Category Archives: Reggae

Indie, Pop, Reggae

WILD BELLE – IT’S TOO LATE (Indie/Pop – US)

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Brother-and-sister duo Wild Belle were first introduced to the world in 2012 with the catchy ear-twisting single “Keep You”, released on their own label. They started drawing major label interest after a high-profile show at SXSW and soon released the underground hit “Too Late”. In March 2013, Wild Belle unveiled their debut album, Isles, a subtle mix of psychedelic indie, dream pop, jazz and African beats.


Born near Chicago, siblings Elliot and Natalie Bergman grew up playing music, with Elliot eventually studying saxophone at the University of Michigan, where he started an Afrobeat band called Nomo, later joined by Natalie on tambourine and backing vocals. In 2011 they decided to branch off with their own project: Wild Belle was born.

If you like what you hear, check out a fantastic remix of “It’s Too Late” courtesy of Paris-based producer duo Employee Of The Year…

Wild Belle - It's Too Late (Employee Of The Year Remix)     

Follow Wild Belle on Facebook or check out their official site for more info. Buy the album on

Electronica, France, Lounge, Minimalist, Reggae

FLOX – RIGHT HERE (Reggae/Dub/Electro – UK/France)

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Flox

UK-born Paris-based artist Flox has been a mainstay of the French nu-reggae scene for a few years now. His tracks have been featured on hip Parisian radio Nova, his first three albums shifted thousands of copies and, with his live band, he has played over 150 gigs! Flox provides a modern, unrestrained and mesmerising blend of sounds, stemming from different cultures but holding no boundaries. This headnodic mix oscillates between reggae, dub, electronica, with subtle hints of ambient.

“Right Here” is the new single taken of Flox’s fourth album All Must Disappear, scheduled for release on October 24 via Underdog Records. For those of you who have never heard the old albums, the songs featured below should give you a nice glimpse of their sound…

Flox - The Words     

Flox - Killing U and Me     

For more info, go to Facebook or visit the official site. Buy the music on Flox

Hip Hop, Pop, Reggae, Soul

NNEKA – SOUL IS HEAVY (RnB/Reggae – Germany)

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Nneka

On the heels of her highly praised sophomore album, No Longer At Ease, Nigerian-born Hamburg-based singer Nneka is back with a brand new full-length!

Released on September 27th, Soul Is Heavy is further proof that this talented young lady is an artist to be reckoned with on the R’n’B scene. Hailed by critics as the new Lauryn Hill, Nneka started out in 2005 with her debut album Victim Of Truth, considered by the UK’s Sunday Times as good as the ex-Fugees brilliant solo debut The Miseducation.

The first single off Nneka’s new album already sets the bar pretty high. “My Home” combines reggae-tinged arrangements, a brass-laden hook, an irresistibly bouncy bass line and a clinky piano sample! Four seemingly disparate elements blended together with incredible ease to produce a song that hits you deep and leaves you yearning for more.

Nneka effortlessly plucks from soul, reggae, hip hop and rock, to create a fusion that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Her songs breathe and evolve at their own pace, rarely maintaining a singular theme or beat strain throughout. Soul Is Heavy is a fine example that amongst the autotuned, radio friendly, disposable pop stars, there are still artists who make earnest, creative music with a meaning, and who can sing about politics and social issues as convincingly as love and heartbreak.

Nneka - Lucifer (No Doubt)     

To find out more about Nneka, check out her Facebook or visit her official site. Buy the music on

Alternative, Lounge, Reggae

340ML – FAIRY TALES (Dub/Afro/Jazz – Mozambique)

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340ml

All four members of 340ml (pronounced: three forty mil) grew up in Maputo, Mozambique, but moved to Johannesburg in the mid 1990s in order to pursue academic careers. During their studies, the foursome always managed to keep producing music, more akin to rock and ska at first and then evolving into their distinctive blend of chilled out Afro-jazz.

The band, that as been dubbed by some as being “Jozambican”, incorporates many different elements into their music including Dub, Ska, Jazz and Reggae. 340ml’s debut album Moving, co-produced by the Jazzworx production team, was released in 2004 to rave reviews. Four years later, 340ml released a second album entitled Sorry for the Delay, the title of which is probably an ironic nod to the protracted process of recording the album.

340ml - Fairy Tales     

Sorry For The Delay is a celebration of the band’s multifaceted sound. Their distinctive dub grooves are threaded with Tiago Correia Paulo’s spare guitars, Paulo Chibanga’s angular drum fills and pulsing beats, Rui Soeiro’s smooth bass-lines and Pedro da Silva Pinto’s smoothly delivered vocals. The mood is chilled and the beat feels right. It’s like a summer day in the sun.

For more info, check out 340ml’s official website and MySpace.

Alternative, Electro, mp3, Reggae

FILEWILE – BLUESKYWELL (Alt/Electro/Reggae – Switzerland)

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Dubbed-out producer duo Andreas Ryser (Dustbowl) and Daniel Jakob (Dejot) started out as Filewile in 2003 at the gates of the Sonar festival: armed with two laptops, a mobile sound system and a speedily increasing array of tunes, they played out on the streets for the enjoyment of curious passers by.

From 2003 Filewile started releasing a free track online every month and in 2007 they finally put out their first full length, Nassau Massage, on Mouthwatering Records. They spent the next three years touring and releasing a handful of singles. It’s precisely all this touring and regular contact with their audience that has transformed Filewile’s sound. They have managed to integrate the raw power of their live performances into their new productions, giving their electronica-infused dubby reggae a whole new dimension. They now thoroughly cherish the imperfections of analogue instrumentation and they have put the human voice at the center of their music.

Filewile’s new album, Blueskywell, is a great mix of genres and influences, enhanced by the talents of many guest artists (Joy Frempong on vocals, Mago Flueck on bass, US rapper RQM, Pedro Da Silva Pinto…). The album sometimes flirts with mainstream radio appeal by weaving catchy harmonies and moving beats into something resembling pop music, only to break into dance music, rock fragments or experimental jazz antics in time to stop the listener from drifting off into a cloud of comfort.

Filewile - Number One Kid     

Blueskywell is a cohesive collection of hybrid electronica that will keep you hooked for hours and hours until you perceive all the subtleties and delicate mood shifts of its fifteen finely crafted songs. The album will be available on November 8 on Underdog Records / Mouthwatering Records but you can already pre-order it on Filewile

Find out more on the band’s official site or MySpace and catch them live in Germany, France and Switzerland!

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