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We are very proud to announce the release today of yet another superb album, this time by Justo the MC and Edinburgh lofi hip hop producer Brelstaff.

In the true traditions of the art of storytelling, “Urban Testimony” depicts events before, during and after the Brooklyn rapper’s curtailed and troubled time studying at Clark Atlanta University some years ago. Documented in a deeply personal narrative, details unfold of a conflicted mind on a potential escape route to academia straying rapidly on a hedonistic path and the consequences incurred.

While regrets are clear, the spirit of resilience prevails. Emerging scathed but undaunted and emboldened by second chances, the final scenes present a renewed sense of optimism for the future with lessons duly learned.

A fascinating and brutally honest account is relayed through trademark slick rhymes and deft lyricism, the art of storytelling set to a suitably atmospheric soundtrack provided by Brelstaff’s blend of soulful chilled lofi hip hop beats and ambient electronica.

It is a remarkable piece of work by two masters of their craft which we are extremely pleased to share with you now on APPLE/iTunes, AMAZON, TIDAL and below on BANDCAMP & SPOTIFY.

    There are also official videos for every track which you can watch on the album’s playlist published on our Youtube channel.

    Of course earlier this year we released the instrumental version of the album, and several tracks were broadcast by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 on their Focus Beats programme.

    It also has a full video playlist on our Youtube Channel and can be streamed on Spotify

    Justo will be performing tracks from “Urban Testimony” when he travels to upstate New York on Saturday November 18th as a special guest of Anthony Kannon and Frost Gamble for their ‘Cautionary Tales’ album launch party at Deep Dive in Ithaca.

    For more information about Justo and Brelstaff including all their social media details, visit their ARTIST PAGE on this site.

    For all media, press, audio & video podcats and radio station DJ inquiries about the release, please contact the official publicist, our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR HERE  

    As ever, enjoy the music and as always we thank everyone for their support.

    TEAM NDR

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    We are very proud to announce the release today of the fantastic new album “Cautionary Tales” by award winning New York State rapper Anthony Kannon and producer Frost Gamble, originally of Binghamton NY and now resident in Winnipeg, Canada.

    We first heard the album around a year ago, and after much prepatory work and a summer of several single releases, it’s our great pleasure to finally provide the opportunity for you to hear it in full for the first time.

    Authentically powerful, the young Ithacan lyricist draws on what has been quite a backstory filled with real life battles and challenging circumstances to convey a wide range of subject matter represented throughout the aptly titled release.

    Having survived the trauma of being shot by armed intruders to the family home, it is a remarkable journey encapsulated in a series of biographical depictions, all with an underlying theme of survival, escape, progression and transformation.

    This is Storyville of a life less ordinary deserving to be heard, handled with impressive maturity through a narrative packed full of dope rhymes and skillful wordplay. All set to the highest caliber soundtrack provided by Frost, himself a Juno Awards nominee for his production on Fresh IE’s “Ill Street Blues” in 2020.

    AVAILABLE NOW TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD ON APPLE/iTUNES, AMAZON, TIDAL AND BELOW ON BANDCAMP & SPOTIFY

    There is also a full video playlist for every track playing on our Youtube channel

    There will be two opportunties to see the album showcased live at the special launch events.

    First up is next week on Thursday October 26th at The Osborne Taphouse in Winnipeg, then next month on Saturday November 18th at Deep Dive in Ithaca when Anthony will be performing with a live band and will also be joined by special guest, Brooklyn’s Justo the MC who features on the album alongside Frost’s long time sparring partner Tone Chop.

    Tickets for both are available to buy in advance on Eventbrite, and of course entry on the nights at the door.

    For more information about Anthony & Frost including all their social media details, visit their ARTIST PAGE on this site

    For all media, press, audio & video podcast and radio station DJ inquiries about the release, please contact our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR HERE

    Enjoy the music and again we thank everyone for their support.

    TEAM NDR

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    Earlier in the summer, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 programme “Focus Beats” included instrumental tracks from our catalogue by Brelstaff, Frost Gamble and Husky Brown.

    Broadcast weekly through the night and produced by Reform Radio, it’s designed for listeners to help with focus, study and to chill & relax with the playback facility available online for several weeks via the station’s renowned BBC Sounds.

    This weekend the programme again included one of our releases, “High” being the third track used from Edinburgh producer Brelstaff’s “Urban Testimony [The Instrumentals]” album we released in the Spring, and you can listen back to the whole programme HERE

    The album was released in the Spring on all digital platforms including Apple/iTunes, and Tidal. It is also available to listen in full at Bandcamp, Spotify and there is also a full video playlist for every track on Youtube

    The instrumental album was the forerunner to the full vocal version releasing on November 3rd, a collaboration with Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC.

    The vocal version of “High” was released in the late summer, and again is available to stream and download on all of the digital platforms already mentioned, with the official video playing on Youtube.

    The next single from the pair is “Sunday”, out October 10th

    You can get more information about the artists at their specially designated ARTIST PAGE on this website.

    All press, multimedia and radio station DJ enquiries regarding any of our releases can be sent to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR, their contact information is HERE

    TEAM NDR

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    Releasing on October 20th 2023, “Cautionary Tales” by upstate New York rapper Anthony Kannon and producer Frost Gamble is now available to pre-order for downloading and streaming pre-save. You can do so on Apple Music and Spotify via the multi store link HERE

    By doing so, all four singles will be made available to you immediately. “Pitfalls” and “Make It Rain” which have already been released, plus “Second Floor” and “Cold Start” due out in August and September respectively.

    The album, just as with all singles on release, will also be available on a much wider selection of online stores and streaming platforms including Bandcamp and Tidal.

    The singles have enjoyed extensive online coverage and airplay on stations worldwide, including a special feature by Public Enemy’s legendary Chuck D on his Rapstation show. In addition, the instrumental version of album track “Long Ride” was aired by Focus Beats this month which is broadcast on the world renowned BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6.

    With much more to come leading up to release, Anthony and Frost have been busy arranging two separate album launch events due to take place in Canada and Ithaca in October and November. We will have further news regarding those dates shortly.

    Meantime, you can check out the videos for “Pitfalls” and “Make It Rain” on Youtube

    For more information about the artists, including all their social media platforms, visit their specially designated artist page provided on this site HERE

    For all media and DJ enquiries regarding any of our releases, contact our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR HERE

    As ever, all the support received has been greatly appreciated.

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    TEAM NDR

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    Focus Beats, produced by Reform Radio, broadcasts weekly through the night, initially on Saturdays aired on BBC Radio 6 and repeated on BBC Radio 1 every Wednesday.

    The world renowned station has recently scheduled various programmes of a similar nature, mirroring the phenomenon which has grown exponentially in recent years on Youtube and Spotify playlists. Typically playing a mix of instrumental lo-fi hip hop, chill, and ambient electronica, all designed to assist with relaxation, stress relief, meditation and in particular there is extensive usage by students using these sounds to help with focusing on stud. It is the musical extension of ASMR.

    This week’s programme can be streamed for the next six weeks on BBC Sounds and you can listen back HERE

    It includes tracks affiliated to New Dawn Records’ releases by three different artists

    Brelstaff – “Fine Line (instrumental)” Taken from Urban Testimony [The Instrumentals]” released earlier this year, the original version appears on the vocal version of the album, a collaboration with Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC which drops on November 3rd. The first single “High” will be made available on August 1st.

    Urban Testimony [The Instrumentals] on Spotify

    Urban Testimony – Official Album Video Trailer on Youtube

    Frost Gamble “Long Ride (instrumental)”. This is the instrumental of the track appearing on the album “Cautionary Tales”, another collaborative project this time between the producer originally from Binghamton NY and now resident in Canada, and award winning upstate NY rapper Anthony Kannon

    Releasing on October 20th, the first single “Pitfalls” dropped in June with the new single “Make It Rain” ready to make its appearance next week on Tuesday July 18th.

    Pitfalls is available on all digital platforms including Bandcamp, Apple, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon and here on Spotify

    Cautionary Tales – Official Album Video Trailer on Youtube

    Phoenix da Icefire & Husky Brown “Veganite (instrumental)”. The instrumental of the track which appeared on “Panacea”, released by us in 2020 and which was nominated for “Best Independent Album” at the AIM Awards that year.

    It remains an immense piece of work by the London duo, with Husky fusing hip hop, funk, soul, dub, electronic and lo-fi sounds as a soundtrack to a narrative by Phoenix addressing prominent issues such as institutional racism, mental health, physical well being, spirituality, climate change, knife crime and aspirations, all delivered with the underlying message of empathy and hope for the future.

    A remarkable album that will continue to stand the test of time which you can hear on all digital platforms including Bandcamp, Apple, Tidal and here on Spotify

    All the artists we work with have their own page designated for them on this website which includes background information and all of their social media links, so simply go to the ARTISTS section in the Menu for further details.

    All international media and DJ enquries about any of our releases can be sent to our in house promotional division, UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are HERE

    Our thanks again to Reform Radio for the support

    TEAM NDR

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    New Dawn Records are proud to announce the upcoming release of the new album “Urban Testimony” by Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC and Edinburgh producer Brelstaff on November 3rd 2023 distributed digitally by Ingrooves / Universal.

    Justo first emerged in 2010 while working with his cousin and producer DJ Vic Black of Gangstarr Foundation.  The video for their joint “It’s Our Year” released in 2011 featured DJ Premier, and after several years of mixtape releases, the pair would hook up again in 2017 on Justo’s album “Black Ops” produced entirely by DITC’s Showbiz, executively produced and curated by Vic assisted by DJ Premier. 

    Since then there has been prolific output through worldwide collaborations including Canadian production team The Lost Info, Brooklyn’s Maticulous, Italy’s Bboy Enea, Nova Scotian DK, the UK’s Remulak and for the first time in 2021 with Brelstaff on their joint “Swagu”.

    In  2014 while performing under his born name Daryl Donald, Brel released his debut EP “Kept” and the collaborative album “The Clockwork” with south London emcee Cutta Chase.  The release of his instrumental album “Solitude” in 2017 followed in 2019 by “Behold the Spirit” and “Full Circle” built up his reputation as one of the most respected new emerging underground lo fi hip hop producers from these shores, attracting a total of 450,000 listeners and a million streams on Spotify.

    Subsequently having adopted the new pseudonym, he released the self titled “Brelstaff” in 2020, and returned to the public arena in February 2023 with the new joint “Cursive” featuring the legendary Fashawn, followed in April by the release of the instrumental version of the “Urban Testimony” through New Dawn, securing play on the BBC Radio 1 & Radio 6 show “Focus Beats” in the process.

    The new album documents what Justo  describes as the “arrival at a crossroads from a life defining year”.  A deeply personal narrative which provides a fascinating insight depicting events leading up to and during his curtailed stay at Clark Atlanta University, and he has again turned to Brelstaff to accompany him on his journey.    Beautifully crafted, fuelled by skilful lyricism addressing the core messages of mental health, hedonism, loss of faith, redemption and renewed focus all set to the perfect musical score. The perfect partnership.  

    The album can be pre-ordered from various store with effect from September 8th HERE

         

    A series of singles will precede the album release beginning on August 1st with “High”.  All will be available to download and stream from major digital platforms including Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon.  Videos for all tracks will appear on our official Youtube channel @newdawnrecords where you can now watch the video trailer.

    All international press and DJ enquiries can be addressed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are HERE and the full official album press release can be read HERE

    Again we’d encourage everyone to connect with the artists directly on their social media platforms. Just like everyone we work with, they always got a lot going on & they’ll holla back!

    Justo on Twitter @MC_Justo IG @JustoTheMC FB @JustoTheMC

    Brelstaff on Twitter @BrelstaffMusic IG @BrelstaffMusic FB @BrelstaffMusic

    Thanks again to everyone for supporting not just what we do, but more importantly, what these talented artists do.

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    TEAM NDR

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    New Dawn Records are proud to announce another addition to the label roster by way of NY State rapper Anthony Kannon and producer Frost Gamble with the release of their new album “Cautionary Tales” on October 20th 2023.

    Recipient of the title “Best Rapper” at the Ithaca Music Awards in 2019, the young lyricist draws on his own real life battles and traumatic episodes, conveying a wide range of subject matter represented throughout the aptly titled release.  It is a remarkable journey encapsulated in a series of biographical depictions, all with an underlying theme of survival, escape, progression and transformation.

    Authentically powerful, this is Storyville of a life less ordinary with a narrative packed full of dope rhymes and skilful wordplay set to the highest caliber soundtrack provided by Frost, originally from Binghamton NY and now resident in Canada.

    Particularly well known for his extensive catalogue with long time sparring partner Tone Chop, the prolific beatmaker has released further projects with Tragedy Khadafi, KXNG Crooked, Horseshoe Gang and Craig G while producing his “Sixteens” series of instrumentals.  Some of his earliest collaborative projects included productions for Young Bleed, Sadat X, J-Ro, Doc Ice and Tahmell, son of the legendary Rakim, while in 2013 he contributed to Fresh I.E.’s “Red Letterz 13” which duly won  “Album of the Year” at the Canadian Gospel Music Awards.

    The album, engineered by David Brown of D Brown Sounds, can be pre-ordered with effect from July 24th HERE

    A series of singles will precede the album release beginning on June 6th with “Pitfalls”.  All will be available to download and stream from major digital platforms including Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon.  Videos for all tracks will appear on our official Youtube channel @newdawnrecords where you can now watch the video trailer.

    All international press and DJ enquiries can be addressed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are HERE and the full official album press release can be read HERE

    Meantime we’d encourage you to connect with the artists directly via their social media, they’ve always got interesting things going on, so drop by & wave…..they’ll wave back, all the artists we work with do ! lol

    Anthony on Twitter @AnthonyKannonn IG @AnthonyKannon FB @AnthonyKannon

    Frost on Twitter @FrostGamble IG @Frost.Gamble FB @FrostGamble

    As ever, we appreciate the support

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    TEAM NDR

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    New Dawn Records are pleased to announce the release today of the new album “Urban Testimony [The Instrumentals]” by Edinburgh producer Brelstaff.

    Ten titles fusing chilled, soulful lofi hip hop with downtempo jazz and ambient electronica in an ethereal soundtrack that rests easy on the senses. Music to soothe the soul and help focus with work and study in equal measure.

    Originally operating under his born name Daryl Donald, his reputation as one of the most respected emerging beatmakers in this genre grew from 2017 through a series of projects which generated over a million streams on Spotify, and since adopting the new pseudonym has continued to flourish, most notably earlier this year with the single “Cursive” featuring renowned west coast rapper Fashawn.

    The instrumental album is the pre-cursor to the full vocal version which we will release later in the year.  A collaborative project with Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC which acts as a narrative documenting his curtailed and turbulent time at Clark Atlanta University, including a fascinating insight and depiction of the trials and tribulations of student life he witnessed there which ultimately led to the crossroads of his life. 

    Now available to stream and download at APPLE, AMAZON & TIDAL

    Also on Bandcamp & Spotify

    In addition there is a full video playlist for every track now on our official Youtube channel.

    All media enquiries can be directed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR, contact details HERE

    You can connect with Brelstaff on Twitter @BrelstaffMusic and Instagram @BrelstaffMusic

    As ever we appreciate the support and enjoy the music !

    TEAM NDR

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    Our first release of 2023 comes courtesy of Edinburgh producer Brelstaff who laces us with his trademark concoction of chilled, soulful, lofi hip hop vibes with further influences of progressive rock, jazz fusion and ambient electronica fused together effortlessly in an ethereal soundtrack that focuses minds and soothes souls in equal measure. 

    “Urban Testimony [The Instrumentals]” drops Friday April 28th, while the full vocal version, a collaborative project with Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC will be released by us in the autumn, preceded by several singles.

    Videos for every track will appear on our official Youtube Channel upon the album’s release next month, and of course it will also be available to download and stream at all major digital platforms including Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple, Amazon & Tidal.

    Meantime we have just published the album Video Trailer and Audio Teaser.

    Thanks to the team at UrbanElite Productions for both the artwork and video trailer. All media enquiries about our releases can be addressed to our in house promotional division, UrbanElite PR whose contact information is HERE

    You can connect with Brelstaff on his social media platforms. Twitter @BrelstaffMusic Instagram @BrelstaffMusic and Facebook @BrelstaffMusic

    Our thanks again to everyone for your support, enjoy !

    TEAM NDR

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    We are pleased to announce the release today of the new album “Lead by Example [The Instrumentals]” by London hip hop producer Ramson Badbonez.

    Handpicked by the man himself, there are eight instrumentals taken from the original version of “Lead by Example” which dropped last year again through ourselves, and represented his debut release as a producer.

    In what was one of the most impressive introductions to the production world witnessed for many years,  influences of original funk, soul, rare groove and jazz are clear and fused together into a soundtrack which draws on both the classic and modern eras. 

    A powerful combination of eclectic beats originally complimented by the highest calibre lyricism from a trans-Atlantic line up of guest featured artists rarely seen standing shoulder to shoulder together on the one record.  A stellar billing which included Reks, Skyzoo, the late Blacastan, Recognize Ali, Moka Only, Ruste Juxx, Dizzy Dustin, Johaz (Dag Savage), Sleep Sinatra, Tru Trilla, Juxx Diamondz, Justo the MC and British heavyweights Jehst, Micall Parknsun, Joker Starr, Truemendous, MysDiggi, Cyclonious, Phoenix da Icefire, King Kashmere all unleashing their full verbal artillery, with Ramson still showcasing his own lyrical prowess on selected tracks.

    Now the backdrop’s been made available for the first time, feast your ears to these straight bangerz. 

    Available to stream & download on all digital platforms including APPLE, AMAZON, TIDAL, BANDCAMP & SPOTIFY

    There are also official videos for every track from the album playing on our Youtube channel which you can now watch on the playlist below

    All media enquiries regarding any of our releases can be sent to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR who can be contacted HERE

    Enjoy the new sounds & look out for more from us soon

    Peace

    Team NDR