Grant Spanier/Courtesy of the Artist

Name a musician,producer, or DJ with a full band that can fill Avant Gardner’s Kings Hall on a rainy Sunday night in Brooklyn.

The answer is Bonobo.

Bonobo (aka Simon Green) is currently on the North American leg of his Fragments tour. The five-time GRAMMY-nominee is on the road with his full band – yes, including trumpets, drums, vocals, guitars, and keys.

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MUSIC

Fresh Music Friday: 5 New Songs For Your Weekend

New music from Bonobo, JGrrey, Sam Fender, Elliot Lee, and Spirits Having Fun!

Bonobo

BBC

Fresh Music Friday is here to give you a breakdown of new singles, EPs, and albums to check out as you make your way into the weekend. Get ready to jam out with some of our favorite up-and-coming artists, plus celebrate new releases from those you already know and love.

1. Bonobo - "Linked"

Bonobo returns with a slow-burning, melodic single called "Linked" marking his first new music since "Ibrik," which he released back in January. "Linked" glows with a cosmic undercurrent, slowly colored in by flashes of vocal flourishes as it elevates into a deeply euphoric house beat. The UK producer's latest track comes alongside a tour announcement for a Summer/Fall run.

2. Sam Fender - "Will We Talk?"

English singer-songwriter Sam Fender released a raucous new cut from his upcoming debut LP, Hypersonic Missiles, due out in September. The new song,"Will We Talk?", is a relentlessly full-bodied rock'n'roll jam that's high-energy from the jump and doesn't let up any time throughout its nearly 3 minutes run time.

3. JGrrey - "Better Off"

Coming off the heels of her BBC Introducing Stage performance at Glastonbury, London singer JGrrey is back this week to drop another gorgeous single: "Better Off." Earlier this year JGrrey dropped her debut EP Grreydaze––a dazzling showcase of her unique brand of neo-soul, characterized by her South London-tinged vocals and dreamy, swirling instrumentation. This week, the rising star continued her streak with the silky Jarreau Vandal and Ed Thomas-produced track, and it looks like JGrrey is poised to become one of the most distinctive voices in neo-soul and R&B.

4. Elliot Lee - "Dirt"

Brooklyn-based Elliot Lee brings together stormy pop melodies, gritty vocals, and electronic instrumentation filled with dark energy to create her unique brand of bold, fearless homespun pop. Her latest single "Dirt," is propulsive and unpredictable and tracks the singer's frustration and disillusionment with the music industry's disillusioning tendencies.

5. Spirits Having Fun - "Gift Shopping"

Chicago-via-NYC post-punk outfit Spirits Having Fun features Katie McShane and members Jesse Heasly, Andrew Clinkman, and Phil Sudderber. Their debut LP Auto-Portrait (out via Ramp Local) melds together aspects of jazz, punk, ska, and synth pop to create wonky art rock that rattles with freneticism and belies conventional melodies in favor of wonderfully deconstructed ones, pushing and pulling against the confines of genre and structure alike. Today's lead single "Gift Shopping" taps into the same start-and-stop dynamics that mark much of the album's sound, but also spends some time stretching into the mellowed out in-between moments, too.

MUSIC

Belau's New Video, "Essence," Reminds Us Bliss Comes From Within

A premiere of the group's new music video, as well as a Q&A with member, Krisztian Buzas

Electronic duo, Peter Kedves and Krisztian Buzas, better known as Belau, have been making music together since they were ten years old.

And that remarkable history and chemistry can be heard in the group's uniquely organic sound. It is rare that you come across an electronic act that can trick the ear into forgetting about the synthesized sounds that go into it. But the song behind Belau's latest video does just that – the duo blends both ethereal and earthen sounds into a hypnotically relaxing soundscape that begs the listener to let go of her daily stresses and be whisked away to a calmer place of introspective bliss. And the video for their latest single, "Essence," which features Sophie Baker (of Zero7 fame) on vocals, captures this sonic transportation perfectly. Belau's Krisztian Buzas kindly agreed to answer a few questions about the "Essence" video, working with Baker, and Belau's origins (as well as their future destinations):

What is the story behind the name, Belau? How do you see it connecting to the group's sound?

Peter and I have been friends since we were 10. We grew up together and have always loved geography. We would browse world maps for hours. However, it took a long time for us to notice that minor country in the middle of the Pacific ocean, Palau. Aboriginal people, however, have a slightly different name for Palau: Belau. The word is indicative of pleasure, being by the sea, and looking within oneself. Just like the music of Belau. We were always driven by the intention of bringing people to another state – where they can redefine themselves and dive inside themselves to find a sense of serenity, which glows just like the sun on the waves of the ocean. However, we have to admit: we have never been to Palau, but want to go so badly.

The video for 'Essence' follows three solitary women who all drink from an apothecary jar of sorts. When they do, they are each doubled and tripled shown, then to be in the company of other versions of themselves, no longer alone in a sense. Can you speak a little bit to the vision behind the video, and how you see the themes connecting to the song (either on a lyrical or sonic level)?

Through the song, we were trying to capture individual milestones of existence – isolation to freedom, solitude to interaction. We were trying to inspire people to discover their lives outside of physical boundaries, by drinking the so-called 'Belau cocktail' when they suddenly start to see more sides of themselves ... things that they did not know before, experiences that they've always wanted to have, and emotions that they want to feel, even if they have never felt them before. The three girls represent the human, who seeks greater truth from within.

Sophie Baker is the guest vocalist on 'Essence'. What was it like to work with her? What was the writing and collaboration process like?

Sophie is a very down-to-earth woman who always welcomes you with a warm heart and a gentle smile. In the middle of the process, she told us that she has some Hungarian ancestors from the city of Esztergom (a wonderful town in northern Hungary). We met in London, where we were playing a symphonic set at St. Covent's Garden. It went very well. We even tried to create the basis of the rough vocal melodies and the lyrical theme for the instrumental [that night]. Afterwards, she sent us some demos, I wrote the lyrics for it, she flew to Budapest to record the song, and we had some great times together. I think it turned out pretty rad.

What can fans expect from Belau moving forward? Any albums in the works? Tours? More videos?

We are working on our second full-length, which will contain "Essence" and "Breath" [a 2018 single] as well, and try to go on with the job what we have already started with "The Odyssey." We are upgrading and improving (both live and in the studio). And yes, we will keep on the touring this summer. Our next big opportunity, for example, will be the Primavera in Barcelona, but we will try to impress the audience this year at Sziget [festival] and at Electric Castle as well. We have some big things coming soon! Get ready!