Imagine the highly anticipated, highly dreaded, or for some celebrated, apocalypse finally hits. The world's demise deserves a soundtrack at least right? Enter, schmatlzcore. A genre of jazz infused lounge, a sort of polite political protest from some of the savviest kids around.
Schmaltz is on the rise. Misery is becoming cool. And misery loves company. Whilst Matt Maltese's miserable yet satirical debut record is the talk of the town in Britain, over in Europe, another crooner is in the spotlight. 20 years old, half-Belgian, half-Egyptian, he's something of a mystery, but one we're yearning to discover.
Brought up on a balanced diet of music, starting with punk rock, before moving towards Tom Waits and Jeff Buckley, as well as a side of Arabic music from his own grandfather, Tamino has conjured up a style somewhere between east and west. Global lounge if you will.
Intense, dramatic and utterly glorious, Tamino is smooth, merging deep croons with extreme falsettos to create an eerie contrasting mood. There's a simplicity to his sound, as if he's holding back at times, piano, synth and delicate percussion used to create a gloomy backing track for Tamino's equally gloomy lyrics. 'Cigar', the highlight of debut EP, Habibi, sees Tamino contemplate life and death, rather vividly and intensely, until he comments, "though it's the perfect time for a bottle of wine", bringing a wry smile to your face.
Whilst perfect for a cold winter's night in front of the fire, hot chocolate or glass of red in hand, Tamino's sound won't look out of place on a summer's day either, ideal for a zen sunbathing session. His smooth style simply requires you to relax, and embrace the darker side of life with a pinch of salt.
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