Cozymag

the lifestyle blog that takes it easy

[cozymag]

Feature | Jesse Elvis - Paint The Picture

Introducing Jesse Elvis, the bluesy singer-songwriter signed to Charlie Sloth's Grimey Limey label. 

Paint The Picture is drenched in bassy blues sounds that compliment Jesse's distinctive vocals. Served as a warm up to his EP dropping on the 7th of July, Paint The Picture safely announces Jesse Elvis as one to look out for. 

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Feature | Gabriel Clarke - A Cry For attention

A Cry For Attention is the debut project from Gabriel Clarke. Formerly known as Zeroni, A Cry For Attention is a 10 track project that showcases Gabriel's effortless vocals over some stellar production and samples.

Check out A Cry For Attention and the stand out track Can't You Tell below. 

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PREMIERE | ITS NATE - MAINTAIN

So we're back (as promised) with the first in our in-depth features with each of the amazing artists who performed live for us at the COZY show back in January. The first is London based rapper itsNate, who brings us a visual for his new track Maintain. The track dropped a couple of weeks ago, and features production from Nate's long time collaborator, J.D Reid. Check it out below!

We sat down with Nate after the COZY show to ask him a few questions, not to mention capturing his standout performance at the Jazz Cafe, courtesy of our friends at CHILD studio.

COZY MAG: When did you first realise music was something you wanted to do? 

ItsNate: I always was around music when I was younger my friends were all music heads, producing putting me into songs artists etc, it was only during uni when I had a lot of time to myself I started articulating my thoughts in songs and music.

Still I shyed away from it a bit , then I came back into London and really started focusing on it and that focus continue to grow... Then before you knew it was putting out tapes, songs, videos and all that. Now here we are.

COZY MAG: What has been your favourite performance to date?

ItsNate: Warming up for skepta in Dubai 2016 was next level. 

 COZY MAG: Who would you most like to perform with?

ItsNate: If we talking share the stage I just want to be there with my SLOCAL brothers. 

COZY MAG: Ok... and your dream collaboration?

ItsNate: I get asked this a lot and give a different answer each time because there's so many people I want to work with. But I really want to work with 9th wonder he's made a lot of my favourite beats. And working with Anderson paak or Dornik would be very cool. 

COZY MAG: And what can we expect from you in the future?

ItsNate: More music ...

 For more, follow Child Studio here. Artwork by Sam Lloyd

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COZY At The Jazz Cafe

Last month, the vibes were at an all time high at the first COZY MAG Vibe Summit, held at Camden's Jazz Cafe . We were treated to incredible live performances from Its Nate, Louis VI and of course, Los Angeles' Joyce Wrice, in her European debut show. Not to mention sets from Soulection's Hannah Faith, alongside New York's DylanTheGypsy and London's Jake Milliner and Yasmin!

Over the next few weeks, we'll be going in depth with each of our live acts, Louis VI, Its Nate and Joyce Wrice. Get to know them, because 2017 is their year, just listen to Complex, The Fader, and Clash Mag! For now, we'll leave you with some of the best bits from the last show: 

Visuals by Krystal Kneuvill

Check out our COZY STEREO on Spotify here:

Click here to know when we're throwing our next party!

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Feature | Wolfe De Miçhls - Naive & Sober

Wolfe De Mçhls releases the funky self produced cut, Naive & Sober. Stream the track below and check out his last project, Naked, here. 

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Feature | The Queens of Botswana's Heavy Metal Scene

Paul Shiakallis’ Leathered Skins, Unchained Hearts portrait series documents the women of Botswana's heavy metal scene. The subculture is known as Marok, which means 'rocker' in Setswana. Leathered Skins, Unchained Hearts sees the female fans of Marok, who call themselves Queens, photographed in their homes in the capital city Gaberone and dressed in their all black metal gear.

Shiakallis explains how "some Queens were reluctant to pose for photographs, wary about where the images would end up, as they’re still ‘coming out’ as rockers". Marok fan, Queen Phoenix Tonah Slaughter, told Shiakallis "People think I am a Satanist because of the black clothes," Marok fan, Millie Hans, told Shiakallis, adding, “I usually try to explain that I pray to God and I am a Christian.” Because of the frequent criticism Marok fans experience, many Queens create anonymous names for their metal alter egos, often dressing more conservatively in the daytime and only donning their leather and studs for a show or in Facebook photos. “You got to be outspoken and strong as we are always criticised,” Queen Phoenix Tonah Slaughter told Shiakallis.

