Wax Roof finally tells his story in new EP, ‘re(P)layer’
When he's not crafting songs for artists like Rexx Life Raj, Caleborate, or Seattle MC Dave B., Wax Roof has been spending time crafting the music that will finally tell his story. The Oakland producer, known for soulful arrangements and vibe-y chord progressions, has always let his music do the talking for him and today, he releases the first chapter with a new EP called, re(Player). Accompanied by an animated feature, re(P)layer is part one of a trilogy that tells the story of Wax Roof's journey as he grappled with a debilitating chronic pain condition. Not only did it force [...]
Pandemic Ricky: Text Me Records artist Ricky Lake drops new project, “Wobbles”
When you're quarantining in one of San Francisco's historic studios, I guess the only thing you can do is make music. Following the release of his last album, Last Summer Sucked, Text Me Records rapper Ricky Lake is back with a new EP called Wobbles crafted in the label's home at Different Fur Studios. In some ways, Wobbles feels like an extension of Last Summer. Ricky, who effortlessly blends influences of dreamy pop and electronica with trap music, is all about exploring every nuance of sound with his voice. On "Risky Business", he recruits WADE08 and Dee Dot Jones for [...]
East Bay singer-songer Ian Santillano is “Cooped Up”
We're on day... what now, of quarantine? By Ian Santillano's count, it's around 23,102 and just like his new song, it's getting harder to shake this feeling he frames in, "Cooped Up". Funky and forward one moment, then dark and vulnerable the next, Santillano captures the rollercoaster of these times. Creating is catharsis for a lot of people right now, especially for this multi-instrumentalist from Hayward as he ruminates on the physical trappings now taking hold of his mental. There still aren't many answers but until we can break free, Santillano is here to soothe the days away.
Producer Thomas Jordan debuts new EP, ‘My Ex Stacy’
The producer for one of our recent favorite rejection songs is stepping out out on his own with a new EP called My Ex Stacy. Thomas Jordan, a Bay Area-based artist, crafts sounds you can late-night cruise to, inviting you to sit back and relax as the world around passes by. The shimmery R&B and laidback hip-hop vibes offers a step into Jordan's world, whether he's floating in a daydream on "Mars" or enamored by the hypnotizing "Mona Lisa". Jammy and Kezia lend their voices to what sounds like a ghosting situation on the playful "Absent". My Ex Stacy may [...]
Mikos Da Gawd releases new vocal EP, ‘Awakening’
In the last few years, Mikos da Gawd has taken big steps into becoming a full-fledged artist. His album, Hell Yeah, Brother!, was jam-packed with some of his best dancefloor-friendly hip-hop and soul music made brighter with features from frequent collaborators like Elujay, Tia Nomore and Rexx Life Raj. Mikos takes a leap again and records his own rhymes for Awakening, his latest EP out on Bandcamp. On it, the San Francisco-bred, now Los Angeles-based artist bears his triumphs and spirituality, how "keeping it gawdly" has been the guiding light on his journey thus far. Listen below. Awakening by Mikos [...]
Bay Area voices Rittybo and Kezia drop new song, “Lonely”
OK look, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being single. But the most annoying part? When the wrong somebody can't take a hint. Turning that ditty into a bop called "Lonely," Bay Area singers Rittybo and Kezia explain the situation real plain and simple: "I say that I'm lonely but baby that don't mean I want you." Released in late February, the song is a signal to any unwanted busta slidin' in their DMs gets an immediate hand in the face. Thanks to the playful synths and kicking drums of producers Hit Thomas Jordan and BZAR, rejection never sounded so fun. [...]
Theaux Elliot drops new single, “Big Finesse
After sharing singles “CANTKEEPUP” and “Boomin’” (the latter which we didn’t cover but is worth the listen), Theaux Elliot is on our watchlist for 2020. And he’s back again with “Big Finesse”, another offering from his stockpile of larger than life sounds. A flute sample straight out of Shaolin mellows out an otherwise sinister trap beat, shaping “Big Finesse” into the perfect, ominous vessel for rappers Baineco and Lord Morgan to carry out the plot twist.
Siri Seiko, Wade08, Trey Coastal on Sounds from Elsewhere showcase
This Saturday, February 29 marks the return of Sounds from Elsewhere, a quarterly showcase shining a light on the alternative hip-hop and R&B artists emerging from the soil. Hosted and curated by Just Rese, the lineup is as varied and diverse as the region they're representing: Siri Seiko, an astrological artist; Trey Coastal, an eclectic trio of Oakland MCs and Text Me Records' charismatic rap wizard Wade08 highlight a bill designed as a who's who of the next generation. Per Just Rese: The goal of each show is to introduce audiences to their new favorite local acts. There are a [...]
Noise Pop 2020: Tim Atlas turns insecurities and anxieties into dreamy indie pop
Ever since his elimination from season nine of NBC’s The Voice, Tim Atlas refused to let a short stint on reality TV dictate the rest of his career. He already had the tools: Before the competition, the Oakland-born, Los Angeles-based Atlas was a working and talented multi-instrumentalist that didn’t just sing, he could produce, engineer, and write songs too. Still, he felt the precariousness of the show’s fast fame. “It was all about competing and comparing myself to others,” Atlas says. “And I can feel that pressure in life too. I compared myself to others and their success. But when [...]
Oakland artist Ricky Lake releases new album “Last Summer Sucked”
Spending most of 2019 as a feature fixture (and getting his first placement on Showtime's The L Word), Ricky Lake is now ready to claim some shine of his own. The woozy debut of The Mother 966 was just a taste of the moody and ominous pop-rap world Ricky Lake built for his most cohesive project yet, Last Summer Sucked, out today on Text Me Records. Turning beloved teenage influences (N.E.R.D., Blink-182, Crystal Castles) into dark and delicate trap, Last Summer Sucked is Ricky's self-indulgence on wax. But through the haze, he finds some clarity on the shining production lent [...]