Posts tagged with "Australia"

OTR × “Moon”

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OTR SHARES NEW SINGLE, “MOON” FT. VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC

“Moon” Is From His Debut Album, Lost At Midnight, Set For April 24 Release On Astralwerks

Download / Stream “Moon” HERE

Astralwerks released OTR’s new single, “Moon” ft. Vancouver Sleep Clinic. The Australian artist’s luminous vocals float over OTR’s lush, euphoric production, creating an uplifting, transcendent track.

Ryan Chadwick – the 26-year old aerospace engineer-turned-producer behind OTR – says, “Tim [Vancouver Sleep Clinic] and I first met during an Astralwerks writing camp at Shangri-la, the historic Malibu studio now owned by Rick Rubin. It only took 30 minutes for us to click and find the hook. After that weekend, I spent a lot of time thinking about what it was like to be at that iconic studio. I sort of felt like an imposter and wanted to make something truly worthy of the history there. ‘Moon’ is the result of me pushing myself to rise to the occasion, and challenging my sound to be greater.” Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s Tim Bettinson grew up in Brisbane, Australia. His new album, Onwards to Zion, was hailed by Ones To Watch as an “ambient playlist staple…a collective of refreshing guitar melodies, frosty synths, and angelic vocals that have a way of gliding into the spirit of a listener and settling into the crevices of their bones.” “Moon” is from OTR’s full-length debut, Lost At Midnight, which will be released on April 24. He will support the album with a North American summer tour – his first headline outing. Tickets are on sale HERE.

The Lost At Midnight Tour will include shows at Vinyl in OTR’s adopted home of Atlanta (June 27), Rough Trade in New York City (July 18) and The Echo in Los Angeles (July 24).

Lost At Midnight is now available for pre-order at all DSPs HERE. Fans who pre-order the album in digital format will instantly receive “Moon” ft. Vancouver Sleep Clinic plus “Midnight Sun” (with Ukiyo), “Stay” (with WYNNE), “Heart” (ft. Shallou) and “Drive” (with Panama). The vinyl and digital editions are available for pre-order at http://store.musicbyotr.com.

“Moon” is the follow-up to the single “Midnight Sun” (with Ukiyo), which has proven to be OTR’s most reactive track to date. Heard in the opening scene of the Netflix global hit film To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, which was released last month, “Midnight Sun” has already attained nearly one million cumulative streams worldwide.

This Song Is Sick said, “[OTR & Ukiyo] deliver a four-minute emotional experience packed with soft, atmospheric soundscapes, ghostly vocal chops, skittering arpeggios and crisp, booming drums.” Ones To Watch premiered the official video and noted, “OTR…Captures a Moment of Serene Bliss.” Watch the video HERE.
“Heart” feat. Shallou climbed to #1 on the Sirius XM Chill chart and has amassed nearly 12 million cumulative streams to date. Earmilk said, “To unite the sonically soul-kindling abilities of OTR and Shallou is to create something truly sublime.” The follow-up to OTR’s independently-released 2018 EP Unfold, Lost at Midnight also features collaborations with Saint Sinner, LOWES, Au/Ra and Emerson Leif. Chadwick uncovered his passion for music in 2012, when he began tinkering on a dusty, run-down piano in his college dorm lobby. Taking an internship in Japan in 2014, he found himself living in the small town of in Kurashiki, with no friends and a major language barrier. To combat the isolation, he purchased a keyboard and a train pass and spent all his free time making music and traveling to bigger cities. Upon returning to the University of Cincinnati, Chadwick kept up with his music and began releasing his material under the name OTR – a nod to Over-the-Rhine, a recently revitalized area on the outskirts of downtown Cincinnati. Now based in Atlanta, he recorded most of Lost at Midnight in his apartment, slowly uncovering certain signature elements that now define his sound.

