You've heard what they sound like but who exactly are the new names who made it into our top of the spots listings this summer? As always they're a pretty mixed bunch. But, if our girl about town Nicky Thompson-Quartey is to be believed - and who wouldn't - every one's a winner. Get In!
Computer Magic
Artist: Computer Magic
Title: Running
Record Company: Computer Magic
Brand: Lexus International
Electronic artist Danielle Johnson took her stage name from the ever-quotable 1984 spoof rock documentary, Spinal Tap. Becoming a prolific DJ at just the age of 18, Johnson scooped a number of gigs at some of New York’s finest, including the Tribeca Grand Hotel and The Annex. Not content with merely turning tables, she longed to be a name on the labels and soon began making music on a laptop in her mother’s house. She has uploaded free downloadable demos online under the moniker Computer Magic which one way or another led to a spot in the latest campaign ad for Lexus International. Computer Magic is currently working on her first full length album with New York producer Claudius Mittendorfer.
Artist Website: http://thecomputermagic.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/computermagic
Lykke Li
Title: Gunshot
Record Company: Warner -Atlantic
Brand: Peugeot 108
Never underestimate the power of the Internet. Just ask Swedish superstar Lykke Li. Since uploading her tracks to MySpace (remember that?) in 2007, Li has caught the attention of nearly every online music blogger. After that it wasn’t long before Atlantic Records picked up on her self-released debut EP Little Bit which dropped later that year. The title track was nominated for Best Video at the Grammy Awards and soon Li’s name was to be seen on the bill at the best festivals Glastonbury, Coachella and Lollapalooza. She has subsequently collaborated with the likes of Royksopp, guested on top American talk shows The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman and is currently touring her 2014 album I Never Learn. Li is no stranger to the world of soundtracks either. Many of her songs have already featured in video games, motion picture blockbusters and US teen dramas like Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries.
Artist Website: http://www.lykkeli.com/splash/ineverlearn
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/lykkeli
Hannah Peel
Title: Tainted Love
Record Company: Static Caravan
Brand: ITV
Irish-born Hannah Peel has always been a prominent presence behind the scenes. She developed her significant violin and piano skills at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and then began applying those abilities to scoring entire orchestras for accomplished artists. In 2010 Peel launched her own recording career with 80s covers EP entitled Rebox which included the haunting rendition of Gloria Jones’ 1964 cult dance hit Tainted Love, made famous nearly 20 years later by Soft Cell in 1981. As heard in ITV’s Emmerdale and Coronation Street preview, this re-imagining of songwriter Ed Cobb’s classic represents only one facet of Peel’s bag of tricks. It wouldn’t be until her 2011 original album The Broken Waves that she would garner high critical praise for her own genre-bending “folktronica” style. Let’s hope this new TV spot can put an erstwhile It-Girl back in front of the public where she belongs.
Artist Website: http://www.hannahpeel.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusic
A Tribe Called Red
Title: Electric Pow Wow Drum
Record Company: Fontana North - Masalacism Records
Brand: BT Sport
BT Sport’s latest soccer season trailers have certainly raised the profile of A Tribe Called Red - three aboriginals DJ/Producers from Canada who infuse Native American ‘powwow’ genres with contemporary electronic beats. Currently comprised of DJ NDN, Bear Witness and 2oolman, the group released their first album online as a free download but it was the buzz from their sophomore album Nation II Nation which enabled them to tour beyond Canada to the United States and Europe. In doing so, they extended their fan base way beyond their native communities. No longer does every accolade include ‘Aboriginal’ as a subtitle; the trio can now display the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year 2014 on their metaphorical mantlepiece. With this BT sync behind them A Tribe Called Red could well be on the way to greater things.
Artist Website: http://atribecalledred.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Tribe-Called-Red/181642381882640
Funki Porcini
Title: The Devil Drives
Record Company: Ninja Tune
Brand: Metcalfe's Popcorn
James Braddell is one guy who can’t stay put for too long. Originally from England, he abandoned the slums of Kings Cross for the sunnier, albeit smoggier, scenery of Los Angeles. He then scraped up enough cash to move north to San Francisco where he decided to buy a saxophone. It was a timely purchase at a time when the local post-punk scene began to take shape and Braddell found inspiration from the Bay Area’s crop of new underground bands. He subsequently relocated to New York, Berlin and even moved back to England for a while before finding his true home in Italy. Which is where he remained for 10 years and developed into something of a modern renaissance man! Re-inventing himself as Funki Porcini he signed with leading UK indie Ninja Tune, cutting his teeth on music for the small screen before directing a full-length film to accompany his fourth album Fast Asleep (2002). Other off-the-wall shorts followed culminating in the recent Metcalfe Pocorn spot in which Porcini’s breakbeat-esque Devil Drives is marred to an edited sequence from surrealist Luis Bunuel’s 1965 Art house classic Simon Of The Desert. Porcini is currently working with writer/director Tony Grisoni on film scores.
