Kymara’s vocal range is so impressive. She takes us on a journey for the first half of the song then Lord Apex joins her to lay down his signature sound. The jazzy production gives the song so much depth and warmth and the pair’s vocals bring it to life. I’m excited to see what else Kymara works on this year, because if it’s anything like this I know I’m going to love it.
KiLLOWEN, Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn
cook & effy
KiLLOWEN
For fans of… Loyle Carner, mustbejohn, Jelani Blackman
Why listen… One for the ‘Skins’ fans and 90s baby’s!
KiLLOWEN’s sound is always unmistakable, yet he keeps delivering with fresh and exciting new music. Drawing from a wide range of club styles, he layers his sharp witty bars on top effortlessly. ‘cook & effy’ sees him team up with alt hip-hop legends Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn creating something truly timeless. Whether it’s being blasted out club speakers or playing in your headphones, ‘cook & effy’ will hit the spot either way.
Hope Tala
Phoenix
PMR Records
For fans of… Raveena, Pip Millett, Cleo Sol
Why listen… Hope Tala is back with a beauty that you’re going to love.
‘Phoenix’ is Hope Tala’s first release of the year and comes ahead of her debut album, ‘Hope Handwritten’ which is dropping on February 28th. ‘Phoenix’ is an intricate song with bossa-inspired acoustic guitar chords about being apart from your best friend. Hope says, “I wrote ‘Phoenix’ for my best friend while we were separated geographically after a long period of time seeing each other every day, in an attempt to express some of what our friendship means to me. It was of course inevitable that this song, which is about how friendship has lifted me from darkness into hope, would eventually find its way onto ‘Hope Handwritten’.”
Words: Maria Hanlon @mariahanlon Listen to The Voices Breakfast Show with Maria Hanlon on the 1st & 3rd Friday of the month, 9-11am on voicesradio.co.uk.