ABOUT ASTRALWERKS:
Established in New York City and now finding its new home in the historic Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles, Astralwerks was the brainchild of staffers at Caroline Records who saw an opportunity for a label focused on the emerging electronic and ambient scene. Having reached a milestone of 25 years, Astralwerks has quickly become a modern, artist-first label with a true focus on nurturing talent across the electronic genre and beyond. Acting with a scalable, independent and global thinking mentality with the capability to tap into the resources of a major label, has allowed Astralwerks to retain and sign up-and-coming artists such as Illenium, Jonas Blue, Alison Wonderland, EDEN, Sigma and Axwell /\ Ingrosso. As a testament to this pioneering approach, Astralwerks has amassed 34 GRAMMY® nominations, taken home eight GRAMMY Awards and had historic releases from the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Swedish House Mafia, Halsey, Porter Robinson, Phoenix, Eric Prydz, Fatboy Slim and many more.

OTR, music, album, artwork, lost at midnight

“Lost at Midnight” Album Artwork

Blood Spot Testing

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Blood spot tests set to replace costly vials

Blood testing technology developed by South Australian medical researchers is poised to transform the nutrition industry.

Adelaide-based Trajan Nutrition is starting to market its new nutrition testing globally after proving the technique can replace costly and time-consuming vial blood testing with a simple finger prick.

The team is looking to break into the United States, European and Asian markets targeting five key customer groups: researchers, pathology labs, vitamin supplement companies, health insurers and corporations.

“After preparatory work we are now at development stage, we’re almost ready to start training our global team to start promoting,” Trajan Nutrition chief executive officer Marco Baccanti said.

Baccanti said the technique would have a major impact on the nutrition industry by cutting testing costs, improving efficiencies and reducing the need for invasive blood testing for patients.

He said the blood spot testing had numerous potential income streams.

Vitamin supplement companies for example could provide customers with a testing kit where they could make a blood spot at home, dab it onto specially created paper, then send it to a lab for testing before they bought their products.

“This could offer people the opportunity to first see if their diet is imbalanced,” Baccanti said.

“Pathology labs can also now start using this methodology with far less invasive collection of blood of patients and using faster analytics and more cost effective techniques.”

The breakthrough includes the development of special contaminant-free paper to protect the specific blood compounds being tested. Solvents have also been developed to help transfer the dried blood samples from the paper to testing instruments.

University of Adelaide Professor of Functional Food Science Robert Gibson began work on the technology 10 years ago with Professor Maria Makrides.

Prof Makrides is one of Australia’s leading research experts into the nutritional needs of mothers and their babies, she leads the Healthy Mothers, Babies and Children Theme of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) in Adelaide.

Both professors now also lead Trajan Nutrition, after making the breakthrough while overseeing large clinical nutrition trials of mothers and babies throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

Prof Gibson said the work was sparked by the mothers and babies trials initially relying on costly and invasive blood vial sampling.

“Measuring blood samples for thousands of babies is costly in transporting traditional blood in vials, it needs to be frozen and then sent back via special dry ice post to the lab,” Prof Gibson said.

“And imagine a pre-term baby is very small, many only weight 500g and have very little blood, now we don’t have to take large blood volumes, we only take a drop.

“It’s more efficient, less painful and that means lower cost in training blood-taking nurses, now it can be done with this little automatic lancer that pricks the top of a finger.”

Melbourne-based Trajan Scientific and Medical established the joint venture with Prof Makrides and Prof Gibson in 2017 and since then the technique has been trialled and tested in the Australian market.

A recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with SAHMRI was expected to accelerate moves into the global market as the company leveraged expertise from the SAHMRI nutrition lab, recognised as one of the largest and best equipped in the Asia Pacific region.

“We are one of the leading labs now at developing the new dry blood spot tests for a variety of nutrients and compounds,” Prof Gibson said.

Baccanti was previously chief executive of the state’s Health Industries SA, where he was responsible for economic development in the life sciences sector.

Over his four-year tenure, Baccanti oversaw the establishment of 23 companies with more than 600 new direct jobs, clinical research investments from 10 overseas biotech companies and numerous university-industry collaborations.

