The London Sound: 4 Artists to Checkout

September 16, 2016

On Wednesday, September 14th, Amy Winehouse would have celebrated her 33rd birthday.  Winehouse embodied the struggles of a tortured genius: brilliant, yet broken; talented, yet overwhelmed. Her gift to music? Immeasurable. Heavily influenced by the Motown sound, Winehouse’s music put on display the longstanding connection between Black American music and Europe, from Rock and Roll to the Blues.

Winehouse’s music comes from a long line of British artists that have made contributions to the world of R&B and Soul music, ranging from Joss Stone to Sade, Corinne Bailey Rae to Adele, but the list doesn’t stop there and continues to grow.  Below are some younger artists that are making their imprint on music, reinterpreting genres like Jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop and more for their selves. 

Dornik

Dornik, Category: Artist, Albums: Limboland, Dornik, Singles: You Got It, Galaxxxy, Crush, Do You Wanna?, Retail Therapy, Top Tracks: God Knows, Do You Wanna?, Drive, Retail Therapy, Something About You, Biography: Self-termed "electronic soul" artist Dornik arrived during the first half of the 2010s as one of the most unique and promising voices in R&B., Monthly Listeners: 52800, Where People Listen: Amsterdam, London, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Sydney

Dornik: A couple of months ago a friend suggested that I listen to Dornik. In my friend's sales pitch he said something along the lines of this: "Imagine if Michael Jackson made a full length neo-soul album..." I thought that comparison was a stretch, but that's before I listened to him. After listening to him I was blown away, the dude's got some serious chops. Dornik, a drummer and singer born in London, released his first album Dornik in 2015. Dornik blends smooth synthesizers reminiscent of 80s R&B, with 808 snares. If you're reading this Dornik, you owe us, don't disappear. 

You should listen to Dornik if you like: Michael Jackson, Prince, Janet Jackson

NAO

Nao, Category: Artist, Albums: Saturn, For All We Know, Singles: Orbit (Live from Air Studios), Saturn (feat. Kwabs) [Live from Air Studios], If You Ever (feat. 6LACK), Curiosity, Drive and Disconnect, Top Tracks: If You Ever (feat.

NAO: Trained as a jazz vocalist at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, NAO has made waves merging Jazz, Funk, and Electronic music. NAO released her first EP, So Good in 2014, bringing critical acclaim from the BBC as well as iTunes.  While So Good garnered attention, and gave listeners a preview of her musical styling, vocal capabilities, and writing sensibilities, it’s got nothing on her most recent full-length album For All We Know – an album composed of funky bass lines, endless grooves, and smooth vocals.

 You should listen to NAO if you like: Little Dragon, FKA Twigs

Tom Misch

Tom Misch, Category: Artist, Albums: What Kinda Music, Geography, Beat Tape 2, Beat Tape 1, Singles: What Kinda Music (Jordan Rakei Remix), Nightrider, Kyiv, Lift Off, What Kinda Music, Top Tracks: It Runs Through Me, Movie, Beautiful Escape, Midnight Mischief - Tom Misch Remix, Disco Yes, Biography: South London multi-instrumentalist Tom Misch fuses low-slung hip-hop beats, glittering disco, and noodling jazz instrumentation., Monthly Listeners: 4292588, Where People Listen: London, Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney, Los Angeles

Tom Misch: A 21 year-old South Londoner that pitches himself as a guitarist, beatmaker, and singer. Misch blends boom-bap rhythmic syncopation that’ll catch the ear of a J Dilla fan, with the chord progressions that’ll please any Wes Montgomery fan.  Misch’s recently released his 3rd EP, Reverie, and is in the process of recording his first full-length album.

You should listen to Tom Misch if you like: J Dilla, John Mayer, Erykah Badu, D’angelo

Laura Mvula

Laura Mvula, Category: Artist, Albums: The Dreaming Room (Special Edition), The Dreaming Room, Laura Mvula with Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley at Abbey Road Studios, Sing to the Moon, Singles: Brighter Dawn (From the Motion Picture "Clemency"), Pentina't Lula i Panotxa i els caps parlants, Ready or Not (John

Laura Mvula: So, Laura Mvula isn’t technically from London (she’s from Birmingham) but she’s too good to not be included on this list. Trained as a classical vocalist, Mvula has strong R&B and Jazz sensibilities. Often accompanied by an orchestra on her albums, Mvula’s sound is rich in stacked vocal harmonies and progressive musical arrangements.

You should listen to Laura Mvula if you like: KING, Metropole Orkest