Check out the Leathered Skins, Unchained Hearts series below and more of Paul Shiakallis' work on his website.

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Feature | SNNY - Young Boy

Young Boy is the debut single from New York based SNNY. Originally from Ivory Coast, SNNY's Young Boy is the first single of his forthcoming EP titled Learning To Swim. Speaking about Learning To Swim, SNNY explained that the EP is about "finding yourself by letting go and trusting the current." 

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Feature | Farida - Next To Nothing

Next To Nothing is the latest single from Farida. Produced by Ross O'Donoghue, the track is about "frustration and feeling worthless. In love, we have a tendency to enhance the Shakespearian drama of it all and let our feelings take take over. The main scenario of the song revolves around meeting someone who can save you – your princess or prince – from that. So maybe it's a bit fairytale-inspired!"

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Feature | Matt Martians - Diamond In Da Ruff

Following the release of Syd's debut solo single, fellow The Internet producer Matt Martians announces he'll be releasing his debut album on the 27th of January. Diamond In Da Ruff, featuring additional production from The Internet's Steve Lacey, is a jazzy first cut from the outstanding producer's album titled The Drum Chord Theory.

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Hannah Faith Debuts New Mix 'FEELS' on The Fader

Selector and photographer Hannah Faith just dropped her first mix in a while! Entitled, 'FEELS', with artwork by Melody Hansen, the mix has a perfect feel good vibe, making it the perfect ease-in for the inevitable shit-show tomorrow (Yes- the dreaded Trump's inauguration). Tune in for a vibey mix of soul, funk, electronic and hip-hop! 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FAITH'S NEW MIX, EXCLUSIVELY ON THE FADER

[cozymag]

Young Thug Debuts Unexpected Video for 'Wyclef Jean'

In the hip hop world, we're all too familiar with seeing women shake their asses, frolicking around an array of multimillion dollar sports cars in the California sun. Nothing new there, you might say.

Except for Young Thug's new video, shot by production company, Pomp&Clout for the track 'Wyclef Jean', from Thugger's recently released album, 'Jeffrey'. The video is a clever, and funny subversion on the stereotypical hip hop music video.

Narrated by his "director" Ryan Staake, he explains how Young Thug never did in fact show up for the video shoot, and what ensues is pretty amusing.

Staake goes on to explain crew were left waiting for thugger, for over ten hours, shooting b-roll footage instead of the "bitches" that thugger had requested be in the video. Not to mention some adorable children destroying a police car.

This had all the makings of yet another stereotypical hip-hop music video video. But Young Thug played up to the stereotype in a smart and interesting, unexpected way. Putting the joke on himself rather than inflating his ego.

This kind of thought and challenge to stereotypes isn't unpredictable for Thugger, who even with the album itself has proven he is an intelligent, conceptual artist that pushes the boundaries of what is accepted within the hip hop world; A prime example being his album cover, in which he poses in a Alessandro Trincone dress, fiercely subverting views on black masculinity and gender.

Watch the video for "Wyclef Jean" below:

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Watch | Syd - All About Me

All About Me is the single from Syd's (The Internet) forthcoming debut solo offering Fin. Check out the video to the Steve Lacey produced track below. 

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Feature | Bad And Boujee - Migos (omniboi Rmx)

Migos are on fire right now having recently placed Bad And Boujee featuring Lil Uzi Vert at the top of the US Billboard chart. LA based producer Omniboi puts his own spin on this record and it's an instant favourite. Press play below and check out the rest of omniboi's work on soundcloud. 

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Interview | Sonny Alven

Norwegian producer and DJ Sonny Alven chats about his new single Give Me Your Lovin, which follows on from the Hype Machine no.1 single California Girls. Sonny also gives us an insight into the collaboration with Una Sand who provides her amazing vocals on the track as well as his personal highlights of a hugely successful year and what he has planned for 2017. If 2016 is anything to go by, we can only expect bigger and better things. 

