|
|
DWELE
Soul.
That's the first word that comes to mind when asked to describe his
music, his sound.
He goes by Dwele - songwriter, producer, artist…but, not necessarily
in that order. "Music is what I do and who I am," he says.
"It's my release."
 Born
Andwele (which, translated from Swahili, means "God has brought
me"), he's an offspring of the hip-hop generation, one who pays
homage to and can recite the musical traditions of years, decades,
past. A self-professed devotee of jazz and R&B, he's been known to
keep his ears pressed against speakers blaring the sounds of Miles,
Marvin, Donnie, Stevie and on the next beat, he acknowledges the
efforts of his contemporaries - think Faith, Tweet, Bobby Valentino
and even Mike Jones' rumbling from deep down in the dirty South. He
understands that in music, as in life, change remains an inevitable
force. "I like the fact that music constantly evolves," he
notes, "because that's what keeps the game exciting. It's like
one day we're rapping and the next day, we're whispering."
While music has certainly transformed in the two years since
27-year-old Dwele stepped up to the plate with his debut,
"Subject," he's made slight adjustment to his surroundings.
Cornrows aligned, symmetric, and Midwest cool in full effect, there's
no denying that Dwele stays repping for the (313) - he's just moved to
downtown Detroit where he watches as the sun rises, and sets, over
Lake Eerie. "Changing scenery offers you a different mood and
energy for creating," he admits. "If the sun is up and it's
hot in the loft, I'm coming with a hype song. But once the sun starts
to go down, it's a beautiful time to make music - baby-making
music."
Entitled simply, "Some Kinda," Dwele's sophomore collection
is 13 songs deep including a few groove-infused interludes reminiscent
of those he brought the first time around. Along with tapping into his
own songwriting and producing talents on nine tracks, he enlisted the
expertise of fellow writer/producers Mike City (Bilal, Sunshine
Anderson, Dave Hollister), Jay Dee (of Slum Village fame) as well as
G1 with whom he partnered on the first single from the last album.
Laced with 2-step appeal, the mid-tempo lead single, "I Think I
Love You," written and produced by Mike City, is an honest tale
of feeling a bit too open on another, sooner than anticipated. Even
though the timing is a bit early and just a tad soon, Dwele humbly
rests his cards on the table rather than lie to himself or the object
of his newfound affection. Oh, and according to his estimation, the
dynamics of music and relationships become skewed once restrictions
are added to the equation. Seemingly, that's what he's spelling out on
"Flapjacks," but he wants listeners to come to their own
conclusions. "That was the first song I wrote and produced for
this album and I wanted to try something that had a Southern-type
bounce to it, but still had that Dwele feel. Nobody really knows what
I'm talking about, so they create their own meaning which is what I
like - and that's how it's going to stay," he laughs.
Produced by Jay Dee and featuring a hook & rhyme courtesy of
Common and Slum Village, "Keep On" is a man's
straightforward request of his woman to just keep doing what she does
best, thus "making me sing this song." And then there's
"A Pimp's Dream," a track originally slated for inclusion on
a soundtrack, but then Dwele decided to keep it for himself. And what,
exactly, is a pimp's dream? "To live comfortably," he
answers, "and with a few extras."
Nearly nine seasons have come and gone since Dwele blessed listeners
with 2003's "Subject." Remember his rich falsetto on that
first single, "Find a Way," which he co-wrote? In the
meantime and between album projects, he hit the road and got
acquainted with the stage. After weeks, months, spent touring
throughout the States and Europe, Dwele, who took his trombone-playing
baby 'bro, Antwon, along, learned to appreciate the art of live
performance. Aside from blending harmonies with Roy Ayers for an
impromptu rendition of the ever-classic jam, "Everybody Loves The
Sunshine," at the Toronto Jazz Festival ("that was just one
of those moments," he recalls), life on the road brought newfound
joy to his craft. "I've grown a lot on stage," he says.
"Instead of dreading the thought of what might go wrong, I
learned how to enjoy myself and the music."
While touring sharpened his performance skills, it also tested his
concentration on connecting pen to paper and putting in time at the
studio. "After being on the road for so long, I had to switch
gears and put pressure on the clutch when it came time to getting back
into my creative mode," he admits. "What I learned is that
you should never stop writing and producing. You have to figure out
how to stay in touch your creativity and just keep going."
Having begun piano lessons at 6, Dwele later learned to play the
trumpet, guitar and bass before embarking on his journey as an MC. He
credits A Tribe Called Quest as his inspiration. Long story short, he
recorded the demo, "Rize," in his bedroom, sold the first
100 in a week's time and word soon spread throughout Detroit's
underground set. While gigging at the local hot spot, Café' Mahogany,
hip-hop trio Slum Village caught wind of his sound and recruited him
to sing the hook for their hit, "Tainted."
More gigs followed as did a call from Bahamadia, the latter which
resulted in two featured spots on her album, "BBQueen." He
remixed tracks for Lucy Pearl and London's own New Sector Movement and
performed at the 2001 Detroit Electronic Music Festival and the Family
Tree Tour featuring Mystic, Phife, Slum Village and Phat Kat. By then,
he was on his way. The rest is his music history, still in the making.
So, what does Dwele mean by "Some Kinda?" If you have him
tell it, the connotation of the album title is akin to an open-ended
statement, a personal testament, of sorts. "At the end of the
day, it all comes down to what you're leaving behind on this earth,
what kind of love you've left for the people in your life," he
says. "After my father's passing, I realized that by introducing
my brother and me to music, he was sharing his "Some Kinda"
love. It's about discovering what your 'some kinda' is."
|
|
|
