“We don’t care if we’re happy, sad or broke. We just want to be great.”
From London, ManneQuin are a pop duo comprised of brothers Dan and Reuben Priddy who make “songs big enough for the girls & boys to party to!” Formed only 9 months ago, ManneQuin were quickly discovered via Myspace by heavyweight producer JR Rotem, whose credits include JLS, Jason Derulo, 50 Cent and Rihanna, and they were consequently invited to LA to work together.
They released debut EP “Yo Yo Girl” on November 28th last year – a four track collection of delicious pop. Other songs aside from the EP include the self-titled “ManneQuin”, “Tick Tick Boom” and “Electric Gold”.
ManneQuin have built themselves a reputation as songwriters of undeniably catchy pop – they composed the track “Lipstick”, performed by Irish pop twins Jedward on 2011′s Eurovision Song Contest, which became #1 in Ireland, Sweden & Germany. Impressing manager Louis Walsh, Dan was asked to produce album “Victory”, as well as ManneQuin earning a support slot on Jedward’s tour in 2011.
Exciting things coming up for the ManneQuin brothers this year include their anticipated album release, showcasing the results of their collaboration with Rotem. They are also planning a tour of UK & Ireland.
“The London trio arrive with Talking Heads afrobeat beauty” – Sunday Times Culture
“Truly innovative indie pop” – The Independent
“Londoners are queuing round the block for Real Fur” Vogue
Real Fur will be releasing their sophomore single ‘The Fool’ as a digital release on 31st October 2011.
Based in London, trio; Matt, George and Leo take their influences from a wide range of music and morph it into creating, intelligent, catchy tropical tinged indie-pop.
Following the release of their acclaimed debut single ‘Animal’ in June this year, Real Fur have taken their self-hosted Safari Funk parties on a tour of launderettes around the U.K, gained fans such as BBC Introducing, BBC 6music’s Tom Robinson, XFM’s John Kennedy and Jarvis Cocker; who was the first DJ to play ‘The Fool’. In addition, this year also saw the band play at the Drowned In Sound vs. The Recommender after party during the Great Escape Festival, host a launderette show during Camden Crawl and play slots at Secret Garden Party and Farm Festival.
The band released their debut single via Zimbalam earlier this year and were quickly spotted by Believe Digtal’s A&R team who have signed them up to a professional distribution deal.
Available as a digital download ‘The Fool’ will be released on 31st October 2011, with the single launch party on 25th October at the Servant Jazz Quarters.
To mark the release of Real Fur’s 2nd single The Fool the band are hosting an intimate launch party on Tuesday 25th October at London’s best kept secret the Servant Jazz Quarters in Dalston.
For your chance to win a free ticket to the launch simply:
Follow @realfurband on twitter and tweet the message ‘I love @realfurband and want a free ticket to the single launch party on 25/10’
Followers of our blog will know by now that every Monday we announce our featured artist for the week, and more recently featured label too. We have decided to move this feature to our shiny new tumblr which has been created specifically for this purpose.
Expect interviews with the bands, unseen videos and lots more. We have also archived all the previous artists so go have a look through the artists we have already featured.
The new blog kicks off today with this weeks featured artist Great Imitation. Let us know what you think!
Click on the picture to check our new tumblr out.
This post is by Zimbalam UK Manager Hannah Donovan @hannahbarracuda
It’s that part of the week again! And this time around our featured artist is band My Pet Shadow.
This trio hail from London and have an individual and recognisable sound – an alternative combination of electroacoustic, funk and nu-jazz. They’ve been doing the gig circuit in the capital, so you may have caught them at venues like Cafe 1001, 93 Feet East and Hoxton Bar and Kitchen.
The band have an eclectic mix of influences, which probably accounts for their stand-out sound – among a long list of others are Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Buckley and Daft Punk.
My Pet Shadow have just released their new single ‘Headphones’ which comes from their second self-titled EP – both are available on digital release. Before you rush to buy them, here’s a little taster of what to expect:
This post is by Believe Digital/Zimbalam Social Media intern and blogger Jess Boyer @jessroseboyer
This weeks featured artist is pop-punk band The Famous Class.
Hailing from London and founded only last year, these three boys have certainly made an impact on the pop-punk scene. Their first EP ‘Make or Break’ was well recieved with great reviews, and as well as headlining to a crowd of almost 17,000 in China, they’ve played along side some big names such as Wheatus and We Are The Ocean.
If you’re a fan of band such as Blink 182, Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory then The Famous Class are for you, as the bands sound nods heavily in that direction. With rhythms you can bounce along to, big choruses and an infectious energy, its nice to see a band keeping the fun in the old school pop-punk genre.
Its also always great to have a band that is 100 per cent in control of what they do. The boys not only write their music and lyrics, but design thier artwork and merchandise too.
Last year, Kerrang magazine said of this trio, “With live shows as fun as their music, it’s only a matter of time before crowds are bouncing and singing along to every chord and chorus. The quartet are heading for the top of their class!”
