AUGUST NEWSLETTER - NEW ARTISTS, NEW MUSIC!
August 3, 2022 //
NEW ARTIST:
We are so excited to welcome MONEKA ARABIC JAZZ to the UNFIT family!
Moneka Arabic Jazz | Afro-Arabic Fusion - 7 piece band This project reflects the life and journey of Ahemd Moneka in the from of art and music from Baghdad to Toronto. The music showcases melody from Ahmed's homeland Iraq mixed with African groove and rhythm that he inherited from the Moneka Family.
“a distinct, funky and unique sound” - Markham Review
NEW ARTIST:
We are also super excited to welcome TAMIKREST to the UNFIT family!
Tamikrest | Desert Blues-Rock - 3 piece band Tamikrest in tamasheq language means junction, connection, knot, coalition. The group members come from different horizons (Mali, Niger, Algeria and France). Their music takes root in Ishumar Rock or Tuareg Blues, it borrows from various international influences as well as from neighbouring cultures. Through the message of their songs, Tamikrest wants to make Tamasheq poetry and culture accessible to inhabitants of a world larger than the immensity of the Saharian desert.
“Hypnotic nomad rock, best at its most subtle. ” –Timeout London, UK
NEW SINGLE RELEASE:
Battle of Santiago release their summer single: Flores, August 12th. Pre-save here.
“Flores” is about a girl who brings flowers to people, representing happiness.
Flowers can cleanse the soul, and by offering flowers, this symbolizes an offering of
happiness. The official music video for “Flores'' embodies this message and explores
the symbolic relationship of flowers and spirit through a young girl.
Press Release can be found here.
Press Release can be found here.
This Toronto collective conjures up a distinctive hybrid of Afrobeat, salsa and funk,
- Neil Spencer - The Guardian, UK
...trust me. This is some good shit.
Annalise Domenighini
- Noisey Music, New York, NY
UNFIT Records Signs Artists
UNFIT Records signs Tamikrest and Moneka Arabic Jazz. Link to August Newsletter here.
NEW SINGLE RELEASE:
Balaklava Blues release their summer single: Swallow, July 13th. Press-release here.
Prolific Ukrainian Canadian folk-noir band, Balaklava
Blues, unveil a powerful new single called SWALLOW today. The song is accompanied
by a video, which is the second in a series of moving, cinematic B&W visual pieces they
have released since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Continuing their path
in creating an unparalleled signature sound, the track blends traditional "white voice"
polyphony with a diverse array of sonic elements, heavy prose, 808s and other
electronic influences.
BATTLE OF SANTIAGO:
Canadian artists shine brightly at LAMC Showcase. July Newsletter here.
BALAKLAVA BLUES
08/26 - Pop Montreal - Montreal, QC 08/27 - Tam Tam Macadam - Alma, QCBATTLE OF SANTIAGO
08/12th - Festival Des Traditions Du Monde - Sherbrooke, QC 08/13th - NEXUS Festival - Lebanon, NHKOBO TOWN
08/05 - Edmonton Folk Festival - Edmonton, ABLEMON BUCKET ORKESTRA
08/03 - Albuquerque Museum - Albuquerque, NM 08/05 - Redlands Bowl Summer Music Fest - Redlands, CA 08/11 - Freight & Salvage - Berkeley, CA 08/12 - San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022 - San Jose, CA 08/18 - John Michael Kohler Arts Ceter - Sheboygan, WI 08/19 - Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, MN 08/20 - Levitt At The Falls - Sioux Falls, SD 08/22 - Lotus Fest - Bloomington, INTELMARY
08/12 - Freight & Salvage - Berkeley, CA 08/14 - San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022 - San Jose, CAMusic to stir hearts and instincts. A genuine, fresh voice aiming high.
