What started out as an experimentation with music in his parent’s basement turned into a constant project where he matured his sound for seven years. Matt Fasullo combines the familiar with the new, splicing together the warmth and rawness of folk music with the underbelly of alternative electronica.

His nostalgic song, “Video99,” mixes R&B with blues-y rock grooves. It’s an ode to a video store in Stouffville, Ontario where he used to rent movies and games because it represents an era that he misses greatly. He remembers walking into that dull beige 90s carpeted store to rent an N64 game to spend a fun weekend with friends.

We chatted with Matt below!

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

This song is me looking back at my early childhood, and for some reason, a little video store called ‘Video99’ on Main Street in Stouffville is what I feel represents my past the most vividly. There’s just something about the VHS era that makes me feel so nostalgic. I truly wish I could visit it again, but unfortunately it closed down a long time ago. That time in my life also holds a lot of trauma. Things that have stuck with me to this day.

On a brighter note, I felt this was a great song to visualize because… well… I plan on doing this for every upcoming release this year. I love to make music videos on a super low budget, and this song specifically was definitely asking to be made for zero dollars. Although I did buy new batteries for a camera, so maybe the budget was more like thirteen bucks. Anyways, making a video is just another opportunity to be creative, so why not?

2. What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

It’s a pretty experimental music video. Not much in terms of a narrative, but more than anything I just want the video to compliment the vibe/energy that radiates from the song. I just wanted to enhance the song so that when a certain moment hits, it hits even harder if you’re viewing the video accompaniment.

The song has this relatively dry feel where the drums are punchy and driving in an almost anxiety inducing way which sparked the idea that each shot, we’re going to be constantly pushing into things, moving forward or zooming, and at the end of each bar we pull back momentarily to throw it all off. This was a loose rule, as I just played around with it in the edit, but it’s generally the same concept throughout.

3. What was the process of making this video?

Pretty hectic. I was scrambling a week before release trying to figure out what I wanted the video to be. I just couldn’t come up with an idea. But then my coworker had this little shitty camcorder with a ton of 15 year old photos and videos, which kind of sparked the idea of, “hey, all these videos look absolutely terrible, and that’s awesome”. So I borrowed the camera and walked around the Humber River in Toronto capturing 3 second clips of me zooming in on everything that caught my attention immediately. Everything single shot made it into the video.

When it came time to edit, I realized that the shots of random stuff just wasn’t enough, so I recorded myself singing along to the song with my webcam and just slapped that over top some of the shots. Sometimes, it all just works out.

Fasullo also brought on his good friend and collaborator Janel Rae to do some harmonies and write an outro. He didn’t give her much context and gave her creative freedom to interpret the song in her own way, and she delivered some rather unsettling but incredible lyrics.

Life can be bittersweet. Jesse Adams’ music captures that elusive state somewhere between defeat and resolve, misery and joy. After experiencing disparate moments of bliss and devastation, Jesse reached back into her childhood diary of songs, yanked them from their resting place, and revisited each from a more mature perspective.

Her fierce new song, “Gravity,” has been 16 years in the making. She started writing this song when she was seven years old with her friend Sara Bandkohal, and finished it later in adulthood after rewriting some lyrics and melodies. 

Jesse explains her inspiration for the song: “Life isn’t stagnant. Just when you think you’re winning, you lose and vice versa. It’s unpredictable. It’s out of our control like gravity.”

Jesse worked with music video director Saad Sheikh to envision a dark but shiny atmosphere with various imperfect and morally gray characters. It was also a great opportunity for Jesse to show off her skills as a trained dancer and actress. 

Emm Gryner’s album, Business & Pleasure is a celebration of the Detroit radio scene and the music that shaped her childhood. From Motown, jazz and pop, to Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac and the Doobies, Business & Pleasure is infused with the sunshine soul and stellar playing of the late 70s and early 80s. 

This new collection of songs, produced by Fred Mollin and written with poet Michael Holmes, embody a take on yacht rock that sails deep into the 2020s and introduce the world to a bold new character: a powerful woman whose passion, presence, conviction, humor and grace serves to unite the world in music, joy and love, once again.

