News

Wahid x WILT/CORNERSTONE


Second-generation Jamaican, Floridian rapper Wahid has today shared his debut two-track EP “WILT/CORNERSTONE.”

Feeling carefree, Wahid shares this on the two tracks, “‘WILT’ is a record conceived after I drank a cheap bottle of Stroysky liquor in the studio with Kaelin and Iggy. I wanted to emulate carefree vibes on Isaiah Rashad’s ‘House is Burning’ album. With a lot of Damian Marley playing through the studio speakers, ‘CORNERSTONE’ is a direct inspiration from a song his father wrote (Bob Marley’s Cornerstone; 1970), which is one of my all time favorite songs. Meek shall inherit the earth, last shall be first.”

Through Wahid’s sonic storytelling he refuses to submit to negativity and fatalism. His hip-hop collective had just wrapped their first national tour. Their DMs were flooded with A&Rs offering deals and producers looking to collaborate. One major label president – who had signed some of the biggest artists of the last quarter-century – told them that they were on the path to becoming global superstars. Then the group split up. It was over before it even began.

The ensuing depression was all-consuming. There were days where Wahid didn’t budge from bed, drawing the blinds closed, and numbing the wounds with bottle after bottle of liquor. Despite his best efforts to salvage the wreckage, none of his attempts yielded anything positive. But through the duress, he discovered his inner resilience and perseverance. Stay tuned for more music from Wahid.

Read more about it on CLASH.

Allah-Las x Zuma 85

...while the group make much of this being a 'new era' there are still plenty of moments that conjure nostalgic, dreamy biss.”  - MOJO 

"The album brings us back to their sun-kissed California psych sounds once again, but this time with equal twists of clipped electronica and field recordings" - LOUDER THAN WAR

"embraces the pugnacious monotony of late ‘80s Lou Reed ... and reassures that they have not altogether lost interest in sun-splashed psychedelia" - UNCUT

“Surreal” - MXDWN on “Right On Time” 

The Los Angeles-based Allah-Las released their new album, Zuma 85 via their own label, Calico Discos, in partnership with Innovative Leisure, which issued earlier defining statements from the band.  In 2020, following the release of their album LAHS, the band members stepped away to refocus on their individual lives and interests, leading them to reimagine their creative processes.  When they eventually regrouped, they adopted a more flexible approach. Instead of bringing fully finished songs to the studio, they entered the idyllic Panoramic House Studio in Stinson Beach armed with sketches, ideas, and riffs.  Working with co-producer Jeremy Harris (White Fence, Devendra Banhart, Ty Segall) they shaped and crafted the new songs in real time over three sessions, which were then mixed in Los Angeles by frequent collaborator Jarvis Taveniere (Woods, Avalanches, Purple Mountains).  The end result, Zuma 85, finds the band embracing the influences of late-era Lou Reed and John Cale, the ‘70s mutant pop of Peter Ivers and early Eno and Roxy Music.  

In ten days the Allah-Las will kick off their first U.S. tour in support of Zuma 85 with a show in Phoenix, AZ on October 23. The tour also includes a two-night stand with Reverberation Radio at Lodge Room in Los Angeles on November 15 (with Mirror Tree and Kolumbo as support) and November 16 (with Tim Hall and Sam Burton as support), as well as stops in Denver, Dallas, and Seattle before concluding November 18 in San Francisco, CA.  Following the U.S. run the band head to Australia in December.  All announced shows are listed below and tickets are available here

Leading to today’s release the Allah-Las teased the album with videos for four of Zuma 85’s singles,  “Sky Club,”  “Right On Time, The Stuff,” and Dust” and they saw support from Under The Radar, Brooklyn Vegan, Austin Town Hall, Buzzbands LA, MXDWN, The Big Takeover, MOJO and Ghettoblaster, among others.  Today the band revealed two additional visuals -  “The Fall,” music video which was animated and directed by Mark Neeley and “Jelly,” visualizer which was created with help from Farmer Dave.  On his animation for “The Fall” Mark writes, "the video includes a lot of watercolor and fresh ink directly on paper, it's a juxtaposition of abstract and animating some of the song's narrative. I have always admired the careful curation of visual art that accompanies the music of Allah-Las, and I hope my analogue animation adds another dimension to that".

