New music Friday spans Estonian rap, pop and road movie grooves

New releases highlighted by ERR range from early bling rap and New Orleans bounce to synthpop, nu disco and Misha Panfilov’s road movie inspired sound.

Misha Panfilov brings a road movie feel

Misha Panfilov’s “When I See You (It Feels Wonderful)” is part of the six track album “Where the Birds Fly”, featuring music written between January and April this year. The songs run for more than 30 minutes in total and contain Panfilov’s familiar magic, tricks, mischief and joy, while placing particular emphasis on a road movie atmosphere.

Margiiela and Chillin revisit bling rap

Margiiela and Chillin’s collaborations over recent months served as a warm up for their joint mini album “TLN”. Across six tracks, the two present themselves as the toughest, most stylish, richest and most outrageous rappers, as well as the ones who have been through the most.

Alongside the previously released single “Pole Enam Kaugel”, the EP carries a light retro element. The scent of bling rap also runs through the DNA of its more modern beats. The release looks back to a period before the gap between bounce and bling in local hip hop, raising the question of whether that era could return 25 years later.

Noored ja Näljased draw on early Southern rap

Noored ja Näljased, made up of rapper Lotey and DJ Lotey’s roommate, content creator, editor and party organiser Kenneth, who is also a rapper on a smaller scale, have released the mini album “S.A.U.E”, short for “Suudan Alati Unustada Eilse”. The six tracks last 15 minutes.

The release includes two dance tracks that are intended to be fun but do not sound particularly cheerful, a breakbeat track called “Minek Sees”, and the audio drama “Mehed ja Mured”, about a 6,400 euro debt owed to their mother. The EP ends with the autotuned acoustic ballad “Ma Tahan Juua”.

The track “Isok” stands out among the EP’s songs. Like Margiiela and Chillin’s “TLN”, it reaches back to the roots of early bling rap, the beginnings of Cash Money, New Orleans bounce and Southern trap. Its sound includes Zaytoven style beats, raw rather than polished autotune, and dry, narrow, pixel textured drums.

Kaups releases a nu disco collaboration

Jako Kaups Experience, DJ Critikal and vocalist Sofia Rubina have released “Sun Is Up”, a track with a nu disco groove. Rubina starts singing only near the very end of the song.

The single also received an AI generated music video, which Kaups described as a chance occurrence. He said it would be his final experiment in that field.

Ojamaa teams up with Noep

Raul Ojamaa will release the album “Again and Again and Again” in November. “We Get Lost”, recorded with Noep, is the third single from the album.

The production of the new single is suitably hazy and whining, but it remains unclear what Ojamaa is trying to achieve with his solo project or what its inner impulse is. It is also not yet clear what he adds to the familiar formula of Noep singing over an electronic beat.

Mette channels Janet Jackson

American dancer and singer Mette’s “Small World” is one of the more joyful discoveries of the past week. The single combines synthpop, possibly indie pop, new jack swing and the Janet Jackson sound associated with “Control”.

Mette appears to acknowledge that influence herself, referencing it in her dance routine.