This summer many of us music lovers were rocked to our core by the tragic attack at the Arena.Whilst we’ll never forget, in true Manc spirit we’ve come together at many a gig since with a mixture of love, pride and defiance: setting an example for the rest of the world to follow.
Now, as the end of the year approaches thick and fast, we figured it was about time to give props to some of our local music-making champions by shining light on the best music videos to come out of our fair city this year.
Get ready for a mix of genres from hip-hop, soul, bass and more as well as some solid visuals that’ll take you on a trip down memory lane…
Mali Hayes – Hate on Me
Definitely, one to be keeping an eye on for 2018, Mali Haye’s uplifting and fun-filled track Hate on Me is the perfect anthem for strength, community and togetherness after a testing year for us Mancs. Incorporating shots of people dancing in Piccadilly, Manchester’s more iconic street art and many a worker bee, prepare to get lifted ‘cause it’s positive vibes all around. With support coming from local icon Zed Bias, who earlier in the year remixed this tune under his Maddslinky moniker, we fully expect to be hearing big things from Mali next year.
Crown – Children of Zeus
Anthemic doesn’t even it cut it on this one. Children of Zeus have been on our radar for a very long time, but earlier this year they finally got round to putting out a proper release (meaning not just on SoundCloud) and things have been sky-rocketing for them ever since. This beautiful song’s video features many of our city’s music legends, including most of the people on this list… so we couldn’t possibly leave it off.
Shade – IAMDDB
Provocative AF, IAMDDB’s Shade is currently sitting at 4M views and counting on Youtube with more rewinds than you can shake a stick at. Diana Debrito has had quite a year of it, coming up from pretty much nothing to take on the likes of Ray BLK and Jorja Smith on the international stage. Watch out for this girl in 2018, she’s without a doubt going to be huge.
Stay Awake – Sparkz
Sparkz’ newest video Stay Awake features beautiful shots of Manchester with some topical cuts, looking back at significant events including the Conservative party conference, the Arena attack, the Grenfell tower fire, the homeless encampments in our city and more. Beautifully shot, there is a bittersweet edge to this one as it makes us aware that we need to keep pushing if we want to create positive change for our communities in the New Year.
Front Face – Levelz
No need for introductions here, if you don’t know about Levelz we’ll assume you’ve been living under a rock for the past four years. The riotous collective just dropped new single Front Face, with a video focused on their time at Outlook this September just gone. As we’ve come to expect from the crew, the video is jam-packed with sweaty and ravey, no-fucks-given antics. A must watch if only to see Truthos drop a heavy verse atop an inflatable unicorn. You can also download the track for free through their BandCamp.
I Wonder – The Mouse Outfit feat Fox and IAMDDB
Coming in strong on a wavey, soulful tip, live hip-hop band The Mouse Outfit pushed their popularity to new heights over the summer with this absolute belter. Catch IAMDDB in full union jack get-up as she features alongside the godfather of Manchester’s underground scene, MC Fox, on this slinky and mellow track.
Aztec Gold – Kinkai
With a melodic, laid-back rapping style that sets him apart from many of his peers, young Manc Kinkai has been making waves across the UK this year with his latest project ‘Mellow Mermaids & Malibu’. Taken from this release, ‘Aztec Gold’ sees him mobbing with his mates eating waffles and the like, with jazzy synths and invigorating drums pushing things forward. We look forward to hearing more in the New Year.
Starz – Free Wize Men feat. Lay Fullstop
This dreamy beat from Manchester rap trio Free Wize Men’s is one of our tune highlights of the year. Carried by smooth feature vocals from Lay Fullstop and accompanied by hazy, visuals from Jay Bannister, hit play and be transported away from wet and dreary Manchester for a quality 4 and a half minutes.
