It's that time again, where we pull out our top pick of new PRS for Music members who’ve joined up over the last quarter.
America’s love affair with the bleeps, bass and beats of electronic dance music has become increasingly fevered over the last 18 months. Steve Angello, acclaimed producer, DJ and previously one third of Swedish House Mafia, is one of the main reasons why the country’s ravers are getting so hot under the collar.
Since he cut his teeth on the underground raves of his native Stockholm, Steve’s rise through the ranks of dance music’s elite both in terms of music making and roof raising has been unstoppable. An inspired reworking of the Eurthymics’ Sweet Dreams back in 2004 kick-started his career as an in-demand producer. Key records such as Knas, Rave N Roll and Yeah have all done serious damage to soundsystems from Ibiza to Las Vegas while he’s worked with some of electronic music’s most successful artists, not least Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, his musical collaborators in electronic supergroup Swedish House Mafia.
As part of the infamous trio, whose tour shenanigans are caught on the Spinal Tap-esque tour movie, Take One, Steve has traversed the globe playing to huge crowds. Their massive hits Save the World, Antidote, Greyhound, One and Don't You Worry Child have ensured their impact as a musical force has been felt in the charts as well as the clubs where they forged their reputations. One Last Tour marked the end of their career together seeing the trio perform more than 50 gigs which climaxed with a final show at Ultra Festival in Miami.
Since the end of Swedish House Mafia, Steve has been busier than ever. He has recently joined forces with Jacques Lu Cont to remix Soothe My Soul, the lead track from Depeche Mode’s new album. His own label, Size Records, is gearing up more releases this summer having successfully delivered huge tracks from the likes of Junior Sanchez. Meanwhile, Steve’s own debut solo album Wild Youth is expected to drop later this year. He will be touring Europe throughout June and will hit the UK in August for Creamfields Festival on 24 and Belfast Belsonic on 25.
http://steveangello.com/
Songwriter and guitarist Kohhei Matsuda is one quarter of visceral psychedelic rock band Bo Ningen. He’s also a soloist, whose live shows create a brain-crushing wall of noise, and one part of the F.E.E.P Trio. Together with Bo Ningen, Japanese-born Kohhei is now based in London full time, earning a reputation around the Capital for his must-see performances. His gusto for hectic tempo changes echoes the music of Japanese freak-out bands like Boredoms, Acid Mothers Temple and Melt Banana, while the surrealist undertones of the full band veer from Steppenwolf to King Crimson to Frank Zappa in the blink of an eye. Mind-melting stuff.
http://boningen.info/
Oxford five-piece Spring Offensive are a relentlessly inventive guitar band complete with rich harmonies, driving rhythms and heartfelt lyrics. They draw on the classic guitar sounds of The Smiths, The National, Wild Beasts and The Cooper Temple Clause, bringing a strong sense of melody to the indie template. Since releasing their debut EP Pull Us Apart in 2010, they’ve become one of the most hopeful bands in Oxford’s legendary local music scene. On 19 June they play London’s Hoxton Hall before heading out for some European dates over the summer.
http://springoffensive.co.uk/
SOAK is Derry songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson who, despite being only 17 and having released just two EPs, has already signed to Universal Records. Two years ago Bridie started playing a few chords under the tutelage of her father, and found that songs appeared to her out of the blue. She recorded them in her bedroom before stumping up the £50 needed to put her debut EP together. She submitted the EP, Trains, into a competition for up-and-coming Northern Irish talent and was awarded the opportunity to record a second EP, Sea Creatures. Her songs are like mini-dramas, vivid and intense, with words and melodies often belying her young years. Expect to hear a lot more from this prodigious talent.
http://www.soakmusic.net/
Shannon Wardrop is a 20-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist from the outskirts of London. Her sound is some way between early nineties bands like Mazzy Star and The Breeders, and the sun kissed hippy vibe of the swinging sixties. Although she’s a newcomer with little material available on the internet to listen to, Shannon’s music comes fully formed and brimming with atmosphere. Her debut EP, Medicine, was released on 2 June and you can next catch her performing at Dublin Castle, London, on 27 June.
www.shannonwardrop.com
Rosie Carney
Teenager Rosie Carney has already earned her stripes through a series of well-received gigs in Belfast, Dublin, Donegal, New York and Los Angeles. Performing alone with her guitar, Rosie’s angelic voice is the perfect conduit for her complex lyrics and rich allegory. Her music carries echoes of classic songwriters like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell and her fondness for penning sad laments is sure to have broken many a heart already. Rosie lives in Donegal and has picked up fans in the Irish press and on BBC Ulster. Her debut EP Knowing is available now. (Photo credit: Blanka Sadilkova)
www.rosiecarneymusic.com
Teenager Rosie Carney has already earned her stripes through a series of well-received gigs in Belfast, Dublin, Donegal, New York and Los Angeles. Performing alone with her guitar, Rosie’s angelic voice is the perfect conduit for her complex lyrics and rich allegory. Her music carries echoes of classic songwriters like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell and her fondness for penning sad laments is sure to have broken many a heart already. Rosie lives in Donegal and has picked up fans in the Irish press and on BBC Ulster. Her debut EP Knowing is available now. (Photo credit: Blanka Sadilkova)
www.rosiecarneymusic.com
