In an effort to help artists impacted by the ongoing global pandemic, Bandcamp has been forgoing their fee for the first Friday of the month. Since beginning, Bandcamp Day has become a highly anticipated event for artists and music lovers with fans turning out to support their favorites, and musicians returning the favor with special releases and extra content.
Coming just a few days after the online music retailer announced its own Juneteenth fundraiser benefiting the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, many artists are using today's Bandcamp Day to not only spotlight Black artists but raise their own funds for a variety of charities supporting protesters and Black communities across the country.
In this same spirit, PAPER put together our own list of music by Black artists that you should definitely add to your cart. (It's by no means a comprehensive list, so here is a spreadsheet of more than 1,000 Black-owned labels and producers that should cover anyone we might've missed).
Leonce
A leading figure in Atlanta's queer DIY scene, DJ/producer Leonce is back with a brand new EP, Seconds & Fifths. The three-track effort, which is full of down and dirty techno and synth-laden club killers, is a perfect addition to anyone's DJ crate.
GRRL
Durham, North Carolina-based producer and selector extraordinaire, GRRL has announced their new album, Marathon, is out July 3rd. Ahead of its release, GRRL has shared four new cuts that offer a look into the caustic murky depths of the new project.
Modulaw, Xzavier Stone
Producers Modulaw and Xzavier Stone team up for the bass-heavy ASMR-tinged banger, "TWEAKIN'." All proceeds from the song will be donated to bail funds across the country and "Allianz gegen Racial Profiling" in Switzerland.
Cakes Da Killa
New York rapper Cakes Da Killa has linked up with Proper Villains for an absolute scorcher in the new single, "Don Dada." Between the pumped up old school house vibes and Cakes' blistering fast bars, "Don Dada" feels like the perfect party starter. All label earnings during the first 24 hours of this release will be split 50/50 between George Floyd Bail Funds and Stöd Expo!.
DJ Swisha, Kush Jones
The gods, SWISHA and Kush Jones, finally link up for the mother of all EPs with Outta Bounds. Full of some of the most intricate and blisteringly fast drum patterns that have ever been tried on a dancefloor, this forward-thinking footwork fusion is a must have.
Nídia
Portuguese producer Nídia shares the third installment in a series with her latest brassy club-focused EP, S/T. "We have to be more friendly and humane," Nídia said in press release. "COVID taught us that we are nobody without each other. Since I stopped judging and hating human beings my life has become as colourful as the LGBTQ flag and as firm as Martin Luther King's fist."
quest?onmarc, Neana
Brooklyn club fixture, quest?onmarc once again joins forces with Neana for a second helping of GEMINI. The hard-hitting vogue-influenced trio of tracks undoubtedly brings the heat, and on top of that 100% of the proceeds will go toward the Black Trans Travel Fund, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts and the Homeless Black Trans Women Fund.
Shygirl, Arca
With a highly anticipated collaboration on KiCK i on the way, Shygirl and Arca once again come together to collaborate on the new single, "unconditional." It's a gauzy little tune with Shygirl's glitchy autotuned vocals permeating Arca's desolate audio landscape to haunting effect. One hundred percent of funds generated from sales will be divided between Black Lives Matter and Inquest UK.
UNIIQU3
The queen of Jersey club, UNIIQU3, is back with her new two-track Digital Diva EP. Combining elements of Acid and Techno into her signature high-energy style, UNIIQU3 describes the new offering as the soundtrack to her bedroom raves while under quarantine. "Digital Diva is my battle with identity online and in real life. Hop in loser we're logging on. Hope you enjoy this ride."
HANZ
New Jersey rapper, HANZ, is sharing the mixtape prelude to his forthcoming album, VAGABOND. The aptly titled, PRAYLUDE, is a sampling of all the young talent has to offer, from auto-tuned crooning to lo-fi bangers. One hundred percent of revenue earned from the mixtape is being donated to a local Black farming organization dedicated to closing the food disparity.
BEARCAT
Discwoman signee, BEARCAT, has shared a new EP of unfinished works and demos
DJ FLP, Elevation
Ann Arbor, Michigan's DJ FLP and Atlanta's drum savant, Elevation, share a new EP of dreamy DnB and chilled out breaks on Displacement.
DJ Sliink, DJ Jayhood
Jersey Club trailblazers DJ Sliink and DJ Jayhood finally share their highly anticipated anthem, "Jersey." A loving tribute to their home turf, the bouncy track is just as much a dancefloor bop as it is a testament to the longevity and spirit of the Jersey Club community. All of the sales will go towards the Jannah on Grafton gofundme that's been set up as a part of the effort to transform the now vacant lot into a community garden.
Suzi Analogue
Hip-hop hacker Suzi Analogue invites us over to her house with her brand new EP, Su Casa. Full of glitchy textures and gorgeously soulful vocals, Analogue's synth mastery is on full display interweaving intricate polyrhythms with uplifting melodies that leave you feeling energized and refreshed.
Myst Milano
Myst Milano describes her newest single "Log Me In" as being inspired by feelings of "jadedness, disillusion, repression, and deep disconnection." Slithering along, there's something hypnotic about the way Myst's repeated refrain, "Log me in/ Log me in," draws the listener further into its sinister depths. Plus, it features a Death Grips sample, so whats not to love?
Shamir
Shamir is back with their first single since March's Cataclysm. Their new single, "Something That's Worth My Praises," is a psychedelic guitar-driven trip guided along by Shamir's angelic vocals. The track will only be available today with the proceeds being split among the Center For Black Equity, the Philly chapter of BLM and the Philadelphia Bail Fund.
Photo courtesy of Shamir
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