Jeeni Blog

Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

Artist Focus: Giack Bazz - A Royalty Revolutionary

/ By Doug Phillips
Artist Focus: Giack Bazz - A Royalty Revolutionary

In just five short years, Giack Bazz has crafted a spectrum of ideas and concepts with his discography that a lot artists don’t get around to in their lifetime. Although Giack has expanded his sound to stylistic corners that he even had to create himself, his sound has typically always been centred around alternative, experimental rock, inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Thom Yorke and Devendra Banhart. 

Giack studied songwriting at BIMM London where he honed his already present skills as a singer-songwriter. Jeeni is always on the lookout for exciting, new talent that deserves a wider outreach and so, BIMM alumni, Ella Venvell, Jeeni’s artist liaison specialist remembered Giack as a unique and layered act and introduced him to Jeeni’s mission. As well as working with BIMM students, Jeeni has recently become partners with ACM to be at the source of new talent and help to uplift them in their careers.

Hailing from Modena, Italy, the london-based Giack Bazz began his musical journey in 2016 with the sentimental and heart-aching ‘Childhood Dream'. The stunning debut was a means of processing the wave of emotions that came with the passing of his mother when he was just nine. Giack was also lucky enough to be picked up by his region’s arts council to fund a grand rock opera based off the impressive debut. 

By kicking off his musical path with such a challenging and maturely profound project, Giack set up a powerful origin, with which he has used to launch into increasingly fascinating works, the likes of which I have never heard before. 

As a fairly straightforward 9-track project, ‘Childhood Dreams’ is so far the only vanilla tracklist in Giack’s discography. Giack went on in 2018 to make a long-redundant 2-disc split with his second album, ‘Giack Bazz Is Not Famous’. This album had a more light-hearted, yet angsty indie rock tone which featured more full band arrangements compared to his first. The disc openers, ‘Beetle’ and ‘Forgotten Media’ are certainly two focal points of the project. 

The year after came the Japan inspired ‘Haikufy’ which, despite containing 30 tracks, clocked in at under 20 minutes long. This project is the clearest first sign of Giacks experimental tendencies. Ranging from twinkling, dreamy moments to thrashing noise and yelling, the weird and wonderful ‘Haikufy’ still can’t help but feel cohesive as an experimental project due to clear vision and production. ‘Haikufy’ proved to be a vital stepping stone for Giack’s future as an artist and not just experimentally, as it was here where Giack first initiated his “personal protest against the unfair paying scheme of streaming platforms.” 

Giack explained to me that “streams are only paid after the first 31 seconds clock in, the rest of the song is worthless for streaming platforms.” And so, by releasing an album that has densely packed in tracks that meet the bare minimum length to gain royalties from streaming services, Giack exploits a system just as they do. It was this concept that gave birth to Giack’s most recent project which is a kind of sibling to ‘Haikufy’ except, instead of 30 short songs, last year’s ‘Impression A.I.’ contained 366 written, mixed and mastered songs in a 6.5-hour timeframe! 

Released under the name ‘The Royalty Instrumentality Project’ as a collaboration with partner and producer, Deborah Verrascina, ‘Impression A.I.’ is an inspiring and righteous protest against the unethical operations of streaming services, “By creating a vast album of short songs, we effectively use their system against them.”  

With concepts like this; born of passion, research and justice, Giack makes for such a formidable force in the music industry. With Deobrah’s production to polish Giack’s ambitious projects and equally in-depth, albeit sinister marketing campaigns from manager, Marta Teolato, the team of three are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to music royalty justice. Fortunately, the trio are currently planning a similar protest project, fulled by extensive collaboration. Watch this space. 

Giack is performing live at The Beehive, Empson Street on the 21st of January, tickets are available now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-beehive-underground-sound-tickets-211275650157?aff=GiackBazz 

How can Jeeni support artists like Giack Bazz?  

JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.  

• We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  
• We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  
• We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  
• Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team. 

Check out Giack’s Jeeni showcase here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/giack-bazz 

07
Dec

Amba Tremain - 'Baby You're Gold' Single Review

Amba Tremain’s new single ‘Baby You’re Gold’ is a graceful, yet energetic addition to her family of Soulful songs with heavy R&B and Ska influences. Any Amy Winehouse fan would very much enjoy the Soulful, Ska aura of the song, starting with a dreamy intro featuring chords on a Rhodes type electric piano and a classic Ska guitar part on the offbeat. The harmonizing, tremolo backing vocals paint a beautiful vibration in your head.   The chorus features a dramatic build to a loving call and response between Amba and the backing singers. Amba’s voice is a powerful instrument, used here in a tender way through her affectionate lyrics to display a kinder side. The vibrato keys throughout the chorus help synergize the bright, sunny tone, alongside the higher end magical sounding key scales.  A breakdown into a relaxing Ska middle 8 consisting of engaging guitar delay and a smooth bassline prepares you for a last booming chorus. The structurally brilliant song finishes with a sharp, exuberant ending. Amba has certainly got the knack for writing engaging and well written music, here she has grown her range with an undeniably catchy and jubilant song.  Check Out Amba Tremain's BRAND NEW single 'Baby You're Gold' here: https://jeeni.com/amba-tremain-baby-youre-gold/ How can Jeeni support artists like Amba Tremain?   JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.  • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team.  Check out Amba Tremain's Jeeni page: https://jeeni.com/?s=amba+tremain

