"I'm new here", sang Gil Scott-Heron on the title track to his penultimate record. Newbies gives us the chance to introduce those that are just beginning to scratch the surface of the music-world. It's our chance to introduce them to you and hopefully light the flame to a beautiful and fulfilled musical relationship.
Each week, we'll bring you four up and comers. It's your job to tell us: unsubstantiated hype or glorious potential. As always, first impressions count. Meet this weeks Newbies below.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/yfrnco/sets/futurefunk-ep[/soundcloud]
This 19 year-old producer from Brisbane has been making waves for almost a year but a new EP and a few stellar remixes have moved Young Franco to the tips of many peoples tongue. He dropped his debut EP Futurefunk this year and is joining Alison Wonderland on her mostly sold-out Australian tour of warehouses. His soundcloud reveals an impressive resume including remixes of Broods and Major Lazer and his own nu-disco-inspired, bass-throbbers. Australians are eating up this brand of summery, groove-infused production and he’s likely to have a big year ahead of him. He joins a host of young Australian DJs transforming the national dance music spectrum alongside Wave Racer, LDRU and Motez
For fans of: Motez, Todd Terje, Classixx
Avoid if: The Flume revolution is driving you towards insanity
What’s next: A national tour with Alison Wonderland. Catch dates here.
Often all it takes to captivate is one songs and that’s certainly the case for young Brit, Shura. Touch has been out for under a month and it’s already captured the hearts of all/98 per cent of people that met ears with it. It’s also being played on Radio 1- the holy grail of British radio. And how? Purely on the merit of the song. It’s a slinky, soulful pop track that is instantly infectious. The video emulates the theme of intimacy that permeates the song with grace and style. In other words, if you like watching people smooch- hit play.
A quick google of Shura lead me to find out that it means ‘consultation’ in Arabic- I’ve racked my brain for how or why that relates to their sound and have turned up nothing. The moral: I need to quit Google.
For fans of: How To Dress Well, Blood Orange, SZA
Avoid if: you’re not a fan of up close and personal
What’s next: Hopefully a second track as buttery as this
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/sway-clarke-ii/idnm[/soundcloud]
Still salivating from Miguel’s delicious cover of Bennie and the Jets? Then this Toronto-born, Berlin-based soul-man may be just the remedy. Two tracks down, he’s impressed both times with a Franck-Ocean brand of sporadic R&B. His latest track, Secret Garden, powers along with a hard-hitting piano line in the same vein as Bennie and the Jets. He cites his influences as everything from Peter Gabriel to Deadmau5 to Jay Z and it shows. He sounds like an old-soul operating in the contemporary realm, similar to what Damon Albarn did with Bobby Womack on The Bravest Man In The Universe. His dark reworking of Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools is proof that Sway Clarke’s capabilities are potentially endless.
For fans of: Frank Ocean, Miguel, Solange
Avoid if: You’re still hurting from Frank Ocean’s Splendour In The Grass cancellation
What’s Next: He’s just done and handful of shows with HAIM but there have been no extensive tour announcements yet. Hold tight, I say.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/klomusic/make-me-wonder[/soundcloud]
Like Shura, Klo are likely to extend to a mass audience off the back of one song. Make Me Wonder was released last week and it has already amassed close to 20,000 plays on Soundcloud. And rightly so. It’s an impressive debut built from dazed beats and crawling vocals. Make Me Wonder is one of those sleepy growers that charms with every listen, slowly infiltrating.
Klo are another notch in the belt of Aussies likely to take over the world. Hopefully the Melbourne duo hurry up and tour their homeland before they run of overseas to please a growing mass of fans.
For fans of: SOHN, Tinashe, SAFIA
Avoid if: You have chronic fatigue
What’s next: Only a week has passed since track one. We’ll have to wait and see.
