Alternative Music - 5 favourites this year
Written By Isaac Ouro
Kickstarted in September, I searched online to find the hidden gems working independently, and striving to create their own sound. Alternative Music truly means the different, the authentic, and the experimental - upcoming artists who made the conscious decision to think outside the box. And what a list three months has brought to Vibe 107.6FM. We had talented Watford artists from Jake Brett to Charles Dixon, Producers and DJs collective Tobago Tracks, and talented souls from Emmavie, to Pariss Elektra. It's the season to look back and appreciate good music before the Christmas break. All featured Alternative Music artists thrive for something unique, are amazing, and have been a delight to discover. But to end a great 2015, I'll be picking my favourite three artists that I personally loved discovering. 5. Tobago Tracks This diverse label has a collective of talented DJs and producers, heralding from Watford, and across the world. Discovering each of their unique sounds was a journey in itself, and choosing a song to feature proved even more difficult. Window, produced by Tim Zha under the Organ Tapes banner, is a "metal-creaking euphoric adventure". I've never heard so many genre-defying layers of sound come together before; what a great track! 4. Emmavie This songstress is a lot of things. Emmavie writes her own music, produces it, mixes, it, and performs strong vocals to create a creatively sound end product. Her harmonies are mesmerising. This songstress is truly talented, played by many London based music radios including the BBC. Love Drunk "is a super fun celebration of infatuation lovingly crafted from start to finish." This song is truly a rollercoaster of great sounds, vocals, and intricate lyrics. 3. Tilla What a mysterious yet humble character. The 17 year-old artist, comes across as a quiet and mellow artist, speaking wise and clam words in his debut single. Know Yourself, described by Tilla as a song for "unity, progression and self-love", is mellow and calming. I discovered this song at a time where "I needed to hear that", just like Tilla, from the wave making Space Age Crew, intended. This is a hopeful song, reminding us to live fully and love ourselves in the process. 2. Charles Dixon Charles Dixon is as alternative as you get. The experimental Hip Hop artist from Kings Langley released a debut self-produced, independent mixtape in late August. I had to repeat the mixtape a couple of times to fully understand it - the layers of sound, the lyrics and meanings, and his chosen way to rap. Even so I decided to meet him in person and talk about it. I described him as "raspy and poetic", which only begins to define his style. It was a great surprise to find such a talent in Watford, one we didn't cover at Vibe 107.6FM at the time. We Can Have It All, from his mixtape Cloud Walking, was featured for its eclectic, varied narrative. 1. Suelily Mesmerising. Suelily has such a soothing voice, and paired with her poetic lyrics, creates a truly captivating, authentic sound. This songbird, inspired by the likes of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, has released two songs as part of the upcoming mixtape The H. "Each song is going to represent a different stage of the healing process, and the different feelings we go through." Water is a song I've replayed and been addicted to since. It's a simple and calming tale about two lovers after heartbreak. And what better way to heal than to wash the pain away?
