MUSIC ROUNDUP: December Releases 2023
The final SAMA music roundup of 2023 has landed!
This months playlist demonstrates and highlights some of the incredible sounds coming out of Scotland. The 10 track playlist is packed with different sounds from reggae to digital minded folk, rock n roll, electronica & more!
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SAMA will return in 2024 with a packed events programme starting at Sound City in Liverpool, and the fifth edition of SAMA Paisley Takeover - stay tuned for news & how to get involved!
Words by Ewan MacDonald
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Words by Ewan MacDonald
In alphabetical order:
Aurora Engine - Pink Noise
With backing from BBC Radio Scotland, The Scotsman, Amazing Radio and appearances at Belladrum and the Edinburgh Fringe, Aurora Engine (AKA Deborah Shaw) has been crafting intricate electronic music since the projects inception in 2017. ‘Pink Noise’ is the third single for Shaw this year, a track that winds strings samples round an uplifting vocal melody before bringing in a disjointed backbeat.
Bee Asha - Gitika
SAMA award winner Bee Asha has continued to establish herself within the Scottish music scene with her contemporary take on spoken word and electronic music. On the latest cut ‘Gitika’, the artist combines eerie synth melodies and pounding dance beats to create a flourishing sprawl of backbeats and waves of chords.
Clarissa Connelly - Wee Rosebud
Born in Scotland, Clarissa Connelly relocated as a child to Denmark, where the cultural landscape has fuelled her creativity. Clarrisa Connelly combines this dual nationality into a sublime stream of electronic music. ‘Wee Rosebud’ sees Connelly mix her ethereal vocals with the enticing vocal samples that elevate the song into angelic territory. Out now via Warp Records.
Conscious Route, Wends - Late
London born, Edinburgh based Conscious Route has been creating his space within the hip-hop community for over a decade fuelled with collaborations leading to support from Tom Robinson, YORaps, DMC World, The Scotsman & more. ‘Late’ features dub & reggae singer Wends on the melody; the pair craft a slick track filled to the brim with the booming 808’s and stabs of synth piano, hear more on the new album ‘Belterz’.
Doom Scroller - Cold River Flow
Alternative Electronic artist Doom Scroller has released his sophomore single ‘Cold River Flow’, that uses the cold vibrations of the electronic instruments as a way of expressing tender emotions. Ethereal synths glistening across the steady wobble of the sub bass as the artist crafts serene vocal harmonies over the top.
DOSS - King of the Castle
Provocative punk juggernaut DOSS has been on a trailblazing journey this year, bringing it to a joyous finish with a headline in Glasgow’s Hug and Pint. The music of DOSS is simple and refined like a left uppercut in a bar brawl, and packs mass amounts of searing bass lines and thunderous drums behind it. King of the Castle is a snarky and viscous track that powers through in glorious fashion, ending in a punk disco riot at its climax.
Dxims - Grateful
Dxims is a Glasgow based hip-hop artist, producer and engineer that crafts a textural sonic palette across his songs that go beyond the standard territories of hip-hop standards. ‘Grateful’ is only Dxim’s second release, which has already been featuring on BBC Introducing in Scotland, the song takes from the modern school of rap and beats as the artist draws on Kanye West, Logic and Tyler the Creator.
Kathryn Joseph, Lomond Campbell - until the truth of you [Lomond Campbell Remix]
SAY Award winning artist Kathryn Joseph and enigmatic sound designer/producer/musician Lomond Campbell have weaved together an intoxicating remix. ‘Until the truth of you’ is a magical collaboration by two artists that have proven themselves to be at the top of their game. While not worlds apart from the original song, the remix inverts some of the best parts of the song. A synth stomp commands while Joseph’s eternal vocals then take hold of the emotional direction of the track.
Lauren Collier - Padangbai
Acoustic solo artist Lauren Collier has graced us with her debut release in the form of Uddevalla. Combining the somber, heart wrenching aspects of folk music with a personal sensibility, Collier crafts a magical instrumentation of Padangbai. Fiddle melodies tug at the heart strings as the acoustic guitar and lightly brushed drums propel the song in its hazy journey.
Tijuana Bibles - Mothman
Glasgow indie-punk stalwarts Tijuana Bibles have unleashed their brand new album unto the world, titled Free Milk, the band have outdone themselves once again by serving a twisted and encapsulating take on alternative punk and indie. On ‘Mothman’, the four-piece tear through a wave of fuzzy guitars and crooning vocals. With swirling glitches of synthesisers murmuring in the back ground giving way to a thunderous sonic onslaught that is simply exhilarating each time it hits. Their new album ‘Free Milk’ also very recently charted at #35 in the Scottish Charts - congratulations chaps!