Ok so here is another installment of Future Flavours sorry it’s a bit late but things are really cooking up in truth in terms of the music show Quality Control.
On the 14 03 14 Quality Control brings their live filmed for TV music show at Proud Camden and all are invited to this heady night of live music and interviews.
At Quality Control we have been pushing the cinematic boundaries and filming awesome acts (some of them have featured in Future Flavours actually) and the 14 03 14 is no exception. From our headliner Tawiah bringing her off the scale talent to a live arena to the barn storming Driving Lolita bringing their heady fusion of Rock and Drum and Bass, to the awesome vibes of Kinatural-it’s going to be big, so get your tickets and check out the trailer.
If you really want get involved in Quality Control in whatever way you want then holla semper@qualitycontrolmusic.com
Any how with that done let’s fly into the fantastic talent this month, from Oscar with a serious message, to joy from Joy Osiah, the rather special afro-beat vibes from Saeon, a brilliant hyper space journey with Andrea Galaxy and the bang bang retro sounding August-Us it’s all big things as usual.
By the way I must say a big thanks to all the people that read Future Flavours and indeed tweet it, share it or just read it. Most appreciated a thousand blessings on all of you get in touch semper@flavourmag.co.uk -let’s go in!
Oscar-wild with creativity.
Ok first off we go with 21 year old Londoner Oscar.
In this current climate of infinitely talented people Oscar is a multi-talented creative being an artist, writer, and director-all disciplines are subsequently employed in Oscar’s debut single Q. Truth is when I first heard the track I was really not sure about Q but the more I listened the more I became engaged in this alternative experimental bit of rap.
The subject matter in the single is an exploration of our social climate regarding the much vilified ‘youth’ and evidently ‘black youth’ if we take it from the fact that this is Oscar’s perspective. Sensibly Oscar does not seek to give solutions for the problems that he explores (it’s more complicated than a three minute track). Instead he seeks to give an understanding of much of the angst for the ‘youth’- “Where do I go when there is no one to lead” “what do I do with this fucking degree?” some of the questions he poses to ‘us’.
The accompanying beat produced by Ragz Originale (who has worked with Laura Mvula, Chip & Skepta) is a thunderous almost tribal something that bangs like a bailiff at your door for that parking fine that you never quite got around to paying-I love it.
Construction of that track in turn is sublime but it is the eventual addition of the male vocalist, Richard Deux (well over a minute into the track) with his evocative vocals that takes this initially dark almost negative track into realms of hope as he implores us while synthesisers punctuate this number. The video directed by Oscar shows him delving into his directorial debut (I think) with his video which is suitably abstract as we watch a woman and a child take visual metaphorical search for something/answers (?)
So what next for this fresh London artist? Well Oscar actually has an ep that will soon drop called Cult and having heard cuts from the ep there is a definite slant towards an aggy occasionally dark, ominous at times darkly humorous vibe-‘a girl told me I have a small dick/fuck you I’ve got big balls’? There are a number of cuts that just show raw talent and build on the single release. Ragz Originale provides another bit of production with a track called Roar which is dangerous and brutal like a Mexican drug lord.
I am really suitably intrigued by this guy and it will be interesting to see Oscar get wild and earnest with creativity-Future Flavours defo supporting.
Joy Osiah brings some Reality.
So the Oxford resident Joy Osaiah comes courtesy of my boy Ayo at We Plug Good Music and so I knew it was always going to be a mad talented lady that he would be championing and hey Ayo has done it again.
Joy brings her debut cut Reality which is soul with the urban grit of a hip-hop. The raise your hands like you don’t care beat sounds familiar because it samples the rather mercurial hip-hop fellow Q-Tip and his classic Let’s Ride (1999) and the Shuggie Otis classic Island Letter (1974).
Joy rides that beat with her sweet voice speaking words of ‘unrequited’ love in this track that kind of conjures up feelings of a beautiful wistfulness. It made me feel like a kid with that young innocent love you get with a crush where you want the object of your desires not out of some sexual urge but just because you think that person is ‘nice’ and you could spend the rest of your life with them. It’s feel good vibes to the core that permeate every gram of this solid debut vibe.