He said this world-leading blood testing research needed to be matched with a company to commercialise – and creating Trajan Nutrition with Trajan Scientific and Medical meant it now had capacity for manufacturing and distribution.

Trajan was founded in 2011 and operates in Australia, Europe, the US and Asia with around 450 employees and customers in more than 100 countries.

Baccanti said the new blood spot testing kits and associated analysis would meet growing demand around the world for blood tests to move away from hospitals and dedicated blood test sites.

“In future we will stay at home and will receive modern technology posted to the home, we will use the test and post the paper back to the lab,” he said.

“This type of need is global and it has started with an invention and solution at SAHMRI for nutrition testing.”

Trajan Nutrition, Blood Spot Testing, 360 Magazine,

Trajan Nutrition Chief executive officer Marco Baccanti and University of Adelaide Professor of Functional Food Science Robert Gibson

Plexus Worldwide Donation Helps Australia

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Plexus Worldwide® Donates $15,000 to Assist Survivors and First Responders of Australian Bushfires

Scottsdale, Arizona – Plexus Worldwide (Plexus®), a leading direct-selling health and wellness company focused on health and happiness, is donating $15,000 to The Salvation Army to help deliver crucial support to families and first responders impacted by the Australian bushfires.

The Salvation Army provides front line relief and recovery assistance to families, firefighters and volunteers impacted by the fires. To support the nonprofit’s efforts, Plexus launched the Stronger Together! social media campaign to raise awareness, pledging $1 for every social share.

During the 10-day campaign, the public shared Plexus’ Stronger Together! Facebook, LinkedIn, IG posts and video 15,000 times, equating to a $15,000 donation to The Salvation Army. In addition to the social media campaign, the company, in partnership with The Salvation Army, created a donation page that also raised close to $5,000 from generous donors.

“When we launched Plexus in Australia last year, I had the opportunity to tour the country and meet many of our Ambassadors,” said Tarl Robinson, Founder and CEO of Plexus. “Plexus is a family and hearing their stories and watching their heart-wrenching social media posts on the impact of these fires only emboldens our desire to help the communities that mean so much for our Plexus families.”

“These bushfires have directly impacted Plexus employees and sales representatives in Australia, who have witnessed the destruction as well as the toll these fires are having on communities,” said Alec Clark Alec Clark, Founder and President. “For many years, Plexus has supported The Salvation Army in time of crisis so we know how even a small donation can make a big difference to families at this crucial time.”

Plexus is also providing an easy way for the public to contribute directly to The Salvation Army’s efforts in Australia by including a link in Facebook posts to a donation page .

“Our ‘One Plexus’ philosophy emphasizes how we work collectively as a team to support one another,” said Christopher Pair, President of International and Operations. “This campaign is just one more example of our company, its Ambassadors and it’s employees coming together to help one another.”

Donations help fund the Salvation Army Emergency Services teams and provide immediate emotional, spiritual and material support where and when it is needed.

Plexus & The Salvation Army Australian Bushfire Donation Page

About Plexus Worldwide

Plexus Worldwide, LLC, offers health and wellness products that enable people to improve their lives and well-being. With hundreds of thousands of independent business owners (“Ambassadors”) worldwide, Plexus is among the world’s 30 largest direct sales companies. The combination of Plexus products and opportunities help individuals to meet their health-wellness and financial goals. For more information, visit www.plexusworldwide.com

WINE ENTHUSIAST

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Today, Wine Enthusiast – the leading authority on all things wine – released its highly anticipated travel guide. Unlike years past, the completely rethought feature showcases seven wine experiences, rather than destinations, to give readers an immersive perspective on wine and wine travel from those that know vino best. The digital feature is available online here and the print issue will be on newsstands in February.

