ListenUp
Sylas, Buscabulla, Cypress Hill, Alec Lomami and music from the upcoming Ja Ja Ja Festival in the songs we Tweeted this week
Sylas: Shore
If you’ve never heard of Sylas, take note. The London-based duo’s debut EP features none other than the legendary Brian Eno, who they collaborated with after a chance encounter. It’s no wonder Eno got involved—we haven’t stopped listening to “Shore” since it popped up on SoundCloud earlier this month. Solicitous vocals matched with harmonious layers of synth pull you into their melodiously moody rapture, like a womb you hope to never leave. Their EP Shore will be available on 24 November 2014 from Aesop.
Buscabulla: Temporal
The winner of last year’s Get Out of the Garage! contest—a call for emerging artists put on by Converse and the Guitar Center—Brooklyn-based, Puerto Rican duo Buscabulla is clearly turning heads with their whimsically mellow musical stylings. Their just-launched EP was produced by Dev Hynes and released by French label Kitsuné, for starters. With an exciting path ahead of them, Buscabulla (which means troublemakers in Spanish) is one outfit to keep an ear out for. Have a listen to “Temporal” for a feel of the vibe that this smooth but spicy twosome delivers.
Cypress Hill: Throw Your Hands In The Air
After showing us the future of fashion during last month’s NYFW, this week MADE—the Milk Studios offshoot—took us back in time for the launch of their new music initiative. With blunt smoke filling the air at Brooklyn venue Baby’s All Right, Cypress Hill took the stage and delivered classic tracks like “Throw Your Hands In The Air” and of course, “Hits From the Bong.” Although the kickoff celebration featured a household name, the trio behind Made—Jenné Lombardo, Keith Baptista and Mazdack Rassi—say their aim is mainly to foster new talent and mentor industry outliers.
Alec Lomami: Kinshasa (CHLLNGR Remix)
Design Indaba’s track of the week is Danish producer CHLLNGR’s remix of Congolese artist Alec Lomami’s 2011 tune “Kinshasa.” While the song and remix were both cut several years ago, the resurface is apt: Lomami is currently gearing up for the debut of his new project, THE BL∆CK HE∆RTS CLUB, in which he forms one third of the band. With his global upbringing (which saw him spend nine months in an immigration detention center) and diverse musical interests, this talented rapper/producer is bound for continued success wherever it leads him.
Ja Ja Ja Festival 2014 Preview
Gearing up for its second iteration in London, Nordic music showcase Ja Ja Ja Festival prepared a 15-track Spotify playlist of their featured acts. The array of international music kicks off with headliner Emiliana Torrini (of Iceland) and her spacious electro-pop dance track “Speed of Dark” and makes its way to Faroese duo Byrta’s upbeat “Minnist Tú.” In between, it’s really the best of dancey emerging talent from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland—all acts that are definitely worth seeing live come November.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that takes a deeper look at the music we tweeted throughout the week. Often we’ll include a musician or notable fan’s personal favorite in a song or album dubbed #PrivateJam. Hear them all in our ListenUp playlist on Spotify.
