Tag Archives: music profiles

Asenso “Senz” Ampim | Music Profiles

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PRODUCER | RAPPER | PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER

Asenso “Senz” Ampim is the physical manifestation of persistence, passionand raw talent. Most people dream of one day becoming either a professional athlete or a musician but rarely ever both at the same time. With his athletic 6 foot 6 frame which he imposes on defenders on the basketball court, Senz in his music off the court, offers a raw, honest and at times humorous perspective into his life over thought-provoking emotiveproductions that make you feel. There’s a fresh wave of music coming your way that is intriguing, uplifting and vulnerable.

Jack Gierlich
CEO & Founder Ferus Solutions LLC

Born in Ghana (’88), raised in England then studying and living in New York, Asenso “Senz” Ampim is a man of the world. He is a Professional Basketball Player, Musician, and Entrepreneur seeking to continuously develop and display his abilities.

Senz got his start playing basketball for a small high school in Massachusetts, which then led him to play Division 1 college basketball at Columbia University where he was

named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, finishing his career amongst the Top Ten all-time Offensive Rebounders in school’s history. After graduating, he took his talents internationally to professional leagues in countries such as

France, Lithuania, Lebanon and South Korea to name a few. Throughout his career over the past 7 years, he has earned himself tournament MVP awards and “All Imports Team” Honors.

Senz began pursuing music as a hobby while traveling and playing basketball. His early influence stemmed from

the 2012 EDM hype with then younger acts such as Avicii, Afrojack and Calvin Harris leading the way as budding superstars. He would in turn make a slew of EDM remixes for friends who were Dj’s at local venues while also developing his own original tracks. Senz began to quickly find his own sound which features strong kicks, catchy melodies and emotive transitions intricately woven together. These components add a unique feel to his productions that set him apart from the status quo. He then started jotting down lines to his productions which led to his first single “Photoshoot Fresh” that has made him not only a professional athlete, but also an artist, producer and engineer of his own music.

 

Pigeon Park Self-Titled | Music Profiles

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Band: Pigeon Park
Location: Vancouver, B.C
Styles: Rock, Groove, Funk, Blues
Similar to: The Black Crowes, The Parlor Mob, The Trews, Led Zeppelin, The Red Hot Chili Peppers
CD: Pigeon Park

Accolades:
-Played at the 420 festival(2010-2012), played Cannabis day in Vancouver(2011 and 2012), played at Golden Spike Days Festival (2012)
-chosen as a top 20 finalist for 99.3 FOX seeds 2012 out of 500 bands, FOX seeds is a contest that has sprung the careers of artists like Bryan Adams, Bif Naked, Matthew Good Band etc.
-Toured nationally twice (2011, 2012)

Members/Instruments: Nick Weber – Vocals, Kevin Okabe – Guitars, Logan Pacholok – Guitars and Vocals, Artur Leppert – Bass, Hunter Elliott – Drums

Pigeon Park is a blues and funk-infused rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Crafting a signature sound with inspiration flowing from a variety of influences, they continue to grow with the seasons. Pigeon Park was formed in 2008 by founding members Nick Weber (Vocals) Kevin Okabe (Guitars) Logan Pacholok (Guitars and Vocals) Artur Leppert (Bass) and Hunter Elliott (Drums). Together the five of them began a musical journey embarking on two Cross Canada tours and recording two albums.

The band released their debut record ?The Sun? in 2010, and with the strength of this album managed to secure distribution in Sweden, Montreal, and Greece.

2012 saw the band touring nationally, playing popular BC festivals and being chosen as a finalist for 99.3 FOX seeds 2012, expanding their fan base across Canada. Upon returning from tour, they stepped into the studio and released their new EP “Lovelight” August 31st. The EP and music video for the title-track have been buzzed about in publications such as WHOA Magazine, The Province, the Music Mag, Follow the Signal and Mojophenia, who said of the album “Pigeon Park manage to illuminate the majority of guitar based genres in one superb release.”

Videos:
Lovelight Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfq_kepYmAk

LIVE @ The Vancouver Art Gallery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SepUNE4_1FE

On Tour in Quebec:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqoVLi_nako

Live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MW09n06MSE

Websites:
http://www.facebook.com/pigeonpark
http://pigeonparkband.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/pigeonpark
http://soundcloud.com/pigeon-park

Track listing:
1.Lovelight
2.Figures
3.Only Us Fools
4.Hopeless
5.Statues of Feathers
6.Its Not That Likely

 

Ill Funk Ensemble “The Duality” | Music Profiles

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Band: The Ill Funk Ensemble
Location: Albany, NY
Styles: Hip-hop/R&B/Soul
Similar to: The Roots, Talib Kweli, Soulive, Common
CD: The Duality

Accolades: Ill Funk has performed live with Grammy-winner Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz, opened for Naughty by Nature, Shontelle and Young MC and placed forth in a national competition to perform at Royal Family Affair with Soulive in 2011. They have also had a placement on the show “Road Trip Nation” and honorable mention in the John Lennon song-writing competition.

Members/Instruments:
Jermaine Wells – Lead Vocals/Freestyle
BJ FitzGerald – Guitar/Lead Vocals
Dennie Brooks – Drums
Joe Stoner – Keyboards/Backing Vocals
Duane Etienne – Bass/Backing Vocals

Walking on sticky floors, stepping on to a stage that’s too small for their swagger, let alone their equipment, setting up under dim lights and dropping a sound check on an unsuspecting audience. Eyes look up, jaws drop and the phones come out, inevitably texting their friends to come check out this band, this Ill Funk.

