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 Dilla (Common,Slum Village, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip) as well as G1 with whom he partnered on the first single from the last album.
SOME KINDA.... takes Dwele's creativity to the next level, while still giving fans his unique brand of hip hop and jazz influenced R&B. ..Music is what I do and who I am,.. Dwele says, which explains why Detroit native, Andwele Gardner taught himself to play several instruments including piano, trumpet guitar and bass before embarking on his journey as a soul and R&B vocalist. In addition to his debut album "Subject," Dwele has also done songs with Slum Village, Common, and Bahamadia.
So what does Dwele mean by "SOME KINDA...?" If you have him tell it, the answer is open-ended. "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. 'It's about discovering what your 'some kinda' is."
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 Dilla (Common,Slum Village, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip) as well as G1 with whom he partnered on the first single from the last album.
SOME KINDA.... takes Dwele's creativity to the next level, while still giving fans his unique brand of hip hop and jazz influenced R&B. ..Music is what I do and who I am,.. Dwele says, which explains why Detroit native, Andwele Gardner taught himself to play several instruments including piano, trumpet guitar and bass before embarking on his journey as a soul and R&B vocalist. In addition to his debut album "Subject," Dwele has also done songs with Slum Village, Common, and Bahamadia.
So what does Dwele mean by "SOME KINDA...?" If you have him tell it, the answer is open-ended. "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. 'It's about discovering what your 'some kinda' is."
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For booking inquiry please email:
TERRITORY: Europe
NEW ALBUM:
Worldwide released March 08 on Koch / Universal
TOUR DATES: April 08