The Portland-based duo foamboy consists of vocalist Katy Ohsiek and producer Wil Bakula. They collaborated for a while in the experimental music group Chromatic Colors after meeting in Salem, Oregon. Wil and Katy worked with a wide range of instrumentalists in this group, produced two full-length albums and performed on the stages of numerous outdoor festivals, pubs and basements. This gave Wil... read full bio
In a group known as The Fearless Flyers, Joe Dart on bass, Nate Smith on drums, Cory Wong and Mark Lettieri on guitars make up some of the country's grooviest virtuosos. With the exception of Lettieri, who plays for the Grammy-winning jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy, the majority of the group are members of Jack Stratton's funk band Vulfpeck. The Fearless... read full bio
Arooj Aftab, born on March 11, 1985, is a Pakistani singer, composer, and producer known for her versatility in various musical styles and idioms, including jazz and minimalism. Aftab made history by becoming the first-ever Pakistani artist to win a Grammy Award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in April 2022. She was nominated for the Best New Artist award... read full bio
The first album from the Bergen natives, Analog Dance Music, fills the air with sounds from samba to jazz, much like a continental breeze that longingly blows throughout the ten songs. Let Kommode in, and you will be captivated by it. In Kings of Convenience, Eirik Glambek Boe goes beyond the typical indie-minimalist endeavors. His new endeavor seeks to create... read full bio
After relocating from Ipswich to London, Joseph Lawrence started his career, attracting attention in the city's jazz scene and polishing his craft at the storied Ronnie Scott's, creating a network of outstanding players in the process. From then, he started playing in bands and gradually developing his own music behind the scenes before starting to work on his debut album. Joseph is... read full bio
Ife Ogunjobi is a Nigerian-born musician who was reared in London and whose music is a synthesis of the noises in his environment. His upbringing in South East London exposed him to a variety of musical styles, including jazz, afrobeat and hip-hop. His creative concept, which was influenced by musicians like Fela Kuti, Erykah Badu and Freddie Hubbard, breaks through borders between... read full bio
'Peace + Harmony' is a release that First Word Records is happy to offer. This young singer, who is originally from Moss Side in Manchester, has been slowly establishing a reputation as one of the UK's most intriguing soul vocalists over the past few years. His recordings include a diverse range of genres, including alternative R&B, future soul, hip hop and... read full bio
By fusing jazz orchestration with hip-hop beats and MCs, Abstract Orchestra creates some of the most engaging hip-hop songs. The 18-piece all-star big band pushes the limits of live hip-hop by producing distinctive music that is both heavy and beautiful. A number of the band's members have performed on tour with some of the biggest performers in the world, including... read full bio
Producer, songwriter, composer, DJ and maybe one of the top MCs in the nation, POOKIE is headquartered in Melbourne. She cites Missy Elliot and the wider hip-hop community as the originators of her love of music. Growing up in Perth, POOKIE developed a passion for a wide range of artistic endeavors, including poetry, painting, drawing and sculpture. With the use of this... read full bio
Melle Brown, one of the most promising producer/DJs to recently break onto the market, continues to offer shimmering house groovers with a style that is uniquely her own, garnering attention ever since the release of her debut EP project, "Blossom." She leads us to realms of sunrise and sunset dancing moments through productions and DJ mixes, fusing neo-soul, tech and deep house. DJ,... read full bio
Butterscotch, a groundbreaking vocal percussionist virtuoso, has permanently altered the music industry by aggressively challenging gender and musical social constraints. Her adventure began in the heavily male-dominated underground beatbox battle scene, where she broke down stereotypes and became the first female beatbox champion in history. When she gave a ground-breaking performance on America's Got gift, earning a third-place finish on... read full bio
The most intriguing and exciting endeavor in the European modern jazz scene is Okvsho. The two brothers from Zurich, Switzerland (Georg & Christoph Kiss) that make up Okvsho let their initial musical experience in beat-making and electronic music to influence them. Okvsho originally came to the notice of a larger audience with the Boyoom Connective release of their "Traphouse Jazz EP"... read full bio
The members of Noya Rao are Chris Dagger on bass, Matt Davies on drums, Tom Henry on keys and Olivia Bhattacharjee on vocals. The band blends retro soundscapes with modern songwriting, drawing on both old and new inspirations. An obsession with analog synthesizers combined with an acoustic continuum of voices and percussion produces a genre-defying repertoire of synth-drenched, beat-driven music with... read full bio
Tertia May, a UK singer and songwriter, made her name known with her stirring first EP, Kind of Purple. Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul and Pop are all influences, and the voice is distinctive. Tertia appeared on venues throughout the ensuing 12 months, from London's famed Jazz Cafe to the Colors studios, with her performance last summer garnering well over 1 million... read full bio
Eli Cohen on guitar, Henry Wolf on bass, Julian Freeman on drums and Ari Garfin on keyboard make up the band Manwolves. Five guys, whose friendships go back more than ten years, figured out the best way to combine their various musical tastes to produce the distinctive alternative, rock, hip-hop and jazz sound for which Manwolves is now famous. The band has... read full bio
Will Magid, a trumpet player, producer and ethnomusicologist, is the mastermind behind the international electronic music group Balkan Bump. Heavy electronic production is combined with worldwide musical influences, such as Middle Eastern beats, American hip hop and traditional Balkan brass melodies, in the music of Balkan Bump. The Balkan Bump live presentation, which may range in size from a solo artist to a... read full bio
SARA ESTER GREDELJ, a pianist and singer from Croatia and NINA KOROAK-SERI, a drummer from Slovenia, make up the soulful group. R&B and jazz rhythms support the songs' powerful messages of love and optimism. With the release of their debut single "I'm gonna live", Nina & Sara officially began working together. What actually drew them together was their shared appreciation for R&B, hip-hop and... read full bio
Hemai, a highly regarded producer and multi-instrumentalist, musically combines jazz and soul with a hint of electronica. Hemai was raised surrounded by jazz culture, music and live performers in Birmingham, the second-largest city in the United Kingdom. Hemai drew inspiration from artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, The Gilbertos, D'Angelo and Zero7 to contemporary artists like Corinne Bailey Rae. Hemai's official remix... read full bio
Future soul musician B-ahwe, who was reared in Nottingham and now calls London home, takes her sound to new heights on her 26% Mixtape. The project examines topics of growth, femininity and mental health as well as challenging the social stigma associated with attaining things by a specific age. It was inspired by moving to a new city, living in lockdown and... read full bio
Anyone who has been a fan of AgaJon's work over the past several years, particularly those who value music as an art form, is aware that the German Afghan producer musician stands as a testament to music that defies the widespread tendency of mass (re)producing popular music without much regard for the craft itself. The "7 days EP" - released... read full bio
