Kelela - Take Me Apart (2017)

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Kelela - Take Me Apart (2017)

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Kelela synthesizes contemporary R&B and progressive electronic music with an aptitude for prompting club play as much as bedroom listening. The vocalist and songwriter, born Kelela Mizanekristos in Washington, D.C., was raised in suburban Maryland and didn't have aspirations as a singer until she started studying jazz.

Warp presents Take Me Apart, the debut album from contemporary R&B’s icon-in-the-making, Kelela. The long-awaited opus arrives at the tail end of an extended tour with The xx and scene-stealing guest spots on recent albums from longtime ally Solange, Warp’s gonzo rap star Danny Brown and most recently on Humanz from Gorillaz.

Having debuted in 2013 on Fade To Mind with the Cut 4 Me mixtape which saw a raft of the Fade & Night Slugs crews pushing forward a wealth of sublime instrumentals for Kelela to bring to life, catching the ear of everyone from Björk and Hudson Mohawke to Grimes and Arca. Quickly following this with a fire 12" Melba's Call with Bok Bok, her cutting-edge credentials were firmly set in stone. This set her up for her new partnership with Warp, debuting with the jaw dropping collision of soaring songcraft and experimental electronics of the Hallucinogen EP.

Kelela has enlisted a wealth of her contemporaries to craft out an album that shows both the classic appeal and futuristic possibilities of R&B music. Each track exudes a sense of excited exploration that makes Kelela's music stand head and shoulders above the glut of online static. The innovative sonics flow effortlessly around her voice, giving the strong impression that countless hours and many feelings have gone into the crafting of each piece, the whole set being absolutely sculpted to perfection for when it flows from speakers and into your mind.

We are head over heels for this one - for those unacquainted, prepare to enter into what is sure to become a life long romance.