Urban Music Enthusiast

Kelela

6 years ago, I was not receptive to alternative urban music artists like Kaytranada, Anderson Paak, and Kelela because my heels were firmly planted in the trenches of trap music.  But then, I met the woman who would become my wife, and she expanded my sonic palate. It’s amazing how she’s broadened my appreciation for dance/electronic music, and I’m very thankful for her influence.

I had never dived into indie and alternative music genres, but now I consider myself a fan. 

More than that, as a DMV transplant and Midwest native,  I find myself leaning into artists from the local region with the same intentionality and enthusiasm, that I lean into artists from my hometown.

With that being said, I am leaning into Kelela and Brent Faiyaz with the same veracity as I’m leaning into Jordan Ward and Sexyy Red.

Many wouldn’t mention these artists in the same sentence, but I’ve grown comfortable embracing a wide array of music and my newfound range.

The album Raven was released on February 10, 2023, a few months shy of Kelela’s 40th birthday. RAVE:N, The Remixes was released a year later on February 9, 2024. Present-day remixes, don’t hold the same weight as they did historically when they were anticipated to the same degree as the original record. And thus, have fallen out of artists’ and fans’ favor. Also, historically remixes tend to be of slightly lower quality, but that’s not the case with RAVE:N, The Remixes. Raven was masterfully constructed, but somehow RAVE:N, The Remixes reigns even more supreme. 

RAVE:N, The Remixes is ​​the soundtrack to the most seductive and immersive dance experience. Producers Bambii, Florian TM Zeisig, Asmara, and LSDXOXO are responsible for the exquisite blend of urban dance and electronic music.  Album highlights include “Raven,” “Contact,” “Holier,” “Fooley”, “Happy Ending” and “On The Run”. In sequence, the tracks sound like the background music to the best night of your life, with a person you don’t want to live without. The melodic blends are soothing to your nervous system and there is also freedom in the lyrics unlocking a portal to release negative energy trapped within. 

‘You’re stressing, That’s not allowed, There’s nothing holding us down, You see my hips, and they sway, Now see me walking away. To the dance floor’-Contact. 

I affectionately refer to her art form as ‘Feel Good Music’, which promotes you to live how you want to live, love how you want to love, and vibrate at whatever frequency your heart desires. 

Her music makes me feel safe to be whole, broken, and everything in between.

‘And though we struggle apart, The love was good but I’m not, And though it troubles my heart, Don’t want to cover the scars. So, I go where they hold me down’-Holier

Finally, her music makes me feel supported in whatever capacity of my blackness and womanhood that I choose to exist in. 

It makes me feel proud to exist outside of gender conformity and social norms. 

She is truly a breath of fresh air to the urban music community, and her next live show I will be sure not to miss.

Easy Listening, The Urban Music Enthusiast.