79.5 on bigcrownrecords.com | 79.5 on Facebook | 79.5 on Bandcamp | 79.5 on Instagram

Hard to categorize, easy to love, 79.5 has been making tons of noise around New York City for the past year. With three lead vocalists, Kate, Nya, and Piya and a band that pulls influence from every corner of a record store, it’s no wonder they are already taking the scene by storm. They are an act that gets put on as an opener and shortly there after is asked by the venue to do a month long residency. That residency leads them to a full page write up in The New Yorker before they even have a single out. The long and short of it is that 79.5 wins over the listeners wherever they play with an infectious energy. Between the arrangements of bandleader Kate Mattison and the prowess of all the players, their sets run a gamut of energies and tempos, whether breaking it down to a capella, turning it up to disco, or mastering the middle, they run the groove, and the crowd follows suit. Take all of that and put it in the studio with Big Crown’s own Leon Michels on production duties and you get a record we can’t wait to put out in the world, a record on which every song was recorded live to tape in one take.

“Terrorize My Heart”, a tune leaving no room for gray, finds the ladies of 79.5 walking the line between vulnerability and forthrightness. Setting out with admonishments of love and infatuation that are checked by the bluntness of women who’ve lived in the Big Apple for years, “is it her or is it me, that’s how it’s gotta be”. A smashing rhythm section covered in punching rhodes chops, flute parts, and dubbed out reggae rhythm guitar sets the perfect vibe for the ladies to trade off leads and come back together in three part harmonies: All the while taking the whole tune from half time to double time.

The B side, coined the Disco Dub mixed by Jens Jungkurth, finds Michels’ production taking “Terrorize My Heart” from the change where it goes to four on the floor and lacing it with drums and a clap track that absolutely pushes this tune over the edge into the realm of dancefloor banger. Tombstones fall over, the earth cracks open, and dead people get up and dance when this comes on…

Photo Credit: Rosie Cohe

The Shacks on bigcrownrecords.com | The Shacks on Facebook | The Shacks on Instagram
THE SHACKS

Fronted by 20-year-old singer/bassist Shannon Wise and 21-year-old guitarist/producer Max Shrager, The Shacks are already well on their way to becoming one of the year’s big breakouts, and their remarkable debut album, ‘Haze,’ solidifies their status as a band with ability to deliver on the well-deserved buzz.

When Max and Shannon met in high school, a bond was created that has permeated their music since the Shacks first incarnation four years ago. That chemistry lies at the heart of ‘Haze,’ a record so hypnotic and seductive that it feels more like a whispered late-night secret than a young band’s debut. Produced together by Shrager and Big Crown co-founder Leon Michels (who’s played with Bradley, Sharon Jones, and Fields in addition to working with The Arcs, Lana Del Rey, and countless others), the album was recorded in bits and pieces between Shrager’s basement and Michels’ Diamond Mine studio, which the Observer dubbed “the Shangri La of Soul.”

‘Haze’ opens with the title track, which is, appropriately enough, the first song Shrager and Wise ever wrote together. It’s a spare, smoky tune that shimmers and sparkles as it shifts in and out of focus, and it’s an ideal gateway into the immersive world of The Shacks. On the breezy “Follow Me,” they channel the infectious charm of a 60’s girl group, while the soulful “My Name Is” grooves its way through a mesmerizing take on 70’s funk. Much like a dream, the songs often merge the familiar and the unfamiliar, constructing their own psychedelic reality full of beauty and yearning, all fueled by Wise’s breathy vocals and the unmistakable electricity of a wildly creative band truly inhabiting their music. “Birds” makes brilliant use of Daptone drum hero Homer Steinwess’s impeccable feel behind the kit, while the 50’s ballad-meets-baroque pop of “Cryin’” tips its cap to Roy Orbison and John Lennon as Shrager takes over lead vocals, and the soulful shuffle of “Texas” belies a dark and violent undercurrent ripped from the headlines. Through it all permeates an unshakable sense that this is a group performing just for you. “Nobody” finds the Shacks re-interpreting Phil Spector’s Wagnerian approach to rock & roll, complete with sweeping strings and darkly innocent lyrics. The 13 songs featured on Haze plays out like the soundtrack to some long lost 16mm film, beckoning you into their grainy, saturated world of analog beauty.

