Community radio music presenters and music directors often have an encyclopaedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this Tone Deaf series, the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) invites music directors to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.
In this edition, Jasmine Alavuk & Bec Grech – music managers from Melbourne’s SYN FM – contribute with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amrap’s music distribution service ‘AirIt’.
Check out Jasmine & Bec’s selections below and if you’re a musician you can apply here to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amrap’s AirIt.
This week’s 8 best Australian artists
Boy, Honeydrip can drip some honey into their beat. Also, surprisingly, this five-piece from Sydney’s inner-west can sling a pretty decent New York accent, too. Arrogance and attitude: the theme of this bassy, bold and sass-laden track.
Eat your heart out, Dustin Hoffman. These midnight cowboys dissect the business of a strut, daring you to pop that shoulder, kick up your heels and move to the groove like you’ve got nothing to lose.
Red hot warning: quarantine yourselves, this song is mighty infectious. (Jas)
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Check out ‘WALKIN’’ by Honeydrip:
The brains behind Sycco is 18-year-old Brissy-based, Sasha McLeod. She wrote, recorded and produced this track, which tells me she’s very in touch with the mechanics of a liquid melody.
It’s a bit of sycco-delic (see what I did there?), infused with jazz and neo-soul style vocals carrying the weight of this hefty tune. Catchy like a cold and sweet like hubba bubba on a sunny weekend at the park. Shiny guitar chords reverberate through the rhythm, clutching and ripping through the genre-bending ending.
With a BIGSOUND performance and a handful of singles up her sleeve this year, it’s no doubt that McLeod has more to deliver in the coming months. Looking forward to hearing more! (Jas)
Check out ‘Peacemaker’ by Sycco:
In this soulful expression of pain and pride, Kenyan-born, Adelaide-based, Elsy Wameyo speaks on the cumbersome desperation for belonging. This song sits in the belly of that emotion, voicing the struggle for acceptance and strength in united outcasts.
Recorded in Adelaide with producer, Mario Späte, this is her debut single for the label, Music in Exile. While previous releases, ‘Daily’ and ‘Intuition’ express a more pop/dance dynamic, this stripped-back sound showcases her versatility as an artist in anticipation of her forthcoming EP. (Jas)
Check out ‘Outcast’ by Elsy Wameyo:
Olga Solar is out of this world. This song sounds like she’s casting a spell on her listeners, hypnotising us with whimsy and wit. With this eclectic take on pop, Solar laments on identities and the performance of being human.
Synths glide and hiss into a crescendo, warping with the roar of her vocals. The Craft called, they want their witch back. (Jas)
Check out ‘Actor’ by Olga Solar:
You may recognise Fossey’s soulful vocals from previous projects Raw Humps, Lake Minnetonka, and Silver Linings. This time she is striking out on her own with infectious mid-tempo grooves, driven along by a funky bass-line and chorus that is near impossible not to sing along to.
An incredibly strong debut output, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next! (Bec)
Check out ‘Be You’ by Fossey:
Lifted from their debut album Legacy Project (released through Tiny Town Records), Melbourne five piece Gamjee effortlessly keep heads bopping with their track ‘Guessing Window’.
Angular guitars, melodic basslines, a sprinkling of quirky synth embellishments and spoken word vocals pull us into a trance like state that swells and stirs with each chorus. (Bec)
Check out ‘Guessing Window’ by Gamjee:
Featuring members from Australia, Senegal, Cuba and Mali, the afrobeat nine-piece have recently put out their first single through Music In Exile. Four different percussive elements, energetic horns and bright vocals weave in and out of each other and wash over my body like a wave of happiness.
A delightful track celebrating the love between two people that sees no divide. Dancing along to this one is irresistible! (Bec)
Check out ‘Aida’ by Ausecuma Beats:
Charismatic, Sydney based artists Okenyo raps with admirable ease and flow on her new track ‘Eyes To The Sky’. The underlying bassline is semi haunting and gets picked up by the guitar later on which builds up traction.
There are some super tasty, funky rhythm guitar stabs and smoothly sung vocals throughout the chorus which floods the track with joyful energy and danceable vibes. Work hard, play hard, dance hard. (Bec)
Check out ‘Eyes To The Sky’ by Okenyo:
