usa Archives - twnty three

davey

twntythree — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 03:44:25 +0000

From his training in jazz piano to the musical education of his formative high school years, in which he developed an omnivorous appetite for all things weird and chaotic, davey is the solo project of Vallis Alps’ David Ansari, energised by what he calls “this adrenaline element that I crave in everything I listen to.” With a dedication to impulsivity and creative recklessness, davey is a reflection of everything David was consuming during that time. Feeling burnt out from years of touring and multiple transcontinental moves, the project began taking shape when Ansari returned to the studio, loosely playing around with beats as he learned how to have fun with music again.

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Berhana

Grace Eire — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 18:35:39 +0000

In August, Berhana shared the Amén cut “Like A Habit,” which Rolling Stone featured as a Song You Need To Know. It falls somewhere between the momentous push-and-pull of vintage vocal house and the lush soundscapes of Janet Jackson’s more club-centric Y2K-era hits, but Berhana puts a distinct stamp on it with his yearning croon and agile verses. Watch the video here.

Lead single “Gone” — which LA tastemaker station KCRW describes as “icy cool, while simultaneously nice and warm” — pays tribute to Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian Olympic marathoner who, while running barefoot, won Gold medals in back-to-back Olympics in the 1960s. Watch the video here.

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Michael Younker

Sam Ford — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 14:38:48 +0000

On his debut EP Sweet Things, Michael Younker (Triathalon, Gym Shorts) yanks the lo-fi origins of garage rock and big riffin’ into clarity, as if we’re able to put on the glasses (as opposed to the rom-com camp of shedding them; the EP and the creator would appreciate the irony in the opposite of tradition), and finally see in hi fidelity. Aside from making music,Michael Younker is a Detroit-born, New York-based production designer and cat dad.

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Carriers

Sam Ford — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:39:38 +0000

Carriers’ — the project helmed by Cincinnati, Ohio’s Curt Kiser — music has become something of an Ohio talisman, and Curt a true hometown hero. “I have a beautiful, symbiotic relationship with Cincinnati,” he says. Some of Cincy’s most enduring civic entities agree.

During the fall 2024 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals tapped him to play a set during a Monday Night Football game. He and his dad (“trust me, he shreds”) rocked out in front of 60,000 fans. Shake It! Records, one of The Queen City’s most beloved local vinyl shops, is working with Carriers on a series of special vinyl LPs. John Curley of Cincinnati alt-rock legends The Afghan Whigs recorded Now Is The Time For Loving Me, Yourself & Everyone Else at his studio. And, finally the Carriers project recently signed to Brassland, an esteemed Brooklyn label co-founded by one of Cincinnati’s most renowned 21st century cultural exports, The National. (That band’s drummer Bryan Devendorf contributed to Curt’s last LP and, in return, Curt did session work on The National’s pair of 2023 albums.)

Love for Carriers extends well beyond Cincinnati city limits. Carriers has opened up for the likes of Big Thief and Damien Jurado and, in summer 2024, nabbed opening slots on tours with Band Of Horses and Fruit Bats. Sharon Van Etten even listed Carriers in the “Recommended Listening” section of the liner notes for her 2019 LP Remind Me Tomorrow.

“When I was 19 years old, I looked to the heavens and asked what I should do with my life,” says Kiser. “I sat on my porch in Cincinnati’s Camp Washington neighborhood and proceeded to write one of the first songs I’d ever written on my own. It’s taken a few hundred songs to feel confident in it, but I’m there now.”

Perhaps we’ll hear more from Carriers’ ever-expanding songbook in 2025.

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Gab Ferreira

Sam Ford — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 21:05:10 +0000

At 26 years old, Gab Ferreira has already played Lollapalooza Brasil, has been modeling since she was 17, and is set to play Balaclava Fest with Stereolab, FCUKERS, and Yo La Tengo this fall. Releasing her first record, Lemon Squeeze, at only 19 years old. The entirely self-written, English-language project introduced viral singles “Alone With Everybody” and “Not Yours.” That same year, Gab also collaborated with singer YMA on their hit “Summer Lover.” In recent years, she expanded her sound into the world of electronic music, collaborating with American DJs Baltra and Planet Express on a remix of “Karma” — the first single from her second album, Visions — and the drum and bass track “Here.” These partnerships helped Gab gain a global presence, attracting international listeners and placing her on Spotify charts in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States.

