Brooklyn-based producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist Bad Colours returns with his fourth LP ‘Promise’ on Bastard Jazz. Fusing house, proto-techno, soul, hip-hop, and UK garage, the album pairs hypnotic club rhythms with moments of personal reflection, exploring vulnerability, desire, and transformation. Inspired equally by the energy of underground dancefloors and the quiet moments in between, ‘Promise’ is both dancefloor fuel and headphone therapy.
Musically, ‘Promise’ is a vibrant journey through Bad Colours’ genre-blurring world. The title track kicks things off with an up-tempo, harp-driven house groove featuring rising UK harpist Rachel Kitchlew, layered with ghostly female vocal snippets. ‘We Never Choose’, featuring Life On Planets, is a catchy, filtered floor-filler that alternates between rap and smooth, soulful vocals. ‘Moment of Silence’ spotlights Brooklyn’s Brandon Markell Holmes, whose emotive delivery soars over an intimate, late-night rhythm, while ‘Freaks’ enlists early-2000s Brooklyn dance-rap legends Ninjasonik for a bass-heavy chugger powered by their rapid-fire flow. ‘Nightcap’ rides a funky bassline and crisp percussion with vocals from longtime collaborator Jarv Dee, and ‘Home’ closes the record on a piano-led, MAW-inspired groove, with Bad Colours delivering his own intimate spoken-word poetry.
The project marks another evolution for London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based artist Ibe Soliman, whose career has seen him DJ alongside James Murphy, Mark Ronson, and Q-Tip, produce for the mighty Kendrick Lamar and Faith Evans, and collaborate with Korean rap megastar Jay Park.
Comment by Fergus jk McQueenie
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