TransAtlantic super collective BLACK NEON return with the fourth, final, and titular single from their stunning debut EP release, ‘Midnight In LA’. From the minute the needle drops, the track oozes with the same kind of sultry, hazy, night-time heat that California’s premiere city is renowned for. The production slips easily between sentiments of R&B, rhythms of jazz, and airy segments of EDM, all tied seamlessly together by Sam Bruno’s softly seductive vocal line. Warm padded bass thuds gently underneath soft guitars, light percussion, and twinkling melodic runs that sparkle softly like the stars above LA, creating a heartfelt love letter to the city of dreams.
Spanning continents, genres, race, and gender, BLACK NEON is a blend of musical talents from the worlds of pop, electronic, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, and jazz. The super collective combines the talents of Detroit producer Bishop7, vocalist, writer, and producer Sam Bruno, Dutch legend Sander Kleinenberg and EDM producer Thomas Helsloot.
‘Midnight in LA’ just the beginning of their stratos-sonic adventure, BLACK NEON have sent a clear clarion call to music lovers everywhere, shining a light into the darkness, highlighting the possibilities, stepping fearlessly into the future.
What do you get when a magical girl from the painted deserts of Arizona, a few wild boys from the reclaimed lands by the North Sea and a seasoned OG reigning from the music legends of Detroit collide? The answer to that question is emerging super collective BLACK NEON, combining the talents of Detroit producer Bishop7, vocalist, writer and producer Sam Bruno, Dutch legend Sander Kleinenberg and EDM producer Thomas Helsloot in one forward-thinking, transAtlantic-InterGalactic, seemingly prophetic musical entity.
Hailing from one of America’s most musically significant cities, Detroit, platinum-selling producer, and songwriter Bishop7 has been signed and mentored by some of the biggest names in music from Babyface to Puff Daddy to Teddy Riley, and worked with the glitterati of pop music, including Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, to mention just a few.
Platinum-selling Sam Bruno’s first writing placement was for Kanye West, penning and playing piano on his collaboration ‘The One’ with Big Sean and 2 Chainz. She went on to write and produce for stars like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, and Chris Lee, sign to Atlantic Records, sync music to movies like Charlie’s Angel (‘Go Go Getter’) and TV shows Batwoman and Good Girls.
As a writing and producing partnership, Bishop7 and Bruno have an equally prolific slate of achievements: Billboard chart hits with cuts like Lil Wayne’s ‘Famous’ from ‘Tha Carter V’ and ‘U Say’ by The Bonfyre feat 6LACK, movie placements like Bruno’s single ‘Search Party’ on Fox Film’s Paper Towns’ soundtrack and the Skrillex and Good Times Ahead EDM classic ‘Red Lip’s with Bruno also on vocals.
More familiar to EDM fans as Tommy Rocks, Thomas Helsloot has racked up a plethora of electronic hits, working with artists including Quintino, Laidback Luke, Jesse James, Marc Benjamin, Syke N Sugarstarr, Lady Bee, Tom Staar, Uberjak’d, Zedd, Matthew Koma and of course, Sander Kleinenberg.
One of the original Dutch superstar DJs, Kleinenberg is revered globally in the electronic scene. Tracks like ‘My Lexicon’, ‘The Fruit’, ‘This Is Miami’ and most famously ‘Can You Feel It’ created a defining legacy and led to him remixing music’s biggest names, including Madonna, Daft Punk, Gwen McCrae, Jamie Cullen, Justin Timberlake, Audio Bullies, LANY, Halsey and more. With an ever-eclectic ear, his musical taste spans everything from quirky disco, psychedelia and Detroit techno to straight up soul and industrialism, gifting his music a fluidity and flexibility that gives it its signature Kleinenberg sound. BLACK NEON brings him full circle in his quest to produce pop music, the Dutch legend finally fulfilling his early desire to create a super collective with the ability to straddle every genre, producing contemporary yet timeless perfection.
Now with the world at their feet and the stars as their mission, BLACK NEON will stay true to their intergalactic moniker, aiming to inspire an era of change with their boundless creativity, timeless art and can-do attitude. Touching the border of the uncharted only to purposefully journey beyond, the collective is on a mission to push the limits of time and space whilst simultaneously bringing a spark of neon light into the darker spaces of our galaxy. BLACK NEON truly is the new black.
