BenZel: Four (feat. Juicy J + Cashmere Cat)

T-Pain without Auto-Tune, BenZel with Juicy J and Cashmere Cat, Glass Candy's Halloween and more in the music we Tweeted this week

When BenZel jumped on the scene in 2012 with their production for Jessie Ware’s Brownstone cover (and ultimately her last album), fans were surprised to see she’d tapped a previously unheard of talent, but even more stunned to read they were teenagers. Whether Osaka-born Umi Takahashi and Yoko Watanabe’s bio is an absolute truth, one thing is certain: they sure know how to make a …

Glass Candy: Halloween

T-Pain without Auto-Tune, BenZel with Juicy J and Cashmere Cat, Glass Candy's Halloween and more in the music we Tweeted this week

While decidedly holiday appropriate, “Halloween” is a tune you could throw on any time of year. Released in 2011 by Glass Candy, which is comprised of Portland-based vocalist Ida No and guitarist Johnny Jewel (who founded the record label Italians Do It Better and is also part of Chromatics), the song—allegedly an homage to the classic John Carpenter flick—is just eerie enough to kick on …

Beatenberg: Rafael

Five promising acts who performed (officially and unofficially) during CMJ week

Cape Town-based trio Beatenberg brought sunny, jazz-tinged vibes from their hometown to NYC for the first time this week. Debuting at CMJ’s South African Showcase, the outfit’s lead single “Rafael” embodies the band’s unique blend of Cape jazz and pop reminiscent of Paul Simon. The band is part of a growing scene of increasingly internationally recognized artists coming out of the Mother City. Beatenberg’s breezy …