Describing an artist as “one to watch” upon the release of his or her third album might seem a little slow off the mark. However, it’s with his latest, impressive set that vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jordan Rakei is coming into his own.
Rakei moved to London from Australia four years ago, and quickly became immersed in the UK scene. Though he appeared in 2015 on Masterpiece, from dance duo Disclosure’s Caracal album, Rakei is perhaps best known for his work with frequent collaborators Loyle Carner and Tom Misch.
In his solo work, Rakei makes jazz-imbued sounds that lean intricately into hip-hop and soul alike. He has found fans in seminal producers such as Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin, while Nile Rodgers is also an admirer. It was after spending time in the studio with the Chic mastermind that Rakei decided to explore hookier, funkier territory than before.
His latest LP, Origin, is full of a rich, cinematic musicality that feels poppier, sparklier and more breezily ambitious. Lyrically, too, things are more expansive and conceptual: yes, there are still considerations of love, dreams and anxieties; but Rakei is also interrogating broader questions of technology and its disruption of everyday experience.
As Rakei explained in a recent interview, “I had more lyrics about my life experience, but I wanted to test my own comfort zone and try to write something that projects my vision of a future dystopian world.”
• Origin is out now on Ninja Tune
