- No Time For Tears Dar.Ra 4:36
Dar.Ra has released his new single titled ‘No Time For Tears’, from his upcoming EP ‘Blood and Treasure’, releasing later this year.
As if a return to the fold, it is done on Dar’s own terms as his music takes a more lucid and introspective turn with a quiet anthem with the feels turning inward and a more ‘heart on the sleeve’ approach. The music is a slow burn with an almost improvisational aspect about it, which to me gives more of an emotional sound to the track. Dar’s signature overall sound is still intact with his original vocals and vocal inflections that have become a welcome staple to the sound that is Ra.
Check out our other features with Dar.Ra HERE.
About Dar.Ra & ‘Blood and Treasure’ EP
It has been a busy year for Kusha Deep Music label and its owner Dar.Ra with over 50 titles released and further releases to come before the years out.
Starting off with the two albums ‘Majestic Retrospectives Vol 1 and 2’ which charts the Kusha Deep story with outstanding tracks going back to the mid 1990s, with Dar.Ra at the creative helm driving the bus at full speed, kris crossing multiple genres across the sonic landscape.
Kusha Deep was formed in 2003 on a return journey from Australia to Europe via Thailand, while reading a book on vedic history and seeing the name Kusha referring to Africa as the land of the tall grass. Dar.Ra was looking to create a new company which would act as a home to all music he was producing and collaborating on.
All previous work which had come into his ownership would fall into the labels catalogue as his previous production company Sky High Recordings had become defunct, which had been active in the 90s, after working for major labels such as EMI, BMG, Festival and various indie labels.
Dar.Ra was the voice and production of acts such as Taste Of Paradise, Bliss, Ultra Love Machine, Urban Harmonix, Chillum and put out his first album ‘Soul Hours’ under his own name in 2009 an album that had tracks featured on Hollywood movies and various TV shows across the UK, winning a lot of support from Radio stations around the world.
It was an organic album of well observed song writing with a classic live sound merging genres from Rock, Reggae and RNB sounds which would eventually lead to a new genre he coined called Rock Step which came into fruition on the last Album 2019/20 called ‘New Kinda Normal’.
This year has also seen a laid back album collection of songs from the past ten years ‘Ballads For The Downtrodden’ has picked up support from The Washington Post, Los Angelis Tribute and New York Today as well as radio stations across the US and UK. Another EP; titled Kings n Serfs also came out this year featured tracks written for a film about the Pearly Kings and Queens of London. ‘Londinium’, ‘Sweet As’ and ‘Fake It Till You Make It ‘all tell great stories about families that go back through the ages, their survival and ultimate triumph over adversity, all brilliantly captured in the songs and the incredible films that go alongside them.
In this ever changing world where we are reminded how fragile we actually are on this spinning rock of beauty, art and truth telling stories are as important as they have ever been. Its tough for artists to rise above the noise of celebrity influencers particularly when they face off for media attention, audiences vote with their feet and what they are bombarded with from the most aggressive PR agencies, can lead to minds becoming less willing to tackle subjects that go beyond just lifestyle, sport and climate change at a push. Music reflects its society and what it wants to bath in, a quick look at the top ten Spotify charts will tell you all you need to know on the subject of dumbing down, its no longer the free bird that flies in the face of the powers that be.
The subliminal way of getting messages out have always been the way of artists and Dar.Ra carries this trait on, releasing two books ‘Road Tales’ which is a tour de force of human observation, stories gathered while touring the world from the mid 1990s to 2010. The book tells the stories of people who have had life changing moments from an Aboriginal church goer who used the power of faith to regain the use of his hand after having it chopped off in a factory accident , to a Guatemalian freedom fighter, to a white witch with mind bending healing powers to a Hari Krisnha actor playing the part of George Harrison in one of the most watched films on Indian national TV. A full on insight into what touring can be like when your open to the world and all it has to offer.
His second book ‘The Night That Jimi Died’ is also based on a true occurrence, tracking the story of a girl called Kirsty who grows up to one of the most sensational musicians in the world after discovering she can alter DNA structures using certain frequencies on her Fender Stratocaster, having the ability to channel dead rock stars also has its advantages as they all plot to get even with the music industry. Both books have had great reviews from book critics and readers alike and are set to become films in their own right.
So what’s next after all this creative outpouring you may ask, well there is another EP being produced to see out the year called ‘Blood N Treasure’, it features three new songs and a remix from Kusha Deep favourite from Sri Lankan based Music producer Vidula who remixed the brilliant ‘Lights’ from the ‘New Kinda Normal’ Album.
The lead track ‘No Time For Tears’ is an anthem to the times with opening lines
‘If this is the end of the world
or just the way we look at it
If this is the end of time
or just a chance to say goodbye’
‘Hold tight to the moment we don’t know whats coming down the line its over when we choose it to be, This is no time for tears’
‘No Time For Tears’ is a track that calls for calm in the moment of madness when everyone else is losing their head, the Kipling adage from the ‘If’ poem may come to mind, but the track was inspired by watching a film of the last Tsar and seeing how even in the last moments before the bullets fly that love never fled the room.
Two other tracks follow in the carefully crafted songwriting tradition and do not let the listener down, soulful, passionate and well delivered, reminding me of the Scot Walker of the late 1960s dramatic power driven ballads that takes no prisoners.
The lifeline to the independent artist is the independent media, radio stations around the world from Jammerzine in Chicago BBS Radio In LA, to Vintage FM in Liverpool to Radio Illumini in Sussex England and many other cool sets ups have all been playing a part in supporting indie artists and releases from the Kusha Deep Label which has helped keep the flow of music reaching audiences growing tired of hearing the same five artists all day.
‘Blood n Treasure’ will be released later this year on Kusha Deep Music.
LINKS:
https://facebook.com/Dar.Ra7
https://youtube.com/kushadeep7
https://twitter.com/kushadeepmusic
https://instagram.com/dar.ra.brady