March 2, 2022 //
UNFIT is incredibly thrilled to officially welcome Maria José Llergo to our
Booking Artist Roster! Using flamenco-inspired sounds, seamlessly blended
with atmospheric electronics and bewitching pop vocals, she pays tribute
to her childhood memories, her grandparents' teachings, and her Andalusian
roots. Looking onward, she seeks to instill inspiration through her music,
and even though her career has just begun, she is already one of the main
strongholds in Spanish music. We are proud to represent Maria and her
ambitions in North America.
WON Goya Award for Best Original Song: "Te Espera El Mar" (Main Theme Song from the multiple award-winning film, Mediterráneo)
NOMINATED Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Short Form Music Video: Mi Huella by Fuel Fandango ft. Maria José Llergo
“Her material carries an ancestral consciousness of the Romani
culture and history, filtered through elongated melismas and
ethereal, electronic sounds [...] reminds both her country and
the world that the injustices her people have faced — discrimination,
exploitation, displacement, and machismo…”
- Rolling Stone
“She mines suffering to make music with a to-the-marrow pain
that characterises true flamenco, citing influences ranging from
Camarón to La Niña de los Peines, Etta James to Billie Holiday.”
- Dazed
AVAILABLE DATES for US & CAN (SUMMER 2022 TOUR): Pacific Coast / SouthWest: Sept 8-15, Sept 17-18 NorthEast / MidWest / Washington DC: July 6-9, July 14-17
BALAKLAVA BLUES RELEASE POWERFUL NEW VIDEO SINGLE AND VIDEO "SHELTER OUR SKY" AS PART OF NFT CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT UKRAINE
March 2, 2022 //
Balaklava Blues has made their timely return to stand with fellow
Ukrainian-Canadians as they release their latest single
Shelter Our Sky.
Along with the compelling video, the band has launched an
NFT campaign to raise $1,000,000 in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The NFT project, sharing the same name as the single - Shelter Our Sky,
is an OPEN CALL campaign for all artists to candidly
show their support for Ukraine in the fight against Putin. All proceeds
will be donated towards the COME BACK ALIVE crypto-wallet which helps the
Ukrainian military, volunteers, and their families through crowdfunding. The
#ShelterOurSkyNFT
campaign
officially launches on Monday, March 7th.
"This is a humanitarian aid project with a goal of $1,000,000. In addition, it is a social and cultural identity project. We want people to 'wear' them proudly and let the blockchain show that they supported Ukraine. Support Ukraine. End War. Stop Putin."
Mark & Marichka Marczyk are currently rehearsing for the play, Dogs of
Europe,
written and directed by the infamous Belarus Free Theatre about democracy and
dictatorship. Balaklava Blues will be performing the score live at the premiere
show at London’s Barbican Theatre on Thursday, March 10th. ‘Shelter Our Sky’
acts as the main theme song which eerily reflects current political affairs.
“[The song] has become our daily prayer,” Mark reveals. “We sing it every day during rehearsals for a show about the EXACT situation that is now unfolding… with a cast of refugees who can no longer return to their country because it would mean attacking ours… while we anxiously text our families to see if they have made it to the border yet.”
Through this project, Balaklava Blues intends to promote
solidarity and a community on all social media platforms.
The NFTs create a virtual flashmob with concrete goals and
results - to stop Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, to shelter
the sky that unites us all as human beings, and to redraw history together.
In 2014, Mark & Marichka met during the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv, Ukraine
and have since dedicated their lives to the fight for democracy and freedom
from oppression. Their daughter is even named Maya, after the Independence Square,
where the revolution began 8 years ago. The couple has toured an award-winning
immersive folk opera about the revolution for about 5 years across the world.
As the musical child of the duo, Balaklava Blues is inspired and driven by the
current political situation and voiced through the lens of ancient Ukrainian
folklore. Their experiences of war coupled with their unique knowledge of the
polyphonic blues explode into live sets of electro-pop-influenced tracks that
can only be described as shocking folk-noir and Slavic soul.
“audiences were transfixed… the warmth and vibrancy of the performance invited audiences into the mindset and mentality of the musicians”
- CBC Arts
“A set of track contradictions to spark your mind and move your feet”
- Latitude Review