CHLLNGR debuts video for "The End"; Announces US Dates
Featuring Aku from Dragons of Zynth, "The End" premieres on Dazed Digital. Haven out now on Green Owl.
WATCH: The End
(via Dazed Digital)
LISTEN: Haven
LISTEN: Jamie Woon's Night Air (CHLLNGR Boiler Room remix)
Combining elements of dub and R&B with a nocturnal aesthetic, Copenhagen-based producer CHLLNGR (aka Steven Jess Borth II) is one of the freshest sounds to emerge so far this year. Today, Dazed Digital premieres his video Lazlo directed video for "The End" which features a riveting vocal performance from Dragons of Zynth vocalist Aku. A sensual relationship gone over the edge is captured in the video through chiaroscuro lighting and intimate camerawork. A haunting vibe glosses over the images, but the end may just be beginning.
CHLLNGR will also be in NYC in August performing a few dates as CHLLNGR but also performing with Spoek Mathambo and fellow Green Owl labelmates, Teachers. More US tourdates will be announce for this fall. His debut album "Haven" is freshly out now. Listen to the album's title track/centerpiece "Haven" on Pitchfork which they call "chilling, goosebump-inducing". The track utilizes ghostly african rhythms and cavernous pads to coil around Borth's indistinguishable, yet hopeful-sounding intonations.
UPCOMING CHLLNGR SHOWS
8.10 New York, NY @ Piano's with Sherlock's Daughter, Rare Child
8.13 Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands with Teachers
"The prize in Haven's percussive contributions is not just in the rhythms that result; it's also found in the natural ebb and flow with which they are weaved in and around each song, becoming almost trance-inducing via the simultaneously fluid and exact manner they are presented." - XLR8R
"Blending bass-heavy slowed-down rhythms with melodic vocals mean surprising soundscapes in CHLLNGR's debut "Haven", where deep sub-bass rings out throughout the tracks making for eeries atmospheres." -Dazed Digital
"A versatile and often chill-inducing debut, and a welcome introduction to a young producer who seems more interested in inventing new shades of gray than committing to a specific gimmick or micro-scene. " - Slant Magazine
CHLLNGR
"Haven"
out now on Green Owl Records
After a slew of well-received remixes (The XX, Primary 1, MIA) and involvement with acts Cubic Zirconia, Spoek Mathambo, and Teachers all signs point to 2011 being a good year for the young producer. Utilizing thick and heavy rhythms while optimistic melodies juxtapose against eerie soundscapes, CHLLNGR's debut "Haven" is his most focused, distinctive work to date.
While cohesive in it's murky, hauntingly reverbed vibes, "Haven" is far from monochromatic and full of surprises with spectral soul tightly intertwining with meticulous rhythms that can't easily be classified. Deep sub-frequencies and decaying atmospheres lay the foundation for the sublime set of melodic, moody tracks.
The opener "May 3" sets the tone marrying carefully cut drone loops and sampled vocals floating overtop subtle, skittering riddims. Lending his own vocals to the the first single "Ask For", the airy trunk-rattler comes correct with G-Funk synth hooks snaking through the rhythmic maze CHLLNGR creates. Never sounding out of place within the music, the vocals seamlessly integrate into the music often in wordless forms adding more depth to the already emotive interplay of CHLLNGR's electronic palette.
Throughout "Haven" there are more vocal contributions from Borth (many of which are chopped and screwed) to highlight, as well as stunning performances from Coco O. of Quadron and Dragons of Zynth's Aku on the album. " Haven" closes with two tracks that hint at new directions for CHLLNGR including the mantra-like "At Last" with refraining, funky percussion held together with a 4 on the floor kick and the slo-mo electro/R&B stylings of "Dusty" featuring percolating drums and the lovely, mournful voice of Jessica Brown.
VIDEO: Ask For
(via Altered Zones)
LISTEN: Dusty
(via MTV Hive)
LISTEN: Ask For (Cubic Zirconia remix)
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