Focus track “Loose Wig” was inspired by a Rolling Stone article about Donald Fagen “keeping his sense of humour” in isolation. The song title was one of the phrases that Donald used in this particular article to describe a political figure. The groovy song is Emm’s way of staying positive amidst the hopelessness. 

“Each song on the album has a different story,” says Emm. “We are conveying the renewing feeling of the 70s and 80s, when life was not so on-demand – when musicianship and studio cats reigned supreme.”

Folk femme fatale singer and theatre actress Sarah Segal-Lazar has been making music since before she could talk. Folks say she took her first steps in ¾ time. 

She wrote “Even Miami Is Cold” after a trip to spend time with her long-distance boyfriend, but within two days she realised it was like a romcom gone wrong. 

The line that started it all – “Baby when I’m with you even Miami is cold” – feels like something Katharine Hepburn would fire back at Cary Grant. It’s a good reminder that even the most specific and personal stories can still live in poetry.

“I was so stressed that I spent a good chunk of the trip shivering, even though it was 30 degrees out,” Sarah explains. “Needless to say, by the last night, we had called it quits. I flew back to Montreal, half heartbroken and half bewildered.”

In the music industry, Chin Injeti has had a decorated career songwriting and producing with/for many household names. He’s made music with and for the likes of Dr. Dre, Eminem, Drake, Pink, Aloe Blacc, The Clipse, Lecrae, K’naan and more. Chin has recently re-ignited his own artist career and is releasing new music under his name.

Passionate new single, “Expensive” (feat. Jarrel the Young), was inspired by all things David Bowie and elicits the over-the-top vibe of ‘80s pop culture. 

A reminder that Bowie is timeless and that his influence on art will never disappear.

Today Julian Cross has just launched his new track ‘All I Need’ together with AFROJACK, the first song for Julian’s debut album Stories of The Nebula, which is anticipated to be released later this summer. Futuristic and fresh describe Julian Cross’s sound, who incorporates his clear vision for his music into all aspects of his work, including artwork and performances. Born in the Netherlands and raised in Belgium, Julian Cross has been working as a DJ and producer for many years. He is one of the biggest developments within WALL Recordings, the record label of DJ/producer AFROJACK, who is also Julian’s mentor and co-producer on this beautiful track.

Julian Cross proudly announces the release of his latest hit track, ‘All I Need.’ It’s a fantastic ‘feel-good’ song with catchy and uplifting vocals from Tonino Speciale, the singer who co-wrote the hit ‘Anywhere With You’ with AFROJACK. ‘All I Need’ is the perfect song to start the summer with and will undoubtedly conquer headphones and dance floors throughout the coming year.

Julian Cross is no stranger to the dance scene. With over 4 million plays on Spotify and impressive performances at Tomorrowland the Gathering and during Ultra Miami, the name ‘Julian Cross’ is becoming increasingly familiar to the general public. His previous track, ‘Antidote,’ was also played frequently during Ultra. Julian draws most of his inspiration for his music mainly from his environment to keep his songs close to himself. Knowing where you came from is a big part of his life, which he incorporates into his music. He has also received support from big names in the industry such as Martin Garrix and of course AFROJACK.

The other Dutchman on this track needs little introduction. The world-famous DJ and Grammy-award-winning producer AFROJACK has been one of the biggest names in the EDM scene for over a decade. With his focus on developing new talent, the superstar provides advice to the producers of the future. This track ‘All I Need’ is, therefore, a testament to the developments behind WALL. Proud mentor of Julian Cross and also one of the founders of the EDM scene, AFROJACK will continue to break boundaries wherever he goes.

With its catchy vocals and melody, ‘All I Need’ is a track you’ll have on repeat. Within seconds, the song sticks in your head, and you’ll be singing it all summer long. Now that the single is out, you can listen to it from the comfort of your own sound system in addition to festival sets around the world. ‘All I Need’ is this track, all summer long!