Ronald Brian

Introducing Ronald Brian

Ronald Brian is an up & coming contemporary R&B, neo-soul, jazz and pop artist, a young & honest songwriter.
If music were a language; singer, songwriter, choreographer, producer and playwright ‘Ronald Brian’ would be a fluent speaker. A soulful UK RnB Pop singer, a young man with such a serious head on his young shoulders, shows he is on the path he wants to be on. 

Ronald is a member of the Mayors Peers Outreach team in City Hall; he is also the Alumni Co-ordinator at Voyage, an organisation that supports the ethnic minorities in London.

His brand new EP ‘Vulnerable’ which is about to be released takes his audience on a personal journey, the EP is a mixture of contemporary ballads and love songs,  through which you will get to know Ronald Brian. 

Check out 'Tell Me' below.

Ronald can be found on twitter at 

@Ronald_Brian1

https://soundcloud.com/ronaldbrian

http://www.reverbnation.com/ronaldbrian 

Olly Chamberlain

Olly Chamberlain, a talented singer songwriter from London, England, has covered many popular songs on his YouTube channel, including his most recent upload 'Leave Your Lover', originally by the brilliant Sam Smith. In uploading these video's Olly has developed a growing fan base, with over 3,500 subscribers and over 300,000 views. A powerful, dynamic vocal ability along with a strong artistic flair makes Olly a musician to look out for. Already gaining a celebrity fan base from the likes of Stephen Fry he is sure to be a hit in the not so distant future.

When I caught up with Olly recently, he had this to say:

"For me, it all starts with family. I grew up in a house of music. My earliest memory even involves music, singing in a church choir when I was 5. My brother and I used to improvise on clarinets and saxophones while my dad would play a slow 12 bar blues. Music is everything to me. In my last year of uni, I started uploading cover videos onto YouTube. My first cover, Usher's Climax now has 135,000 views. Since then I've been gigging around the London scene and finding out what else is out there. Most of my time now is dedicated to songwriting. There's quite a lot I'd like to say and I'm planning on making as much noise as possible."

With a lot of original songs being written as well as covers being recorded, I'm sure there are big plans for Olly, check back here for news on latest release's and potential live dates over the summer.

Check out Olly's latest YouTube cover below.


You can watch more of Olly's videos on his Youtube Channel HERE
Facebook - Olly Chamberlain 
Twitter - @OllyChamberlain

Royal Blood

Who knew a bass guitar and a drum kit could make so much noise! Royal Blood, the Brighton born rock duo, Mike Kerr (bass+vocals) and Ben Thatcher (drums) are easily one of the hottest bands of the moment. 

Their track 'Little Monster' getting air play on Radio1 by their number 1 fan Fearne Cotton, performing on BBC2's 'Later...with Jools Holland', and with Arctic Monkeys Drummer, Matt Helders wearing one of their t-shirts at Galstonbury last year, they are racking up quite a following!

I saw them perform last month at the NME awards at Brixton Academy along side Circa Waves, Temples and Interpol and the crowd were in awe, hanging on to every line, solo and hook.

Their new single 'Come On Over' has their signature mix of dynamics, energetic drums, snarling bass, engaging lyrics and a whole lot of sound. Their new video for it can be watched below.



You can see them playing at The Great Escape in their hometown Brighton on the 9th May, and at Finsbury Park, supporting The Arctic Monkeys on the 23rd & 24th May, as well as various other dates across the UK and Europe. 

Find Royal Blood on Facebook HERE
Twitter - @RoyalBloodUK
www.royalbloodband.com

You can buy Royal Blood's new single by clicking on the iTunes link below.

Max Marshall

I recently had the privilege to observe Max at work in the studio, and amongst the repartee and jokes I soon realised I was witnessing some incredibly talented musicians, from skilfully played silky keys, a rhythmically flawless beat played on a cajon, a deep, mellow bass, and of course Max's smooth yet powerful vocals accompanied by her acoustic guitar.
Originally from Baltimore, the talented singer songwriter recently featured on the Matrix & Futurebound record - 'Control', which peaked at #7 in the UK official singles chart and #2 in the UK Dance chart.
With a new track out, 'Blu Magic' by Ill Blu, co-written by
and featuring Max, it's catchy beat and lyrics are most certainly guaranteed to leave you wanting more.
Max is certainly an artist to keep your eyes on, and ears open for in the future, in the meantime you can see her live at Brighton's Great Escape Festival on the 8th May at the Komedia, and again during Camden Crawl at The Monarch on the 21st June.


