Earl Patrick pivots sharply away from his usual indie-folk and guitar-driven comfort zones for his newest release, the wildly inventive album "Conditioned By Machines". The Portland, Oregon-based composer, singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has spent over two decades building a dense, eight-album catalog. Here, however, he entirely flips the script. Feeling that classical flute music too often prioritizes gesture over pure melody, he set out...

Arta Kwame, an Afro-fusion artist from Ghana, is another musician to keep an eye on in this music scene. He is a native of the Kontenase - Ashanti Region (Lake Bosomtwe Road) and was born Ernest Nketiah to Selina Tawiah and Ernest Nketiah. The young musician has been in the industry for a while, drawing inspiration and encouragement from his friends to create music that is...