So Reality proves to be a great teaser for her forth coming ep The Banks of Cherith which is due a release in summer. That release should then confirm that Joy is someone who could…well….bring joy with her brand of soul-tidy.
LISTEN TO REALITY
JOY OSIAH TWITTER FACEBOOK BANDCAMP
Say it with Saeon
So here we go with a banging cut straight from a Nigerian singer called Saeon (who I will get an interview with very soon). The track called Boogie Down features the omnipresent Wiz Kid who adds his obligatory bars while Saeon breaks it down with that rather sexy voice.
Boogie Down is the result of a crazy work ethic from this brilliant singer who was on my radar from last year where I featured one of her tracks called Bust My Brain ft General Pype. This was a storming Rnb number that did really well on the Nigerian music chart and it was well deserved-the hook and chorus were tighter than a posh English man’s sphincter (and that’s tight).
Boogie Down features production from the UK’s Maleek Berry who has been behind some of the biggest hits in the afro-beat scene and this track once again shows off the man’s acute ear for a hit sound. This track is definitely vying for the club circuit as smatterings of a Wurlitzer come through while that deep smooth bass propels this RnB vibe along.
Saeon is making a cacophony of noise in Nigeria and this will evidently lead to success in the UK as long as her promotional team play it right. She has already featured on MTV and she has been getting nods of approval from the BBC. Most recently she actually featured on the line-up with the huge Nigerian femcee Eve Alordiah, not bad. Of course with her current collabo featuring Wiz Kid things are looking rosy.
I can’t wait to see what she will follow with. I expect soon she will depart from dropping the singles and give us an Ep or something. In the meantime let’s wait and continue to Boogie Down with the rather great Saeon.
Andrea Galaxy-pulling us into her orbit.
Ok I got onto the wonderfully named and yummy Andrea Galaxy while looking at the twitter page of one of my favourite UK artists Lauren Crown (who appears in Quality Control). She tweeted she was listening to Andrea’s music and so I thought well let’s see what has Lauren so excited.
I checked out a track called Wildfire and boy-this is why I love music journalism. When you hear something that you literally love the first five seconds into the track well that’s special. It is kind of has that Timbaland production-punchy beat, snares all over the place and huge additions of synthesised energy -the track evidently has more bite than Suarez.
This is a definitely a madly talented singer songwriter who brings a contemporary Rnb sound while still paying homage to that most productive era of the 90’s. She kind of reminds me of Jhene Aiko bringing that darkly sexy vibe to what she does without it being overdone.
So of course I checked out more of her cuts and I was really captured by the all encompassing power of Sweetest Sin which as one follower stated could easily bless the charts but then I went to Sinner and I was equally overwhelmed.
I know that this lady has just started with a new management and she will be dropping an ep later this year. I am indeed ready to take a galactic journey with Andrea-Tidy!
AUGUST + US -can he reign?
Last up is a singer songwriter from Manchester August-Us who sets things up with something a little leftfield. In truth it might not appeal to everyone but I like it. It’s distinctly different to a lot of musical output that has been hitting the radio waves-it’s a new wave type of pop that has that same energy actually as one Femme who was featured in the last Future Flavours.
August-Us steps to the plate to get his piece of shine this year after a few years out to apparently ‘hone his skills’. Honing done he drops his bullish debut, Fun complete with an interesting video that strings together filmed footage from old cartoons like Betty Boo. Don’t look for some deep message in the track because this is all about uplifting pop type energy that persuades us to have fun.
The intro is a bumping beat which comes storming out like Rocky on coke after finding out that Adriane was in fact a man before he met her/him “Aaaaaadrrrriiiaannnnne?”
Once you get over that bang bang intro Augustus’ vocals come through like a point of light in pitch black darkness. Truth be told his vocals initially throw you with his rather retro utterings that conjure up images of a slightly lanky fellow with long hair, wearing sandals and smoking a two skin spliff while engaging in some free (not paid) love but it completely compliments this cut which has already gained support from names like Zane Lowe.
Introduction completed let’s wait for some more energised something.