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 May. Starring dialE, edbl, Superlative, Ella More, MRCY, Amie Blu, Brother Zulu, Ben DSP, Neyman, Casanova, Micofcourse, Baobei &. DEJA…
dialE
The Go Down
dial who
For fans of… Finn Foxell, King Krule, Louis Culture
Why listen… This energetic summer bop needs to be played on full volume.
East London’s dialE has released his first song of the year, ‘The Go Down’. The track is taken from a larger project coming soon, but before then he’s playing a string of shows in Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin which are almost sold out. ‘The Go Down’ represents freedom from expectations of what dialE’s sound is whilst still remaining true to himself. I am loving it and can’t wait for hopefully more music from dialE this year.
edbl, Superlative
All Me
edbl recordings
For fans of… Ezra Collective, Kofi Stone, The Mouse Outfit
Why listen… edbl and Superlative are the perfect pairing on the powerful, ‘All Me’.
Brilliant beatmaker edbl aka Ed Black continues to collaborate and push genre boundaries on his new single ‘All Me’, featuring Superlative. The track dropped earlier this month and builds around a piano sample, jazzy synths and vibey guitars to create a stand out track. Superlative’s raw and reflective flow, ties the track together and creates something really special. ‘All Me’ is taken from edbl’s upcoming full-length album entitled ‘2010 Mixtape’, a project firmly rooted in hip-hop, which will see features from some of the UK’s finest voices in the R&B, soul & rap scenes.
Ella More
Balance
Ella More
For fans of… Solange, Cleo Sol, SAULT
Why listen… Ella More is one of the most exciting new neo-soul voices on the scene right now.
Birmingham’s Ella More is making some serious waves right now with her honest, soul-baring lyrics and stunning vocals. Since releasing music at the start of last year, she’s gone from strength to strength and ‘Balance’ is no different. This song is all about love and throwing yourself into it with no inhibitions, no worries, just the purest certainty of what it is. The track was produced by Nikhil and could be my favourite of Ella’s yet!
MRCY
California
Dead Oceans
For fans of… Anderson .Paak, Khruangbin, Leon Bridges
Why listen… This track will transport you to the sunshine, with its warm vocals and nostalgic vibes.
MRCY is made up of producer Barney Lister and vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson, who are a match made in musical heaven. Their latest release ‘California’ is a hazy, dream-like track which despite the name is actually about London. Speaking about the track, the pair say, “‘California’ is about feeling powerless to help even in a place that claims to be one of opportunity.” Whilst MRCY are still fairly new, they’ve been making a huge impact on the scene and are definitely ones to keep an eye on.
Amie Blu
who’s he gonna take home
0207 Def Jam
For fans of… Celeste, Humble the Great, Daniel Ceasar
Why listen… Amie Blu gives us another beauty to enjoy with ‘who’s he gonna take home’.
Amie Blu’s emotive bops have been getting a lot of love lately. Her distinctive voice combined with relatable lyrics have made her a rising star. ‘who’s he gonna take home’ is Amie’s latest release and she shares, “It’s the first song I ever wrote with Jay Flew. I wanted to write something that was descriptive but still simplistic and as soon as I had the first line ‘he’s the type to know his words’, everything else just fell into place.”
Brother Zulu
Summertime
Brother Zulu
For fans of… D’angelo, Anderson .Paak, Tom Misch
Why listen… With summer just around the corner, this is the perfect soundtrack.
Brother Zulu band members Max Tuohy, Alex Hillman, Noah Nelson and Lawrence Ajadi come from different corners of the world but say London brought them soul. They cleverly combine elements of funk, hip-hop, jazz and soul to create their unique sound. Speaking about the song the band say they decided to get together and “not make things so complicated” and ‘Summertime’ was the result. The track tells the story of a toxic relationship unsure if it’s going to work out.
Ben DSP, Neyman
Grammar
On Your DSP’s
For fans of… Mac Miller, Manga Saint Hilare, Mike Skinner
Why listen… Blending together the sounds of UK and Italian rap, this track will get your head bopping.
‘Grammar’ is the new UK Garage influenced banger by Ben DSP, featuring rising Italian rapper Neyman. The two got in contact via social media and linked up with producer Blueboy to blend together the sounds of UK and Italian rap. The track follows Ben DSP’s previous release ‘Far From Home’ which dropped earlier this year, and hopefully we’ll have more music soon.
Casnova, Micofcourse
Julia
Arta Sounds
For fans of… IZCO, KAM-BU, Danny Sanchez
Why listen… This chilled out UKG track is what your playlists are missing.
Born and raised in London, Casnova has made a name for himself in the dance scene with his steady flow of UKG releases. ‘Julia’ dropped earlier this month and is the first single from his upcoming EP ‘Lotus’. The track is a fusion of UKG and Casnova’s Iranian heritage with Micofcourse rapping to complete the track. Fun fact – Casnova and Micofcourse went to school together so this track is a full circle moment for them and hopefully the first of many collaborations. Make sure to give the music video a watch, it’s epic!
Baobei
Stereo (Baobei Dub)
SoundOn
For fans of… Pretty Girl, Overmono, ATRIP
Why listen… Ethereal vocals combined with UKG production make this dub a staple for summer.
Baobei is a British-Chinese DJ who’s born and bred in North West London. She recently released her first two singles of the year ‘Stereo’ and ‘Bluff’ along with the ‘Stereo (Baobei Dub)’. The dreamy UKG dub of ‘Stereo’ is one of the clubs and is a playful response to the rejection of love. All three tracks have been received really well with BBC Introducing radio play and I’m already excited to see what Baobei has next in store.
DEJA
Shake That Nyash
DEJA
For fans of… Destiny’s Child, Rihanna, Doja Cat
Why listen… DEJA’s latest release is full of fun and power, the ultimate pick me up.
DEJA’s R&B pop-bangers have been described as the “verbal eye-roll you never knew you needed”, which I love. ‘Shake That Nyash’ is DEJA’s latest drop and is exactly what you expect it to be, “a bouncy, melodic excuse to shake butt”. She wrote this one for the girls, gays and everyone in between to let their hair down to. The track is full of fun and power and makes you feel good every time you listen. Have this one saved on your playlist for whenever you need an energy boost.
Words: Maria Hanlon @mariahanlon
Listen to The Voices Breakfast Show with Maria Hanlon on the 1st Friday of the month 9-11am on voicesradio.co.uk.
