Introducing Jordan Rakei is no easy task, it is made difficult by the fact that he assumes multiple personalities. Shuffling through his tracks on Soundcloud proves just how diverse the young Brisbane artist is, blending different combinations of nue-soul, reggae, experimental, electronic, hip-hop and dance.
His own description articulates what he does does best:
Think of this page an as audio instagram. These are just quick songs all made in a day, all for fun.
While his attitude seems casual and carefree, it’s clear that his approach is not nearly as relaxed as he’d like us to believe. Each track is complex, precise and contains a mammoth amount detail that shouts for attention. The consistent element between every song is a strong melody, funk and rhythm that combine to form grooves that force you to lock, pop and drop. Everything feels like it’s been designed to get the listener to physically react.
Jordan Rakei – sourced from Facebook
The beacons that have steered Rakei towards this unique combination of sounds include the likes of
Stevie Wonder
,
Bob Marley
and
Michael Jackson
alongside more contemporary acts like
Fat Freddy’s Drop
,
D’angelo
,
John Legend
and
James Blake
. It’s this bizarre combination of inputs that has gained his sound such broad attention, ranging from country blues radio-stations in rural Queensland, to Deep-House radio-stations of London. A recent remix from
starRo
of his track ‘
Add The Bassline
‘ was also recently dropped through cult LA label
Soulection
fuelling the momentum that seems to be slowly lifting this local musician on to the international stage.
Keep an eye out for this emerging Aussie musician, he’s set for big things. Follow him on and Soundcloud for more.
WORDS BY Tom Pitney
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