Track Of The Day: AGAAMA – ‘Blackbox Oracle’

An intoxicating blend of enigmatic vocals, heady electronic beats and jazz-inspired instrumentation, Birmingham-based artist, composer, vocalist and producer AGAAMA has shared her latest single ‘Blackbox Oracle’. Taken from her upcoming EP Wandering Worlds, which is set for release on 15th September via The state51 Conspiracy, the track explores our complex relationship with Artificial Intelligence, questioning whether we can live in harmony with the machines we have created.

“‘Blackbox Oracle’ is about our relationship with technology and how humankind draws closer to the singularity – the moment in time where the capabilities of AI will overtake the abilities of the human brain,” AGAAMA explains. The track’s title is the name of an imagined ‘AI’ lover, who AGAAMA toys with via her majestic instrumentation and seductive beats. “My body craves control” she confesses, resisting the urge to become “addicted to your code”, trapped in a push-and-pull scenario that has no concrete solution.

AGAAMA’s eclectic sounds stem from a childhood rich with varied musical experiences. Growing up in a British-Jamaican household, she was influenced by the contemporary classical tastes of her parent’s record collection, she sang in Church on Sundays, studied classical trombone as a teenager, but also spent her weekends raving to UK bass music and writhing in the mosh pit at metal gigs. This glorious array of musical experiences have all informed her work as AGAAMA, making her sounds as vast and altruistic as her collective memories.

Her upcoming EP, Wandering Worlds, reflects this kaleidoscopic musical vision perfectly, whilst also tapping into something darker. “I grew up listening to a lot of angsty, heavy music – metal, dubstep, prog rock and bass music. I wanted to make something where you could explore angst and frustration,” AGAAMA explains. “I found that having a space to release angst within music was healthy and helpful on my path toward healing. I really wanted to incorporate this brooding, meditative, almost primal thing that hooked me into music.”

AGGAMA has explored these instincts on her recent singles ‘Which Way’, ‘Sarehole Mill’ and on her latest cut ‘Blackbox Oracle’, which you can watch the captivating video for below.

Follow AGAAMA on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

AGAAMA UK Tour Dates 2022
22nd September – London, Hootenanny (with Jack Tyson Charles)
29th September – (EP Launch) London, state51 Factory
3rd October – Birmingham, The Night Owl

Photo Credit: Myah Jeffers

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Double Helix – ‘Doppelgänger’

A pulsing, urgent mix of hypnotic beats, impulsive synth textures and elusive vocals, London-based duo Double Helix have shared their latest single ‘Doppelgänger’. Shared as part of Human Endeavour’s debut compilation EP, Trains Of Thought, which is due for release on 21st June, the track is an energetic blur of 90s-style acid electronica that smoulders with euphoric energy.

Formed of Patrick Smith (synths, programming, vocals), Kim Engelhardt (bass) and accompanied by a session drummer for their live shows, Double Helix have cut their teeth on London’s underground gig circuit over the past few years where they have developed a loyal following. Their eclectic live shows fuse together the sounds and aesthetics of 90s rave subculture and often include footage and visuals shot by the band themselves. Inspired by the Prodigy, Leftfield, Nine Inch Nails and Boy Harsher, Double Helix offer listeners a sonic escape with their immersive electronic sounds, with their latest single ‘Doppelgänger’ delivering just that.

The new track has been released via Human Endeavour, a sub label of Ransom Note curated and led by Rosie Ama Cain (Kiara Scuro). The label aims to provide “space for artists who are exploring the dark, deep and hypnotic corners of the musical spectrum,” a space where Double Helix’s eclectic electronic sounds look set to thrive. Accompanied by a striking new video shot & edited by the band, the visuals for ‘Doppelgänger’ feature dancer and performance artist Giorgia Pirozzi, who manipulates and shifts her body along to Double Helix’s frenzied and infectious sounds.

Watch the accompanying video for ‘Doppelgänger’ below.

Follow Double Helix on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: CMAT – ‘Peter Bogdanovich’

Flowing with her trademark wit, melancholy-tinged vocals and informed by her fascinating yet niche personal interests, Irish pop sensation CMAT has shared a new video for her latest single ‘Peter Bogdanovich’. Taken from her superb debut album, If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, the track is a playful homage to the work & romantic life of the acclaimed American director, accompanied by a cinematic, monochrome video featuring CMAT in drag as the eponymous talent.

“I wrote the song ‘Peter Bogdanovich’ after listening to a podcast about the making of the film The Last Picture Show,” CMAT explains. “To cut a long story short, Peter ran away and left his wife for yungwan (the lead actress in the film, Cybill Shepherd). I was taken by this particular story because I love his early films, and I loved finding out that his wife, Polly Platt, was the player who was actually responsible for what I love most about his films. I was really interested in everyone’s motivations – Peter for acting so selfishly, Cybill for throwing a bomb on a marriage and her work, and most of all Polly, for staying to work on the film even after the affair came out. I think it is a great allegory for the role that the construct of gender plays in all of our decisions, and how if gender and sexuality wasn’t really seen as such a rigid ‘thing’, our lives would be very different.”

