DEALS
🔊
Samsung subsidiary Harman has acquired high-quality audio streaming service Roon. “The team at Roon shares our passion in bringing exceptional sound and connectivity to music lovers as they browse, discover and listen at home and on the go”, says Dave Rogers, President of Harman’s lifestyle division. “We are looking forward to welcoming Roon, whose impressive talent will join the Harman family and bolster our already robust engineering capabilities”.
☢️
Melodic metallers Zetra have signed to Nuclear Blast and released new single ‘Sacrifice’. "The portal has opened”, say the duo. "The darkness is calling. Absolution can only come through loss. A sacrifice must be made. Zetra asks the question. Do you believe enough?" If you do, you can catch them on a UK tour supporting Skynd this week.
APPOINTMENTS
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UK record industry trade group BPI has announced that Cherry Red Records’ Adam Velasco, Becky Lees of LSO Live and Femi Olasehinde from Just Another Label have been elected to its Council as indie label representatives. “Bringing extensive experience across the independent music community, their expertise and fresh perspectives will be valuable representation of our indie members in the Council's work”, says BPI Chair YolanDa Brown. “I would like to extend my thanks to our outgoing Council members and to the candidates who put their names forward, making this a very strong election”.
RELEASES
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M1onthebeat has released the video for ‘Skinfade’, featuring Headie One. The track is taken from new mixtape ‘M1onthebeat: The Mixtape’. “My main aim for this tape is to put a face to my name”, says the producer. “I feel like now is the time to introduce myself properly and this mixtape allows me to do that. I want to show people the depth of my beats and how much I can switch it up; you’ve got all kinds of flavours in there, not just drill. A lot of new fans have gravitated to me, so for them, it’s a chance for me to make a big statement”.
💦
Real Estate have announced that they will release new album ‘Daniel’ on 23 Feb. Out now is new single ‘Water Underground’. “This song is about writing songs”, says frontman Martin Courtney. “I think ‘Water Underground’ is like the unconscious, the mysterious part of your brain where creativity comes from. The constant flow of music in the back of your head. You get an idea while driving or walking the dog or something and you want to hold on to it”.
✊
Gogol Bordello have teamed up with New Order’s Bernard Sumner for a cover of Angelic Upstarts’ ‘Solidarity’. “I am so proud of this purposeful and, particularly meaningful for me, collaboration with the masterful Bernard Sumner”, says frontman Eugene Hütz. “What we made is a double tribute to the spirit of heroic defiance and human solidarity and to punk rock itself, which still serves as a cultural humanitarian corridor worldwide, bringing relief to the uprooted and the oppressed in roughest of times”.
🍆
Lynks has released new single ‘(What Did You Expect From) Sex With A Stranger?’ “I wrote this song during a time when I was using Grindr almost like TikTok or Instagram; as a way to distract myself from reality”, they say. “I wanted to try and capture that weird oxymoron; sex without feeling, romance in a coma. What does sex become when it’s devoid of emotion? It’s a funny idea. And one I hadn’t really heard put to music before. So I thought I’d better do it! And shout out the Docklands Light Railway in the process”.
👻
Iglooghost and Marina Herlop have teamed up for a new track: ‘Collision Data’. It is, says Iglooghost, “a very fast song about germs and larvae” that was “made on an illegal type of computer that runs on engine oil”.
GIGS & TOURS
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Skepta will curate new festival Big Smoke in Crystal Palace Park on 6 Jul 2024. “I know a lot of people have been wondering when they’ll see Skepta at a festival and I really wanted to save all that energy and put it into something that was for us, by us”, he says. “There's going to be a live stage all your favourite acts - anyone you know that’s affiliated with Skepta. There’ll be a live stage on one side and the Más Tiempo stage which will also be a full lineup. I might bust up one stage, fly over to the other one and link with Jammer. It’s gonna be crazy”.
🎸
Nickelback have announced their first UK tour dates for six years, including a show at the O2 Arena in London on 21 May. “It’s been far too long and these will be incredibly special shows for us”, say the band. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
💕
Becky Hill has announced a run of outdoor shows next summer. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
⛪
Taking Back Sunday have announced UK tour dates in March next year, including at show at the Kentish Town Forum in London on 27 Mar. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
💋
FEMM have announced that they will play their final live show at The Lower Third in London on 16 Dec. The Japanese pop duo recently announced that they are splitting, and released their last EP ‘Cherry’ earlier this month.
AWARDS
⚡
Metallica have been awarded a Hall Of Fame award by US collecting society SoundExchange. “Metallica is considered one of the greatest rock bands of all time and for good reason”, says SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe. “They have built and rebuilt themselves, continually honing their epic sound with each album and constantly expanding their appeal without abandoning their roots. Metallica is a once-in-a-lifetime success story. Recognising Metallica with a SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award is an honour”.
🏆
Olivia Dean has been named BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year. “Thank you so much for all the support over the years BBC Introducing”, she says. “You are such an important and valuable platform for up-and-coming musicians. From my very first gig at the Lexington until now - poof crazy! So excited to be your artist of the year!”
🇺🇸
The Americana Music Association UK has announced that the UK Americana Awards will take place at St John’s church in Hackney on 25 Jan. Among the winners, Jason Isbell will receive the International Trailblazer Award. The event is part of UK Americana Week. More details here.