Read more about it on The Line of Best Fit.

Charlie Vettuno x Lime Juice

“an afrodisiac-filled, G-Funk house amalgam” - CLASH

Southern California producer-singer duo, comprised of songwriter tomee zero and producer JVMES JET, Charlie Vettuno have shared their debut EP Lime Juice.  Supported by Wonderland, CLASH and BBC Radio 1Xtra, the duo have built a devoted fanbase for their unique sonic tapestry not only in their hometown of Los Angeles but further beyond. EP highlights include the high-energy house-induced “Triggered” and vibrantly brilliant “Fre nch Toast Pt 2”.

The duo bring a dynamic blend of musicality and innovation to their craft. Their sleek club-rap tracks draw comparison to producers-artists like Cakes Da Killa, Channel Tres, Azealia Banks and Kaytranada. Charlie Vettuno's signature style has caught the attention of music critics and fans alike, earning them praise from notable publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine and leading them to work with the likes of Ari Lennox.

“Our EP Lime Juice is a narrative on fame.” says the duo on their debut project. “It’s told through the eyes of a lost but ambitious person who believes fame will solve their problems and through the journey they discover fame is not the answer. Each song dives into the spoils of fame, Ego, Luxury, Sex, Drugs & Rock n’ Roll but with our own twist. Ending with the realization they need to get back to who they truly are despite the new circumstances of their life.”

Listen/buy Lime Juice here.

Tim Hill x Shades of Green

"Shades of Green started off as a simple acoustic tune that was experimented into something more with synths and string arrangements to create a painting of emotion. It’s a song of how loss can change the lives around us, and, despite past failures and shortcomings, be transformative in becoming a stronger person for the ones we love." - Tim Hill

The song "Shades of Green" shares the name with Tim Hill's upcoming EP available on October 20th, 2023.

Allah-Las x Dust


...while the group make much of this being a 'new era' there are still plenty of moments that conjure nostalgic, dreamy biss.”  - MOJO 

 "The album brings us back to their sun-kissed California psych sounds once again, but this time with equal twists of clipped electronica and field recordings" - LOUDER THAN WAR

"embraces the pugnacious monotony of late ‘80s Lou Reed ... and reassures that they have not altogether lost interest in sun-splashed psychedelia" - UNCUT

 “Surreal” - MXDWN 

 Los Angeles-based Allah-Las have dropped “Dust,” the latest single off their much-anticipated album, Zuma 85, being released on October 13.  With an ear-worm fusion of psychedelic rock, jangly guitars,  and progressive rock, “Dust” exemplifies the new direction the band have taking on the LP as they depart the familiar beachy territory for off the map expanses, embracing the influence of late-era Lou Reed and John Cale, ‘70s mutant pop, and textures borrowed from Japanese pop and loner-folk obscurities.  Allah-las tapped frequent collaborator Bailey Elder to craft her visual interpretation of the song.  With her signature animation style, she captures the cosmic and transitory nature of the track with a mesmerizing procession of patterns, shapes and designs that morph and melt into one another in a choreographed dance through space and time.  Of “Dust’ the band say, ‘the song turns the lens onto the past and the path that must be taken to achieve a desired outcome.  A crisp high hat clicks along in perfect time, driving a soft but certain vocal atop a bed of undulating synthesizers, leading us comfortably along before the chorus hits, punctuated by harpsichord hits and tambourines that crash against the otherwise soothing soundscape.  A fuzzed and bowed guitar solo leads us out into the place we had hoped to be.”  

See Northern Transmissions for more info.