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AIKON lands at Renaissance with a stellar EP complete with a remix from Radeck.
In just over 2 years, AIKON has firmly established his credentials as one of the hottest talents coming through the ranks with an edgy style that blurs the lines between Indie, Afro, Electronica, and MH&T with cohesive ease. Little wonder he’s already picked up support from the likes of Solomun, Dixon, Âme, Keinemusik, and John Digweed (to name but a few) and appeared on Diynamic, Exploited, Multinotes, Monaberry, Disco Halal, and more. Simply put, he’s defied the pandemic with meteoric results.
‘Legends’ marks his Renaissance debut and further confirms the hype is real! The 4 original tracks on the EP alternate between 4/4 and breaks/electronica, though, at heart, it’s movingly inspired by his home city, Kyiv. “I started the project not long before the war began,” he explains, “I just sat drinking tea at a café on a local avenue listening and watching the beat of – what was then – a happy, vibrant city. I went back into the studio and distilled it into an EP, fusing my favorite traits – broken rhythms, Moog synths, vocoders, and more – to create a body of work that represents Kyiv as much as myself. It is a musical snapshot of a city we all long to return to.”
The only exception is the title track ‘Legends’, which looks further afield to Eastern folk music as its source; and it was this hook that enticed Copenhagen’s Radeckt to take on remix honors, as he confesses, “The vocal gave me major vibes, which is always crucial. I could instantly hear how making that part the main identity could transform the track. By combining with a driving bassline and hard-hitting percussion the result is (I hope) a contemporary dancefloor weapon. It really was a pleasure to work on.”
Release date: July 1st, 2022.