Top 5 new discoveries of 2017

I've already listed my top 10 releases for the year here but now it's time to mention those Artists who either didn't release anything in 2017 or their releases didn't quite make my top 10 list but who still impressed me.
Without further ado and in no particular order here are my Top 5 new discoveries for 2017.

Ibrahim Maalouf is a trumpeter born in Beirut, Lebanon and living in France. He has been recording for other artists since the early naughties but released his 1st solo album in the mid naughties. His name is very well known in France and somewhat well known outside of France. Playing primarily Jazz and Funk his music will transport you or make you want to get up and shake your money maker.

This collaboration with Rapper Oxmo Puccino is the song that introduced me to his music. Thanks to my good friend Alex P. for putting it on in class earlier in the year. 

Electro Deluxe are another French band who were once again introduced to me by friend Alex P. (thanks for sending the link through buddy) Funk, Soul, Big Band, Nu Jazz call their music what you want but personally I call it happy music made for dancing, I'm sure you'll agree. Here's the song that introduced me to them:

Kelly Auty  is a name many Australian music fans will already be familiar with and while I had heard her name been mentioned by many people in the past it wasn't until a few months ago when I got my hands on her latest release simply titled Live 2016 that I heard her sing and what a voice she has been gifted with! Not only can she sing but her delivery has a swagger to it that is infectious. I have yet to see her perform live but I am hoping to remedy that in the not too distant future. Here is the lead song from her Live 2016 album which introduced me to her. 

With a name like Afrodyssey Orchestra it's not difficult to guess the style of music these guys play. This being said, while the Afrobeat elements are most certainly there this music is not straight out Afrobeat and incorporates various elements from the Jazz and World genres also which is perhaps what makes me like it so much. Hailing from Athens, Greece these guys are further evidence of the thriving music scene in Greece that is only getting better. Here is an interpretation of a well known traditional folk tune from Greece which is how I came to know of this band.

Los Petit Fellas hail from Bogotá, Colombia and are very similar in style to Electro Deluxe who I mentioned earlier. The Rap elements of the music for my personal tastes can sometimes be a bit much (just like with Electro Deluxe) but the instrumentation is drawing on classic funk which is right up my alley. Once again this is happy music made for dancing and I need to thank another friend of mine Mariana for putting me onto these guys. Here is the song that lead me to discovering this band:

Album Review: Albert Flipout's One Can Band - Don't You Call My Name

Albert Flipout's One Can Band -
Don't You Call My Name

Albert Flipout’s One CAN band (aka Mickey Pantelous) has just released a new album and it is everything we have come to expect from an Albert Flipout release. Don’t You Call My Name is album 3 released under the Albert Flipout moniker and is perhaps the most accessible of all Albert Flipout releases to date with catchy melodies which at times hide some slightly darker lyrical content.
A one man blues band of the highest order these songs have an infectious groove that you just can’t help but want to get up and dance to. Don’t You Call My Name is an album intended to both make you think about the state of the world we are living in while at the same time give you a pick me up if you are feeling down. Mickey has managed to find a sound uniquely his own with a distinct country blues twang, with added harmonica and kazoo, which will have you thinking "this kinda reminds me of…” before you realise that there’s no one else going around that quite has the same sound.
Kicking off proceedings with a song that proclaims “See me hanging from the ceiling, Take my body down” which perhaps references the suicides caused by the ongoing financial crisis in Europe, the lyrical content runs the gamut of topics from falling in love with a prostitute, to failed relationships and many other topics besides. Despite the varied subject matter Mickey has still managed to put together perhaps his most cohesive album.
Independently released you can hear why Mickey has been invited to play festivals throughout Europe and even in America (even though this one didn’t quite work out in the end). An artist that should be getting much more attention than what he is, if you like your blues with a healthy dose of country and a dash of cabaret this is an album that is worthy of your attention and one which you will almost certainly have on repeat for long after it’s initial release.
Look out for the Vinyl release in the coming months