AZEKEL

When hitting play on “That Feeling” for the first time, you could be forgiven for expecting to hear another UK soul singer influenced by the throwback sound of the genre’s heyday. Luckily though, East London’s Azekel is more interesting than that. Once the bass drum kicks in on the very minimal backdrop and an impressive falsetto contrast the opening bars the track begins to sound more like something that could appear on Frank Ocean‘s “Channel Orange” if it wasn’t for the obvious British accent.

Other than a Double A-side on ITunes featuring “That Feeling” alongside “A Song To An Unborn Child” and a Twitter account, little information is available on Azekel online apart from a Tumblr site full of quotes, art, a Rick Ross video and reblogged visuals from the aforementioned Ocean. However, the hashtag #AltRnB used on one of his posts of his own material suggests an ambitious and experimental approach to his work, as does his Twitter bio “Artist/Producer/Musician/Future.” Having already delivered a great foundation in these two solid tracks we can’t wait to see where he goes next…

Words by Grant Brydon