New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "Ode Ireti" was the song heard around the world as &friends rose to prominence in 2022. The Nitefreak Remix of the quintessential afro-house track went viral - seeing the infectious chorus "O-le-le" becoming an instant staple in the sets of some of the biggest names in dance music.
To celebrate one year of "Ode Ireti", project leader Sean
Thomas partnered with Beatport and Label Radar to facilitate a Remix Contest where fans around the world could download the records original STEMS and submit their own remixes of the track that put the &friends movement on the map.
Out of 278 producers, Sean hand picked 13 of his favorite submissions and is now releasing them as a full-length remix album called 'Ode Ireti Pt. II' The Album - slated for release on December 8th, 2023 via his own Hidden Hands imprint.
The essential mission of the &friends project is to amplify global voices. Touching every corner of the globe, 'Ode Ireti Pt. II' showcases hidden gems of producers hailing from New York, Nigeria, Brasil, Benin, South Africa, Morocco, France, Russia, Ecuador, and Italy. With providing a platform for new and emerging artists as a primary prerogative, the release of this Album exacts on the core values of &friends.
Creating community in a competitive industry is no easy feat, but &friends consistently finds itself at the intersection between authenticity and empowerment for an exponentially growing group of global creators. From the start, Sean
Thomas has carved out a space in a hard-to-navigate landscape for the next generation of music-makers.
This compilation brings together 13 undiscovered talents who all share the same love for the original track, as we see 'Ode Ireti Pt. II' already begin to deliver a whole new dimension to the &friends community. Impassioned by connecting the common threads between global cultures through sound is the essence of &friends, cultivating a spirit of commonality through a shared love of moving music.
The album starts off with the title track, a direct sequel to "Ode Ireti", as a collaboration between &friends and VXSION with Oluwadamvic and El-Jay for "Ode Ireti Pt. II". VXSION is a rising Brazilian producer who's recently had collaborations with the likes of Maz, and has received strong support from top acts in the space like Keinemusik. Fans of &friends and VXSION alike can both expect to see both talents' names on future releases in the time ahead.
Kay-9nine's remix is the first of the 13 contributions, followed by installments from The Wild Child, Sam Zloty, Untouchable Lion, BlackJean,
Diego Narvaez, JayKill, Raminder, Cisummi, Oktave, Zani, Peaty and Kustom. Some of the remix submissions will mark the contributing producers first ever official release, seeing Sam Zloty, Zani and Kustom make their streaming debuts via the 'Ode Ireti Pt. II' The Album.
Beyond seeing their music released to the world via &friends own record imprint, the top two winners Kay-9nine and The Wild Child will play opening slots at an &friends show in 2024. Additionally, select winners will have collaborative social media posts with the &friends Instagram and cash prizes will be awarded to the top 5 winners of the competition.
"The response to the recent announcement of the "Ode Ireti" Remix Contest has been nothing short of inspiring. Being a part of this project is not just a personal triumph, but a beacon of hope and belief for those around me. Releasing this song reaffirms my mission - the Kay-9nine project is here to make an impact and elevate the scene. I'm all geared up, ready to leave a lasting imprint and achieve the greatness I know we're destined for." - Kay-9nine
"When I heard about the about the "Ode Ireti" Remix Contest, I stopped working on every other music project to focus on it. I knew I could do something special with this record, and I just needed an ear to listen to my work rather than just look at my IG metrics. I convinced myself so hard that I could win, and it worked! Manifesting has proven itself in my life and I'll never be thankful enough to the whole &friends team for actually caring." - Wild Child
2023 has been a milestone year for the &friends project, swiftly seeing the collective make their first official releases on marquee dance imprints like Armada Music, Tomorrowland
Music and MoBlack Records. Earlier this year, the collective made a striking live performance debut at SilverSands North Coast, Egypt - The spiritual energy that radiated from the stage from Sean Thomas, Oluwadamvic, Phina Asa, El-Jay and Dotun drove deep into the audience's souls and was the pinnacle of the experience &friends has set out to create.
&friends is the musical concept and brainchild of New York based Sean Thomas. Drawing the breadth of his inspiration for these musical works from the global cultures, Sean had a vision to create a project embodying tradition, culture and community culminating in the coining of &friends. Since launch in mid 2022, &friends already boasts more than 4M Spotify streams and over 200,000 monthly listeners across their early catalogue.
From New York, to Miami, Marrakech, Madrid, Mexico City -
Beirut to Dubai and beyond, &friends is already making their mark on dance floors around the world. In his short time on the scene, &friends has received support by Pete Tong of BBC
Radio 1,
Black Coffee, Diplo, &ME, Keinemusik, Michael Bibi, Blond:ish, Francis Merceir and many more.
Also catching the eye of media tastemakers, he's earned attention from the likes of DJ Mag North America, Beatportal, LA Weekly,
Wonderland Magazine, Magnetic Magazine, Electronic Groove, 6AM Group, EARMILK, YourEDM and more.
