 Whenever I visit the Hi-Fi show or press introduction, I always have Shazam on my Apple Watch ready and whenever I hear interesting and good sounding music, Shazam is started. I have no pretensions, it's just music I like, music that sounds good or both. This time the harvest of the last six months. When boot hopping on a show, you'll hear both music that is known to be easy to reproduce in less than optimal acoustics and music that is the personal taste of the man demoing. The first group is great to enjoy your stereo, what I call ear candy. The second group is a good way to learn to know music that you have not heard before. Remember that until recently the record companies licensed music per region or country, often preventing the music to be promoted in other regions or countries. The internet has had an enormous influence on that, partly because the music could easily be shared from one country to the other and partly because releasing music internationally through streaming services doesn't require large investments in media carrier production. In this video I just mentioned all tracks I've found good sounding and or interesting musically, so enjoy. I made a playlist of these tracks in both Tidal and Kobus, see the links in the description below this video on YouTube. McKenneth is of Irish and Scottish descent and grew up in a time that folk music was very popular in certain circles. It is therefore not strange that Celtic music has inspired her. On this track the other inspiration, Middle Eastern music, is most obvious, although Istanbul is more Balkan than Middle East. The track starts with a drone and a bozuki, that sounds a bit like a mandolin although it has a far larger scale length. Then the big drum kicks in and it fills the track till the end. McKenneth's voice hovers above his firm foundation in a mist. Here the Celtic influence is obvious. All in all an interesting melting pot of cultures brought together in a credible way and recorded quite well. Malia is a singer from Malawi. I had not heard from her before. On this track she sometimes sounded like Amy Winehouse, although the composition and instrumentation couldn't be different. Where as blank is a name you most certainly have heard music from, for he was one of the two men behind yellow and that's clearly audible. Deep lows, quiet in the background and lots of small musical accents on all kinds of instruments. Earcandy of the sweetest kind. For lovers of yellow a must. Talking of earcandy, this track sounds great too, but it also is great roots music. This write worked with Joe Henry as producer and used musicians in his bubble. The song was written by the Canadian singer, songwriter and activist Alison Russell. There are many songs where people in a backlog situation make clear they won't hang their heads. This version is very convincing and strong, but it's also a very fine sounding track. A song with a comparable message can be found on the 1986 album So Strong by Labi Sifere. The now 77 year old Sifere was very active in the mid 70s and between 1988 and 1998. His work is covered by madness while samples of his work are used by rappers like Eminem and Jay-Z. The realt piano is supported by bass and drums in a vertical way, both on the first beat with a light upbeat. The deep bass gives it an enormous authority, provided your stereo can handle it. Cassandra Wilson is frequently played on hi-fi shows, but this track won't be found often. Still, like most tracks I mention in this video, it was played on a hi-fi show in my country. Perhaps because the message of the song was not fully understood. Or perhaps because of the laid back, jazzy version and Wilson's relaxing voice. Listen to Billie Holiday's version and you'll feel the pain far more clearly. On the soundtrack of the United States versus Billie Holiday, there is a modern remake of Holiday's track done by Andra Day that comes close and sounds better. But Wilson's version was played on a hi-fi show, though so that's the one I mentioned here. And while playing, see the lyrics in a wider perspective. Also think of People Hung because they oppose the intelligent government of Iran. Or think of the Uighurs in China. And at the same time, enjoy the music. The Berlin-based piano virtuoso, singer and producer Dario Lessing, is known for his eclectic work and his collaboration with other producers and musicians. He also made music for commercials. He recently signed on the prestigious modern recording where artists like Pat Metheny and Robert Koch can be found too. This track has a rather directly recorded grand piano and atmospherical choir lines. As such it is a rather simple composition. It's the way it is played that creates a mindful atmosphere. So it's relaxing and air-candy at the same time. The Ukrainian jazz pianist and composer Michel Alperin has lived in several parts of the former USSR, Moldavia, followed by Romania, until he moved to Moscow. In 2008 he moved to Norway, where he also teaches. His works vary from jazz via chamber music to new age music bladed with influences from the former USSR countries he lived in. This track is the first part of Night, a suite for cello, piano, percussion, marimba and cleverson. It is rather avant-garde and not directly the kind of music I play regularly. But sound wise it's a nice track that I picked up at the Brussels Hi-Fi show 2022, where it was played on a set of BMC fenestrias powered by two mono-halcro amps, a Molo-Mola Makua with DAC and a Grimm Audio Mewon player. I later heard the same set up again at the Dutch Distributors, something I will not easily forget. Anyway, the percussion on this track is shockingly good, also on my own set of one. Definitely air-candy of that first kind. Scandinavia, the Nordic countries, is the birthground of many music, from ABBA to Nightwish. Annette Askvig is a Norwegian songwriter that studied music in Brisbane. After returning to Norway in 2011 she released the album Liberty, the track with the same name being the song I describe here. It's no spectacular track but rather a slow ballad with cleanly recorded vocal harmonies and only a limited use of instruments. That way it sounds open and intimate, just a nice contemplation that got my attention on a high-five show. That can dance is formed in 1981 by the Australian Lisa Gerard and Brandon Perry. A year later they move to London. The music they make is a mix of African polyrhythms, Georgian chant, Middle Eastern music, Gaelic folk and other world music influences. That makes this track interesting. Although disbanded in 1998, they came back together, split up again and toured Europe again last year. It's interesting music, recorded well. Melanie de Biaccio is from Belgian and Italian descent. She loves bands like Nirvana, Portiside, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. Studied flute from the age of 8 and joined the rock band at 15. After studying singing at the Conservaty of Brussels, she received an award with a degree of the highest distinction. The flow is aptly named. The song starts with an interesting and well-recorded jazz rhythm on drums, laid on top, long organ chords, supported by bass. The Biaccio's voice comes from a room in a dreamy way. Easy listening ear candy, that's what it is. American Jazz pianist and composer Marilyn Crispel on piano and American double bass player Gary Peacock on bass. I heard of Peacock because of his work with Keith Jarrett. Crispel appears to be a big name in free jazz. If you love jazz, this is very enjoyable and even if jazz isn't your first love, like me, only the sound of the recording is enough to enjoy the track. It's an eclectic collection of tracks that have two things in common. They sound great and I heard them on high-five shows. I hope you enjoy it. See you next week, Friday, at 5pm central european time. If you don't want to miss that, subscribe to this channel or follow me on social media so you will be informed when new videos are out. Help me reach even more people by giving this video a thumb up or link to this video on the social media. It is much appreciated. Many thanks to those viewers that support this channel financially, especially in these times. It keeps me independent and lets me improve the channel further. If that makes you feel like supporting my work too, the links are in the comments below this video on YouTube. I am Hans Beekhuyzen, thank you for watching and see you in the next show or on theHBproject.com. And whatever you do, enjoy the music.