That scene has played out weekly for the Albany-based band, The Ill Funk Ensemble, since 2006 to great results. Described by reviewers as “a kind of 21st century mash-up of Kool & the Gang and the Isley Brothers” and “all hot sand and asphalt”, Ill Funk takes hip-hop and R&B in a different, yet oddly familiar direction. Perhaps it’s the blend of old and new school vibes, the warm smile of Jermaine Wells, the lead singer, or the obvious fun the band has whether they’re recording or performing live; whatever it is, the band has made the most of its position by performing all over the Northeast, selling nearly 1,000 hard copies of their debut album, Catching Wreck, having more than 1,300 combined likes on their Facebook pages and over 15,000 views on their YouTube channel. They’ve even been blessed to perform live with Grammy-winner Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz, Naughty by Nature and Young MC and placed forth in a national competition to perform at Royal Family Affair with Soulive in 2011. They have also had a placement on the show “Road Trip Nation” and honorable mention in the John Lennon song-writing competition.

Slick, smart, engaging and legit, The Ill Funk Ensemble is humble in its origins, ambitious in its goals and will be releasing their second album in Summer of 2012.

Tracklisting:
1. She’s Fearless
2. Afraid of Heights
3. Amazing
4. Bringin’ the Heat (using a cleared sample of Quincy Jones’ theme from Sanford and Son)
5. Hot, Crazy Good Love
6. Interlude One
7. Different Day (feat. Michael Gaydusek)
8. Find a Way (feat. Steven Atkinson)
9. She’s Fearless (Reprise)
10. Interlude Two
11. My Gosh
12. The Duality

Websites: www.illfunk.com, www.facebook.com/illfunk, http://illfunk.bandcamp.com/, www.reverbnation.com/theillfunkensemble, www.youtube.com/illfunk09, twitter.com/#!/illfunk

 

Rooftop Runners | Music Profiles

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Artist: Rooftop Runners
From: Berlin, Germany
Album: We Are Here EP
Style: Alternative / Indie / Trip pop
Members: Benedikt & Tobias MacIsaac
Production: Angela Seserman
Tracklisting: Streets, Energize, Bang Bang, She Devil
Website: www.rooftoprunners.com, www.facebook.com/rooftoprunners
Highlights: 2012 European tour successfully completed, performed at Club NME
Music Video for “Streets”: http://vimeo.com/34965015, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay3ZfvwKCJc
“Streets” electronic remix:http://soundcloud.com/eltrain05/streets-el-train-ndoth-remix
Sounds Like: Jeff Buckley, James Blake, Radiohead, Massive Attack
Bio: “Crippled in my youth, crippled in my youth, crippled in my youth and I’m trying to breathe”

The music of Rooftop Runners ripples positively original pop waves through far darker lyrics than you’d expect from your typical indie fair: a seething concoction of trippy electro beats and spine-shattering bass lines is equalized by soulful falsetto vocals and folksy, dissonant guitars, making for a sobering but enjoyable listen.

Forging a mix of menacing mood and moving melody out of their adopted city of Berlin, Germany, RTR are Canadian singer-songwriter brother duo Benedikt and Tobias MacIsaac. An internationally accomplished choreographer and dancer respectively, the brothers are no strangers to performing-arts success, having toured and performed extensively with world class troupes in Europe.

Rooftop Runners’ new 4 song EP “We Are Here” will be released April 3, 2012, and it’s meant as both an affirmation and a promise that “RTR has arrived and they are here to stay.” With fervent response from local music media and a rapidly growing fan-base, a European Tour completed and an eagerly-anticipated full length debut album also due in 2012, the siblings seem set to drop their pioneer strand of Trip-Pop at us from rooftops the world over before long. The EP “We Are Here” is just an introduction.

Oleg Prodeus | Music Profile

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Artist: Oleg Prodeus
From: Vienna, Austria
Album: The 13
Label: self-released, digital distributor: Rebeat
Streaming Link: http://soundcloud.com/oleg-prodeus/sets/album-the-13-1
CD Download w/cover & promo shots: http://www.olegprodeus.com/dl/the13.zip
Music Videos: http://www.olegprodeus.com
Style: Alternative Pop/Rock
Members: Oleg Prodeus
Production: Oleg Prodeus, Niko Stoessl
Tracklisting: 01. Savior 02. Can You Feel the Rain 03. Follow Me 04. You’re Running Away 05. Mother 06. Do You Know the Way 07. Last Hero in This Universe 08. Cross the Line 09. Over You and Me 10. Crash 11. Return to Begin 12. When You Cry 13. I Hear You Calling
Sounds Like: Muse, Ours, Sneaker Pimps, Nine Inch Nails

Bio: Oleg Prodeus is a singer/songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and a music producer, a multimedia artist and a filmmaker/director. He has been actively making music since he was 14. He has composed and produced 3 solo albums, “To the Sky”(1997), “Collective Farm”(2000), and the newly released “The 13”. Oleg has toured Austria extensively with his music projects. In 2004 he composed and co-produced 5 songs for the film soundtrack of Pepe Danquart’s motion picture “C(r)ook” (Dor Film, Germany/Austria).

“The 13”, a multifaceted, at times dark and heavy alternative pop/rock album, is a collection of intuitive and passionate songs with moving melodies, complex arrangements and hypnotic singing.

The strong visual music language of the 13 songs, their majestic soundscapes
and the irresistible charm of Russian melancholy provide the music with a unique personal signature. The Album “The 13”, which was produced in cooperation with the music producer Niko Stoessl, is a poetical philosophical last word for mankind’s relentless search for his own identity, for the human essence that is within him, and is also a plea for the hope of harmony and love. His music video for “Savior” is a fictitious story about a falling angel and his painful eternal life on this earth, because he has to exist dually.