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Broad Oak is the solo project of Monkey Records founder Nigel Braddock who set up the label in 2000. The original loop for Worms was recorded 20 years ago and recently, while under a strict lockdown in Berlin, he completed the track as part of a forthcoming EP. Beginning with a strident piano phrase and menacing strings the track transitions to a three way dialogue between trumpet, clarinet and oboe before rising to a peak and breaking apart. “The title of the track comes from a particularly vivid dream,” explains Braddock. “I was lying dead in the ground yet somehow conscious. My body was decomposing and being eaten by worms and insects. I could feel things slithering through my eye sockets. In the beginning it was horrifying but ultimately I accepted it and relaxed into it.”

The mesmerising video is a collaboration with an AI called WZRD. The abstract fluidly evolving images sometimes reminiscent of cells and galaxies forming and decaying.

Braddock, who trained as a classical pianist, has produced many albums over the years for Monkey Records including records by John White, The Mung Beings, Charity Children, Dystopia and his project with his son, Cosmo and the Cosmonaut. His debut EP will be released later in 2021.

Lazy Boy is the third single from NY/Berlin-based band The Mung Beings and is a dub-inflected protest song against racism.

Saadiah Fowlkes, the rapper/vocalist from the band had this to say about the song:

“Lazy Boy is, essentially a coming of age story, detailing how painful It was for me growing up as a black boy in America. I talk about how, as a result of the systemic racism that is still all too pervasive in America, I would often feel thwarted in my efforts to live up to my full potential. How it felt to be unseen, unheard, and misunderstood. How frustrating it was for people not to see the fullness of my being, and how harmful it is to a person’s self-esteem when they are reduced to a stereotype. Ultimately, I would say that the message of the song is that there is only one race, the human race, and we should not allow ourselves to be reduced to stereotypes. I feel that the song is especially relevant, particularly in light of the BLM movement and the worldwide protests against police brutality in America. There’s even some footage in the video of me marching at one of the many protests that took place here in my hometown of Brooklyn. So my hope is that the song will resonate with POCs, for whom racism is a part of their daily experience, and promote empathy and understanding amongst non-POCs, many of whom are only beginning to understand what it feels like to inhabit the skin I’m in.”

The video features photos of Saad from his childhood interspersed with footage from Black Lives Matter protests and a psychedelic video montage from fellow band member Allan Thomasson.

From the forthcoming album by The Mung Beings.

NY/Berlin-based band, The Mung Beings, hail from diverse musical backgrounds and opposite ends of the earth. Their sound is a mash-up of future soul, conscious rap, electronica and jazz served up with conspicuous lyrics and a positive attitude.

Their new single single, Keepin It Movin On, brings a much-needed positive message of hope that encourages people not to give up their struggles and to keep pushing forward. Sickness, oppression, dishonesty and hard times can be overcome by focusing on what is good and right in the world such as love, family, friends and community. The Mung Beings say, believe in yourself and others and keep it moving on.

The Mung Beings are producers Allan Thomasson and Nigel Braddock (from Australia and New Zealand respectively) and Saadiah Fowlkes from New York. The three met in Berlin in where they recorded their debut album, soon to be released on Monkey Records.

Fowlkes is a rapper, singer and DJ. He has performed at venues all over the world, mostly in his hometown NYC and Berlin, his home for nine years. He was a member of the rock/hip hop band Natural Selection and has shared the stage with the likes of Wyclef Jean and Mark Ronson. He is the son of acclaimed jazz musician Curtis Fowlkes and is working on his solo album of entirely self-produced material.

Braddock, originally a classical pianist, plays keyboards on the album and was also responsible for recording and production. He founded Monkey Records in 2000 and has produced nine other albums to date including the award winning debut by Charity Children. He also plays in Dystopia, Cosmo and the Cosmonaut (with his son), has an electronic project called Broad Oak and composes minimalist solo piano music.

Thomasson plays bass and provides beats on the recordings and was an early auteur of seminal electronic dance music production in New Zealand in the 1990s with MINK and offshoot Cloudboy as well as creating video content for their live shows. In Berlin since 2003, Thomasson has worked with The Sacred Travellers a World Jazz Fusion group as well as producing his own electronic music as Boxroom Rebel. He is responsible for any video content on behalf of The Mung Beings including the Mung Days series.

Debut album coming late 2020.

Since then Hurn has been concentrating on his career as a film composer and recent commissions include spots for blockbuster films Solo, Avengers: Infinity War and Incredibles 2.

In sharp contrast to his film work, his new album If I Were You continues with the folk pop style evident on the previous release but is a more polished affair full of catchy hooks and well crafted writing showcasing the artist’s further maturation and development as a songwriter and performer. As on his first album, Hurn plays all the instruments and produces the album himself.

If I Were You is the infectious first single and title track from Chris Hurn’s long awaited second album due for release in April 2017.

It’s been five years since the young New Zealander’s debut, Too Busy Dreamin’ in 2011, which spawned a SoundCloud hit with the song Whatcha Got (500,000 plays) leading to a publishing deal and a license by Swatch for a global ad campaign. Since then Hurn has been busy writing scores for film, finishing his university studies, playing in his band and recently relocating to Kuala Lumpur.

The forthcoming new album continues with the folk pop style evident on the previous release but is a more polished affair full of catchy hooks and well crafted writing showcasing the artist’s further maturation and development as a songwriter and performer.

The music video was filmed in Auckland by acclaimed director Tim van Dammen.

Ludwik Zamenhof is a one-man musical project and the alter ego of Polish-based producer Andrzej. The music on his new album, Balkan Error, is created using a mandolin and a computer. All recordings and samples are destroyed and deconstructed. Ludwik Zamenhof is inspired by Bulgarian, Polish, Balkan, Indian and Syrian music. Folk and Ethno samples are mixed with new electronic music such as Dubstep, Drum and Bass, IDM, Breakcore and Glitch Music to create an intoxicating genre-defying sound.