Commenting on working alongside the video’s director Jake Passmore, CMAT continues: “I approached Jake with the idea of doing a video where I was in Boy Drag because a) it worked with the theme of the song b) I thought it would be really fun. Himself and Sam Brautigan, who co-directed, then came up with a brilliant abstract treatment around me playing Peter Bogdanovich that involved choreography, Orson Welles and a puppet. What more could I possibly want?”

Living her best life and sharing her unique perspective on love and pop culture loop holes is what makes CMAT such a joyful and charismatic performer. Catch her live on the dates listed below.

Watch the video for ‘Peter Bogdanovich’ below.

 

Follow CMAT on bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify & Facebook 

CMAT Live Dates 2022

June 18th | Westmeath, IE – Body & Soul Festival
June 23rd | Halifax, UK – The Piece Hall –
June 24th | Margate, UK – Leisure Festival
July 2nd | Copenhagen, DK – Roskilde Festival
July 3rd | Dublin, IE – Trinity College ^
July 7th | Montreux, CH – Montreux Jazz Festival
July 9th | Glasgow, UK – TRNSMT Festival
July 24th | Hertfordshire, UK – Standon Calling Festival
July 30th | Leeds, UK – Deer Shed Festival
July 31st | County Waterford, IE – All Together Now Festival
Aug 12th | Oslo, NO – Oya Festival
Aug 14th | Winterthur, CH – Winterthurer
Sep 4th | Stradbally, IE – Electric Picnic Festival
Sept 29th | Los Angeles, CA – Cafe Du Nord*
Sept 30th | Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan*
Oct 1st | Dana Point, CA – Ohana Festival*
Oct 3rd | Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle*
Oct 4th | Toronto, ON – Monarch Tavern*
Oct 6th | New York, NY – Mercury Lounge*
Nov 13th | Rotterdam, NL – Rotown*
Nov 15th | Stockholm, SE – Bar Brooklyn*
Nov 16th | Copenhagen, DK – Ideal Bar*
Nov 17th | Berlin, DE – Marie Antoinette*
Nov 21st | Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Upstairs*
Nov 22nd | Brussels, BE – Witloof Bar*
Nov 25th | Manchester, UK – Gorilla
Nov 26th | Oxford, UK – O2 Academy 2
Nov 27th | Bristol, UK – Thekla
Nov 28th | Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Nov 30th | London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
Dec 1st | Brighton, UK – Komedia
Dec 2nd | Norwich, UK – Norwich Arts Centre
Dec 4th | Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
Dec 5th | Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor
Dec 7th | Belfast, UK – Limelight 1
Dec 9th | Dublin, IE – Olympia Theatre SOLD OUT
Dec 10th | Cork, IE – Live at St. Luke’s SOLD OUT

* = On sale Friday, June 17th at 10am
– = w/ First Aid Kit
^ = w/ Beck

Photo Credit: Sarah Doyle

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Noga Erez – ‘NAILS’

Flowing with her trademark polished production, defiant vocal swagger and snappy lyrics, pop renegade & GIHE favourite Noga Erez has returned with her razor sharp single, ‘NAILS’. Released via Neon Gold/Atlantic Records, who Erez has recently signed to, and her first new music since her second album KIDS, ‘NAILS’ is accompanied by a slick video directed by long time collaborator Indy Hait, featuring Erez and her music & life partner Ori Rousso.

“‘NAILS’ is a song about jealousy, and how being jealous of people, in this particular case another woman, makes you idealize that person in a very weird and dark way,” Erez explains about the track. Together, Rousso and Erez explore these emotions through their infectious beats and Erez’s visceral emceeing, playfully loosening the grip of the jealous thoughts that we are all prone to from time to time.

The deeply satisfying sound of Erez tapping her own nails on different surfaces also underscores the new anthem. Their crunch adds a palpable, physical energy to the song, emphasizing the sharp humour that fuels her fierce lyrics. Armed with her embellished fingertips, she imagines her own nails as an amusing weapon with which to take down her adversaries – “I’ll bump a bitch / flesh pieces in my nails.”

Erez acknowledges the privilege of being allowed to work through these emotions in her music. “I feel like we live in a culture that says, ‘Don’t think those negative thoughts. Don’t even let that cross your mind’ but sometimes I’m like – ‘these bitches are looking at my man, I don’t want that!’ – it’s very, very funny. So I say, let it cross your mind, so that you can leave these things at the thought level, and get the poison out of you. The song is an invitation for everyone to feel that empowering, aggressive vibe and embrace it.”

Watch the video for ‘NAILS’ below.

Follow Noga Erez on bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & Spotify

Photo Credit: Timo Kerber

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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