Curated by Wine Enthusiast’s intrepid global editors, the list takes readers on a journey from the vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina to the soils of Piedmont, Italy to the rolling surf breaks of Margaret River, Australia, and beyond. A quick list of experiences include:

Touring the Storied Cellars of Champagne, France
- Located beneath the picturesque landscapes of Champagne lies a cavernous network of tunnels and caves known as Champagne’s crayères. Originally constructed by Romans to quarry chalk, the system has had many uses over the years, including wine storage for Benedictine monks and housing for hidden cities of French citizens when Germany occupied the area during World War I.
Safari and Wine Experiences in South Africa
- As South African wine entered a new era, so, too, did the safari experience—especially once legacy and avant-garde wine producers who raised quality began to capture the attention of beverage directors at game lodges. If an ideal vacation includes a Kruger game drive followed by sunset sips of the country’s best Chenin Blanc, guests can now turn that dream into a reality.
Wine and Surf in Australia’s Margaret River Region
- This Western Australia wine region, located about three hours south of Perth, offers a number of welcoming wineries set amid beautiful beaches. Featuring a plethora of surf schools, tasting tours and an annual professional surfing competition, Margaret River offers the perfect locale to sip and surf the day away.
Be Winemaker for a Day in Napa Valley, California
- Step into the shoes of a winemaker during a trip to Napa Valley, California – known as one of the world’s top wine destinations. Whether considering a career change or looking to hone a new skill, guests will have the opportunity to learn from successful wine makers at some of the most breathtaking vineyards.

“This year, we focus on specific wine-centric experiences that aren’t just about location, but about the deeper insight and excitement that wine lovers in the know can find in those regions,” says Susan Kostrzewa, Editor-in-Chief of Wine Enthusiast. “Our editors travel extensively and have access to incredible insider adventures; this list makes those available to anyone eager for discovery in and beyond the glass.”

HARRY STYLES STARTS NEW YEAR AT #1

Harry Styles’ critically acclaimed new album Fine Line has once again topped the Billboard 200 chart for a 2^nd week, closing the decade and starting the new year at #1 with over 89,000 equivalent album units sold this week.

Last week the album topped charts around the world and achieved an array of history-making records when it debuted at #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 with over 478,000 equivalent album units sold, making history as the biggest sales week for a solo U.K. male artist’s album since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales data in 1991. It also marked the sixth best-selling traditional album of the year in just under a week and the fourth-biggest vinyl sales week in Nielsen music history. Harry achieved the 3^rd highest debut for any artist this year, and achieved the biggest week for a pop album by a male artist in four years.

The incredible U.S. success has continued internationally where the album entered the charts at #1 in over 20 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, and across South East Asia. Harry also became the first UK male artist to debut at #1 in the U.S. with his first two albums.

Harry will kick off his world tour ‘Love on Tour’ in April 2020, tickets and additional information are available here.

The new album, Fine Line, is available everywhere today via Columbia Records/Erskine Records.

WENGIE × EILL

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POP STAR WENGIE RETURNS WITH A VIBRANT REMAKE OF “TALK TALK” AND DRIVES FANS WILD WITH HER REVAMPED MUSIC VIDEO

Teams up with J-pop artist eill
Just when you thought you couldn’t love a song any more, YouTube sensation turned music artist Wengie revives her K-pop bop “Talk Talk” featuring J-pop artist eill with a colorful music video. The new and improved single will make fans dance like nobody’s watching between the vivacious beats and vibrant background in the music video. This version of the music video is completely new and reshot fully on location in Japan featuring a lively aesthetic that sparks a mystical take between the two artists.

eill has an increasing influence in the J-pop world collaborating on the song “721” with Korean hip-hop artists Rheehab and Ocean. Rolling Stone Japan magazine picked eill as “the top 20 artists to pay attention to internationally and domestically”. She released her debut album “SPOTLIGHT” last month to rave reviews and her music has been on a rotation at more than 30 different radio stations across Japan since the release. The recent music video was also featured and played on “POWER PUSH” by Space Shower TV and “Recommend” by M-ON! With outstanding feedback, the hit reached number 1 for two weeks in a row on the All Japan Radio On-Air chart. eill also participated as a composer/lyricist in a popular Korean girl’s group EXID’s 2nd single with Taku Takahashi (m-flo).

