Jaxson Free is an extraordinarily rare creative force who can play multiple instruments, sing, write, produce and entertain audiences of all kinds. Akin to multi-threats like Timbaland, Pharrell Williams or Post Malone, Free’s talent and deep appreciation for music transcends genres, giving the creative chameleon the ability to pen hits for artists from Quavo to Lana Del Ray to Morgan Wallen as well as generate his own eclectic catalog of fresh releases.
The virtuoso has earned millions of streams as an independent artist with sounds ranging from sleek R&B to alt-leaning Pop —and with his new single “Get Go” he adds a touch of his new home of Nashville. Recruited to Music City by Goat Island, since signing with Kos Weaver and his team, Free has landed scores of multi-genre major label cuts (Jelly Roll, Dylan Scott, Chase Rice and more) as well as four No. 1 hits including the crossover smash by Kane and Katelyn Brown, “Thank God,” Kane Brown’s “I Can Feel It,” Thomas Rhett’s “After All The Bars Are Closed” and The Swingin’ Medallion’s “Hit Me With Them Horns.”
The in-demand creator has caught the attention of many—from President Obama (his Raleighwood Hills project with Lesthegenius and Sonny Miles was added to “President Obama’s Favorite Songs of 2019” playlist) to Jelly Roll gushed about Free and his talents on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, saying “Remember his name. This kid’s going to have 30-40 No.1’s.”
The Carolina native is continuously writing countless tracks while touring and releasing new music. For more information visit www.jaxsonfree.com/ and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
Genre bending collective The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown returns with their long awaited third studio album, Volume 3, arriving September 19. A DIY triumph in a major label world, the Getdown has spent nearly two decades uniting over 225 musicians from more than 180 bands into one of the most ambitious funk driven projects of the modern era.
‘Çenek’ is an anthem of female empowerment that challenges cultural taboos while celebrating freedom, choice and strength. It features a determined choir of 26 women of various ages and cultural backgrounds, in an defiant, unapologetic, and unmissable manner. Blending Anatolian and Mesopotamian music traditions with the psychedelic rock revolution of 1970s Turkey (and the ancient Kurdish Dengbej storytelling tradition) the band creates a rich and distinctive sonic tapestry. Exploring themes of freedom, feminism, and collective strength, ‘Meydan’ is deeply rooted in homegrown musical influences, whilst expanding into psychedelic territory providing Meral Polat’s powerful vocals with the creative freedom to roam free.
A powerful and incendiary call to arms, forthcoming LP ‘Meydan’ is a record of conviction, compelling messages and spellbinding musicianship. An important and urgent statement, skillfully and artistically portrayed within a mesmerising technicolor listening experience. Emphasising themes of multiplicity and collective strength, the record features a wide range of guest musicians. Meral Polat expands: “Meydana Gel” is my voice – the voice of the woman exercising her right to live on her own terms. Free from the deadly interference of patriarchy, state, and religion. We celebrate female strength, inspired by the philosophy of “JIN, JIYAN, AZADI” which translates to WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM (a phrase that originates from the women-led Kurdish movements., it symbolises resistance against oppression and the fight for women’s rights. We believe that society cannot be free from any other form of oppression and domination if women are not free, and that women must organise and defend themselves to achieve this.”
Alt.Metal powerhouse The Veer Union are sharing their new single & video for ”Caught In The Crossfire”. The track is the 3rd single from the Vancouver, BC, Canada based band’s upcoming album “Reinvention”, which is slated for release on February 20th, 2026 through Arising Empire.
“Caught In The Crossfire” is a sonic onslaught about the chaos of a relationship that’s constantly locked in battle. The song is driven by thunderous drums and staccato guitar riffs – with a mix of clean and roaring vocals that are supported by a very heavy yet melodic tone.
The Veer Union says “We poured our rage and souls into “Caught in the Crossfire”. It’s an assault that tears into the chaos of a relationship that always seems to be in confrontation. It’s about the brutal push-pull between love and hate, where our words turn to shrapnel, carving wounds that trap us in an endless war. The savage struggle to hold onto connection through relentless conflict is a raw, unyielding truth that countless people face every day”.
Echo of Being / Grace in Rot is a powerful sonic meditation on grief by the duo Neti-Neti, composed of vocalist Amirtha Kidambi and percussionist Matt Evans. The project originated from improvisation sessions born out of personal loss, evolving from an intimate exchange into a practice that bridges the personal and the political.
In early 2024, producer Nick Zanca worked with Kidambi and Evans to capture their evolving sound in a full studio setting. Recorded in a single day at a West Village studio with engineer Sarah Galdes, the session unfolded as an unbroken flow, propelled by the immediacy of live energy and the duo’s deep improvisational connection. Here, Kidambi’s voice moves fluidly between South Asian vocal traditions and extended techniques, amplified and reshaped through real-time processing, delays, and layers of harmonic distortion. Evans’ percussion becomes both rhythmic engine and textural sculpture, his drums and cymbals feeding into samplers, effects, and loops that refract each gesture into new shapes. Both musicians harness feedback—not as background noise, but as a visceral, structural force—letting sustained tones and resonances pulse through the body like a physical presence.
