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Artists to Watch | April 2018

By: SophieMon, 04/02/2018
Tags: Artists2Watch Electronic Jazz
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Keep your eyes peeled

From viral sensations to mysterious up-and-comers, 2018 has already produced an incredible crop of new artists that remind us why we listen to new music at all, and what it can do on emotional and social levels. Here are some of our favorites so far. They are the future.

ROSTAM

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  • First solo work of Rostam Batmanglij, better known as the former founding member, producer and co-writer of indie darlings Vampire Weekend.
  • His debut Half-Light was released in September and its joyful and skillfully crafted melodic pop hits those pleasure receptors in the brain. NPR give their praise, naming it “one of the year's most arresting albums”.
  • On Repeat: Bike Dream

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© 2018 The Blaze (twitter). All rights reserved.

THE BLAZE 

  • The French electronic duo and their Territory EP are all the buzz right now, catching the New York Times’ attention, who’ve included them in their latest expansive music feature, 25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music is Going.
  • Their first two music videos - “Virile” and “Territory” - have garnered prestigious awards, like the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions and the Best Directors award at Berlin Music Video Awards and plaudits from on high — the director of “Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins, described “Territory” on Twitter as “THE best piece of art I’ve seen in 2017”.
  • On Repeat: HEAVEN, a soaring EDM stunner, both melodically & visually.

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JESSE BOYKINS III

  • An intriguing soulful crooner and formerly independent artist ready to break big after becoming the new signee of Def Jam.
  • His latest album Bartholomew is “a hybrid-genre epic, heavy on R&B vibes; the words trippy and celestial come to mind. If this description doesn’t convince you to give it a spin, perhaps the fact that he collaborated with the likes of Syd, DeJ Loaf, Noname, Little Simz, and Kilo Kish will.” Highsnobsociety
  • On Repeat: Earth Girls

 

Make sure to check out our Artists to Watch channel!

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