In this edition, we bring you electric tracks about identity and growth, short, punchy songs that have you immediately looking for the rest of the album, and dance music that doubles as protest.
Listen to the full playlist right here:
ANTXNXO – “BURNING”
ANTXNXO’s “BURNING” runs under two minutes, every second spent on the feeling of shedding one version of yourself to become another. The song opens on hazy piano chords before R&B-inflected vocal layers stack around them, soulful backing vocals thickening the air while the lead voice gathers intensity as it moves. “Life’s a lesson, admittedly we’re all learning”, he sings with a sincerity that vibrates through the song. The time spent on the creation of this track has undoubtedly paid off; and the patience and energy invested in it is audible in how unhurried the buildup feels for such a short song. This track is an absolute delight, perfect for morning pick me ups.
Ray Gibbz – “Royal Ruby”
“Royal Ruby” opens slowly, with low, airy synths that set you up for the beat that joins in. The track has a mystical undertone, and the vocal delivery stays laid back – rap that glides over the synth and a downtempo drum pattern that steadies the whole song. Plucked textures drift under Gibbz’s voice like fog, adding to the magical vibe of the song. This frame becomes a vehicle for something personal – ancestry, heritage, the sense that history survives through storytelling. The track is self-contained and patient, letting the narrative breathe as it unfolds. This track is the perfect backdrop for a long motorcycle ride – or if you want to pretend you’re on one.
Deportee – “Black Women Are Not Cheap“
Deportee builds this protest song on a foundation of reggae and dancehall, with the groove itself doing as much persuading as the words. The chorus repeats until it becomes a kind of chant: “Black women are not cheap/They hold the value in the war room, and the classroom and the streets.” The track becomes something of an earworm, something you shake your leg in beat with unconsciously. The vocals stay warm through the verses, R&B softening the dancehall’s sharper rhythms, so the song keeps its danceability even as it argues something vital. The lyrics do a lot of the heavy lifting in this song, clearly written with intention and care.
Mr Pigeons – “Signalling Signatures”
This track, coming in at only a minute and a half, feels unfinished in the way dreams do when you wake up mid action sequence. The track opens with murky instrumental textures and muted percussion, accompanied by restrained and moody vocals. Mythology, cinema, and spiritual symbolism share the same cryptic vocabulary here. “What can we say?” He sings, “We come from each other at the end of the day.” The production matches that ambiguity: with muted insistent so atmosphere does the persuading instead of the beat. As an opening statement for the album Shining Arras, it works as an invitation, short and punchy, urging you to listen to the rest of the album immediately.
Ray Gibbz – “Hope And Need”
In this electric track, Gibbz raps about his own personal struggles and the math of leaving a stable job to bet everything on music. “Turn that mess to a masterpiece, watch your worries die,” he raps, firmly squashing any doubt. His flow stays steady throughout, which makes the vulnerability land harder – the intimacy of the low, consistent beat and tone make the track feel all the more personal. The beat leans trap, crisp hi-hats and a steady kicks, giving the confession somewhere calm to sit. The time Gibbz has spent mixing this track is clear in the crisp production, and that care shows in how clean the low end sits under his voice. This is the perfect backing track to those moments in your life whose significance you only realize much later.
