Soundclouds of the Underground: Lazy Daze Edition
ABOVE: PRINCESS NOKIA. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANNA CAPOZZI.
These days, music truly lives online, with an infinite number of websites dedicated to hosting tunes for the laptop-wielding masses. However, the web’s bottomless pit of blogs isn’t the only place to troll for mp3 treasures—some of the newest and most exciting (Internet-friendly) artists can be sought out via Soundcloud, the online stage that allows musicians to promote and distribute their music to fans and friends across the globe. In this weekly column, expert Internet sleuth Alex Chapman goes into the depths of the music-sharing site, in hopes of shedding light on emerging acts, as well as sharing some digital diamonds in the rough.
Good weather and great music are the best medicine for summer boredom. Whether you’re stuck on the highway for hours, wistfully glancing at the outside world through your office window, or spending the day in Central Park, some solid tracks can help you lose yourself in the best way—a meditative approach to lackadaisical sunny days. The three songs selected for this week truly put us in a euphoric trance, and we hope they’ll do the same for you.
Princess Nokia: “Seraphims”
Who: One of New York’s most exciting artists, Nokia (formally known as Wavy Spice) has captured local and international attention with her blend of hard rhymes, soft vocals, and futuristic aesthetic, all of which she carries out with a distinct poeticism.
The Song: A track off her recently dropped, full-length debut Metallic Butterfly, “Seraphims” takes a trip-pop approach with Nokia anchoring the track, hypnotically cooing “two butterflies sitting in my bed.” Produced by OWWWLS (who also had a hand in Azealia Banks’ Fantasea), the track’s ethereal sounds and rapid pace are easy to get lost in.
Current Project: Keep up with the rising talent via her Facebook page.
Pharrell ft. BOY/FRIEND & Alicia Keys: “Know Who You Are (MNTN rmx)”
Who: With his fresh take on R&B that somehow maintains a classic feel, Boy/Friend made waves when he performed at The Fader Fort during last year’s CMJ Festival. Since then he’s made a handful of tracks, each with a genuine suaveness that could make any girl blush.
The Song: Boy/Friend frequent collaborator MNTN employs spacey sounds and eerie echoes to alter the Pharrell & Alicia Keys track off Pharrell’s newest album. With some smooth vocal aid from Boy/Friend, the result is an entrancing jam that takes the original track in an entirely new direction.
Current Project: Head to Boy/Friend’s website to find out more about the new age crooner.
Who: Tink and Dj Dahi are currently two of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest young talents—while Dahi has quietly been creating an extremely impressive roster of jams, including tracks with Iggy Azalea, TDE’s Schoolboy Q, Freddie Gibbs, and Vic Mensa, to name a few, the more visible Tink has an ever-growing fanbase thanks to her innate ability to rap and sing with equal quality and creativity.
The Song: Tink’s ability to focus in on unrequited loves and relationship issues is uncanny—she truly is a storyteller, and she no doubt is flexing that muscle on “Men,” an outtake from the “Songs from Scratch” project, which also contained her and Dahi’s Kelela collaboration “Want It.” Here Dahi also builds an elegantly smooth, subtle beat that works alongside Tink instead of overpowering her.
Current Project: Keep up with Tink and DJ Dahi via their respective facebook pages.
Soundclouds of the Underground runs every Thursday. For more, click here.
