It was a humid night in Boston, Massachusetts when I met this kid.  Some friends and I were living at 10 Parker Hill where we threw debaucherous parties for our college student brethren on a weekly basis.   We weren’t a frat house, nothing like it – just a bunch of guys who wanted to pursue music at some point in our lives – so the house was filled with music equipment which we used to create a weird mix between a drug haven and clubby atmosphere.  A lot of memories with the Parker Hill boys….but that’s a different story for another time.

Anyways, a lot of people came through that house and one night this kid Horace Brooks walks in and starts talking about his passion for singing.  He went on and on about how we all had to stick together (meaning anyone doing music at the school), and under my hazy mask of Honey Jack and some weird amorphous alcoholic concoction a friend made that can only be described as a mistake the next morning, I excitedly indulged in the conversation yelling obscenities regarding how we would take over the world some day with our music.  That night, Horace got a bit too drunk and we lost him in the city of Boston for a couple hours….

Despite his drunken adventures, Horace is an incredible singer.  Donning the stage name Horace Gold and the nebulous genre of Pop as his vehicle, Horace is well on his way to follow his dream and take over the world with his music.  With an infectious jovial tone reminiscent of The Kooks, his debut EP – The Noise From Upstairs – will be released for free this January.  The single from the project below, aptly named Lovefool, follows Horace’s desires for forbidden love with a lesbian.  From the way she whips her hair out of the pool to the way she says his name, Horace Gold lets us peer through a multifaceted window into his life in his music.  Everyone has those days with their crush or significant other; Horace just decides to sing about it!

‘Lovefool’ was written when Gold was 18, which just goes to show how much this song means to him.  You can also feel that energy in the recording.  Join him on his lovestruck journey as he swoons you with his art of relationship storytelling while you dance along to the beat of his lovesick drum.

Check out LoveFool, then check out his video for Blind below, follow him on Soundcloud, and look back here for the debut EP in January.

Lets transition back to Freshmen year of Emerson College for a second.  There was this kid with an afro and funky demeanor I met on the floor above me the second day of school.  Music was playing, some kids were freestyling, and both him and I enjoyed listening to the talent that surrounded us.  He must have been about 6’1, towering over my small frail freshmen body and I thought “for sure this guy is a Sophomore or a Junior” but to no cigar, he was exactly my age.  Over time, as we bonded over certain Hip Hop icons like DJ Quik, we started sharing music with one another (which is simply the best way to get to know someone).  Amidst forced triples and freestyle sessions, we quickly developed a solid friendship.

Now fast-forward a couple years.  After graduating from Emerson College, Matthias Marlier has been making the funkiest beats to date.  From playing the drums at a young age to maneuvering the DAW Fruity Loops, Marlier’s inspiration comes from all types of music.  Whether its an old soul groove, jazz melody, or and blues guitar riff, no sample is safe from Matthias’ MPC….which I’ve noticed after getting several snapchats of beats I’ll never hear again.  Sometimes, some magical wind will pass by and a beat will make its way to Matthias Soundcloud for everyone to hear, but that only happens once in a blue moon.  No joke.

Anyways, this is one of those beats that finally made it online.  Matthias flip of BB King’s ‘Thrill is Gone’ sample is nothing short of epic, with his skill on the MPC shining through chopped vocal samples and scattered instrumentation.  Play it loud during your commute, spit a couple bars on it, and send it his way on Twitter if you’re feeling it.

I’m not gonna lie, I tend to distance myself from new hip hop releases.  I’m not talking about just any hip hop, I’m talking about hip hop from my generation in particular – the millennials.  Influenced wholeheartedly by the Golden Age of Hip Hop, we grew up when Tribe Called Quest, Tupac, NWA, and Jay Z were not just artists, but cultural icons.  We matured during the commercialization of the genre, realized it was a suitable career path, and found ways to revamp it to suit our own needs, desires, and the audience that was quickly multiplying with new fans.

But what does this lead to?  Nowadays, the game as Hip Hop is called, has become so diluted with releases each day on all of these multiple respective digital platforms (Soundcloud, TIDAL, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp), that artists have begun to distance themselves from portraying only one genre. It’s not enough.  New age artists commonly mix styles amidst sultry electronic synths in between a singing/rapping medley of talent to attract a larger fan base.  We see artists who bridge the gap between two career lanes ruling the music business with an iron fist (picture Drake, Pharrell, Kanye), and new artists follow their path because the formula works.  That’s just the way it goes.  In one way, it’s exciting – so much talent being diversified lends itself to incredible musical performances and eclectic bodies of work.  In other ways, its representative of our culture’s complete disapproval of a one track mind, and our inescapable vortex of ADHD.

So, when I hear something that’s fantastic, I’m not going to bead around the bush.  And this release right here is superb.

The name: DLRN.

The project: Neon Noir.

What is it? Glad you asked.  Neon Noir is an enigmatic reflection of golden age lyricism mixed in between dark roaming synths that take you on a journey through the evolution of Hip Hop.  While the duo (Jon Reyes and Sean LaMarr) are reminiscent of an older sound, the combination still distinctively speaks to a new age of Hip Hop that can’t be streamlined to one style.  No, these guys take it a step further with anthemic builds characteristic of electronic music, breaks in linguistic wordplay so LaMarr can explore his own vocal range, and multiple features who each give a breath of fresh musical diversification to the project.

Truly, this album is fantastic.  Take a listen, relax, and be sure to connect with DLRN on all of their outlets.

Website

Soundcloud

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Have you ever had that feeling when you can’t take a song off repeat?  No matter what does it for you – the infectious build, a pounding kick, a growling synth – something keeps you from clicking the stop button.  That’s how I felt the first and most recent time I played Drazn’s (FlowState’s alter house-infused mechabot personality) ‘Ride’.  Take a minute (actually its 5 minutes and 20 seconds) and bless your speakers and your eardrum with this one.

Now a little bit about Drazn // FlowState since you won’t find anything on the interwebs (sorry I checked).  Amidst his travels to Menlo Park for his daily work at the Facebook campus, this guy simply loves music.  His tracks might get finished millennial style on the shuttle back to the city, but he makes genre eclectic tracks like this one with ease.  His heart though is in trance, and elements from it always seem to find it’s way into his production.  It’s that same unique edge that’s going to keep him pumping out dance floor hitters like this, so stay tuned for more from FlowState.

After you download ‘Ride’, follow FlowState on his Soundcloud!