Rife Meets Lady Leshurr
Grace caught up with Lady Leshurr, ahead of her performance last month at Colston Hall.
Lady Leshurr was in Bristol...
Bristol’s Top Five Women In Music
After attending a Bristol Women in Music event as part of 6Music Festival Fringe, Grace shares some of her top picks from women in our city’s music scene.
Bristol is the kind of city where talented musicians are never more than a a few steps away and the presence of the BBC 6Music Festival highlighted how much Bristol still has to offer in light of its incredible trip-hop and dub legacy. After attending a Bristol Women in Music event, it became more evident to me that Bristol’s female musicians have been helping each other for years and there’s a genuine network of sharing and support that needs to continue.
So, continuing the theme, here are five women in Bristol, who are owning the music scene:
L U C Y
Credit: Eva May Art
This 19-year-old producer from Bristol had me committed to finding out more when I heard her DJ at the Nocturnal launch. L U C Y is a student at Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) and cites hip-hop’s most influential producer J Dilla as her ‘saviour’. Her four-track EP remixes smooth samples of Trey Songz, Alicia Keys and Tinashe with dry snare beats bathed in muted chimes. ‘Sakura’ is an original taken from the EP and if you’re dreaming of riding around with the sunroof open, this is your soundtrack.
Saffron Records
Source: Saffron Records/Facebook
Bristol’s girls-only label has finally announced its first signings. Azadi, China Bowls, and Lauren Martin are the talented three lucky women who find themselves with brand spanking new Safford Records record deals. Lauren Martin will be supporting Bonkaz at the next Bristol Plays Music, ‘Switch’ event. When we spoke to the team about their aims, empowering the girls and preparing them for the industry was their focus. We look forward to watching them develop as time goes on.
Shanti Celeste
Google her and a barrage of names and brands will greet you. From sharing a bill with Annie Mac, to spinning back-to-back with Julio Bashmore, to playing sets on Boiler Room and her monthly residency on NTS, Shanti might be Bristol-based, but her reputation as a producer and DJ is recognised far beyond the city. When she’s not on the road she produces bubbling melodic house tracks and runs BRSTL – her label with Idle Hands owner Chris Farrell.
Eva Lazarus
Source: EvaLazarus.com
You may know her as the voice of Etherwood’s 2015 smash, ‘Light My Way Home’, but don’t confuse Eva with someone who’ll be boxed in by the formulaic dance tracks that populate Eton Messy playlists. ‘Konichi-Wah-Gwarn‘ shows she can master Dancehall just as well as she can ride the 2-4 of reggae. Check out her most recent collaboration with DJ Vadim on ‘Call On Me’, also featuring Serocee.
Eleanor VS
Source: Eleanor VS./Facebook
The best music isn’t always the loudest and Eleanor VS makes the case for quietly wowing you. Her sultry and astoundingly smooth voice weaves words in the way that only folk musicians can. Passivity is the album she released in 2014, via Sobria Records and is currently her biggest work. Featuring intricate guitar playing, string arrangements, flutes and casually excellent vocal runs, it’s definitely worth a listen. Find Eleanor VS performing across Bristol.
Got suggestions for your favourite female musicians in Bristol? Let us know – @rifemag or Rife Magazine
To hang out with like-minded girls in Bristol, check out the Girls Group on Rife Guide
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About the author
Grace Shutti
Grace is a 21-year-old writer, (sometimes) music manager by way of London. Since starting a music blog aged 16, she has found herself working in the music industry with and for the artists she used to write about. Her interests include long-form Buzzfeed articles, black girls doing excellent things and looking at trainers on the Internet.
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