Artist Website: http://ninjatune.net/artist/funki-porcini
Social Media: https://twitter.com/funkiporcini
Hudson Mohawke
Title: Chimes
Record Company: Warp
Brand: Apple
Long before Kanye West recognised his talents (and subsequently signed him to his own label) electronic producer/DJ Hudson Mohawke was making a name for himself in the clubs of his native Glasgow. At age 15 he became the youngest ever DMC finalist and was making regular appearances at Glasgow University's Subcity Radio. With surprising little material under his belt he was signed to Warp and his track Free Mo was featured on Ubiquity Records 2007 various artists compilation Choices, Vol. 1. As well as recording his own solo material, Mohawke also makes up one half of trap music duo TNGHT with Canadian producer/DJ Lunice. Like many of the ostensibly less well-known artists featured this month, Mohawke is no stranger to TV audiences. Video gamers will recognise tracks like 100hm from Grand Theft Auto V. Meanwhile Chimes and its EP which bears its name is set to be released on September 27.
Artist Website: http://hudsonmohawke.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/hudsonmohawke
Chromeo
Title: Jealous (I Ain't With It)
Record Company: Warner - PLG
Brand: Google
Chromeo consists of former hip hop producers P-Thugg and Dave-1 (aka David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel) whose electro-funk-disco style plays like a love letter to the hairspray bands of the mid-80s. The Canadian duo debuted with the 2004 album She’s In Control which garnered positive reviews from industry pundits but failed to catch fire with a more general public until the single Needy Girl became a track to drop into in clubs all around the world. The band eventually went on to support indie rockers Bloc Party on their British tour and even got to play with their hero Darryl Hall of Hall & Oates in 2008 for a jam session on Live from Daryl’s House. Chromeo’s latest album White Women features the Canadian top 20 hit Jealous and can be heard in Google’s Android Wear TV spot.
Artist Website: http://uk.chromeo.net/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/chromeo
Julie Doiron
Title: The Life Of Dreams
Record Company: Jagjaguwar
Brand: Apple iPhone 5s
What is it with these Canadians? Julie Doirin originally started out playing bass and singing for indie rock band, Eric’s Trip who were the first Canadian act to be signed to Seattle’s grunge-based Sup Pop label. But after the group split in 1996, Doiron started writing her own material and self-released an album on her Sappy Records label. Missing the collaborative nature of a group dynamic, she teamed up with another Canadian indie rock outfit, the Wooden Trees and their jointly recorded collection, again on Sappy and called Julie Doiron And the Wooden Stars won the 2000 Juno Award for Best Independently Released Album. Doiron has always remained close to Eric’s Trip front-man Rick White who has produced her latest three LPs. The second of the three, I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day (2009) features The Life of Dreams which has graced Apple’s latest IPhone 5s commercial.
Artist Website: http://juliedoiron.ca/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/juliedoironmusic
Saint Motel
Title: My Type
Record Company: Warner - PLG
Brand: Phones 4 U
Saint Motel may have the image of stylish Los Angeles hipsters but their music wouldn’t sound at all out of place on a 90s Brit Pop record. Pairing catchy horn riffs with angry guitars, the group churn out anthem after anthem. They came to prominence with their first full length album Voyeur (2012) which garnered praised from the Washington Post and saw the band tour the US with Arctic Monkeys and Weezer. Their 80s inspired synth-pop My Type proved the perfect choice for Phones 4 U’s recent Back To The Future-inspired TV campaign. My Type is lifted from the band’s most recent EP, which was released in the UK on August 17.
Artist Website: http://www.saintmotel.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/saintmotel
Wilkinson
Artist: Wilkinson feat Tom Cane
Title: Half Light
Record Company: Universal - Virgin EMI
Brand: Boohoo.com
When Ram Records’ bosses heard this British drum and bass producer/DJ Mark Wilkinson they knew they had to meet him immediately. Once signed to the Universal Virgin EMI subsidiary Wilkinson dropped his christian name and has cemented his status on the UK pop scene. His 2013 album Lazers Not Included, featuring the top 5 UK hit Afterglow and the synched track Half Light, topped the iTunes Chart in 10 countries. British singer/songwriter Tom Cane who lent vocals to Half Light is just one of the many artists Wilkinson has paired up with in recent years. Previous collaborations include Ed Sheeran, Naughty Boy, Chase & Status, Wretch 32 and Katy B. This summer alone Wilkinson has already racked up a string of performances at Glastonbury and T In The Park as well as winning in the Best Producer category at the 2014 Drum & Bass Awards. His next single Dirty Love is scheduled for released on September 21.
Artist Website: http://wilkinson-music.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonuk
