It’s Friday, which means it’s time for Spark’s music expert and legendary L.A. radio DJ Nic Harcourt to weigh in on what new music he’s got on repeat at the moment. Below, he shares his newest picks added to his Spark Radio playlist and shares a spotlight on his favorite earworm of the week.
New this week:
Freedom Fry: I Didn’t Feel Like Dancing
Namesake: Sleepwalker
Fantastic Negrito: Rolling Through California (feat. Miko Marks) CousteauX: Cheap Perfume
The Beatles: For You Blue (1969 Glyn Johns mix)
Reyna Tropical: Luna
CHVRCHES: California
Amber Mark: Foreign Things
Monogem: Magia
SPOTLIGHT
Three-time Grammy-winning Oakland blues and R&B singer/songwriter Xavier Dphrepaulez, aka Fantastic Negrito, has had a busy summer. Taking over an abandoned liquor store in his West Oakland neighborhood, he turned it into a community recording studio and the home of his new independent record label Storefront Records. Ever community-minded, the store also hosts a monthly community event, Storefront Market, that takes place on the last Saturday afternoon of every month, (with street food fairs and vinyl swap meets) and live music in the parking lot. The first new music from the studio is the single “Rolling Through California.” The track, a collaboration with country singer Mika Marks addresses the current climate crisis in California, and a portion of proceeds from the song will be donated to Defy:Disaster, and support firefighters, first responders, and communities impacted by wildfires across North America. Check out the Aerick Neal-directed video for “Rolling Through California” below.
Speaking about the new video, which depicts a young firefighter finding refuge on a ranch run by the Oakland Black Cowboy Association, Fantastic Negrito said “The little fireman feels so alone because he’s looking at a fast-changing world of climate change, displaced people and a California fire season that makes the air more toxic to breathe every year. He finds his home in a group that is historically marginalized, overlooked and that’s the Black Cowboys of America who are at home on their farm.”
