Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

22-year-old DEV is pop’s hottest new temptress, a California girl of Mexican/Portuguese decent with low-dipping 808 sound that’s machine tooled for the clubs.“Bass Down Low ” was produced by L.A. duo The Cataracs, who triangulated the space between trunk-rattling hip hop, pop and L.A. electro. The duo found DEV after she uploaded an Amy Winehouse cover onto YouTube which she had recorded on her MacBook at home. The boys went on to produce DEV’s breakout track “Booty Bounce ” which has garnered over 1 million hits on YouTube. It was “Booty Bounce” that The Cataracs sampled for the hook on Far East Movement’s hit single “Like A G6” which got to #5 in the UK and sold 2 million downloads worldwide. So DEV introduced the world to the slang ‘slizzard’ for getting drunk while name checking Three 6 Mafia - turning the song into a veritable smash in the process. Now emerging as a solo artist “Bass Down Low” is only the beginning; her forthcoming debut 'The Night the Sun Came Up' is drop

After a ridiculously successful 2010 which saw Robyn rank high in many end of year poll’s, from Popjustice’s #1 album of the year to Guardian’s #1 single of the year, to winning Radio 1’s Live Lounge of the year - and pretty much everything in between - Robyn is ready to stamp her platform booted mark all over 2011 just as hard. Not only was she recently nominated for a BRIT Award for International Female Solo Artist (alongside Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Kylie Minogue and Rhianna), and for ‘Best Dance Recording’ in the US Grammy’s, she also won a massive 4 awards at the Swedish Grammy’s, played a sold out 6000 capacity Radio City Music hall in NYC and has announced a 15 date American tour with said fellow BRIT nominee, Miss Perry, starting in June. This follows Robyns return to the UK in March for her own select shows which included a sold out gig at London’s Roundhouse. Robyn will release ‘Call Your Girlfriend’, taken from her latest Body Talk album on May 16. Remixes come from Kaskade

Five years on from his debut album, Tom Vek is back. Following much speculation, Tom Vek’s brand new single A Chore was premiered  (Monday 18th April) by Radio 1’s Zane Lowe and is available to buy immediately as a digital download. It’s accompanied by a brilliant Ollie Evans-directed video that can be seen right now at WWW.TOMVEK.TV  The single precedes the release of Tom Vek’s highly anticipated second album. Titled Leisure Seizure, the twelve track album will be released on 6th June 2011 on Island Records, available on CD, LP and download. Tom Vek will also mark the release of Leisure Seizure with a five date UK headline tour, including a London show at Heaven.  The full tour dates are: 13th June - Manchester Ruby Lounge 14th June - Glasgow Classic Grand 15th June - Birmingham HMV Institute Library 16th June - London Heaven 18th June - Brighton Concorde 2

Grammy Award winning, chart-topping SoCal singer songwriter Colbie Caillat will release “All Of You”, her highly anticipated third album on July 12th. Caillat wrote “All Of You” about her experiences the last few years, the most significant of which is her blossoming relationship with band mate Justin Young. “He was in my band for two years before we noticed that we liked each other,” Caillat says, laughing. “I wrote most of this album about us, our ups and downs. All the songs are about life experiences, so I guess this record is more grown up, with a somewhat wiser perspective.” On the new album, Caillat realised her long held dream of collaborating with rapper/film star Common who lends his rhymes to the infectious “Favorite Song”. Caillat wrote “Favorite Song” and “Brighter than the Sun” with Ryan Tedder and collaborated with Toby Gad, Jason Reeves, Rick Nowels, and Justin Young on the album. The first single from the new album, “I Do”, debuted at #1 on iTunes in the US, and is re

PJ Harvey’s eighth studio album was recently released to widespread international acclaim and ‘Let England Shake’ has garnered Top 10 chart positions in the UK, Australia, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland and debuted at number 2 in Belgium & Norway. Having completed a sold out European tour, including two triumphant dates at the Troxy in East London, PJ Harvey will return to London this summer with a performance at Alexandra Palace on July 23rd. Harvey will also played this year’s Coachella Festival sharing the bill with Kanye West and The Strokes. Mercury Prize Winner, PJ Harvey was awarded the Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution to Music at this year’s NME Awards, performing at last month’s ceremony with live band Mick Harvey, Jean Marc Butty and John Parish and more recently appeared live on BBC2's  Later with Jools Holland ‘The Glorious Land’, the second single from PJ Harvey’s ‘Let England Shake’, was released as di

CocknBullKid, one of the most acclaimed young British artists to emerge in recent years, is releasing her hotly anticipated debut album ‘Adulthood’ on May 23. The album, co-written by Anita alongside a host of talents including the eccentric, electronic piano man Gonzales, who worked on half the record, is a full functioning pop odyssey that looks set to soundtrack the summer of 2011 . In addition to Chilly, there are a couple of songs from Peter, Björn and John’s Peter Morén, as well as a co-write each from Joseph 'Metronomy' Mount and former All Saint, and one of Anita’s hero’s Shaznay Lewis. The album was produced by Liam Howe (Marina and the Diamonds / ex- Sneaker Pimps). Adulthood was recorded in London, Paris and Stockholm and was put together in Howe's Dalston home studio, surrounded by vintage synths, and in the cosy confines of Snap Studios in North London. With this brilliant debut, CocknBullKid has emerged from a creative cocoon with a suite of bright, breezy an

Nicki Minaj, the hottest new artist on the planet follows her wildly acclaimed million selling debut album “ Pink Friday ” with the release of her new Young Money/Cash Money single “ Girls Fall Like Dominoes ”. The single which samples The Big Pink’s cult single “Dominos”, looks set to give the US pop diva her biggest UK hit single. Nicki is currently slaying audiences across the US co-headlining with friend and mentor Lil Wayne on the sold–out “I Am Music II” tour and with 1.5 million albums sold in the US, 8 million likes on Facebook, 3 million followers on Twitter, a gold album in the UK and a profile that is rising by the day, here are some of the things the UK press are saying about this 5’ 2” phenomenon. Buy Download - Single "Girls Fall like Dominoes" Buy CD Pink Friday Bonus Tracks http://www.myspace.com/nickiminaj WHAT THE PAPERS SAY “THE noisiest noise on the block right now. Scrums at the Dorchester, ridiculous wigs inspired by Marge Simpson, watch out Lon