Sanjana Nuwan Bandara "Don't Kill My Vibe"

It's one of the great regrets in my life that I only speak one language fluently. There have been so many times I've attempted to learn Italian, Russian, Persian, and Hindi. I was reminded of this when I was passed Sanjana Nuwan Bandara's "Don't Kill My Vibe," a raucous dance tune with predominantly Hindi lyrics (but rather adeptly singing some clever rhymes in English in the second half of the track), but sounding fresh out of a Florida night-club. Electronic flutters, synth stabs, and danceable rhythms pulsate through the song beginning to end. This thing has a killer backbeat and is mixed perfectly. Mr. Sanjana, for his part, has an extremely fresh/smooth vocal track and is well worth the listen. 

As someone who's studied Hindusthani classical music for most of my life, I long to hear the native instruments from that country, but that's just a matter of taste. When I let the song stand on it's own, I can honestly say it lacks nothing. Actually, in all honesty, I feel quite a bit of kinship with Sanjana Nuwan Bandara, as someone in the west practicing music from India, it's heartening to hear someone from India successfully and innovatively doing musical styles from the USA. I'll be curious to see what else is up his sleeve in the next release. 

Do yourself a favor and check out his Instagram page here. 

Artist Interview "Ahmed Abdurahimli"

 Hello readers, for this week's interview we have producer and composer Ahmed Abdurahimli

MW: Mr. Abdurahimli, thank you so much for doing this

AA: My pleasure. Thanks

MW: I was really taken with your remix of Tove Lo's "2 Die 4," what made you want to tackle that song?

AA: From the moment that Tove Lo 2 "Die 4"  released, I loved listening to that music and thought that I should remix this song in a different way and genre.

MW: Probably, what's so funny about "2 Die 4," for me, is that it quotes the famous "Popcorn" melody - which is not a small statement at all since it's been a long time in the electronic music canon. Did that have anthing to do with your interest in the track?

AA: I have been listening to Popcorn music since I was a child and I really liked it. Different versions of this music were created since that time when it was released in back 1950s . The original version of the Tove Lo - 2 Die 4 song used the melody of the "Popcorn"  song in the chorus and I felt this music close to me. Cause this song is also my childhood memories. 

MW: A lot of my readers are producers. Can you talk about your setup?

AA: My headphones are Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 ohms, my speakers are M-Audio BX5 D3, my audio interface is Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3 rd Gen), and my midi keyboard is Samson Graphite M25

MW: Do you have any favorite gear or software?

AA: I currently produce my music with Fl Studio and its my  favorite one . In the future, I'm thinking of learning Ableton Live too.

MW: What's the live scene like where you are?

AA: At the moment I am not taking a stage at any venue. But in the future, I am thinking of taking the stage as a DJ at festivals and clubs.

MW: Anthing on the horizon for the near future?

AA: I am currently working on an EP album. After finishing the album, I plan to release it in the near future. In addition, we will collaborate with some of our musician friends

MW: Please let us know where we can find more about you

AA: You can listen to my musics by typing Ahmed Abdurahimli in the search engine on music platforms and YouTube. You can also follow my @ahmedabdurahimli instagram page.

MW: Best of luck with everything you're doing

AA: Well, thank you for the interviewing me and for the interest of my music. Best Regards !

The New Starts Now "Letter to Myself"

It is perhaps one of the most profound questions that has ever been asked: "how do I navigate my existence?" And because every generation and every individual must face this quandary, every approach to an answer is worthwhile. To this end, we should have a look at The New Starts Now's "Letter to Myself," a heartfelt rock (some might say "emo") ballad addressing deep introspection. 

From a technical standpoint, the track is elegantly simple; strummed guitar chords, a pulsing drumbeat to carry the momentum and a rather gifted lead singer. One very stand-out aspect of this tune is the tight and beautiful harmonies. It's a fantastic song by a fantastic artist. 

The Veils "Influx"

Imagine a scene in a movie - you're in an underground burlesque club in the year 2050. There are pulsating lights, a sexy floor show, and dapper men conducting shady business deals while the main character looks on in wonder. What kind of soundtrack should such a scene have? My vote would be "Influx" by The Veils. 

This is exactly the kind of track that would have sent me over the moon as a young person. Electronic orchestra-synth sounds which appear to come out of nowhere as ear candy, against the backdrop of a thumping percussion line. And to top it off, a stylish and sweet singer who couldn't be better. This track is expertly produced, sensual, and very stylish. These folks have quite a few tracks on their Spotify, so hop over there and give them some love. 

Melissa Quinn Fox "Dear Self Doubt"

One thing especially true for artists is a (sometimes) crippling anxiety about what we're creating. Couple that with the fact that no one can really predict what the audience will take to, and we have quite the quandary. On some level it's good for us - I think it keeps us searching for ways to self-improve, on the other hand, it can be a pathway to paralysis. These subjects and more are tackled amazingly by Wammie-Award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Quinn Fox and her new track "Dear Self Doubt." 