She’s the very definition of living fearlessly and in the moment — carving a path for herself as a female producer, performer, and songwriter (in multiple languages), all the while uncovering gems in the depths of caverns others may not have been so curious, playful, or unafraid to find.

Her debut full length album Carrossel is out October 10 via DVLPMNT / Balaclava Records.

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VINSON

Sam Ford — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:27:05 +0000

VINSON is a Detroit-born, Los Angeles–based artist, producer, and songwriter whose sound blends hip-hop, soul, house, and experimental textures. Rooted in Detroit’s musical lineage and driven by a need to create something singular, VINSON crafts music that is sharp, vulnerable, and forward-thinking — inviting listeners to explore his evolving sound and vision.

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Baird

twntythree — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 21:14:23 +0000

After a childhood of rotating music lessons between classical piano, drums, and guitar, Baltimore-via-LA artist, producer, & multi-instrumentalist Baird initially formed an artist project under the pseudonym flybear that was rooted in his high school Ableton adventures and fervent Soundcloud digging. Despite streaming success and a deal with Big Beat (Atlantic), he found himself creatively stifled and chose to start fresh. Hoping to meld his own musical thesis with the electronic-based world he knew so well, it became clear Baird had to release music under his given name, as his new sound would be the most authentic representation of him as an artist. A producer and writer, his most recent collaborations include GRAMMY-nominated Arlo Parks, BROCKHAMPTON, Yendry, Berhana, and more. As a solo artist, he reaches back to childhood influences like Stevie Wonder and Talking Heads, as well as more contemporary picks like Panda Bear and Jai Paul to form the bedrock of his sound.

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The South Hill Experiment

Sam Ford — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 19:19:24 +0000

The South Hill Experiment (S/H/E) is the brainchild of Los Angeles-via-Baltimore musical brothers Baird and Goldwash, real names Baird and Gabe Acheson. Both acclaimed producers and collaborators in their own right, the brothers erected S/H/E as a place — their minimalist studio on South Hill Street in downtown LA — and a state of mind: an antidote of joy and freedom against a music industry obsessed with hits. 2023 kicked off S/H/E’s trilogy of debut LPs to be recorded and released within 365 days, with MOONSHOTS marking the duo’s ethereal beginning. SUNSTRIKES signals their vibrant evolution and features S/H/E collaborators Jeff Parker, Kaushlesh “Garry” Purohit, and CARM. Welcome to the Experiment.

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Ellen Reid

Sam Ford — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 20:40:17 +0000

Ellen Reid is an American composer and sound artist whose breadth of work spans opera, sound design, film scoring, avant-pop, ensemble, and choral writing. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera, p r i s m in 2019. Reid’s orchestral work has been performed by the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, among many others.

Reid has composed crackling, lyrical film scores in collaboration with A24, Amazon Studios, and the Duplass Brothers Productions. Reid recently released the album Isomonstrosity, an avant-pop collaboration with artists Johan Lenox and Yuga Cohler that paired the modern production aesthetics of hip-hop with vocal chamber music.

In 2016, Reid co-founded Luna Composition Lab with composer Missy Mazzoli, an organization that provides mentorship, education, and resources for young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers. It is the only initiative of its kind in the United States.

Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 1983, Ellen Reid received her BFA from Columbia University and her MA from California Institute of the Arts. Reid serves as the Contemporary Music Chair of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and she is currently the first composer to be in residence with both Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Concert Hall and Concertgebouw Orchestra simultaneously. She continues to live and work in New York City and Los Angeles.

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Annie & The Caldwells

Sam Ford — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:08:34 +0000

ANNIE & THE CALDWELLS are a family from West Point, Mississippi that plays a powerful disco soul, led by Annie Caldwell (who sings) and her husband of the last fifty years Willie Joe Caldwell, Sr. (who plays guitar). Their music won’t only move you spiritually but emotionally as well — with songs that are as much at home in a church of God as in the church of the dance floor.

Annie is backed by daughters Deborah Caldwell Moore, Anjessica Caldwell and goddaughter Toni Rivers; their eldest son Willie Jr. is on the bass and youngest son Abel Aquirius is on the drums.

They generally play on weekends — so for their day jobs Annie runs a clothing store, Willie Jr. drives a forklift, Abel Aquirius drives hospital patients, Anjessica works in customer care for an insurance company, Toni is an elementary school teacher, and Deborah does hair.

Can’t Lose My (Soul) [Luaka Bop, 2025], their new album 40 years in the making, has already gotten rave reviews in MOJO and The Guardian.

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