DEVIATION 67 - KELELA / BOK BOK / DAM FUNK

I'm now kinda vex'd because my original post has been deleted. But I'll do my best to remember what I said. After almost a 6 month wait CUT 4 ME is finally upon us. In a similar manner to her and Bok Bok's recent grime set - they were alongside again for the 6th Birthday of Benji B's mighty club night Deviation. Her PA was delayed by technicals allaying my fears that she was trying to mime. In Benji B's interview with Breaks Magazine he states how important it is to go to clubs to hear music on a system and if you really want to get CUT 4 ME it is essential to see her perform live. She was a bare-footed Siren whose voiced pierced through the thick smoke to lure you into her futuristic world.

(photo by Teddy Fitzhugh)

The Night Slugs and Fade To Mind camps have developed their own brand of club music, they handled all the production - therefore it makes sense for some of it to be heard in a club setting. Obviously not every track is built for the club but if you already thought that Enemy and Bankhead were good then wait till you hear them on a system. The latter especially is one of the hardest pop tunes made ever.  Both camps fuse grime, ATL club music and 80s sci-fi to deliver a highly aestheticised sound that the progenitor Timbaland would be proud of. Something like Virginia-via-Bow. The fact that FTM's Mike Q has worked with Missy Elliot further strengthens their similarities. If only they would all work with Ciara, Cassie or Teyana Taylor. More to the point R&B this morose and angular hasn't been been heard since the days when Missy/Timbaland/ Aaliyah/Ginuwine and the Neptunes ruled. Hopefully some savvy A&R's are listening because these guys have the potential to save mainstream music. 

The homage paid to Aaliyah when she spells out K-E-L-E-L-A on Enemy is the wormhole that connects the two soundscapes. I'm not saying that Kelela is the new Aaliyah because she is certainly her own person but in terms of voice, image and production  she has everything you could want to fill the huge void that she left behind. Grime in the mainstream still hasn't been fully explored (DJ Cameo's latest track isn't helping) and whilst CUT 4 ME isn't strictly grime (what is grime in 2013 apart from eski rebores?) it's probably the closest thing you can get without her singing over a Devil  Bass Mix.  



With Bok Bok selecting Kelela's was riding over the likes of Terror Danjah, Low Deep, Ruff Sqwad and newcomer Neana joining all the musical dots perfectly. Her live vocals were nothing short of breathtaking - most memorably on Send Me Out.  Singing Say My Name over XTC's Functions on the Low was undoubtedly the highlight (apart from her forgetting the lyrics) so big up Bok Bok for that one.

Even with the weight behind some of her album's production she was never dominated by them; it was very much a symbiotic relationship. Songs like sinogrime Floor Show sounds so familiar that you'll find yourself singing along even if you don't know the words. The twisted G-funk song she performed as well was next level. The lil' taste of the new tracks has got me itching already. Kelela claims she's "already seen the future and it's over" and sorry again for the Missy/Timbo comparisons but in terms of the creativity and vision of FTM and NS and their extended families the link is undeniable; so rest assured the future of club and R&B music is in very good hands. And, if we get visual like this again (see below - what's $2,000,000 anyway?) then all will be right in the world again. Maybe Wavy Spice (skip to 55 mins) or Tink can be the 'new' Missy / Lil Kim and they can collab.



After their set Dam Funk took the controls  - another specialist in retro/futuristic 80s music so the vibes carried on nicely. He again showed the potential of what can and should happen when the underground and mainstream combine in the right way. The product of this being his long overdue collaboration with Snoop Dogg. Where was Napolian? I'm not sure who was playing upstairs but the slew of Clipse tunes was much appreciated. 



He didn't drop this but I wish he had.




Gems:

Brand new Mssingno. He's also up next on Goon Club Allstars 002 who recently gave away some Moleskin edits here.


FTM's Fatima Al Qadiri dropping a freebie.



Gang Fatale's Georgia Girls (LLesca) had this tune uploaded which has gone now but maybe it'll get a re-up.

Girls U No It's True has also come through with a serious selection of slow jams. Ciara's Other Chicks into My Type of Party into Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence. Enough said.

Radio set rip from Logos last week. He's also got his Cold Mission album coming out on Keysound. Read more about it here. Tracks from Rabit whose Sun Showers EP is out now, Neana, Gage, Wen & Mumdance.