MOMENTS
The boundary-pushing producer is back again with this futuristic take on everything from funk and soul to afrobeat and electronica. Taking on a more funk-infused approach than his 2019 ‘It All Ends’, ‘MOMENTS’ comes as a beautiful progression of his sound and manages to keep a solid tone in the midst of blurring genre boundaries. The 12-track project puts Kaelin Ellis in the spotlight, with no features, much like his 2018 project ‘Veil’, allowing you to see every dimension of the musician’s complex and tangled influence.
Opening with the light-hearted, ‘GRITS’ the track leans you in with its delicate keys whilst experimenting with playful use of vocals over the video-game-inspired beat. Gliding into the second track, ‘AFRO’ brings an afrobeat-infused percussion, again working with an imaginative vocal loop, optimistic guitar runs and euphoric piano riffs in the background.
Exploring a slightly different sound, yet keeping in thoughtful cohesion, ‘SOUL POWER’ brings a heavy funk element, later dispersed by its elegant and delicate keys over sporadic percussion. Continuing with a funk-inspired style, ‘WHITE WALLS’ opts for an eerier approach, again before opening up the track with elegant piano, still maintained by its experimental synths. Switching for a darker, more upbeat sound, ‘BLACKNESS’ brings with it relentless, yet subtle keys submerged by a Hip-Hop driven, drum pattern and scattered details, creating an intriguing atmosphere.
Moving back to a light-hearted sound, ‘COLD COFFEE’ brings a false sense of security with its playful bass line subsided by its descending piano progression, leaving you to fall into the unknown before ‘JUSTICE’ emerges with its jazzy, Hip-Hop manner. Again, using vocals loops to create a warmth amongst the heavy instrumentation of the project, this track holds all of the elements of an alternative-R&B production, sprinkled with Ellis’ own futuristic tone.
Continuing into ‘JOY’, the track brings about a more melody-driven style with a prominent but simplistic bassline and jazz-inspired keys before moving into the soulful ‘LIFE’. Honing a jazz, funk-fusion, this track feels vivid and definitely steers the project in a different direction before taking it back to a more outright soulfulness. ‘DA FONK’ is exactly what it says, funk-induced at the heart of its core, brandishing laid-back vocals and finishing with the introduction of keys to lighten the track ahead of ‘SWIM’. The bubbly, experimental penultimate track brings together an array of sounds, all accumulating into a wobbly, alternative-funk style.
Rounding out this distinctive project, ‘STARLING LOOP’ brings together the best of the album, sampling old jazz-fusion and giving it a new wave of life with his singular production. Kaelin Ellis yet again brings us a project exploring uncharted territory, taking his sound to unconventional places with his wonderfully, uncompromising manner.