Column aiming to present 6 glowing with quality tracks, under the “future soul” genus; An amalgam of soul, contemporary R&B and even hip-hop and electronic elements.
-not to be confused with Daley’s “Future Throwback Soul” term-
LEVELSEVEN – ‘Your Lust’
Quick pitch:
Smooth electronic R&B “lust” by uprising LEVELSEVEN….
dynamic: ★★★★/5
style: ★★★★★/5
performance: ★★★★/5
Trivia:
LEVELSEVEN (Nina Platiša) is the vocalist, songwriter, and producer of intimate and inventive electronic R&B. A classically trained pianist, her sound is born of both her Balkan heritage and her 90s childhood.
LEVELSEVEN’s dynamic, textured music is emotional and introspective but also shaped by the ever-shifting energies of the cities – Belgrade, Toronto, Vancouver, London – that Nina has called home.
Debut single Your Lust is about falling, overwhelmingly, in love.
Adrian Jean – ‘See the Stars’ – (Radio edit)
Quick pitch:
With such a breathtaking gem, we can definitely see the stars….
dynamic: ★★★★/5
style: ★★★★/5
performance: ★★★★★/5
Trivia:
Adrian Jêan has led a tumultuous life that’s taken him from the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia to glamorous nightclubs, to homelessness and redemption. The soulful Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter channels this past into intimate yet infectious pop-meets- R&B sounds.
Adrian offers a powerful look at his personal history through anthemic and club-ready tracks such as “Tell The World,” alongside thoughtful songs about identity and acceptance like “Story of Blue.” His yearning, yet polished, gospel-influenced vocals and catchy beats sound as if Adele and Sam Smith produced a statuesque black child with a serious story to tell.
The pain and tenacity of Adrian’s childhood is apparent throughout his songwriting. With an absent father and a mother who was more interested in drugs than raising her children, Adrian was forced to grow up very quickly. By age 15, he was living on his own and working for a drug dealer. He later struggled with the pressures of being a bisexual man in a culture that didn’t accept such differences.
“Being gay and growing up in the ghetto was almost like being in the ‘50s — you can’t be black in the projects and gay. I was repressed for such a long time,” Adrian says, adding that he refused to conform to stereotypes of gay men or black men. “I know there are a number of people who felt the same, and I think my music relates to a lot of the LGBT community.”
Elias Boussnina – ‘Summertime Blue’
Quick pitch:
Vital contemporary rnb/neosoul gem for the summer by young talent Elias Boussnina!
dynamic: ★★★★/5
style: ★★★/5
performance: ★★★★/5
Trivia:
As SoundCloud rappers started gaining wider name recognition outside of the platform, the streaming site flooded with new artists seeking to replicate that for themselves. Elias was already far ahead of this curve, posting and building a following on the website back in 2015, under the moniker of Yung Coke. When the Atlanta-vibe hit the Nordics, Elias had already been listening to this for a couple of years – and was getting tired of it, ready to create something fresh. During his rise, progression, and eventual termination of Yung Coke,
Elias began writing more R&B songs and transforming his sound and identity into the expertly crafted art you hear today. Of Danish-Tunisian descent, Elias speaks English, Danish, Arabic, and French, a skill not many of his peers can parallel. During his own life Elias has lived in Tunis, France, and now back in Copenhagen. He grew up with mostly hip-hop and American soul and now cites major influences to his sound as Jimi Hendrix, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and Stevie Wonder. Elias has always been surrounded by creative talent, including his older sister, Danish actress SarahSofie Boussnina, and her husband, Louis Samson, vocalist of Julias Moon. This vibrant and multicultural background breathes life into his work. Since dropping out of university 2 years ago, Elias has shifted his full focus to his music.
Now at 24 years old, Elias Boussnina is coming for the R&B scene. His first two singles, “5:30” and “Lost Ones”, received praise from online and print sources, as well as support from Danish radio. His newest single “Candy”, written and co-produced by Elias himself, once again provides a sound hard not to love. With his incredibly charismatic, raspy voice and everyday poetic, effortless lyrics, ‘Candy’ is as in touch with his feelings as it is catchy. Elias Boussnina describes his newest track as conveying “the feeling you get when insecure in your relationship”. Soundvenue boasts that Elias’ sonic transformation “begins a chapter aiming for nothing but the stars”
Catch the artist live:
August 11th – Smukfest Skanderborg
August 15-17 – Wonderfestiwall
Napoleon Gold – ‘Lucid’ (feat. Jalen Santoy & Madge)
Quick pitch:
Even better than the best Belgian chocolate, this heavnely melodic, future sould “meets” contemporary R&B track by Napoleon Gold.
dynamic: ★★★★★/5
style: ★★★★★/5
performance: ★★★★/5
Trivia:
Bewitching arrangements, warm low-pitched vocal samples and rousing percussions are Napoleon Gold’s favorite tools when producing his ambient electronic tracks. The young producer started off working on remixes and collaborations with the likes of Sun Glitters or Monsoon Siren, and is now focusing on his own releases.
On the live side, the Luxembourg-based artist started out opening for artists like London Grammar, Glass Animals, Son Lux or SOHN. His performances got quite a bit of attention and resulted in him playing at well known festivals: Reeperbahn Festival (DE), MaMA Event (FR), Liverpool Soundcity Festival(UK), Nordik Impakt (FR), Rock-A-Field (LU), Tallinn Music Week (EE), Europavox (FR), Play Festival (BE), …
Joined on stage by Jerome Klein (Piano/Percussions), Napoleon Gold gains in intensity and character live. The mix between electronic sounds, guitars, piano, percussions and subtle improvisations make each show a unique experience. Napoleon Gold is now represented by the following booking agents: Mélodyn Productions in France, Bacana in GAS, Spain and Portugal and JauneOrange in Belgium.
Noora – ‘Dreams’
Quick pitch:
Dreaming with they eys open… Daydreaming with Noora…
dynamic: ★★★★★/5
style: ★★★/5
performance: ★★★★★/5
Trivia:
Noora is an up and coming vocalist out of New York. She first gained notoriety by posting covers on youtube and instagram and started building her fan base on social media. After struggling to find the right producer to help her express her songwriting and vocal abilities she met a producer named Tyler Gunz out of Atlanta, Georgia. She knew she had found the sound she was looking for and had to take a huge risk to finally create the music she wanted. She packed her stuff into a uhaul and drove 890 miles down south with her dog to Atlanta and moved there to write and record her upcoming EP titled “Retrograde”. With fiery soulful vocals and a larger than life personality, she is definitely a star in the making!
Kyan – ‘Lonely River’
Quick pitch:
The definition of euphoria in this stunning track and video by Kyan.
dynamic: ★★★★★/5
style: ★★★/5
performance: ★★★★★/5
Trivia:
Kyan explains that “from the moment we are born we are each given a label. Girl. Boy. Pink. Blue. With these labels comes a set of preconceptions and rules.
My earliest memories are filled with experimentation and expression; wearing my new wellies in bed, dressing up in sparkly clothes and makeup, going to school dressed as a superhero. I did whatever made me happy and felt right, as most kids do.
But with time things began to change. From age six I was constantly called a girl because I had long hair, then I got a little older and that changed to “coconut” (black on the outside, white on the inside) because I was academic and that wasn’t considered a trait associated with a black boy.
We live in a world where the label ‘girl’ means that 132 million girls receive little or no education. A world where the word ‘terrorist’ has become synonymous with the word ‘Muslim’. A world where the label ‘gay’ makes you a criminal in over 70 countries.
“Soul Professor”: Christos Doukakis