Kelela - A Guide to Mastering Electronic R&B
2023 has been a year full of exceptional music releases. As we inch towards the end of the year, we get closer to events like the Grammy’s and the social craze of Spotify Wrapped-esque programs - which, in return, allow us to see/hear everyone reflect on the music that truly defined the year. While titles like “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year” are simply subjective in most cases, I am going to dip my toes into that area because I believe Raven by Kelela is one of, if not the best, albums to come from the year 2023. In a time when all things are seemingly possible in music, Kelela dominates the electronic & alternative R&B scene by fusing the genres to create masterpieces and push the boundaries even further.
Kelela Mizanekristos, better known as just “Kelela,” is an Ethiopian-American singer/songwriter who has become one of the many faces of today’s electronic and alternative R&B scene. Electronic music is a genre that gets a good amount of hate. Many people think it dismisses “true” musicianship or argue it has been overtaken by people who just “click buttons” on programs like Garage Band. A lot of this stems from pure ignorance and superiority complexes within music though. In many cases, electronic and experimental artists are trained in or went to school for music. Kelela herself played violin as a child, and similar artists like Thundercat, Knower, and Blood Orange meet the same criteria. The real issue is that many people associate “electronic” music only with dubstep artists like Skrillex and your typical 2010s EDM clubbing soundtracks. Don’t get me wrong, those are all music, but they do not define the electronic genre as a whole. Artists like Kelela, AlunaGeorge, Knower, ABRA, Thundercat, and much more use a fusion of multiple genres [R&B, Jazz, Funk to name a few] to create their own type of experimental music. In return, what we hear from them can be traced back to the electronic sounds of the 80s and the R&B sounds of the 90s/early 2000s. These same sounds are heard so well by artists like Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Aaliyah, to name a few. Heavy use of synths, bass, and electronic drums makes this music so, for lack of a better word, electronic. Kelela has perfectly mastered this sound of electronic R&B though, so let’s take a quick look into her discography.
Kelela’s journey starts with the release of CUT 4 ME, a 2013 mixtape. With the title track “Guns & Synths,” any listener can already see where she is headed with her music, but I believe the star track of this release is “Bank Head – Extended.” She follows with an EP Hallucinogen, in 2015. Her first studio album, Take Me Apart, was released in 2017 and was then followed by Raven in 2023. One of my favorite things about Kelela - apart from her sound - is how she creates a deluxe or remix version for every musical release she has done. She is currently working on a remix album titled RAVE:N, the Remixes which is set to release in the future with only one single currently out. TAKE ME A_PART, THE REMIXES is by far the best of these though. The 20-song, 1 hour 21 minute, remix album is pure insanity. She features a multitude of artists and DJs on this release; KAYTRANADA, LSDXOXO, and Ethereal are just a few among many. Of course, Kelela herself can be accredited for the songwriting, singing, arrangement, and executive production of her sophomore album Raven, but it is important to bring up the other masterminds she works with as well. LSDXOXO, Bambii, Asmara, Yo Van Lenz, and Brandon Peralta are among the most credited producers on this album, with a few other producers on specific songs as well. Part of what allows Kelela to be so successful at making alternative and electronic R&B is her great eye for collaborators. Kelela has stated the experience of being a queer black woman is important to her music and how she writes, especially with the creation of this last album. What I enjoy about her is how she extends this idea to who she collaborates with in production as well - considering many of these artists mentioned are openly queer and/or POC.
Now, the part we all have been waiting for…what makes Raven one of the best albums of 2023? Well, let’s start at the beginning of the album itself. “Washed Away” is the first track of the album, and begins with beautiful vocal layering over the sound of ocean waves crashing on a beach. This build-up is enticing, then leads straight into the second track, “Happy Ending,” where you immediately get hit with the electronic and dance feel. Tracks like “Happy Ending,” “Contact,” “Closure,” “Raven,” and “Bruises” are where the listener gets most of the dance feel. One thing to be noted about this album as well is how it follows a perfect contour. Part of this can be attributed to how she has multiple songs seamlessly flow into the next, sort of bringing that idea of water back into play. Another way Kelela does this is by perfecting the ratio of upbeat, slow, chill, and dance into each song. On my first listen back in February, I can recall saying the mixing/production of each song as well as their placement on the album was so perfect I would not change a thing - that point still stands today. Kelela puts a period on the ending of this album, encapsulating a true conclusion of what the listener has just heard. The final tracks, “Enough for Love" and “Far Away,” wrap up the album like no other. “Far Away” also reintroduces the same wave and vocal overlay sounds from the first track, “Washed Away.” This idea of water flowing freely is used to bring the album full circle and to an end.
My words can only say so much though. Please do yourself a favor and check this album out as well as some of Kelela's earlier projects. I have a Spotify playlist linked with some of her best tracks, and anticipate the release of RAVE:N, the Remixes soon. If you enjoy this type of music, I urge you to check out artists like Ravyn Lenae, ABRA, Thundercat, Blood Orange, KAYTRANADA, Knower, The Internet, and Syd.