Buy new single 'Don't Trip' by clicking on the iTunes link above.
Check out Max Marshall on Facebook HERE
Twitter - @TheMaxMarshall

Kygo - Diplo & Friends Mix. Radio1 Xtra

Summer is just around the corner and we're already getting a taste of the sunshine. If you're a fan of chill out house then this mix is definitely up your street. Straight from Radio1 Xtra, Kygo presents Diplo & friends, this mix is sure to kick off summertime with style and get you in the mood for drinks, bands and summer tans! 

Duke Beatbox

So I stumbled upon these three guys when a friend posted a link on Facebook. They have played at some of the hottest music festivals in the UK as well as abroad. Their covers are engaging and skilful, three guys equipped with only a guitar and their voices/beatboxing, their musical ingenuity from within their garden shed is well worth checking out.
Enjoy Duke Beatbox's acoustic summer mashup, including 'Waves' by the terrific Dutch producer, Mr Probz below.

http://www.dukebeatbox.com
https://twitter.com/Dukeofficial

Scarlett Emmanuelle

Scarlett Emmanuelle is a vibrant R&B artist born in London, England with international aspirations. 

Her passion for songwriting paired with a commercial image and dance training make for a multi-faceted entertainer. Growing up with neo-soul allowed her to develop her own unique style which would redefine the stereotype, breaking the mould for such soloists. A desire to perform and convey a wider message makes this young singer more than a superficial pop act..a desire to lead, inspire, become a role model and raise awareness of issues young people face in our society.

Scarlett does not wear these titles idly; she trained at performing arts school, has professionally performed in all entertainment categories. For example, Scarlett was in the UK girl group, The Madame Project - their promo single, Chemistry, reached number 15 on the Pop Billboard Charts in the US. A true artist both in form and substance.

The upcoming generation is waiting to be recognised.. this time someone better be listening.

Email newsletters for bands at ReverbNation.com

When and why did you start playing?

My mum is a great writer and used to read Shakespeare explaining it to me along the way from when I was about 8, this evolved into my love for poetry and that then developed into songwriting. I came out singing though; there was no process or realisation.

Who would you most want to do a duet with? 

Beyonce is incredible all round- vocals, dance ability, stamina, work ethic - she'd be my dream duet.

What artists did you grow up listening to that have inspired you today? 

My dad had me listening to american hip-hop like the Beastie boy whilst my mum loved neo soul..I loved albums by Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, D'Angelo etc growing up,

If you weren't a musician, what would you be and why? 

Its cliched, but nothing. I choose not to have a backup plan or envisage an alternate career path because I wake up every morning for this. Music will always be in me whether I succeed or not.

Have you got any up and coming gigs? 

I'm focusing on recording new album material but after the EP release first I will be performing again. After singing live in Indonesia for 4 months with a 9 piece band I'm suffering withdrawals; nothing compares to the adrenaline that brings.

What is your favorite thing to see in the audience while you are on stage? 

Its always great to watch people dancing, enjoying themselves and maybe picking up on catchy lyrics or the hook but the ultimate satisfaction comes when you catch someone eye and you can tell you've managed to put into words the way they might be feeling. Music is powerful in the sense its universal.

What is your inspiration when writing new material?

Honestly just general life, I enjoy writing on the spur of the moment where an entire song and melody may come in minutes..evoke by what ever may be affecting you or happening in that instant. Also friends relationship issues as I rarely have any of my own!

What are your long term ambitions?

Just to be doing what I love everyday and be able to call it a job; so few can say that. But also to gain recognition on a larger scale for all the years of passion and dedication to my craft, all the material stuff is (and should only be) the icing. Credit where its due and helping young girls to accept themselves balance out my scale of motivations.

What kind of sound can we expect to hear on your debut EP?

Eclectic rnb...the lyrics are sometimes controversial others helplessly romantic but always with a soulful feel even when the beat is commercial.

and finally...

If you were on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

I'm quite content with my own thoughts! So no people haha..a frozen yogurt machine without doubt, a laptop to write my songs on for sanity anddddd. A trampoline?

www.scarlettemmanuelle.co.uk

www.reverbnation.com/scarlettemmanuelle  

https://www.youtube.com/user/ScarlettEmmanuelle
www.twitter.com/scarlieesays

http://instagram.com/scarlieesays

An Interview with Ralphonze

www.soundcloud.com/ralphonze 

The popularity of House music is on the up, with it becoming made increasingly attractive with artists like Disclosure and Bondax amongst many others paving the way to mainstream success. Earlier on this month I had the privilege to speak with the promising, and talented, London based, house music DJ that is 'Ralphonze' and here is what he had to say.

What have you noticed about the rise of house music’s popularity?

I think it's great in a way. The thing with house music is that it's always been with us in full force, it just goes up and down in popularity like other genres do I suppose - it's always been there and people have always been doing their thing on the underground.

