King Lutendo- Electric Jungles Review
by Mayuyuka
I don't know how to describe this. I play the track back and push my earphones in to catch the line I missed. As I watch the train majestically glide by, I'm simultaneously enticed and disoriented. This project feels precisely like a train ride actually, it's got stealth and motions steadily... then jumps at you in sudden clunks of unexpected musical trickery! This only serves to keep you in suspense through the silence between each track though: not knowing exactly what the next cut offers. It's much of the same feeling between each of King Lutendo's projects. Sifting through his music reveals the artists knack for exploration, in the eclectic sounds found on Melancholy, Genesis Of Seeking and his Soda EP. For now, we're jamming to Electric Jungles.
It's a ten track offering by the Venda rapper who spreads his time between Venda, Cape Town and Joburg. It's a weirdly engrossing journey with no clear destination; but that's a huge part of the appeal. I love the fact that this offering has me engaging with it intensely! I hate the fact that I don't think I get it though. It's like bumping into an old friend you've never met: it's progressive yet has all the qualities I'm nostalgic for.
“The versatility here is reflective of a multi-faceted artist who is unafraid of experimentation.”
From the traditional instrumentation infused on Room For Angels, to the garage Hip Hop of Line One... this EP wraps the best of him into one.It's easy to get into Electric Jungles for it's audacity to stand out. It flies in the face of any trends you might have been exposed to yet. In fact, the title is exactly what the sound represents: an immersive experience with equal parts “how did I get here?” and “I'm glad I got lost in this”. It fits that the artist asks you to “leave anything beneath you... in the lair of his new jungle”. It's definitely left of field, boasting the palpable strains of electronic music working in tandem with the punch of raw Hip Hop.
Apart from maintaining a steady output of music, King Lutendo oozes originality in spades. A combination of trippy beats, progressive melodies and an unpredictable flow separate him from the rest of the pack. Oh, and I'm a sucker for imaginative basslines; you get that too here... particularly on the Rabbit Hole Interlude! The stand-out joint has got to be Gasps though; so dope... the hook, the off-beatness of it, the vibe! The versatility here is reflective of a multi-faceted artist who is unafraid of experimentation. That's precisely why this EP resists description, and I don't know if that's for everyone. It's a perfect soundtrack, perhaps, for the wayfaring stranger who's “been lost for a while now” as expressed In The Forest Part 2.
lutendoTowards the close still bewildered and barely escaping my trance-like state, his lyrics on the more heartfelt Winter 010 ring in my ear “hope you find somebody, deep down I wish you don't... I really hope you forget me, deep down I wish you won't”. Well, musically it's a memorable effort from an artist so comfortable in their uniqueness. Although I don't know if I'll find myself back here particularly, I'll definitely be looking out from now on... so wish granted! In the meantime explore the Electric Jungles for yourself and find out what King Lutendo had to say when we caught up with him.
“I like for the overall sound to be as expressive as possible, almost like the music version of Basquiat.”
AHHB: Who's King Lutendo and what does he represent?
King Lutendo: I'm a 23 year old custodian for the arts. I'm a rapper, producer, illustrator and designer. I was born into a musical family so I was taught from a young age to stand for expression and creativity... that has always influenced my approach to life and music
How's the music industry for Venda artists, especially in Hip Hop?
KL: When I had initially started around 2005/6 there was pretty much no platform for us rappers from Venda, but as soon as I started getting national radio play it not only helped create a mark for Venda hip hop but also inspired a lot of younger artists too.
How would you describe your sound?
KL: Well I approach the way I make music the exact same way I paint, I like for the overall sound (and not just the lyrics) to be as expressive as possible, almost like the music version of Basquiat. If I had to put it into a word I would describe the sound as cinematic. I like to imagine I'm creating art film soundtracks when I make music, with the story already told in the lyrics.
Your ear for beats is petty unique, what do you look for specifically?
KL: I produce all of my own beats from scratch, that may explain why the sound on a lyrical basis and on a instrumental basis are almost synchronized. There are two things that are my personal favorites when making music: synth keyboards as well as drums. I also like having beats that switch in between if I feel like the song can carry more than one story under the same theme.
You put out a lot, I mean.... a lot of music. Is it easy for you to be so expressive?
KL: I spent so much time in my younger days at cyphers, freestyling and battling. I worked so hard at that skill that writing lyrics and songs has become just a slightly more structured form of freestyling. I literally discover a new sound every other day, so that way I'm able to put out a lot of music. I find that the less afraid you are to run out of ideas... the more you can do.kl
In one of your lines you say you're “time traveling in a DeLorean”. Do you think you might be ahead of your time in relation to the sounds in the Hip Hop scene at the moment?
KL: I definitely think so... I'd rather contribute to the movement of the culture as a whole, than the culture of the current trend. I'm making music that people will still be able to jam to even after the trap wave has passed. So when I get into the studio I make sure I have no mental reference to any songs out there; so whatever ideas I come up with are completely new. Also I feel like most artists and producers are playing by a guideline that is too safe... it makes for good music but nothing memorable! I like to make music that might not even fit this year or the next, maybe the year after that.
Do you think people vibe with your unique sound?
KL: Yes they do, at first when I started I was always worried about whether people would vibe to the sound based on how different it is to everything else, but I learnt later in my life that all art has fans. As long as you make the art... people will want to see it. Also people have always respected how versatile my style is as every project sounds like a completely different version of me.
Local musicians are often described as sounding 'international'. Do you get that often... like your style might fit better overseas?
KL: Yeah I get that a lot, I mean when people make descriptions of things they've never heard or seen they reach for the closest reference to compare it to, even if it's not similar. I think based on the fact that the genre itself is western that makes people automatically make the link. Even though this has been said about me, I know for certain the sound is different to any sound even out there. Just based on the fact that people out there are more accommodating to new sounds; it may fit better there... but I feel like such a lane can be created even locally.
Lastly, is making or listening to music more important to you. What do you listen to?
KL: I'd say listening is more important, I learnt a lot of the technical side of music production just by listening to how international artists arrange their instruments. I'm a big fan of synth-based alternative rock bands like Miami Horror and MGMT. As far as rap, I listen to a lot of Aesop Rock, Kanye West, Childish Gambino and Big Boi from Outkast. Basically the guys who are never scared to push the envelope!