COZY MAG: You’ve just released your new single Give Me Your Lovin - can you tell us a little bit about it and the process behind it?

Sonny Alven: Yes, Give Me Your Lovin is a track I wrote together with Temmpo and Una Sand. We had a lot of fun in the studio drinking some beers and writing. Suddenly we had a song and I took it home with me to finish up the production. 

CM: Would you describe your style of music as tropical house? What is it that you most enjoy about the genre?

SA: I wouldn't necessary describe my sound as tropical house. I look at tropical house as more the pan flute thing, which I don't really use. I always make the music that I feel like making, so as a result from that I've done different stuff. I find it really hard putting my music in just one genre, and to be honest I don't really think about genres anymore. 

CM: How did the collaboration with Una Sand come about?

SA: She recently signed a record deal with Universal Music, where we have the same A&R. We met at a party sometime in the summer, and suddenly we were in the studio together. The collaboration just fell naturally in place I guess.

CM: You’ve been playing gigs across Europe and the U.S - what’s been your most memorable experience and why?

SA: When I was supporting Kygo on his European tour earlier this year, I’d say the gig in Munich stood out. The crowd was just really great, and it was such a cool venue. I also played at a festival called Bergenfest in my hometown this summer. I had a lot of family and friends there, which was just super awesome. Those shows are definitely in my top 3 gigs of the year. 

CM: Do you have any exciting dates coming up where you’ll be playing the new single out to fans?

SA: Actually right now I'm taking a break from playing, to focus more on writing new music. Then hopefully there will be a lot of new dates later this year. 

CM: What can we expect from Sonny Alven in 2017?

SA: More music!! And also I hope to do more gigs in Europe and America. Maybe even Asia? That would be fun! 

Listen to ‘Give Me Your Lovin’ on Soundcloud

Buy or stream here

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Feature | Jamilah Barry - Dance Moves

Jamilah Barry kicks off the year with a new single, Dance Moves. Produced by Midnight Phunk, Jamilah floats over the laid back production to give you a soundtrack for these cold nights. 

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Exclusive | Nick Bam's Tribute To Plastic People

Once a pillar of East London's music scene, Plastic People is a venue that is now long gone, but still truly missed. In the wake of the huge campaign to #SaveFabric, another London nightclub that was threatened with closure (and has been since saved), we decided to catch up with Nick Bam, an established music and film writer, DJ and radio host, and the man behind some of your favourite nights such as 'License 2 Trill and Fiesta, when we saw he dropped 'Saudade Celestials: A Time For Peace'.

Let's face it, 2016 hasn't been kind to us, so these angelic and etherial grooves selected by Nick for this mix come at the perfect time. 

"They say that on the furthest reaches of the conceivable universe all that exists is pure sound: waves crashing against each other in a galactic celestial symphony. It is impossible to ever know what this sounds like, but the music assembled here provides a glimpse of what such fantastic notions may sound like."

It's without a doubt Plastic People had a huge impact on the scene musically, Nick tells us that it's where he first learnt about music and selecting records. "Anyone that's been there will know that the dance floor is mad dark and the sound system is close to perfect for a small club, the emphasis is on the sound and songs selected not about how people look or showing off." he says.

And it isn't just Nick that found their footing at Plastic, he says. "I used to go there and hear people like Femi and Funkineven play, now Femi runs NTS and Steve (Funkineven) is killing it with Apron records. Even Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), I think I was there around the times he was putting out his first releases, testing them out in the club first."

"This is the club where Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf first played in London. I smoked a blunt with Elzhi in the back of the club! I mean this is actually where Dubstep was invented! the night FWD started there! The venue from the managers down to the bouncers was run with love, up until the council started complaining and it eventually got shut down. The place was too real for the gentrified, sterile place East London is becoming."

RIP Plastic, the vibes will live on forever through all your sons and daughters...

Follow Nick Bam on Mixcloud, Twitter & Instagram

[cozymag]

Interview | La Soülchyld

Almost everyone has had one of those super-late nights where you find yourself lost in a deep, musical black hole with having absolutely no recollection of how you got into these 808s and euphoric vocals.

Finding La Soülchyld’s soundcloud felt like striking gold and after listening to his newest release, Cellphones, I knew I had to speak to him.