It's like skateboarding (and everything else for that matter), it becomes popular every 6 years or so and it picks up a new wave of youngn's and the people who truly love it stick about forever and make it stronger. The others who just jumped on it for the sake of it get filtered out when the next fad pops up. Am I making any sense?!

What projects have you been working on in the studio?

At the moment I've been concentrating almost exclusively on DJing for a long time and that's by far what's most important to me at the moment. Recently though I've had a lot of ideas for music that I need to get around to actually doing, so I do intend to get the ball rolling at some point soon.

What kind of things are inspiring you at the moment, those external influences?

Umm, I think I'd have to just drop a few DJs names here so I'll go with some of my heroes.. Move D and Floating Points are just incredible at what they do I think so I often turn to them for influence. 

Also some of the DJs I've seen this summer play a big part in how I've been inspired. These would include Move D and Floating Points. Also Omar S, George Fitzgerald, Marcellus Pittman, Carl Craig, Giles Smith. 

I really like what Lorca does too, he's great and really on point with what he does. I used to see him play a lot when I lived down in Brighton. Great DJ and great producer.

I also love Local Talk as a Label and Secretsundaze as an event.

Are there any differences in terms of the music scene from London to Brighton?

Hmm.. they are farely similar I think but if I had to answer I'd say Brighton was a little bit friendlier but maybe that's just because it's alot smaller? London can be super friendly too. Difficult question.

What do you use to produce your music?

I like Reason best but I also use Logic too. When I listen back to the bits and pieces I've made over the past few years, the things I made in Reason always seem to have a bit more bite to them, although Logic can be easier to work with.

I also use various midi keyboards and an Akai MPD-24 which is great.

Are there any artists that you would want to collaborate with?

None in mind at the moment as I'm not all that focused on producing at the moment but I'd love to DJ alongside some of the people I mentioned earlier and more.

Any advice you would like to offer to up-and-coming DJs ?

For the DJs I'd say just take your time. Don't expect to be playing out for at least 3 or 4 years so don't rush or force it. I think you learn alot whilst actually playing out so that's part of the process, even when you start playing out you're still a beginner if you see what I mean?

Also when you're buying music don't try and only buy things that work together as part of a set. Go entirely on how it comes across on individual merit. If you do that and you do it properly, and after a anticipated while your choices will all start to slot together nicely. I think that's the best way to get the tightest song selection.

Don't rush. All of the greatest DJs took their time.

What position would you like to be in this time next year?

I think just DJing as much as possible. I want my record collection to be even better, which it undoubtedly will. I'd also like to throw some pretty decent parties too, which also takes time and patience. So look out for that!

Check out Ralphonze's social links below and keep an eye out for Promo Mix 2, due to be released shortly.

www.soundcloud.com/ralphonze 

twitter.com/ralphonze90

facebook.com/ralphonze

DJ Bookings: ralphonze@live.com 

An Introduction

‘Sir’ (now 'Dolce Beats')  is a modern gentleman’s lifestyle journal that has been created not only to inspire but also provide detailed and interesting articles with relevance to the interests of today’s refined gentleman. This includes the latest music news, current fashion and style, key nutrition and fitness tips, all from industry relevant professionals.

This blog will include interviews with some amazing and fascinating people as well as guest writers, sharing their knowledge that they have mastered along their own individual journeys to success. 

suc·cess (sk-ss)

n.

1. The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted

Recently success has been defined more and more by the desire of fame or level of wealth, while this might have an element of truth, this is not the only truth, and what people are forgetting is that success encompasses boundless prosperities. Success is viewed entirely differently from person to person, this is because there is no unequivocal truth when it comes to success, it is simply actioning on something in which you aspire to accomplish. Success is essentially, being happy with whatever you wish to achieve in life wether it be a short term project, like a work or a uni project, or a more long term goal, like creating a family. After all, like the Dali Lama said, "the purpose of our lives is to be happy".

Happiness is hard to measure but is something that everyone seeks, it is hard to determine what happiness is because different people have different understandings and perceptions of how they may wish to obtain this peace of mind. Can happiness be measured by material objects, a new car? or bigger house perhaps? or are these merely status symbols that make other individuals assume that person is happy? Can money deliver happiness, or does it simply mask emotions? Does money mean your happy? For example you may be happy that you received a pay rise at work and you have that extra money, but then after a while you become accustom to this new found lifestyle and are in seek of another pay rise to be able to fund your life. Thus always chasing more money to seek happiness rather than being truly happy with what you have at any one moment. Being compassionate with others is key when trying to attain happiness, not only do you make someone else feel better but in return you feel a lot more content with yourself in doing so. Happiness is something that comes from your own actions, so don't wait around for other people to be happy for you, create your own happiness.

Through following this blog, and the amazing articles that are scheduled to be shared with you, I hope it will inspire to help you along your own path to success and happiness.