David Amber, the songwriter and producer for global superstars like TWICE, SF9 and NCT, who originally wrote “Talk Talk” makes a cameo in the new music video showcasing his guitar skills.

Wengie: “I loved J-pop music when I was younger so to be able to collaborate with such a talented Japanese artist named eill was such an experience she really added a unique twist to ‘Talk Talk’ that I was surprised with and loved! She’s so cute and fun, just really down to earth and having David be part of the music video was really the icing on the cake.”

eill: “Working with Wengie felt so surreal. She is so wholehearted and does everything with passion. There are not enough people like her in the world. She is a great artist and really loves her fans.”

Creating a channel back in 2010, Wengie has amassed a loyal YouTube following of over 19 million subscribers across her channels, over 25 million combined followers among all social channels and over 2.1 billion views total on YouTube. Since then, she has released seven singles and music videos, each of which have seen huge success and she will continue releasing new music this summer.

ABOUT WENGIE

As one of the most influential YouTube stars and personalities, Wengie’s unique ability to deliver vibrant, informative, and highly-relatable content (including her wildly popular life “hacks” series) to a global audience—with signature quirk and humor—keeps her zealous ‘Wengiecorns’ wanting more. This unparalleled closeness and trust with her fans has cemented Wengie’s power as a leading content collaborator for both high-profile and emerging brands. Wengie has leveraged her prominence on YouTube to tackle other creative realms—she recorded her first music album in China in 2017 and is the voice of the fourth “Powerpuff Girl” on the Cartoon Network. With Wengie’s single ‘Oh I Do’, hitting #5 on the Honggebang charts in China, her music career continues to blossom with each music release skyrocketing to the top of international music charts. She has accumulated over 26 million views on YouTube with her first three releases of “Oh I Do,” “Cake,” and “Déjà vu,” which continues to grow daily. Following those, Wengie dropped her holiday anthem “Ugly Christmas Sweater” song, which hit the #1 spot on YouTube’s trending list and garnered nearly two million views in its first day, and 8.8 million to date. Wengie’s first collaboration “Mr. Nice Guy” features Filipino star musician Iñigo Pascual, which reached #1 on the OPM Top 10 Chart in the Philippines! Wengie’s single “Empire” featuring k-pop superstar Minnie of (G)I-DLE debuted at number 22 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart week of November 2, 2019. Wengie’s music channel “Wengie Music” has over 75 million total views (as of December 2019). For the majority of her life, she has had multicultural musical taste, listening to mainly J-pop, C-pop, and K-pop. Wengie’s main goal in music is to create fun music that is “East meets West” / K-Pop-fused-with-American-pop, which is essentially all the things she loves. Her musical influences include BLACKPINK, TWICE, ITZY, HyunA, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. Wengie is managed by RARE Global, music by Asian Agent, and her agency is UTA.

Introducing The Kid Laroi

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LA based rapper by way of Australia makes his major label debut with new single “Let Her Go.” The official music video was directed by Cole Bennett and is live on Lyrical Lemonade.

At only sixteen years old, The Kid LAROI is one of his city’s most promising acts. He’s already received many notable co-signs including JuiceWRLD, 6LACK, and Lil Skies and provided tour support for a number of artists.

World War Joy Tour

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By: Krishan Narsinghani

The Chainsmokers returned to their home of Los Angeles to shake down Inglewood at the legendary Forum. With over 40 shows on their World War Joy Tour, the duo (Drew Taggart and Alex Pall) didn’t stop short to show LA why they’re one of the world’s leading EDM acts.

