"I am an Israeli Yemeni American woman. I make electronic world folk music. Here I am at a carnival." It's a nice, simple intro for the video of "Come Out Alright," which was derived from a more complex situation that found Tamar Dart, a.k.a. Little Strike, on the receiving end of an email from a close friend, who needed to reveal his heroin addiction to an understanding soul. The beautifully-crafted music video was directed, co-produced, and edited by Peter English. Little Strike will be performing next in Philly on Sunday, October 2 at Kung Fu Necktie.

The Deli Portland has had an eye on Zozma for a while, and we're glad to see that more listeners have been turned onto them as well. Psych gets used more as an added descriptor to other types of genres, or as an element of an album, but there exists a lack of local, modern acts that define the genre. 

Enter Zozma, a collection of spiritually connected beings that create more than just music; they create a movement. Their music roots itself in traditonal Middle Eastern piety, powerfully united with ethereal vocals and a mastered understanding of instruments otherworldly. You'll find yourself fully consumed by its aural dominance as if to be in a trance-like state, exactly like what is imagined when thinking of the psychedelic tunes dominated the 60's.

Be sure to catch Zozma during one of their occasional performances around town. Their live performances sound exactly like their recordings, elevated by a hypnotizing and engaging stage presence. It's a musical adventure every appreciator needs to experience. 

Congrats on the Artist of the Month win, Zozma!

Brooklyn dance/elcctropop band Superhuman Happiness is the project of saxophonist Stuart Bogie, who has recently toured with Arcade Fire & Iron & Wine, and is also a member of Antibalas. The criminally underrated trio, plays imaginative avant-pop infused with strong percussive elements and - of course - a fair amount of brass. They released their most recent album Escape Velocity via Royal Potato Family in Sept. 2015 and are currently working on new music, and will be performing on October 6th at Rough Trade. Check out their latest two singles 'Drawing Lines' and 'Well, Well, Well,' streaming below.

We added this song to The Deli's playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists - check it out!

Polls are like guitar solos, some people love them while others despise them - and we are cool with that. 

Here at The Deli we like polls because - at least the way we do them - they allow us to accomplish many positive things at once:

1. The Deli's polls are a great way to give free exposure to local emerging artists we like, directly on our homepage.
2. The polls may prompt these same artists to promote our site amongst their fans - and of course we like that.
3. They also basically force us to constantly search for great up and coming local artists - 8 every 2 weeks only in NYC!!!
4. The artists and bands who win our polls not only get their picture on top of our city scene homepage for two weeks (which is the most clicked part of our site), but also (when we have local sponsors) win some prizes, including free recording and mastering time - now that doesn't hurt them for sure...
5. Most readers perceive being nominated for a poll and - even more so - winning it, as a strong sign of quality - and giving that kind of message associated to an emerging artists is exactly what we are here for.

So if you happen to despise polls, we just gave you 5 good reasons to change your mind...

The Deli's Staff

What neosoul outfit Votive Crown lack in material, they make up for with potential and promise. Having released only three tracks over the past three years, the Brooklyn group has been coy, if not shy, about demonstrating what they're truly capable of so far. What they have cared to share, however, is a shimmering, fresh take on vintage soul, just as their name would suggest. Their most recent release, "THEREMIN" (the first since 2013) gently weaves in worldly influences into a deeply melodic soul sound that's headlined by silky, female vocals and ethereal synth and keys patterns. Votive Crown can't release something else soon enough, and you can check them out at Mercury Lounge on 8/8. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber