Lil Silva feat. Kent Jamz - "De Ja"

13th May saw the release of Lil Silva's latest EP, entitled JIMI (Journey Inside My Imagination), released on Good Years. It's six tracks long and the music that is featured on it bares more in comparison to the 2014 release Mabel, rather than last years more UK funky/dance orientated Drumatic. I love the way that in interviews Lil Silva describes his sound as "Lil Silva", and at the moment my favourite track from the new EP is "De Ja", featuring the luxurious vocals of Kent Jamz.

When a track is called De Ja, it's a chance that it is designed to evoke past memories. I think it does by the lovely string sound that features. The sound that is featured sounds like a throwback R&B track, with the way everything melds together, but not cancelling anything out. It also feels like there is a leisurely confidence as the beat moves along. This is also aided by the warm delivery of the excellent vocals. There is a wistful, almost knowing sense of the mistakes that the protagonist has made, whilst being aware that they may be made again.

As always with Lil Silva he has created an EP that will inspire creators to create music. His sound is constantly evolving and the way he can create dancefloor filling tracks like The Play, all the way back to the early/late summer haze of the aforementioned De Ja and Lines. He has the Lil Silva sound and expresses it so confidently on this EP, you can't help but to be drawn in and inspired.

Lil Silva - "Drumatic"

I am excited, super-excited about the new 3 track EP, "Drumatic", which was released yesterday (May 10th) on iTunes. The three tunes on the EP are "606", "New Squeeze" and my personal favourite "Drumatic". I think when I truly 100% get excited by a tune is when I hear it and I think to myself that is the exact sound that I would like to make and "Drumatic" is a precise example of that. Lil Silva has ventured to many different places sonically, with last years EP "Mabel" being the first one to prominently feature his vocals and be more of a slight sidestep into ambient EP territory. This is not the case on the new EP. All the tracks are really uptempo, do not feature vocals and are definitely more club-orientated get-up and dance tunes. On "Drumatic" it starts with this tribal sounding high-pitched call, followed by a synth-part that sounds more like something you'd find in a rave track. And that is where this tune is particularly interesting because there are elements of this track that incorporate that sound. The bpm of the tune is around 134bpm, which is on the slower side of the breakbeat hardcore. There is also a fierce sounding bass line which has a really strong impact by having a syncopated feel, with a pretty African-tinge to it. I love the way that it has those African and European elements to it.

When I think of Lil Silva's career so far, it is amazing that he can come up with music that touches on so many genres, but maintains a sound that is uniquely his. I'd love to see an album and what element he would focus on, but until then these snapshots are such a great snapshot every few months or so.