14
Feb

Pat Spencer & JoeSach - ‘Alive & Surviving’ EP Review

This collaboration between a heart-felt lyricist and a versatile songwriter results in a sweet and layered three-track project.  Although songwriter and producer, JoeSach has already uploaded various electronic tracks on the global streaming platform, Pat Spencer is a new addition to Jeeni and has already broadened Jeeni’s indie channel. Be sure to check out the showcases of these two invaluable jeeni artists: JoeSach - https://jeeni.com/showcase/joesach/ and Pat Spencer - https://jeeni.com/showcase/patspencer/.  Pat Spencer’s sweet lyrics and vocal talent provide the heart to this project, while producer, JoeSach forms the body with day-dreamy and mellow instrumentals. The creative and stylistic change of pace lends itself well to Pat’s voice; with thrashing live drums and angsty bass-centered tracks, Pat’s last year singles were much rowdier and faster paced. His casual, yet sincere vocals contain a lot of character and have been fully realised with these calmer instrumentals.  The opening track, ‘I Like You’ is an excellent introduction to this short project. It swells open with a filter-swept beat and warm electric piano chord as though this EP is warming up. With the softer, jazz inspired instrumentals, Pat’s conversational lyrics and sweet melodies are much more obviously reminiscent of Rex Orange County and the British take on bedroom pop. This light-hearted introduction helps set the initially brighter tone which helps contrast the darker tracks to come.  ‘Time’, the second track, is a retrospective and peaceful cut. Layered, imperfect vocals make the song feel warm, comforting and real. While there’s a certain sadness in Pat’s voice here, there’s also acceptance and optimism as he sings ‘Keep your head down, you’ll be fine’. The particular easiness and comfort in Pat’s vocals on ‘Time’ makes the track a clear highlight.  The final track, poetically named ‘The Persistence of Memory’ is an emotional and longing closer. The final piece of this trilogy feels the bleakest, making the project feel like a gradual decrease in hope and enthusiasm, which is an incredibly effective narrative considering it’s told in just three tracks. Minor keys, moody timbres and morose mixing helps to tell the story of this increasingly blue EP.  How can Jeeni support artists like Pat Spencer?   JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.   • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team.  album review album review album review

10
Dec

Artist Focus: Amba Tremain, The South Coast Soultress

Despite Amba Tremain’s proclivity towards the 'good ol’ days' of soul, motown and rhythm & blues, the Portsmouth singer’s attitude and approach to honoring the classics is refreshing, open and varied. The South coast soulstress -as aptly dubbed in her bio- has firmly re-opened a nostalgic and warm door to the golden-era of soul via spirited covers and fiery original tracks.  As lecturer and Head of Vocals, for Brighton’s WaterBear College, it should be no surprise that Amba’s vocal capabilities rival that of even the original godfathers and mothers of soul. Her pitch perfect voice has lead to her being the star talent on several collaborations, very much out of her typical creative choice.  Earlier this year, British electronic duo, Hollaphonic sampled a work of Amba’s for their summer house banger, ‘Shadows In The Sun’ which found its way on countless playlists. Up-and-coming Deltiimo also felt inspired by Amba’s talent, resulting in the floor-filling ‘Boy If You Want My Love’ back in 2018.  Her sheer vocal talent also got her an invitation on BBC1’s hit Saturday night show, ‘I Can See Your Voice’. Contestants had to guess from a selection of would-be performers who can and can’t sing. Amba was obviously (perhaps not at first to the contestants) the show’s jaw-dropping talent for the evening and sung her heart out for the primetime gameshow.  The pureness and clarity of Amba Tremain’s voice certainly makes her the perfect subject for electronic collaborations, however, she shines brightest on her own compositions. Most recently; ‘Baby You’re Gold’ which came out last Friday, is a laid-back, blissful tune with glossy and glamorous performances all around, (Check out Jeeni’s full review of the track here).  Far from a one-trick pony, Amba has embraced all sorts of traditional genres and styles such as funk, country, pop and rock. Unlike many of her other works, ‘More Than My Mistakes’ is an all-too relatable RnB piano ballad. Stripped back to the basics of vocals, piano and selective strings, this single from last year contains a raw and unfeigned passion that most vocalists could only dream to convey.  Sofar Sounds described Amba’s essence well, ‘Amba’s beautiful melodies and engaging energy make for a truly captivating experience. Amba breathes life and honesty into her soulful performances through her very honest lyrics and vocals’.  If her 2021 singles are anything to go by, Amba Tremain has built up a formidable momentum of releases which hopefully will only continue to grow.  Check out Amba on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/?s=amba+tremain  How can Jeeni support artists like Amba Tremain? JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.   • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make.  • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way.  • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect.  • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team.