Track Of The Day: Aphty Khéa & a.Blubox – ‘Pengvibe 2.0’

A hypnotic remix of her original 2020 single, Aphty Khéa has teamed up with London-based, Italian-German duo a.Blubox on her latest single ‘Pengvibe 2.0’. Released via Slow Dance Records and featured on their annual compilation EP which is due on 26th January, the track is a cinematic re-working of Khéa’s original glitchy, intoxicating beats.

Currently based in Kreuzberg in Berlin, Aphty Khéa is a half Greek, half British artist who combines sonic and visual elements to create her stimulating, exciting electronic music. “‘Pengvibe2.0’ is the socially distant, post-party, pre-comedown twin of ‘Pengvibe’,” explains Khéa about the new remix. “In times where it’s impossible to chill on a stained sofa in the downtempo room whilst listening to strangers tell you stories you won’t remember, you have no choice but to construct an intimate, homely alternative.”

“Moving from the living room to the kitchen and hoping ‘Chatroulette’ will connect you with another dance-deprived person somewhere on the inter-web is the placebo a lot of us are currently settling for. As time passes by in the digital COVID age, and you slowly start to feel like you might just be living in the Matrix, everything creatively collaborative is inevitably achieved through zeros and ones. And through zeros and ones, between Berlin and London, is how this sonic re-imagination was conceived.”

Khéa’s new single is accompanied by a self-directed video, which offers a “much needed eye-break” around the roads of Khéa’s childhood hometown in Greece. Combining her cinematic visuals with her energetic sounds, ‘Pengvibe 2.0’ is an essential slice of escapism during these uncertain times.

Watch the video below.

Follow Aphty Khéa on Instagram, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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INTERVIEW: Miss Grit

A genre-defying artist who has spent much of her life feeling out of place in rooms full of people, multi-instrumentalist Miss Grit has a sound that ricochets between atmospheric, angular and anthemic. The Korean-American musician has shared two tracks from her upcoming EP, the title track ‘Impostor’ and previous single ‘Dark Side Of The Party‘ and both offer a refreshing insight into her talent as a songwriter and producer. 

We had a quick catch up with Miss Grit (aka Margaret Sohn) to talk about her new record, how she’s managed to overcome feelings of intense self-doubt to create her captivating music, and her brand new single ‘Impostor’ which you can listen to below.

 

How are you Margaret? How are you coping during the on-going pandemic?
Good! I can’t complain. Watching a lot of anime and trying to stay away from the news.

Impostor syndrome is something that your new EP addresses on many levels, including class, race and gender. You said you felt like you were “impersonating a musician” on your previous EP, so has this new project given you more confidence in your abilities as a songwriter?

Definitely! I think that was my main take away from the previous EP. It gave me the push to keep writing and that’s how the Impostor EP started.

You produced the new EP yourself so you could have full creative control. Did you try new techniques? What did you learn from the process?

With this EP, I wrote and produced it with a band in mind compared to the previous EP. I tried to not go too crazy on the production end because I wanted the energy and momentum in the songs to do a lot of the heavy lifting. But I think for the next project I’ll try a less moulded approach and start with a blank space.

Any advice for new musicians who are looking to do the same thing?

Just remember there are no rules! It took me really long to unlearn that and I’m still unlearning all the stupid made up rules I have in my mind about how to be a “songwriter” or a “producer”.

Do you have a favourite track on the EP? If so, why?

I think the first track on the EP called ‘Don’t Wander’ has a special place in my heart, because the creation process for that was as organic as it had felt for me and just kind of spilled out of me. It was really refreshing to write and came to be by itself.

You’ve just shared the EP’s title track ‘Impostor’ today (Jan 13th). Talk us through your writing process for this track and what you love most about it.

It was a song that just felt so good to play and the lyrics kind of got to the bottom of my feelings at the time. It started with the guitar riff and was built from there. My favorite part is the ending. It felt like a nice atmosphere to wrap up the EP with a cozy blanket.

As a new music blog, we always ask artists to recommend a new band or artist that they’ve been listening to recently. Any suggestions for us?

Definitely Pearla, Closebye, Kate Davis, and Pom Pom Squad. They’re all really fucking cool. And I’ve been listening to Nilüfer Yanya’s new EP on repeat.

Finally, if you had to explain your music in three words, what would they be?
Organized bleep bloops.

Thanks to Margaret for answering our questions.

Follow Miss Grit on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Natasha Willson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Tamar Aphek – ‘Russian Winter’

A brooding mix of distorted bass lines, cutting vocals and thumping beats, Israeli rocker Tamar Aphek‘s latest single ‘Russian Winter’ is a sonic force to be reckoned with. Taken from her upcoming album All Bets Are Off, set for release via Kill Rock Stars on 29th January, Aphek has shared a new video to accompany the beautiful, yet desolate track.

“‘Russian Winter’ is my first concept music video,” Aphek explains. “It was developed in a few stages. First, a visual translation of my personal feelings in light of the collapse of the frameworks and creative endeavours in which I was involved with before the coronavirus, hours of brainstorming with the director Amir Buxbaum on how to transform the ideas into a music video, and finally diving with the animator in a symbolic ocean of images. We are facing huge changes in our old familiar world – I wanted to include images like the cycle of the four seasons – hoping that by sticking to the common place it will help us move forward into the unknown world.”

Hailed as “Israel’s guitar goddess” by Timeout in Tel-Aviv, Aphek’s contemporary rock sounds mark her out as an exciting talent in the world of guitar music. The experienced instrumentalist produced her new record by herself, working alongside the mastering talents of Daniel Schlett (War on Drugs, DIIV) and Greg Calbi (John Lennon, Bob Dylan, David Bowie) to finalise her sound. ‘Russian Winter’ is the third single to be released from the album, showcasing Aphek’s ability to dismantle the world around her through commanding vocals and a cacophony of guitar noise.

Watch the video for ‘Russian Winter’ below.

Follow Tamar Aphek on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Guy Nahum Lëvy

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: REYKO – ‘Saturday’

A jagged, electro-pop tune exploring the mixed emotions that come with an unexpected change, London-based duo REYKO have shared their latest single ‘Saturday’. Following on from their previous singles ‘The Game’ and ‘Panic’, this new track sees the pair navigate the euphoria and uncertainty of a life-changing event through a blend of hushed vocals, edgy riffs and poppy beats.

Formed of vocalist Soleil and producer Igor, REYKO first began making music together for the final project of Igor’s masters degree in music production. The pair released their self-titled debut album in 2020, blending elements of electro, indie, pop, hip-hop and trap together to create their intoxicating sounds. Since then, the duo have been steadily sharing new music and single ‘Saturday’ is another upbeat offering.

The track is designed to remind listeners that change is an inevitable part of life, which we all need to accept and embrace. It’s also accompanied by a video shot and directed by James Ayling, which features Soleil and Igor searching for each other around an industrial estate. Watch the video for ‘Saturday’ below.

Follow REYKO on Instagram, Twitter, Spotify and Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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