SHREM'S FUTURE ANTHEMS: "HOLY BUBBLES" - Zhala

Robyn's Konichiwa Records protégée and one of the most promising European artists of the past months, Zhala is bringing her debut album on 25th May. Judging by the undeniable excellence of all 4 singles so far: "Slippin Around", "Prophet", "I'm In Love", "Aerobic Lambada" and this brand new Bollywood inspired gem "Holy Bubbles" we might be receiving one of the albums of the year that very day... I continue to be in awe with this unique, incomparable and vibrantly talented Swedish/Kurdish singer. What an impeccable Orient flavoured synth-pop stomper "Holy Bubbles" is!

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SHREM'S LATE MONDAY NIGHT SESSIONS: "CITYBOY" - Alo Wala [Video + EP]

Have you ever heard of Interplanetary Bass? Alo Wala is a new multi-vibrant dance act created by individuals from Chicago, Copenhagen and Stavanger. Their ebullient hybrid of Bollywood, dancehall, global beats, ragga and urban vibes is genuinely quirky and instantly appealing. "Cityboy" lies somewhere between Linkoban, M.I.A. and Buraka Som Sistema. An immediate winner.

"ALO WALA is the sound of a new Europe, a new world, and a new way of thinking about one another as belonging to an interconnected global society. Today in a time when dancehall and hip hop informed culture has taken hold worldwide, local club DJs, multi-lingual rappers and bedroom producers are coming into their own and becoming leaders of a new generation. ALO WALA is poised to step out as one of the bright lights of this movement." - we read on their official Facebook page. The 5-track EP is out now via Enchufada and the luminous video was directed by Jamil GS.

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SHREM'S LATE MONDAY NIGHT SESSIONS: "MA SHIVA" + "OPEN YOUR EYES" - Clarian

It's 3 weeks since the enigmatic Clarian North dropped his grippingly eclectic "Ma Shiva" EP. Montréal based Multi Culti label is responsible for releasing this fascinating fusion of dub, techno and global beats. The title track is a hypnotic journey through exotic soundscapes echoing Hindu mantras and what it feels like a whole bunch of songs I just couldn't quite pin down the titles of... Then I read this in the official press release: "It’s a total one-off that has a certain familiarity to it without actually sounding quite like anything specific… except, oddly enough, maybe a dash of 80s-era Leonard Cohen in the phrasing of the verses."... "Open Your Eyes" reminisces some early 80's synth-pop moments (also without borrowing from them in a too literal way), my boyfriend suggested Yazoo which sounds about right. Enthralling.

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SHREM'S GUILTIEST OF PLEASURES... VOL. 36: "Boom Boom" - نازیہ حسن‎ Nazia Hassan

Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani Pop singer whose Bollywood songs made her a legend in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the early 1980's. This fits my definition of Guilty Pleasures perfectly with its sweet dose of kitsch, Disco-meets-Orient vibe, the shamelessly over the top flamboyance of Bollywood, ultra-catchy chorus and that tacky Moroderesque production.

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SHREM'S BIGGIES BUT GOODIES: "Come Walk With Me" - M.I.A.

After the sensational "Bad Girls" and the uncompromising "Bring the Noize", here comes M.I.A.'s 3rd single heralding the Sri Lankan artist's impossibly delayed 4th studio album "Matangi". "Come Walk With Me" sounds like the most approachable song of the set yet until it breaks into the rampant cacophony of oriental beats, distorted samples, Bollywood echoes and riotous sound effects, oozing the uncontrollable yet appealing punk energy known to so very few artists these days. This girl just always delivers!

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SHREM'S WORLDLY DELIGHTS: "THODA RESHAM LAGTA HAI" - Lata Mangeshkar लता मंगेशकर

Travelling through India for a few months I came to learn about the cult and admiration of Lata Mangeshkar visible in the whole Indian society. Quoting Wikipedia: "Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She sang in over a thousand Bollywood movies and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, but primarily in Hindi."

ARTIST: Lata Mangeshkar
TITLE: "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai"
RELEASE DATE: 1981
COUNTRY: India

Here's one of my most beloved songs from her incredibly vast repertoire:

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