Ayanna Witter-Johnson Interview

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The prestigious annual O2 Silver Clef Awards, held on June 30th 2023 to honour artists from across the music industry, and has so far raised £537,000 for Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity. This huge fundraising boost will help Nordoff and Robbins’ trained music therapists to support some of the most vulnerable children and adults in the UK; helping those with autism, dementia, learning difficulties, brain injuries, life-limiting illnesses, mental health challenges, grief and trauma connect and communicate through music.

The glittering award ceremony - now in its 46th year - at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane saw international superstar and cultural icon Stormzy winning the flagship O2 Silver Clef Award, the legendary Mark King of Level 42 being honoured with the Icon Award and pop legend Neneh Cherry receiving the accolade for Outstanding Achievement. Trailblazer RAYE received Best Female, while rock renegades Nova Twins took home the Innovation Award. Jazz singer songwriter sensation Gregory Porter won Best Male and award-winning American singer songwriter Adam Lambert picked up the International Award. Wet Leg received the New Music Award and Biffy Clyro won Best Live Act, UK music legends N-Dubz were honoured with the Best Group Award and Ayanna Witter-Johnson won the Classical Award.

Guest award presenters included Queen lead guitarist Sir Brian May, Mobo awards founder Kanya King and chef and TV presenter Andi Oliver.

Presented by Edith Bowman for the fifth-year running, with Peter Andre returning to take his regular hosting spot on the blue carpet, the O2 Silver Clef Awards are held to recognise and celebrate the talent of the winning artists and the powerful impact of music on all members of our society. Since 1976, through the power of music, the awards have raised over £12 million for Nordoff and Robbins and honoured some of the greatest names in music.

In 2022, Nordoff and Robbins held nearly 50,000 music therapy sessions across the UK for some of the most isolated people in society, and the need for music therapy is greater than it has ever been.

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Anubis Wolf releases ambient and dreamlike new single titled “Floating Clouds”

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Bay Area musician Anubis Wolf is mystifying his listeners with a brand new track called “Floating Clouds,” a sonic experience inspired by daydreams of simpler times long ago.

“The mix blends ambient synths with ethereal wave, topped with trap beats, creating a dreamlike yet rhythmic journey,” he said. “Creating 'Floating Clouds' was like weaving together fragments of daydreams I’ve had for years. It captures that elusive feeling of calm, suspended in a moment of introspection and wonder.”

Anubis Wolf creates his own beats, and in the case of “Floating Clouds” it all started when he was on break while working at his banking job. He was trying to escape the daily grind mentally for a minute, and sent his brain back into “cowboy times” where there was no TV or radio. These are the days where they would go out for long hikes, sit back and relax on a nice bunch of grass, and imagine what the future might hold.

“I wondered about what these guys would do,” he said. “They’d let everything go and see things in the clouds themselves. Seeing different shapes in the clouds. It’s like a little break in between any of the things someone is going through.”

Anubis Wolf poses the question to his listeners, “What if floating through clouds had a soundtrack?”

This is what “Floating Clouds” brings to the table, building a soundscape that will take you on a musical adventure through your mind.

Anubis Wolf’s artistic career goes back to making graffiti art online, where he would go to yard sales, garage sales and buy art that he would paint over. He eventually realized that he needed a sound to complement it.


“Through my musical journey, I found these different sounds that would hit you emotionally and create a whole vibe that was an ambiance,” he said. “That’s where I’d found this lo-fi genre, where I have all these different layers and different sounds. This is where my music journey all started, matching my art with music. It gives the listener a sense of hallucination when listening to my work.”

This type of feeling drew his inspiration to have low melody beats with a bit of hip hop and psychedelia, which is fitting with his Bay Area roots.

“If someone were to ask me what my music is like, I’d say that it is ambiance, experimental, electronic, trap and hip-hop,” he said. “That’s where the popularity comes from. The Bay Area has a lot of hip hop sounds, and high hats. It’s repetitive, too. It has something that really hits your internals. It’s more relaxing and keeps you in tune with what is going on.”

Anubis Wolf’s passion is lo-fi music in the 60-90 bpm range, saying that this is what he’s most in tune with. He said some of his earlier works put him into a mode that was almost extraterrestrial with out of body experiences. They were euphoric feelings that he wanted to keep in touch with on a musical and spiritual level.

“It gives a well round experience to the listener to feel good, and feel that their mind is on a trip without tampering with it,” he said. “It is supposed to open up a soundscape, and a take you to a place where your imagination can come to life, and see the sounds happen in kind of a spiritual way. The way that it is made and put together is futuristic.”

Anubis Wolf says that he “surfs the sonic waves with a chill, ambient vibe, seamlessly blending sound and sensation.

“Each beat pulses like velvet shadows at dusk, while deep, soulful rhythms ripple with the familiar sway of Bay Area cool,” he said.

He noted that he isn’t just producing music, but actually weaving “immersive sensory experiences that ignite the mind.” Anubis Wolf has a focus on creating tunes that will get the listener’s creative juices flowing.

“Sometimes you’ve got to wake up and go do something,” he said. “When you listen to my music, maybe have something visualized in your mind, and then you can snap back in and go do it. It’s a sense to stay focused and a sense to go ahead and visualize yourself externally. See yourself do things before they happen.”

Be sure to check out the music of Anubis Wolf, including his brand new single “Floating Clouds,” available on all platforms.

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