.@rivertiber FEAT. .@PUSHA_T "ILLUSIONS" (PROD. RIVER TIBER, .@KAYTRANADA & DOC MCKINNEY)

Rising Toronto producer, River Tiber (born Tommy Paxton-Beesley) is a vocalist, multi-intrumentalist and thriving live-performer whose music combines R&B, rock and electronic tones.

Pitchfork has the official stream of "Illusions" and Zane Lowe premiered the track as a "World Record" on his Beats 1 show. "Illusions" is River Tiber's new collaboration with Pusha T, which was co-produced by KAYTRANADA & Doc McKinney. The track will be released as a two-song digital single on April 8th via Red Bull Sound Select, which will feature a second track, "Gravity," also co-produced by KAYTRANADA.

"Illusions" is the first Red Bull Sound Select track release by a Canadian artist. KAYTRANADA and Paxton-Beesley are friends and frequent collaborators, so the integration came together naturally. Paxton-Beesley shaped his parts of the project during his travels from LA to Paris, back to LA and home to Toronto over several weeks in late 2015 and early this year.

"I had played at 30 Days in LA the night before heading to Paris for Red Bull Music Academy. When I was flying, the attacks happened at Bataclan and the Academy had to be cut short. After a couple days, I went back to LA. That experience was the most surreal...a bizarre juxtaposition of moods," said River Tiber.

River Tiber recalls, "the night before the session with Push and Kay in LA, I had food poisoning... and hadn't slept or eaten. Me and Kay had made this beat a couple days before, Push came through and killed his verse in one take. He's a master...that session was amazing and inspiring."

The song was completed back in Toronto during a marathon stretch at the studio of legendary producer Doc McKinney. "I did a few sessions with Doc and we rearranged the structure, writing and production - he really challenged me to find the song. We would start in the afternoon and go overnight, I barely saw the sun for a few days. I wrote the chorus in the last session - it felt right. The song isn't really about this story, but that's where it comes from. I tried to take a piece of what I observed in LA and turn it into something universal."

River Tiber has been a Red Bull Sound Select artist since 2014. His first showcase in Toronto was supporting BADBADNOTGOOD. He then headlined October 2015's showcase, at Toronto's Adelaide Hall with fellow Red Bull Sound Select artists Charlotte Day Wilson and Tennyson. In November 2015, River Tiber opened for Flume, alongside Taskforce, at Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 30 Days in LA, and was one of three Canadians selected to attend Red Bull Music Academy Paris in 2015.

Photo Credit: Carlo Cruz / Red Bull Sound Select / Content Pool

About River Tiber:

River Tiber is 25 year-old Toronto producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Tommy Paxton-Beesley.

In two short years, River Tiber has developed a reputation as a producer not only for the acumen demonstrated in recording his own music (2013 EP The Star Falls and 2015 follow up When The Time Is Right), but also for his work with beat maker heavyweights like Frank Dukes that have lead to placements on songs by Drake, Travis Scott, Mac Miller, Freddie Gibbs and more.

River Tiber was a contributor to several cuts on BADBADNOTGOOD x Ghostface Killah's Polaris Music Prize shortlisted album Sour Soul, and the only guest on Toronto-rapper Jazz Cartier's critically acclaimed album, Hotel Paradise. Most recently, he is featured on two-songs from KAYTRANADA's forthcoming XL Records release, 99.9%.

River Tiber's debut full length will be released in Spring 2016.

"Deep, soul-infused beats and a capable falsetto that falls somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Justin Timberlake." - Complex

"With delicate harmonies that bring to mind the earnest soul of Anthony Hamilton and the digital reticence of The Eraser-era Thom Yorke." - Pitchfork

"An artist who is one credit away from the fame and recognition he deserves." - Noisey

About Red Bull Sound Select:

Red Bull Sound Select is an artist development program that delivers the best in new music. The program works with notable music influencers who curate artists from their local scenes, and supports musicians through in-studio collaborations, mentorship, music distribution, 200+ annual shows across 15 cities and festivals like 30 Days in LA.

This year, Red Bull Sound Select will release 15 two-song digital singles from its top handpicked artists. Innovative artists who are blurring the lines of genre, the first edition of the Futures List includes releases by rising talent like Gallant, River Tiber, Connor Pearson, Race Banyon, Povi, SPZRKT and Jazz Cartier. Paired with collaborators like Pusha T, Jhene Aiko, Ty Dolla $ign, ILoveMakonnen and D.R.A.M., these emerging artists are creating exciting new music this year with producers including MikeWillMadeIt, Hit Boy, Kaytranada, DJ Dahi, James Fauntleroy and more.

Hear Gallant's Skipping Stones featuring Jhené Aiko: win.gs/skippingstones

Hear Race Banyon's What Are We Doing featuring Ty Dolla $ign: win.gs/whatarewedoing

Hear Povi's Park Hill featuring ILoveMakonnen: win.gs/parkhill