Soundfriend

Performed, recorded, produced and mixed by Merk himself, “Manchuria” is the type of song that you find yourself singing after one listen. It takes me to back to lazy summer afternoons spent with friends, the ones where you forget what time it is because you are exactly where you want to be.The vibrant guitar riffs dance around the lush vocals filling the song with beautiful, compelling melodies that make this an alt-pop gem.

— Hannah Brewer, online promotions assistant at NZ On Air, Wellington

A strange take on rap with a bunch of the NON label affiliates jumping on it. Chino Amobi is positioning himself as a Kanye for the next generation. I’m very much anticipating his album release coming up this fall on UNO NYC.

— Leo Olofsson, agent at Awesome Agency, Oakland on “EMT (First Response)” Ft. Elysia Crampton, Dedekind Cut, Full Carnage

A moment of nervous anticipation in the middle of a hazy summer party. Chilled verses mix with chopped samples and fluttering synths that snap you back out of the moment and into the beat.  

Electronic music has certainly transformed, over and over again, to continue to evolve our global culture. KLLO is a young but forward thinking duo from Australia who is garnering millions of streams. One of their tracks “Bolide” feels elegantly understated and so catchy that the downtempo/chill vibe of the song still paves the way for anyone who listens to it once to listen again, and then over and over again.

— David Winther, music agent at United Talent, Los Angeles

We’ve followed Gonjasufi for a while now, and always loved what he was doing musically. Our first time seeing him live was intense as well: mad energy, and totally the opposite of standard, formulaic "rap concerts." Now his new record is approaching, and the first bits are really, really promising. Dark, no compromise, emotional and a fantastic sound and mix.

— Jakob & Bene, DJ/Producer duo at Schlachthofbronx, sleeping on planes since 2008, Munich on “Maniac Depressant”  

Drake and Nigerian Afrobeats star Wizkid come together on “One Dance.” This is huge. It’s obviously a big moment for Drake. Can you believe this is his first number one single? It’s also a big, big moment for Afrobeats.

Drake knows how to do a cross cultural collaboration right. (See the Romeo Santos song “Odio”.) Though I personally would have liked to hear more of Wizkid on the track, what you can hear a lot of is Afrobeats. The cool, mellow tone of the song makes it hard not to draw comparisons to “Ojuelegba,” the Wizkid track that Skepta remixed with a feature from Drake. The gentle lilt in the melody, the Auto-Tune, the complex dance beat, even the dancehall influence add up to make this Drake’s Afrobeats song. And it’s just as catchy and haunting as the best of the genre. 

Add British singer Kyla into the mix, and the track is all set to move parties in the US, Nigeria and across Africa, as well as England and the Caribbean, where Afrobeats are de rigueur. (Caribbean and African artists collaborate so much that it’s common place.) The spiritual references and generally PG-13 lyrics mean it will be acceptable for mainstream radio play in Wizkid’s home country. This is a song that can circle the globe ten times without slowing down. I would mind coming along for the ride either. 

— Beverly Bryan, editor in chief at Soundfriend, writer for Noisey, Remezcla, and the Village Voice, podcast co-host of Songmess, Brooklyn

As we prepare in Cali for the "Festival de Musica del Pacifico Petronio Alvarez" next week, I am all about Afro-Colombian-Pacific Coast sounds at the moment! It is so good to see that one of the festival´s past winners Rancho Aparte is extensively touring at some of Europe's top summer festivals, and are a great international success. This amazing group, a "chirimía,"  is representative of the sounds of our north Pacific coast, specifically Chocó. This is total party music! Check out "Poniéndote a Gozar" and get ready to dance! 

— Jessica Bueno, artist manager, event producer and music enthusiast AKA Jebuke, Cali

There have been numerous trans Atlantic collaborations over the years, but few have been as inspired as the Hyp Hop EP/mini album. It’s the sound of Dublin meets Chicago, where Irish producer MathMan has joined forces with the extraordinary Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Led by the track “Where I’m From” (feat: DJ Tuki), as a unit, Hyp Hop is unlike anything that any of the artists involved has done before. MathMan has even reworked Hypnotic’s “Navigator”; the outcome is a sensation. “Where I’m From” is the perfect jumping off point, so indulge yourself here!

— Dan Hegarty, radio presenter for RTÉ, host of The Alternative, Dublin

This cover song fits perfectly for a sunny summer. Track was remade by U-zhaan playing tabla, kanjira and manjira, with rap by Chinza Dopeness and Tamaki Roy. They are hanging around Tokyo in he video and in the latter part the original musicians Scha Dara Parr join them. At the end, all six guys sing karaoke together. They say "Who's fault?" "It's because of summer!"

— Toyokazu Mori, contributor for beehype, Nagoya on “Summer Jam '95″