New music to listen to this week: Jelani and Born Stranger

Now Hear This

(Press image/Dan Wilton)

A double bill this week as things are going to be quiet from me until August.

West London rapper Jelani Blackman is a relatively new favourite of mine - largely because of his striking voice which is incredibly deep, quite rough, yet soulful as well.

He's worked with Brian Eno and Sylas, and he's putting out a self-titled mixtape produced in a house outside London where he and a bunch of producers took old jungle records and chopped and changed.

He says of the mixtape: "I've always been interested in more than one type of sound, and with the 'Jelanji' mixtape, the concept of using slowed down 'jungle' tracks gave me an opportunity to dig into a raw, darker tone and unknown sonic territory"

Check out one of his tracks below and let us know what you think:

Q&A with Jelani

What are you listening to at the moment?

I'm listening to dvsn, they've got a mix of 90's sounding RnB vocals with heavy, fluid sounding production going on. It's most of the things I want from a song. If not that, Popcaan, or most bashment or dancehall really. All day.

What are you up to this summer?

I'll be playing at a few festivals, here and in Europe, Knee Deep in Cornwall at the end of August is gona be a vibe. Also will be hopping in and out of the sporadic sun rays in London trying to catch what I can. Never in shorts though, I won't be caught out.

First gig, best gig?

First gig was when I was about 11 and I banged out a classic Craig David tune at a showcase, fully felt like I was born to do it. The best has to be recently, after I dropped the 1-4 EP, everything just felt like it came together and the energy in the place was incredible.

Born Stranger

Vocals from David Maddox Jones and music/co-production by Raife Hacking plus production and mixing by Yoad Nevo make for an excellent hybrid of electronic pop - think Depeche Mode, Years & Years, Sia etc.

They say: "Songwriting and making music has always been about collaboration for Born Stranger. The idea of sitting in a room with another writer turning a conversation into a song; the ordinary into something visceral and life-affirming. Songwriting is the best form of escapism."

Check out our premiere of their track 'Fire and the Flame' below:

Q&A with Born Stranger

What are you listening to at the moment?

We listen to a lot of stuff. My favourite album of all time is Depeche Mode 'Violator' it's got everything; big pop epic tunes with a dark heart. I I still can't get enough of The Weeknd's album, he took pop in a new direction, especially the way that the choruses don't go where you expect them. There's so much good stuff out there at the moment. DNCE's killer single 'Cake By The Ocean', Laura Mvula 'Phenomenal Woman', and Shura has some great tunes on her album.

What are you plans for summer 2016?

We are just tweaking our debut album, we've got 15 tracks finished. We have also just started working on our live set, which is going to be interesting; translating the record to a live situation. We want to make our show's a real spectacle, they will include live visuals and possibly some dry ice, you can never have enough dry ice. We might try and fit in a holiday as well, depending on what our commitments are.

What was the first gig you ever played and what’s been the best so far?

We haven't played a show yet as Born Stranger but I do remember my first gig to be in the back of a biker pub in Northampton. The barmaid asked us to keep the noise down, definitely one to remember.

'Fire and the Flame' - the debut single from Born Stranger, is out on 19 August