The result is a sound world that fuses syncopated grooves, cathartic outbursts, and meditative drones into a ritualistic electroacoustic space. At times sparse and suspended, at times dense with surging overtones, the music channels the corporeal force of feedback and the psychoacoustic play of sustained tones, evoking both the sacred drones of Eliane Radigue and the raw immediacy of This Heat’s rhythmic noise. A haunting final take, performed in total darkness, captures the duo at their most immersive—an enveloping, almost otherworldly experience in which the air itself seems to vibrate with loss and memory.
Echo of Being / Grace in Rot draws its emotional weight from both personal bereavement and the collective grief of our era, shaped by the relentless feed of traumatic images and news. The record challenges listeners to confront these overwhelming realities, transforming mourning into a shared act of resistance and healing. It reclaims humanity amidst the unimaginable, offering not only a document of sound but a space for reflection, embodiment, and resilience.
| Links |
| Amirtha Kidambi | Matt Evans | Bandcamp |
Global dance music heavyweight Alesso once again joins forces with Australian trio Sentinel, hot on the heels of their chart-dominating track ‘Freedom’, teaming up with Dutch powerhouses Sick Individuals for an electrifying new single ‘Upside Down’, released today via Tomorrowland Music and Alesso’s label BodyHi. Already a much-
requested ID that the artists have been road-testing at iconic festivals and clubs around the world – including Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Ultra Music Festival, and more – the track is finally seeing its official release to the delight of fans everywhere.
Los Angeles-based DJ and producer, John Alto, officially unveils his latest single, “Easy Love” featuring Swedish vocalist and producer, Ayla. The undeniably danceable track arrives via Swedish House Mafia’s imprint, SUPERHUMAN on Friday, September 5, 2025. Trading his typical hard-hitting heavy basslines for an intense groove that feels straight out of the discotheque, Alto built “Easy Love” around Ayla’s velvety vocals, which first caught his ear over a year before the track came together. After eight months of working on the track’s ambient rhythm, he brought the Swedish vocalist to his studio in LA, and it was instant harmony. Buoyant, genre-defying and incredibly smooth, “Easy Love” is neon-lit with nostalgia – if Studio 54 existed in 2025, the track would undoubtedly annihilate the dancefloor.
Defected unites five international artists on one major summer record as HUGEL, Niconé & Sascha Braemer, Tony Romera and Mydoz present ‘Caje’. No stranger to the Defected family, HUGEL’s previous label outings show the full scope of his international sound, inspired by Latin house, Afro house and his fiery home of Ibiza.
Now he returns alongside Niconé & Sascha Braemer to rework their summer house cut, ‘Caje’. Appearing on their 2011 LP Romantic Thrills, the original ‘Caje’ is an understated record box essential; HUGEL takes the Balearic favourite and, with the help of well-established French producer Tony Romera and rising talent Mydoz, ups the ante considerably to create a soon-to-be Ibiza mainstay.
The Antlers – the much beloved band and recording project of singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer Peter Silberman – herald their eagerly awaited new album, Blight, with today’s premiere of the deeply chilling new single, “Something in the Air,” available now via Transgressive Records at all DSPs and streaming services. The track, which illustrates an ambiguous, unnamed threat that calls to mind any number of distressing headlines, contains the album’s most explosive moment – a blown-out orchestral jump-scare underscoring the implied force majeure. An official lyric video is streaming on YouTube.
“‘Something in the Air’ is about a looming threat that can take many forms,” says Peter Silberman. “Precautions that would have seemed strange a decade ago have become ordinary routines – a new normal set against a backdrop of creeping dread. Meanwhile, doom lies dormant, waiting to erupt.”
As Hip-Hop progresses through time, many Boom bap veterans either recycle the same formula in hopes of achieving the success of their heroes, or perhaps change their music completely to keep up with the current trends. Others continue to evolve both personally and musically, whilst continuing to pay homage to those from the era that inspired them.
El Gant has continued to the latter…
With several songs under his belt produced by DJ Premier, and having appeared as a featured artist on seminal albums by The Beatnuts and Ras Kass, El Gant is no stranger to notoriety with a career that kicked off in the early 2000’s, and has been consistent right through to the present day. This is evident through his endless touring, output of releases, and worldwide radio coverage.
“Gantatello” is his fourth LP this time teaming up Portuguese producer Martello Sousa, together forging a unique exclusive style of production. In this project, Gant reflects on what it means to emerge from decades in the game, enduring both the highs and lows of life as an artist and as a person navigating a turbulent world. He explores themes of loss, resilience, and personal growth, honouring those he has lost along the way. Rather than giving up, this project stands as a testament to perseverance, learning from failure, and arriving on the other side with a deeper, more informed perspective.
El Gant also pulled in assistance from some of his peers for the project including the aforementioned Ras Kass, plus Copywrite, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Napoleon Da Legend and others. Instead of overly suffocating the project with features, he allowed his fellow artists to compliment the journey, whilst taking the lead on all fifteen tracks with his commanding delivery and signature rapid-fire cadences.
The album will be released via his imprint “Rule by Secrecy”, set to drop on 14th October 2025. This will coincide with a European tour, and limited edition vinyl.
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