The evening began with acts Lennon Stella and 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) warming up the nearly sold-out 18,000 capacity arena. The Australian pop-rock band, whom hail from Sydney, during their riveting performance, reminded the crowd that they are not your conventional ‘opening act.’ After belting hit after hit, it was apparent that this group could pack a stadium on their own accord with ease.

Production for each Chainsmokers’ song kept the crowd enticed and on their toes – i.e. tranced with lasers, motorcycles, pyro sticks and special guest appearances. Blink-182 made a surprise entrance to help preview a new single dropping on the anticipated Chainsmokers’ album, “World War Joy,” set to release on December 6th.

The group continued with smash hits like the Grammy award winning, ‘Don’t Let Me Down,’ along with favorites ‘Closer,’ and ‘Takeaway.’ Bass heavy mixes paralleled with Drew’s angelic vocals was a sweet spot for dance music fanatics. The live performance truly made you a fan if you weren’t already.

The Labelle Foundation

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The Australians have given us so much…Nicole Kidman, Koalas, UGG Boots and NOW…they have given us the 2020 Training Mate Calendar. Training Mate has paired with The Labelle Foundation to show off their “cheeky” humor *and cheeks* to benefit the dog rescue.

The Labelle Foundation is a Los Angeles foster based animal rescue devoted to rescuing, rehabilitating, advocating for dogs. Their goal is to help the animals they assist find perfect forever families. The organization also specializes in neonatal orphans and sick or special need medical puppies.

Training Mate is owned and operated by “Revenge Body” trainer Luke Milton who makes an appearance in the calendar. Luke’s fitness career began as a professional Rugby player in Australia where he was lucky enough to play for his country. After retiring from Rugby, Luke founded Training Mate in Sydney, Australia and quickly established himself as a leader in the fitness community. He is now a celebrity trainer here in Los Angeles and lives by the belief that a healthy lifestyle is a combination of physical, social and mental health.

100% of the profits from the Training Mate calendar will benefit The Labelle Foundation.

SHEPPARD RELEASES ALBUM

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Australian hitmakers Sheppard have had a whirlwind 12 months – after releasing their #1 ARIA sophomore album Watching the Sky (June 2018 via ), the band – Amy, George, and Emma Sheppard along with Jay Bovino – went on to perform shows all over the globe, appear as an Australian finalist in the Eurovision song competition, and spark a global body positivity movement with #kissmyfatass this summer. Now, the band is back with new single “Die Young,” which is out today, October 18th, via your preferred listening service. Sheppard has also shared a stunning new video for the track, watch here.

In late February, the band took a break from performing after George was diagnosed with a throat injury. After spending months on vocal rest, it became clear that he required surgery, which he underwent in September. The forced rest and songwriting sessions led him to consider what kind of artist he was outside of Sheppard, culminating in a two-week long silent retreat in the mountains. At the same time, Amy was igniting an important conversation about body shaming and beauty standards with the global #kissmyfatass campaign.

“We began to ask what we wanted next, for ourselves individually, for the band and for our fans. We wrote ‘Die Young’ as though it was a ‘final’ Sheppard song; a song about appreciating each day and living it as though it was your last,” George says. In the midst of this introspection, the band’s core team of Amy, George and Jay came together again to record “Kiss My Fat Ass,” a chance for the trio to reconnect creatively after many months.

“When Jay, Amy and I finally got back into the studio to record ‘Kiss My Fat Ass,’ it was such a fun new sound for us and the three of us worked great together,” said George. “It was clear each of us had been on our own individual journeys of reflection and growth. It reminded me of the early days of writing for the first album and how much fun it was to rediscover ourselves musically.”

Together, the band realized that far from being an artistic shackle, Sheppard was a vehicle of creative energy and foundation for each of their individual pursuits. “Die Young” sees Sheppard in top form – lush production, full vocal harmonies, and an existential optimism parallel with the band’s own journey throughout the last year.
Listen to “Die Young” now and be on the lookout for more from Sheppard soon. For the most up-to-date information, please visit www.wearesheppard.com.

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