“LOVIN U” was born out of a desire to “create something that brought back that nostalgic feeling of being in the crowd and singing along to your favorite songs,” So Dope said of the creative inclination behind the single, his third of the calendar year. The successor to “Never Gonna Find,” “LOVIN U” situates its vocal chops in an electronic framework that takes cues from color bass and melodic-riddim, the New York native explained:
“I started Writing ‘LOVIN U’ after going down a three-hour long rabbit hole on YouTube of throwback festival footage. I wanted to create something that brought back that nostalgic feeling of being in the crowd and singing along to your favorite songs. I knew I wanted it to feel warm and analog in the breakdown, and bright but gritty in the drop. To get what I wanted in the drop, I took some inspiration from color bass and melodic riddim, combined that with some vocal chops and hip-hop-sounding drums, and ‘LOVIN U’ was born. I’ve been holding on to this one for almost a year so I’m really excited to finally put it out.”
“LOVIN U,” out now via JustUs Records, hits its target, tacking on to “Never Gonna Find” and “Crown” in the process. Stream So Dope’s latest below.
It follows showdowns between Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Trina and Eve
Amy Fielding
Friday, September 3, 2021 – 17:13
Ja Rule and Fat Joe are the next rappers set to face off in a VERZUZ battle.
Launched in March 2020, the Verzuz series is a clash concept from producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, and has seen the likes of Alicia Keys, Beenie Man, and Ludacris face off in music battles.
Following the most-recent showdowns The LOX and Dipset, and Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown, New York natives and ‘What’s Luv?’ collaborators Ja Rule and Fat Joe have been announced for the next VERZUZ battle, which is set to take place live in the city on 14th September.
Ja Rule and Fat Joe will face off on the 14th September at 6PM PT/9PM ET. Tickets are also available for the event, which will be streamed via the Triller app. You can find out more via VERZUZ.
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ROLI, developer of the Seaboard expressive keyboard, Blocks controllers and LUMI illuminated keyboard, has announced that it has gone into administration and is reforming as ‘Luminary‘.
While ROLI has developed several innovative controllers, they never successfully closed the gap between making niche controllers and making mainstream music products and services. As a result, the growth model that justified the company’s funding never materialized.
The new company, Luminary, says that it plans to focus on developing the LUMI as a mass-market music education product, but will also continue to support ROLI’s professional products.
Luminary, a new music tech company setting out to revolutionize how people learn and create music, has raised funding, led by Hoxton Ventures. Luminary Ltd. is a spinout of ROLI, the music tech startup behind the award-winning Seaboard and LUMI.
Does ROLI still exist as a company?
As part of the restructure, ROLI Ltd has gone into administration. The new company, Luminary, has taken over all the IP, staff, products, brands and assets of ROLI. However, the ROLI and LUMI brands will continue as before, including roli.com, playlumi.com and their associated social media pages.
What will happen to my ROLI products?
All existing ROLI products will continue to be supported as before — including the Seaboard, BLOCKS, LUMI Keys, Equator2 and ROLI Studio. FXpansion synths Cypher2 and Strobe2 will also continue to be supported.
Your LUMI products will also continue to be supported — in fact this new investment ensures that we will continue to update LUMI and bring you more of the music, lessons, and games you love.
We will continue to honor all ROLI and LUMI products in warranty and provide support and technical assistance through the same channels on playlumi.com and roli.com.
I’ve ordered a ROLI instrument. What happens to my order?
If you have pre-ordered a ROLI or LUMI instrument — or are still waiting for one to arrive — your order may arrive a little later than expected, but will be otherwise unaffected. If this is the case, we will be in touch via email to let you know your order status.
Can I still purchase ROLI or LUMI instruments?
Yes, ROLI and LUMI instruments and software are still available to purchase from roli.com and playlumi.com. Any instruments you purchase will continue to be supported.
I have a LUMI app subscription. Do I need to transfer my billing and subscription details onto Luminary?
No. All your details will be carried over automatically from ROLI Ltd. to the new company.
What is the future for Luminary?
Luminary will not only focus on expanding LUMI to reach the growing community of home learners, but also plans to bring back the popular and award-winning Seaboard in 2022 (currently out of stock).
So there will be more exciting games, lessons and songs for LUMI learners, as well as continued support for producers and hobbyists who create music with innovative ROLI instruments.
Can you give me more details about Luminary?
Luminary’s mission is to help everyone to experience the joy of music learning and creation. The company was founded by Roland Lamb, inventor of the Seaboard and the former Founder and CEO of ROLI, alongside ROLI’s longtime Chief People Officer, Corey Harrower.
What was ROLI Ltd.?
ROLI Ltd. was known as a leading innovator in electronic musical instruments for professionals such as the Seaboard, Seaboard RISE, and BLOCKS — and a pioneer of MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE). As part of the 2021 restructure, Luminary will continue to manufacture ROLI’s professional and hobbyist instruments, with a relaunch of the iconic Seaboard, slated for 2022.
20-year-old Dutch producer Luxe Agoris, unleashes a deep-house gem, “Whatever You Like,” via the London-based Lilly Era label. Through a mist of airy, ambient chords a mystifying, sultry voice effortlessly glides through to a tantalizing percussion complete with tension-building sweeps. The bass drops and dances beautifully around the hypnotic, catchy vocals for a contrast of the chill and energetic.
Born in Huizen, The Netherlands, Agoris began producing at the young age of six, eventually working his way Herman Brood Academy to broaden his music mastery. With releases on ChillYourMind, Soave, Deep Universe, and now Lilly Era, this up-and-comer is certainly one to watch.