The song itself is exactly the kind of thing I love - a smooth bass line, stuttering drumbeat and psychedelic guitar playing stabs and counter-melodies.  Of course, we have to comment on Ms. Fox's singing, which is impeccable. She has a country-alto style mixed with just the right touch of blues. Overall "Dear Self Doubt" goes to the heart of what it means to be a thriving person in spite of challenges. I hope to hear more in the near future. 

Artist Interview: Srv-musicmaker

Hello readers, for this week's quick interview we have SRV-Musicmaker, an EDM artist, producer and blogger. 

MW: SRV, thank you so much for doing this

Srv-musicmaker: Hey Michael, it's a pleasure. Thank you for having me, I really appreciate it. 

MW: So, a lot of our readers are really into audio production, can you tell us a little bit about your setup?

Srv-musicmaker: Sure. I rely on FL Studio 20 as my primary DAW as it gives me all that I need, apart from its workflow and decent stock plugins. I rely on a handful of samples, software synths, romplers and FX plugins that are more oriented towards electronic music (EDM genres, electronica, sometimes experimental). The majority of what I use are free VSTs, along with a few tursty paid ones and FL stock plugins. I mix on a pair of Samson SR850s and check on various audio devices. 

MW: You've got an EP dropping on Nov 5, titled "Find a Way," how long has that been in production?

Srv-musicmaker: The idea originated last July and production has been in phases since then. 

MW: Where did the inspiration come from for the project?

Srv-musicmaker: The concept for Find a Way is actually more than a year old. It's an interesting journey for the composition actually. Find a Way has a dystopian vibe with a little bit of euphoria ushered in. It is a song of separation, longing for one's love, and 'finding a way' back to maybe build a relationship that was pretty great (but had ended in inexplainable confusion and sadness before). It is derived from my personal experience, and the Rules Man Rap Version is thematically same. 

I used to make random on-the-fly production session videos and post on my IG just for fun (hoping that a few would become potential song ideas). On July 19th, 2021, I dropped a video of me making an acid loop arpeggio with a breakbeat pattern. You can say the seeds for this EP was planted then. (Here's the video I'm talking about - https://www.instagram.com/p/CRg24f7gQ-m/) If you watch the end part, you'll see that the basic rhythm and synth pattern of the song were ready by the end of that video. 

Anyway, I wanted to work on it after the release of my trance number Can't Control in August last year. The problem was, I did not find a suitable vocalist to bring the vision to life, although a few tried. The project was shelved as I focused on other ones for the time being. In April 2022, I decided to give it another shot. This time, I wrote some lyrics and put my own experience as a rock singer into it. Got positive feedback from a few people too, so that was good. 

I thought that there's no way this song can have just one version. So, I put an advert out on the New Artist Spotlight (NAS) community's chat rooms to find a guitarist. Dustin Vandehey (also a fellow NAS community member) responded and I'm glad he did. I sent him my track without the synths and the arps, and he played some amazing guitar including a killer solo. 

At the same time, I reached out to rising rapper Rules Man (a Facebook friend and co-curator of playlists) about singing some rap bars. We did some brainstorming on the lyrics, I asked him to do a certain style of delivery, and he did an awesome job. 

I'm glad that the idea came to life. 

MW: Are you completely solo, or do you work with other talents?

Srv-musicmaker: I used to do solo tracks mostly before, but am now becoming a lot more open to working with others (singers and producers) It's all about whether our wavelengths and creative visions match adequately I guess for a collab to happen. 

MW: I'm curious about your writing outside of music, what do you like to cover in your blogging life?

Srv-musicmaker: Well, I'm a professional copywriter and content manager so there's a good bit of writing involved fairly regularly. On the music blogging side, I have not yet made much progress due to the lack of time. I do want to populate the blog section of my website with some good content in future though. 

MW: Are you playing shows live these days?

Srv-musicmaker: I think there has not been a performance aspect to my music career yet as most of it is just software synths and sample-based electronic. But never say never I guess, and we'll see (since I'm gonna do vocals on many of my future songs). 

MW: Outside of the "Find a Way" EP, do you have any projects in the works? Live shows, tours, or things like that?

Srv-musicmaker: Right now, I'm working on a new EP for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and it'll probably be multiple versions of a song (with collabs) so really psyched about it. I don't tour or perform but I do want to get some good exposure online to reach more listeners around the world. 

MW: Where can people find more about you?

Srv-musicmaker: I have an official website where I've written some words about my journey so far (srvmusicmaker.com) and I have a few interviews conducted by the New Artist Spotlight team on their YouTube channel and website. You can find all of those on this little landing page I've set up for your readers https://linktr.ee/Srv_musicmaker 

I also encourage people to reach out to me on my IG, Twitter or Facebook, as I'm always looking forward to getting feedback, helping to promote aspiring artists, and explore collaboration opportunities.

MW: This was great, thanks again!

Srv-musicmaker: Thanks again for giving me this opportunity, I really appreciate you giving a voice to independent artists who would otherwise be lost in the crowd. Keep up the great work Michael. Cheers!!