Bubblegum Club

Tag: new EP

  • Vancouver-based artist KENZA’s Dead State (of Mind)

    Vancouver-based artist KENZA’s Dead State (of Mind)

    Upon listening to 20 year old, Vancouver-based artist KENZA’s sophomore release ‘Dixie & The Dead States’, it becomes clear that she draws as much from the avant-garde as from pop. Presented with a strong 70s aesthetic, the 3-track album features a variety of sounds, from the atonal ‘VEGAS BEST, NV 89109’ to the trap-like ‘BISCAYNE BAY FT. EMERY SIMEON, FL 33138’ and the laid back, R&B tinged ‘SAN PEDRO SEDATION, CA 94158’. But what pulls the album together is KENZA’s soulful, buttery vocals.

    Whereas her debut release ‘Adult Glorification’ was heavily influenced by Frank Ocean, KENZA stayed away from outside influences on this EP. “There are no influences because I can’t allow myself to have influences at the moment. It makes me doubt my music. So this is the first one that is all KENZA,” she explains. Going from powerless to powerful is another difference between ‘Dixie & The Dead States’ and ‘Adult Glorification’ for KENZA. “It feels kind of like driving in your dad’s car. Now you’re the driver. You’re in the front seat.”

    Another big change between the two releases has been KENZA’s approach to writing. Previously she would write and then create music, but now she freestyles a lot more in studio. “I think now I’m going away from structure and just make sure that I can feel it.”

    Finally, whereas ‘Adult Glorification’ was produced by KENZA, the track ‘San Pedro Sedation’ from the new EP was produced by her alter-ego ‘CFR’. “I can’t be focused on anything KENZA when I’m producing and that allows me to not think I’m making a hip hop record, I’m making a pop record or I’m making an R&B record.”

    The album title itself refers to KENZA’s attempt at making it in LA and not finding fellow artists to collaborate with. “As an artist that kind of kills you. So I had this thing where I’m in San Pedro, I have nothing at the moment, I can’t go forward with this and I just kinda have to go back home, and it put me in this really weird dead state”.

    Already working on a follow-up album, this time a full 15-track package, KENZA is also in the process of producing a music video to support ‘San Pedro Sedation’. While her music doesn’t fall into the neat boxes that people often feel the need to allocate to artists, KENZA’s approach to music is inspired by some of pop’s biggest icons such as Madonna and Kanye West. In fact, ‘808s & Heartbreaks’ by Kanye West was the album that got her into wanting to create music, with ‘Paranoid’ a heavy inspiration. While ‘San Pedro Sedation’ draws heavily on the 70s aesthetic, KENZA doesn’t want to be tied to any one look. “How can I make this fun for other people? I’m me no matter what, but I feel like they should also feel like they’re looking at something exciting every single time, not looking at the same thing.”

    While she relates to her music in specific ways, KENZA knows the same can’t be said for her listeners. “It’s about creating an experience for them so they can make whatever they want out of the song.” With ‘San Pedro Sedation’, KENZA has matured as an artist, taken the lessons from her debut release and improved on them. “I think I’m at that point where I can do anything. You learn from your mistakes. I feel powerful with this [EP].”

  • Swiss electronic composer Aïsha Devi to release new Album

    Swiss electronic composer Aïsha Devi to release new Album

    When I opened the link for Swiss electronic composer Aïsha Devi‘s ‘Mazdâ‘, I had no idea that I was about to be yanked out of space and time. The song stretches her vocals to breaking point over deep, stabbing synths. This alluring music scores images of a lysergic dance of uncanny bodies, Buddhist icons and lush vegetation shrouded in smoke, taking place in what looks like a decadent ceremonial chamber. I felt completely disoriented- was this heaven or hell, from the forbidden past or some savage future? It was both enticing and sinister, and hard to tell if this was an amazing piece of performance art or the final orgiastic blowout of a doomsday cult.

    Recovered from this synaptic assault, I discovered that the video accompanied her 2015 album Of Matter and Spirit, with the visuals being provided by the transgressive Chinese artist Tianzhuo Chen. The ritualistic intensity displayed in the video was not merely an impressive spectacle, but central to her artistic project. She uses her powerful vocal range, veering from the angelic to the guttural, and bone crunching beats to summon collective spiritual experiences. As the title of Devi’s latest track ‘Inner State of Alchemy‘, from the forthcoming DNA Feelings (available in May 2018) suggests, she is looking for nothing less than the hidden gold of the human spirit.

    Album Cover by Niels Wehrspann

    Born in the Alps, and with Nepalese and Tibetan roots, Aïsha Devi’s current work was inspired by a deep period of personal questing, with her immersion in meditation and ancient knowledge culminating in a transformative experience in the Tunisian desert. Alongside her solo production, Devi is also one of the founders of the Danse Noire label.

    Her upcoming release is sure to put her at the forefront of artists exploring a post-club space, where electronic music becomes a key to unlock what her new album calls the Hyperlands of human consciousness.