SLANDER and Ganja White Night have taken “Miss You” via Gud Vibrations. The bittersweet melodic track, which features Chandler Leighton, finds the Los Angeles and Belgian duets aligning their future-bass and dubstep proficiencies in an amalgamation of emotion and energy.
“Miss You” arrives as SLANDER prepare for their outer space-themed Starbase Music Festival, to be held from October 8 – 9. The single succeeds their August collaboration with Subtronics and JT Roach, “Gravity,” and is also the first release from Ganja White Night since their fifth full-length album, Dark Wobble.
“Glass Heart” bridges a compelling dynamic of emotion and transparency as the the Massachusetts-born vocalist gears up for her individual performance for Seven Lions‘ Chronicles III festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre on September 11, as well as EDC Las Vegas in October. The astute vocal-trance artist got vulnerable as she explained the meaning behind the single, stating,
“’Glass Heart’ was inspired by a handwritten note I received from my late mother when I was 12 years old. Sometimes I feel that you should have been born with a tag on your toe that said: handle with care. But at the most difficult times of your life, I’ve seen an unmatched strength shine through when you need it most.”
This song is about me, who I am, how I was made—accepting myself in my fragile state—while handling the greatest losses in my life with a strength tougher than diamonds. You can break me open, but that’s when my strength truly shines. I’m easy to see through at times, but when I fall apart, that’s when my true purpose comes to life.”
I found it very interesting that glass and diamond look so similar yet hold such different capabilities. There’s a fascinating dichotomy between the two substances: one, the most breakable of all, and the other is the strongest on Earth. I celebrate both strength and fragility at once in this song, because sometimes the most formidable strength is born out of the fragility of a broken heart.”
Franky Wah has returned with a new single, “We Are One,” and this time, he’s teaming up with the legendary Carl Cox. Creating a cascading sound that could fit into a video game or retro movie montage, “We Are One” blends the best of Wah and Cox.
“We Are One” follows Cox’s summer of remixes, which saw him deliver his takes on Sofi Tukker’s “Drinkee,” Geraldine Hunt’s “Can’t Fake The Feeling,” and Deborah de Luca’s “Fuori.” In August, Cox also sat down with Dr. Kishnan Bodalia in a promotion campaign for the NHS to encourage youth to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
RUNN’s most recent collaborative single, “Better Off Alone,” is “darker than what [she] usually write[s],” according to the Dancing AstronautSupernova. The “Take Me” singer’s latest is a joint work with Insomniac sound designer Kai Wachi, whose seasoned bass music experience shines through on the new dubstep offering.
RUNN has dispatched quite a long string of releases thus far in 2021, and “Better Off Alone” falls into succession as one of her recent singles with DVRKO, “I Want More,” quickly climbs to its millionth Spotify stream. Listeners should expect a similar trajectory with respect to her latest. Released via Kannibalen Records, “Better Off Alone” is now streaming everywhere.
Ohmic Electronics has launched a crowdfunding project on Crowd Supply to fund production of PICO DSP, an open source, Arduino-compatible device which can be used for a number of different synthesis applications.
Developer Andy Wilson says that it’s perfect for people who are interested in designing their own smart instrument, and features both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a MIDI adaptor and a user-programmable, multi-functional, Eurorack format expansion module.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“PICO DSP is an open-source, Arduino-compatible ESP32 development board for audio and digital signal processing (DSP) applications. It offers an expansive audio-processing feature set on a small-format, breadboard-friendly device that provides audio inputs, audio outputs, a low-noise microphone array, an integrated test-speaker option, additional memory, battery-charge management, and ESD protection all on one tiny PCB.
PICO DSP can be used for a wide range of DSP applications, including but not limited to those in the fields of music, art, creative technology, and adaptive technology. Music-related examples include digital-music synthesis, mobile recording, Bluetooth speakers, wireless line-level directional microphones, and the design of smart musical instruments. Art-related examples include acoustic sensor networks, sound-art installations, and Internet-radio applications. Examples related to creative and adaptive technology include voice user interface (VUI) design and Web audio for the Internet of Sounds.”
There is a project Github repository with different example projects for Arduino and ESP-IDF, that is open to developers for collaboration.
Pricing and Availability
PICO DSP is available to project backers starting at $29 for a bare board and $129 for the Eurorack format version.
Note: Crowdfunding projects involve risk in exchange for the opportunity to get access to new products and/or get pre-release pricing. See the project for details.
The Prodigy Artist-managed black a.m. is back to further embolden “New Music Friday” playlists with “Please Don’t Go.” The bassline- and guitar lick-led number, issued in both a standard and extended form, is executed in an effervescent instrumental fashion, such that the absence of a topline is almost unnoticeable and anything but a hindrance.
The buoyant package of G-house-leaning basslines and guitar texture arrives via Sinclair Wheeler as black a.m.’s second single of 2021, trailing March’s “T.S.O.F.H. (The Story of Frankie’s House).” “I’ve dug deeper than I even have in ‘Please Don’t Go.’ I wanted to address mental health through this song. ‘Please Don’t Go,’ is a plea, asking someone to stay, despite the issues that may arise through the relationship,” black a.m. mused at the time of the year opener’s release.
In the time since his 2020 debut, black a.m. has appeared at a sold-out edition of Insomniac’s Park ‘N Rave series at the NOS Events Center, nabbed his first residency—at Tempo Afterhours in Las Vegas—, and won early support from industry figureheads such as NGHTMRE, JOYRYDE, and SLANDER, with an additional nod coming from one of Dancing Astronaut’s Artists to Watch in 2021, John Summit.
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