We Speak Music

Michele Ducci releases intimate new single ‘River’

Published

1 year ago

March 15, 2024

Don Reed

‘SIVE’ is a lovingly crafted collection of heartfelt songs by Michele Ducci, focusing primarily on piano and Michele’s soft, soulful vocals.

Michele Ducci was the ‘M’ in the electro-pop duo ‘M+A’, who released two albums on Monotreme Records, the second of which, ‘These Days’, earned the band a place in The Guardian’s ‘best new bands of 2014’ list and saw them perform live on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and at the Venice Biennale.

The duo then formed a new project, Santii, which involved several Hip Hop artists including Rejjie Snow, Mick Jenkins and Music Producer Supah Mario (Drake, Young Thug), releasing two EPs on Italian label Sugar Records before going their separate ways due to artistic differences.

A short stint in another band led Michele to realize that he wanted to make music on his own, away from external commercial or career pressures. Says Michele, “I went back to the house where I was born and where I first started playing. After the pandemic I had practically no instruments anymore except a guitar with three strings and a pianola. I needed to make a record that I had never been able to make and that I had always dreamed of making. Something very essential: with the piano and the voice.”

‘SIVE’ encompasses a range of styles, from the dreamy singer/songwriter tones of ‘Feelings’, ‘Here You Are’, and ‘Nonesome’to the uptempo pop of ‘You Lay the Path’, RnB-infused ‘Just Because’ and percussive Beat poetry of ‘Hic’. Album opener and first single, ’River’, is a poignant ballad that winds along like its title, opening with the quiet intimacy of hushed vocals and piano and detailing the time he desired to leave the music world behind: “They call my name but I’m a river”.

About ‘River’, Michele says: “I was in New York for musical reasons in a situation of psychic and metropolitan traffic, in which every mention of my name in relation to the artistic career and the pressures of that world had nothing to do with music, I was so saturated that I could feel myself only in the moving waves of the Hudson River. “You and I”, I said to myself, ” are from the same origin”.

The album will be released on CD in a colour printed card wallet as well as digitally. Pre-order CD here:
https://monotremerecords.limitedrun.com/products/758779

We Speak Music

Naud Takes Flight with ‘Un Gars Bian’: A Wild Ride of Music & Madness

Photo credit: Isis Mecheraf

Published

12 hours ago

April 3, 2025

Joni Jones

After ten years of musical mischief, Naud has finally dropped anchor, or rather taken flight, with Un Gars Bian, an album that feels like a hug from an old friend and an impromptu dance party all at once. This high-energy, genre-mashing adventure blends alternative pop, electro, funk, and whatever else Naud felt like throwing into the mix. Think Marseille’s “joyous chaos” bottled up into soundwaves, bursting with playful unpredictability.

Leading things off is “Déjà Vu,” a sweet-and-sour love song about a romance that spanned across Europe but never quite took off, kind of like booking a first-class ticket to heartbreak. It’s got just the right mix of experimental vibes and catchy pop magic to make you groove while overthinking your past relationships.

The album title, Un Gars Bian, is a cheeky play on words, merging Marseille (city in France) slang for “seagull” (gabian) with “un gars bien” (a nice guy). It’s basically Naud in a nutshell: a free-spirited, big-hearted artist who wants to spread good vibes, reckless creativity, and a touch of joyful madness. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also launched an Un Gars Bian t-shirt line, because what’s better than wearing your philosophy on your sleeve, literally? Grab yours here!

So, are you ready to embrace the joyful chaos? Un Gars Bian is the perfect excuse to dance like nobody’s watching and live life with a little more mischief. Let’s gooo!