With reviews as good as this, don’t miss their new release ‘Have You Ever’, which is out on July 15th. Until then, have a listen to their previous single OMG:
This post is by Believe Digital/Zimbalam Social Media intern and blogger Jess Boyer @jessroseboyer
Instead of having a featured Zimbalam artist this week, we decided to shake it up and feature a label instead.
Meet Machete Records.
Run by James Jones, this Manchester label boasts an impressive rosta of Reggae and Dancehall talent.
After the success of ‘Full Moon Riddim’, Machete Records has returned with ‘Fishscale Riddum’. Produced by Mafia & Fluxy, a UK Reggae & Dancehall production duo, the ‘Riddum’ showcases a whole host of talent including a song from Junior Reid called ‘Can’t Do Nothing To Me’ which is making motions in the Dancehall scene in Jamaica. Beenie Man, hailed the King of Dancehall, also appears on this ‘Riddum’ with the track ‘Backing It Up’.
One of the best things about this label is their dedication to their craft. Not only do produce their own music, they spend time making contacts with radio stations, DJ’s and producers to get maximum exposure for their music.
This label is already making a big impression on the Jamaican scene, with fresh, original tracks, they are definitely one to watch.
This post is by Zimbalam UK Manager Hannah Donovan @hannahbarracuda
This week’s featured band are a 4 piece electro-indie band form Manchester. Their debut single Fools Wish received praise from various blogs and news sites (BBC, DIY, Sounds from the other city) and now there back with the equally impressive Lost and Found. Let me introduce you to The Kill Van Kulls.
“The Kill Van Kulls are one of those rare bands in today’s music scene,that sound totally modern, but could have worked in any era of rock.” JOE MARVILLI, CLUSTER ONE
Lost and Found is dripping in 80′s influences, an indie electro tune with a gorgeous chorus. With a deep bass line, strong electronic drum beats and vocals to die for, this track is set to be a hit.
Go see them live! The band have 2 upcoming gigs:
July 4th 2011, The Castle Hotel, Manchester
July 11th 2011, The Social, London
Their new single Lost and Found is out on 4th July.
This post is by Zimbalam UK Manager Hannah Donovan @hannahbarracuda
“Their unconventional stand up drums and the switching and swapping of instruments makes for an energetic and exciting spectacle. If you haven’t caughtthem yet live, we insist you do” ADAM, LOVELESS CLUB
They are described best as ‘Eccentric awkward pop music’, have appeared on numerous ‘ones to watch’ lists and have just released a new single, Parakeets – This week’s featured artist is Fiction.
Listen to Fiction on SoundCloud
A London 4 piece made up of Mike Barrett, Nick Barrett, James Howard and David Miller, Fiction’s sound is definitively post-punk with elements of shout-along pop and sharp-sounding riffs thrown in.
Parakeets has received praise on online blogs and is available on iTunes now.
This post is by Zimbalam UK Manager Hannah Donovan @hannahbarracuda
I’ve recently received an education in UK hip-hop, and I’ve learned Dj Skully & Chemo – Squirrelz With Gunz are what you want to be listening to. Seriously good stuff.
Also known professionally as Telemachus, Chemo is a London based producer and hip-hop artist, who has received high acclaim for his lyrical genius.
A star of the UK underground hip hop scene, Chemo, is known for his superior and distinctive beats produced at his studio, Kilamanajaro Studios, which has the reputation of being a hub of the British hip hop scene.
Originally released in 2006, Squirrelz With Gunz, is a compilation of Chemo’s early work featuring a wealth of UK vocal talent, including: Kyza, Manage, Verb T, Poisonous Poets and Skinnyman, remixed by DMC World Champion, DJ Skully.
Find Chemo at Speakers Corner, a monthly free speech event in Brixton, which he co-founded with the likes of DJ Snuff, DJ Steas and manage.
Yesterday, we featured a band who is no longer together; they had a cool sound, and though they were only on the scene for a year, they managed to establish quite a name for themselves with key media… Today, and for the rest of the week, we’d like to turn your attention to Olivia Broadfield.
“Her songs are seamed in swirling riffs and plush synths that mortar soft rock dancetracks with silky raptures and ethereal lifts wrapped snugly around Broadfield’s vocals.”
- Hybrid Magazine
Hailing from Leicestershire, singer-songwriter Olivia Broadfield, got her big break in 2007, when she sang It’s a Long Way, by Caetano Veloso for the soundtrack of Brazilian film Meu Nome Não é Johnny.
She released her debut album, Eyes Wide Open, in 2008 and has seen her songs featured in TV and films such as One Tree Hill, The Hills, The Real World, The Dead Zone, Wildfire, A Shot at Love and The Eye.
Dubbed this generation’s Olivia Newton John by Hybrid Magazine, Broadfield’s songs each tell a story with their bittersweet lyrics tied to a positive outlook on life, capturing themes familiar to most of human existence.
Olivia’s sound offers sweet electronic pop, fragile yet sparkly and NEVER less than pretty.
Eyes Wide Open was made up of soft rock dancetracks reminiscent of Erin McCarley chained to melodic hooks with fiery boosters and silky raptures relatable to The Pierces. Olivia Broadfield’s newest album, This Beautiful War, will be released on June 20, 2011.