COZY MAG: Let’s start off a bit easy, tell us a bit about yourself!  

La Soülchyld: My name is Donald Otim but people know me as La Soülchyld. I also have another persona called Maui Moon where I sing and rap.

I am from Rwanda & Uganda, my dad being Rwandan and my mum being Ugandan. I moved to the UK in 2009 and I am now in my second year of University pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Music Production. I have been producing music since I was 17, just making beats for my friends and other people who liked my production.

CM: La Soülchyld is such a distinctive name, where did it come from?

LS: When I was looking for a producer name I decided to go for one I felt represented me. I have always had a love for soul music and felt that no matter what genre one makes, it can still have soul in it. So I decided to call myself the Soulchild but instead written as “ La Soulchyld”.

I should have made it  “Le Soülchyld” because some people think I am a Female Producer because of the ‘La’ Haha, but it is all good. The final touch was the Ü, which is meant to be a smile and its just a way of saying that as La Soülchyld I am happy and I enjoy making music.

CM: How would you describe your sound?

LS: I’m not too sure how I’ d describe my sound at the moment. Recently I’ve been experimenting a lot just trying to use my own voice as a sample rather than hoping a song I want to use has an acapella version. 

When people message me they tend to comment on my 808s and drums which I love and have been perfecting thanks to my friend Kalo, who taught me a few things here and there.

CM: Who do you look up to in music the most, right now?

LS: J. Cole because he is my favourite rapper; Frank ocean & Ty Dolla Sign because they are my favourite singers and J-Louis of Soulection who is my favourite producer. 

CM: What was the first piece of music (or project), that made you want to start making music?

LS: The project that made me want to become a producer was called Come As You Are by Audio Push. The production by Hit-boy & his HS87 team just blew my mind on how detailed it was. Then to add fuel to the fire their group HS87 dropped an album called We The Plug a year later, after that I decided to study music production at A-level which gave me the opportunity to learn a lot of things about production.

CM: What is your creative process is like?

LS: In the past I used to start off my production by playing certain chords, then I would add trap drum patterns over them, then after I’d add some old school R&B or Soul tracks vocals over them. Now I am trying to implement different things in my music like Brazilian drum samples, African vocal samples, African drum patterns, looping certain classical piano chords & using my own voice. 

CM: Could you describe what Forte Dreams is? How did this team come together?

LS: Forte Dreams is an idea I developed back in 2013 to create a collective that has talented producers & artists that make beautiful music. I wanted to find a group of musicians that give out wonderful energy and make listeners really enjoy and feel the soul the artists put in their music.

Some of the artists I searched for on Soundcloud and the others that came to me were interested with the vision I had for the collective. With the team I have, I can honestly say I am on my way to achieving my goal. We all work very hard and we give 100% in what we do and it can easily be seen in the work we produce. 

CM: Your sound is amazing and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do next, what can we expect from you in 2017?

LS: Thank you! I plan to release a project called LSCHYLD. I recently released Tell Me w/ RIVR & Cellphones both tracks are from that project. I might also have some free tracks I will drop before that and some collabs on the way. 

As for my persona Maui Moon, 2017 will see me dropping more projects which I would like to keep confidential, but you will surely be hearing from all of us big time!

The team have already been busy releasing music:

Dylan Echo who is a talented soulful singer/rapper/producer released his beautiful project ‘SEPTEMBER25TH’ which is on his soundcloud right now and is already working on his second project which he hopes to release on Fathers day.

Jordo Avo is another talented singer/rapper and a monster of a songwriter. He has a few songs on the way & is working on a project.

Rivr who is a phenomenal producer has a track out on his soundcloud with yours truly titled Voyage & is working on a project with Neguim.

Kalo who is an amazing producer just released a track called When you dance & plans to release more music & last but not least Bellis who is a insane producer has been collaborating with a bunch of artists and plans to drop music soon & hopefully do a few shows. 

CM: So it’s safe to say we shall be hearing a lot from Forte Dreams in 2017! And we can’t wait. Thank you Donald, for speaking with Cozy!

LS: Be sure to keep up with Forte Dreams on Soundcloud.

By Taylor-Dior Rumble @taylordiorr