The quality of entrants in this year's RSD Unsigned competition was something to behold. A unique proposition, the Unsigned contest allows artists without labels to submit a nugget of a song for consideration. The short-list — filled up with psych, folk, metal, jazz, electronic, rap and more — presented a lot of talent, and alongside Alex Rice of Sports Team, Steve of independent record shop Pie & Vinyl, Chris at Sound Performance and 2020 Unsigned winner Sister Cookie, Gigwise cast its votes.
With the announcement of its winner (who wins 500 records pressed with their own work) Unsigned also spotlighted four further artists who wowed the judges. Spectacularly unique indie songwriter Natalie Rottrova placed fifth, rock-rap four-piece DeadWax fourth, while mesmerising vocalist Kemi Sulola and a neatly done jazz/hip-hop blending from DJ Yess and Marcus Joseph tied for second.
Here, we meet the four artists and introduce you to their work. Come back tomorrow to discover the winner of this year's RSD Unisgned.
Kemi Sulola
Gigwise: Why did you get involved in the RSDUnsigned Competition?
Kemi Sulola: I grew up listening to vinyl so I was looking forward to the prospect of printing my own. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to do so in this competition on this occasion, but I am grateful to the judges for their time and appreciating my music to give me the runner up position.
GW: What are some of the highlights of your career so far ?
KS: Highlights so far include performing alongside some other established artists, having radio support locally and internationally, as well as being awarded and recognised for my music by platforms and individuals.
GW: What is next for you?
KS: I'm looking forward to more performances in the summer, but also releasing some more music, such as another remix for my current single IF.
DJ Yess
Genre: Jazz/Hip-Hop
Socials: Instagram | Spotify
Gigwise: What made you decide to work together (with Marcus Joseph) on '2 Love 4 Love'?
DJ Yess: I am a producer from Leicester, who has been creating music for around 35 years now. I saw Marcus perform a few times locally and made contact with him to collaborate. I already had the track produced that was going to feature a rapper, but I changed the idea and asked Marcus to feature with his saxaphone. We have had great response with this track with lots of plays on Jazz FM.
GW: How does it feel to be joint runner-up of RSD Unsigned?
DJY: It feels really good and has inspired us to do some new music as soon as time allows us!
GW: What have you got planned for the future?
DJY: I have some new music in current production alongside more local artists with a song called 'Eastside' to be released in June/July 2022!
I am always continuously creating new music, so you will hear from me!
DeadWax
Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop
Instagram | Spotify | SoundCloud
Gigwise: How does it feel to be fourth in RSD Unsigned?
DeadWax: It's incredibly reassuring to see that the music we are creating and putting out into the world has been well received. Placing fourth is further confirmation that we are on the right track and has only led to us booking more studio time to keep honing our sound.
GW: Who are your biggest influences?
DW: Playing together for over nine years has led to a massive amount of constantly shifting musical influences. In recent years our sound has been primarily driven by legends like Rage Against the Machine, Astroid Boys and The Prodigy. We strive to create a gripping and unique edge on alt. grime rock.
GW: What’s your ultimate career goal?
DW: It's safe to say there's no coincidence that we have been performing together for almost a decade. We're incredibly proud of all that we have achieved and are beyond excited for what's to come. We aim to reach a point of stability so that we can focus our efforts solely on DeadWax whilst also staying loyal to the independent side of the industry.
Natalie Rottrova
Genre: Indie
Instagram | Website | YouTube | SoundCloud
Gigwise: What made you decide to enter RSD Unsigned?
Natalie Rottrova: It was very spontaneous decision. My friend sent me a link and at that time I [had] been really busy so I basically just filled the application form and then completely forgot about it.
GW: How does it feel to have placed!?
NR: I was actually really happy about it! As I mentioned I really did forgot about me applying in first place so had zero expectations. Being even considered made me happy so 5th place surprised me in a very good way.
GW: What can we expect from you in the near future?
NR: I'm returning back to stage with live performances, working in the studio on my new songs, on my new (second) EP with stuff nobody would expect, so definitely keep an eye on me and you'll hear from me soon!