In the short time that they’ve been together, The Shacks have already made an impressive mark. Their hypnotic cover of Ray Davies’ “This Strange Effect” soundtracked a global iPhone commercial, one which actually stars Wise herself, and their self-titled EP earned the band dates with St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Chicano Batman, and their Big Crown Records labelmates Lee Fields & The Expressions.

NYMPH on northernspyrecords.com | NYMPH on Bandcamp | NYMPH on Facebook | NYMPH on Tumblr | NYMPH on Soundcloud | NYMPH on Instagram

NYMPH has been fiercely active in the New York psych, noise, experimental and jazz scenes for many years. The outfit’s expansive approach confounds easy genre ascription; the current lineup can be said to exhibit a seamless and exuberant amalgamation of heavy psych, free jazz, modern minimalist composition, krautrock and visionary desert blues.

NYMPH has served as free-jazz legend Arthur Doyle‘s New York ensemble, The New Quiet Screamers; working with an innovator and master of the form like Doyle has magnified the group’s commitment to communicative improvisation and a palpable sense of spirituality made manifest via performance. Recently, the band officially released two live albums with Arthur Doyle on Amish Records as “Arthur Doyle & His New Quiet Screamers – First House” (for more info see http://www.amishrecords.com).

Additionally, NYMPH collaborated on an official remix with Neneh Cherry for the high profile remix companion-disc to her highly acclaimed album The Cherry Thing.

Witnessing NYMPH at peak power is akin to witnessing ritual.

NYMPH has toured North America and Japan extensively and has shared stages with Bombino, Deerhoof, Man Forever, Psychic Ills, Loren Connors, Thurston Moore, Arthur Doyle, Zs, Mike Wexler, Imarhan, Excepter, Talk Normal, Extra Golden, Sean Lennon & GOASTT, Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple), Chris Forsyth, Steve Gunn, among many other local & international acts.

Legendary NYC venues NYMPH has repeatedly performed at: Le Poisson Rouge, The Stone, Tonic, Zebulon, Glasslands, 285 Kent, Secret Project Robot, Baby’s All Right, Sunny’s Bar, Union Pool, Death By Audio, Shea Stadium, just to name a few among dozens of others!

Danny Akalepse official site | Danny Akalepse on Facebook | Danny Akalepse on Soundcloud | Danny Akalepse on Instagram

To get a sense of who Danny Akalepse is you have to look at his track record. DJing since 1993, he came up as a Battle / Party DJ in Hip Hop?s Golden Era where it truly was your skill set that your reputation was based on. With more than two decades of djing under his belt he has become highly respected in Soul, Funk, and Hip Hop circles the world over. Dividing his time in the early days of his career between radio, battles, DJing for Parrish Smith of EPMD, and collecting records he developed both his ear and rounded out his skill set as a DJ.

Moving from LI to Brooklyn in 2000 Lepse started really pushing his mixtapes, selling more copies than a lot of indy labels sell albums. These mixes landed him a ton of residencies, most notably an 8 year 2 night a week gig at the now legendary APT in NYC. Sharing the bill with the likes of Bobbito, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Premier, and his now partner in crime Rich Medina, Lepse?s fan base went through the roof. When APT closed it?s doors in 2009 Rich & Danny brought their Wednesday night to a new venue renaming the party PROPS, which they have since taken all over the U.S. and Europe. When you hear Lepse DJ it?s a mix of new, unknown, and classic tunes spanning nearly all genres taking the party on a dynamic journey. An avid record collector, he has a library of easily over 20,000 pieces, so playing just typical tunes is out of the question. His ability to ignite dance floors while pushing the listeners has put him on stage with the likes of KRS-ONE, Cypress Hill, Kenny Dope, DJ Spinna, Lord Finesse, J-Rocc, DJ Scratch, and Just Blaze to name a few. DJing on the road all over the states and Europe for the past ten years heavily, he continues to grow his brand and make his mark.

Danny is also the Co-owner and label manager of the world reknown Brooklyn imprint Big Crown Records, home of Lee Fields, Lady Wray, EL Michels Affair, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, The Shacks, Paul & The Tall Trees, 79.5, and many more.