I thought it might be fun (if anyone actually reads this blog) to start a conversation on discovering new music. I am not a member of MySpace, but I consistently turn to them to find the latest and greatest. My friend Miles pointed me to a great page for Prince Fatty, to which I then turn to Wikipedia to find out the back story on the new artist.

Prince Fatty is inspired by the feel-good spirit of the music of early 70’s Jamaica, and was recorded on vintage analogue equipment to preserve the signature warm sound of classic reggae and dub records. Pelanconi also strove to update the sound by speeding up tempos and attempting to push the boundaries of classic dub and reggae by referencing the modern influences of afrobeat, acid jazz, punk, and hip-hop (especially evident in the cover of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.”)

Another great recent discovery I have had is Santogold, who describes herself as New Wave/Dub/Psychobilly. According to her Wiki:

White’s style has been compared often to that of M.I.A.. Santogold said of the comparison: “We’ve worked with some of the same people and … have similar influences. But the way we go around implementing those influences are very different, and I am in no way influenced by what the press are saying.” Additionally, some of Santogold’s material has been compared to that of the Pixies, which Santogold agrees with. Santogold has also said that she is inspired by 1980s pop music. “I felt that a lot of pop music from the ’80s had a depth to it, and I hope to bring back some more good pop songs.” White also stated her liking for New Wave and critics named to describe “My Superman”. The singer also cites Fela Kuti, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and reggae music as influences. Santogold has made a point of not performing rap like other “brown girls”, saying she is “not like “Ciara”. White caused controversy when pointing out that people were labeling her music as hip hop and R&B because she is black, and that was racist.”

Let me know what you guys think of these two artists, and more importantly let’s add to the list for all the high contrast readers to see. Just click comments below and give me something to get me through the week! (Which actually only goes through Wednesday, Wakarusa here I come!!!)