Artists You Need To Hear About Right Now
Four unmissable artists, all in one place. The team at Slow Motion Panic Masters has more incredible musicians for you all to pay attention to right now, or regret missing out on some of the most exciting music the world has to offer.
But first, make sure to follow our spotify playlist with the link below and tune in to hear a regularly updating stream of sensational underground appreciation:
RORO - BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS
Thank God for RoRo. I don't think I've encountered an artist as vibrantly enjoyable as this Bajan singer throughout the whole of 2020, and her music is essential right now. After being featured on Speedy Wunderground's 'Quarantine Sampler 2', RoRo's collaboration with Savage Gary just continued to showcase her capacity to absolutely *dominate* a track, demanding attention as a voice that you can't afford to ignore.
I'm so annoyed that I didn't hear about RoRo until last month, because there is just so much out there ready to be listened to. Flashing back to August, the artist's EP Mood Forever gets a colossal recommendation from us here at Slow Motion Panic Masters, and we can't believe how long it took us to hear about it. It is one of the best EPs of the year, without a shadow of a doubt, and features an astonishingly consistent level of quality between its four tracks.
RoRo is able to melt styles together seamlessly, and her deliveries are so effortless. She fades between distinctly Caribbean cadences and a Lianne La Havas-esque sensational vocal tone so easily that I can't believe she's real. RoRo can do everything, and she can do everything so well. Listen to title track 'Mood Forever' right now, and stop missing out on one of the best voices the Caribbean has to offer.
- BEN WHEADON (@wheadsauce)
OLIVER ROSADO - CÁDIZ, SPAIN
You will realize Oliver Rosado lives and breathes his art from the second his guitar strokes reach your ears. Born in Conil de la Frontera (Cádiz), this Spanish singer/songwriter has gifted the world flamenco fusions ever since 2017 – and they are all brilliant.
En esta isla, Rosado’s first and only EP so far, showcases an astonishing range and a remarkable willingness to play around with Spanish musical tradition. Its penultimate track, ‘Que me lleven’, employs a rather standard guitar + claps formula to produce a touching love song. Meanwhile, the more experimental ‘Bohemio Rastamán’ confidently combines flamenco vocal techniques with reggae beats to create an easy-going, bouncy tune that goes from fun to downright funny thanks to the playful inclusion of Rosado’s mom telling him to put down his guitar and get a real job. But hey, this is nothing to worry about: after a witty back and forth, his mother reminds Rosado that he will always be her “Olivito”, and wishes him luck.
It is ultimately this chill, wholesome quality – combined with boundless inventiveness – that makes Rosado’s music truly memorable. His rich voice oozes a sweet kind of charm, and the warmth he infuses into his guitar playing will certainly transport its listeners to the beaches of his childhood. This is especially true of his song ‘Conhilusión’, a samba-soaked tribute to his birthplace peppered with casual remarks like “Beach?” and “It’s sooo hot”, making it feel all the more real.
And there’s just more latinx-inspired goodness to come from Rosado in the future. His latest single, ‘Apagó la llama’, is deeply entrenched in the time he spent living in Costa Rica. He is also currently running a crowdfunding campaign to cover part of the production costs for his next album, Hombre de papel, which promises cool collabs, funky tunes, and good vibes galore. So, do yourselves a favour and get in on flamenco fun early.
- AINHOA SANTOS GOICOECHEA (@ainhoa.jpeg)
EMIL - LONDON, ENGLAND
Myself and fellow SMPM editor Fin Cousins are becoming pretty obsessed with emil, and for good reason. emil's latest project Ambrosia is absolutely unmissable. A 20 song EP, Ambrosia seems to take welcome cues from the succinct approaches of a Madvillainy or Whack World in the design of an incredibly energetic project, constantly picking up exciting ideas, and dropping them before even the slightest hint of boredom emerges.
The songs are tight, smooth and they sound absolutely mint. Knucks re-appearing on 'Bakerloo' after the two sensationals collaborated on 'Beg to Differ' ('BTD') propelled emil's phenomenal production to new heights, but when 'Ask You' kicks in with Ayeisha Raquel, my god. This is some of the best music I've heard from London this year, and that's against some heavy-hitting competition both in and out of the (London) underground. emil is an extraordinarily talented creator, and is poised to become one of the UK's best. You have to listen to this guy.
- BEN WHEADON (@wheadsauce)
KEEP DANCING INC - PARIS, FRANCE
I mean come on. Do you see that Kraftwerk t-shirt? You know these lot are cool.
Keep Dancing Inc are my new favourite thing. Encountering them late last month with the release of their debut record Embrace, I can't express just how excited I am to have a brand new trio of indie-pop dance-machines in my life. But Embrace is a chameleon, and so are Keep Dancing Inc. While the LP opens itself up as a project comfortably in the mould of synthy/disco revivalists Jungle, Tuxedo and half•alive, this group quickly demonstrates both how creative and flexible they are by stitching together their influences into a unique, necessary voice.
Intensely dance-ready four-on-the-floors and synth arpeggios make way for some of the best guitar solos of the year ('Uncertainty') and an increasingly post-punk sensibility. Almost dipping their toes into Talking Heads or Devo pastiche, there is so much to get out of Embrace, and it shows just how exciting Keep Dancing Inc are. They are no cheap imitation of their fashionable music-making ancestors, they are wholly their own animal - and they are absolutely fantastic. I love Keep Dancing Inc, and I cannot wait for more music.
- BEN WHEADON (@wheadsauce)
Thanks for reading! Slow Motion Panic Masters is a music, arts and culture blog created and edited by Ben Wheadon, a literature student and musician based at the University of Oxford. He is also a Fleet Foxes shill.
Ainhoa Santos Goicoechea (pronounced "I-know-ah") is a culturally confused Creative Writing postgraduate student from the Basque Country, Spain. She is passionate about film, music and politics, and she should probably know more than she does about all three.
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