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

New Island Records signing Alex Clare, whose Diplo & Switch produced tracks “Up All Night” and “Too Close” have generated a genuine buzz across radio, press and the blogosphere, has his eagerly awaited debut album ”The Lateness Of The Hour” released on July 11th. Diplo & Switch, who are very particular about who they work with, are on fire at the moment, with Switch producing 7 tracks on the new Beyonce album while Diplo has produced the next Chris Brown single feat. Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne, which is shaping up to be a monster. In addition Beyonce has sampled Major Lazer “Pon The Floor” for her comeback single. “The Lateness Of The Hour” was recorded in New Orleans, Jamaica, Los Angeles and London and was produced in the main by Diplo & Switch, with Eg White (Adele) adding a couple of tunes. Featured tracks on the 11 song set which introduce Clare as an exciting new talent very difficult to pin down, include “Relax My Beloved”, Hummingbird”, “Whispering”, “Hands Are

Fresh from touring with Jessie J and supporting NDubz on their sold out Arena tour, Encore are ready to make their mark on contemporary British pop music with release of the remarkable ‘Tit For Tat’. ‘Tit For Tat’ is released on July 17th 2011 and, true to Encore’s trademark blend, manages to combine a banging baseline and a gritty production with soulful vocal melodies, edgy rhymes and sweet harmonies. Encore are Pierre Joseph, Cairo Woodword and Mark Asari, initially three solo artists who were already making a mark in their own right on the urban music circuit. A preliminary collaboration session in the studio, after meeting at an open mic night in early 2009 eventually led to the creation of Encore; an urban boy band with a distinctively pop edge. Creatively the boys emerge from all walks of their deferring musical lives. Mark is a noted songwriter, Cairo a producer and Pierre a rapper. Together they create the perfect blend of smooth vocals, head bopping beats, individual lyrics

  15 year old London-born soul singer Dionne Bromfield, whose wickedly infectious new single “Yeah Right” has re-introduced her as one of the brightest young talents the UK has produced in years, follows up with the release on July 4th of her hotly anticipated new album ”Good For The Soul” . The album, released via friend and mentor Amy Winehouse’s Lioness label, is a collection of all new songs co-written by Dionne and some of the UK’s premier songwriters, and looks set to establish her as a writer and genuine star in her own right. Co-written by Dionne and writer/producers Steve Booker (Duffy) and Paul O’Duffy (Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield), “Good For The Soul” features 14 all new tracks including debut single “Yeah Right” which features Diggy Simmons, future singles “Sweetest Thing” and “Foolin’”, “Too Soon To Call It Love”, “A Little Love”, “Time Will Tell” and the title track. Dionne Bromfield came to the attention of the world’s media when she became the first signing to Amy