This Week in Music: 17th June 2021

A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: ROZZI

Does the world need another soul-pop singer? According to Rozzi, an LA-based artist who has opened for Maroon 5 and collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, the answer is an emphatic yes. Championed by KCRW, LA’s premier indie radio station, the songbird’s popularity is rising fast mainly due to her latest release, “I Can’t Go to the Party” from the EP Hymn For Tomorrow. The song is a classic soul track with a big chorus that showcases Rozzi’s impressive pipes. Like all the best soul singers, she has a gentle croon but can flick the switch for the choruses, belting out with incredible power. It will be fascinating to witness what the music industry does with this exceptional talent because she can sing anything and make it sound good.

Rozzi also co-hosts the popular “Ugh! You’re So Good!” podcast with Scott Hoying of Pentatonix.

#rozzi #kcrw #maroon5 #kendricklamar #scotthoying #pentatonix #losangeles #lamusic #neosoul #popsoul #soul

AD OF THE WEEK: SUMO

Sometimes the simplicity of a cartoon can convey the most complex of emotions. This latest ad from France TV, the channel in France broadcasting the embattled Tokyo games, uses beautiful animation to excite the view into all the action that starts on. Created by the UK-based Mikros MPC, the objective was to honor the traditional codes of 18th-century Japanese prints, the values of the Olympics, and the new disciplines that would debut at the Summer Games, such as skateboarding, mountain climbing, basketball, surf. All of this in a fully 2D animated film, using Japanese prints as a reference. The result is an outstanding and original piece of advertising. Good work from MullenLowe Group France.

WU-TANG CLAN: AN AMERICAN SAGA’ WILL RETURN FOR A SECOND SEASON IN SEPTEMBER

RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan has spoken to HipHopDX and updated fans on the release of the next series of ‘An American Saga’.

According to RZA, filming for season two has finished and the show “will start airing in September”.

“I feel like its important for me to continue to tell our stories through cinema” he said, speaking about the new series.

The first season of the show premiered on Hulu back in 2019 – exploring the origins of the prolific group throughout the 90s. Set in New York, the crack cocaine epidemic plays a large role in the stories told.

A NEW SERIES EXPLORING THE UK’S INDEPENDENT RECORD STORES IS OUT NOW

The UK’s independent record shops will be spotlighted in a new 12-part documentary series, Behind the Counter.

Classic Album Sundays, Record Store Day, and Bowers & Wilkins have collaborated to explore smaller, independent record stores in the UK, including London’s Flashback Records, as well as Le Freak Records and Wilderness Records.

“Each episode celebrates the unique personalities and heritage of 12 record stores from all corners of the UK, shining a spotlight on the hardworking and music-loving record shop owners who play a vital role in bringing music fans together in their communities,” notes a press release.

You can watch an episode exploring Wilderness Records above, and find the rest of the series here.

SPOTIFY LAUNCHES CLUBHOUSE RIVAL, GREENROOM

Spotify has launched a new Clubhouse competitor service called Spotify Greenroom. The new service mimics Clubhouse’s functionality of live audio discussion ‘rooms’, allowing listeners to ask questions live to any host or guests, or take part in the discussion. Spotify says Greenroom is “built for artists and creators to enhance fan relationships.”

The news comes off the back of Spotify’s acquisition of Locker Room in March 2021, a live audio app focussing primarily on sports. Greenroom is a separate download to the main Spotify app, but users can use their existing Spotify login to get involved and you don’t need Spotify Premium to use it. The app is available for both iOS and Android, and unlike Clubhouse, isn’t invite-only. Spotify says they intend for the platform to grow with more curated content spanning music, culture and entertainment.

Find out more about Spotify Greenroom here.

THIS BALL MAKES BEATS WHEN YOU BOUNCE IT

ODD ball is a musical instrument disguised as a ball – hook it up to the included app and you can create sounds by bouncing and catching the rubber device. You can use the app to trigger sounds and then loop them and layer the sounds to create track ideas using just a ball. There’s also FX within the app to tweak your loops and get them sounding unique. There’s a library of sounds within the ODD ball app including disco, grime, rock, arcade and more as well as quantising any of your bounces to lock down the timing and keep the process fun!

The ball can also be used as a MIDI controller, connecting it to your DAW and triggering samples and affecting parameters by bouncing the ball around the studio. ODD ball started out as a Kickstarter and is now available to buy for £89. Watch the video below to see it in action.