Fusing disco, soul, funk, and house to create a retro sound for modern times, London-based group Discoda joins forces with South African songstress Sannie Fox.
Uniquely blending Sannie Fox's desert blues, soul, and psychedelic rock singer-songwriter aptitudes with Discoda's combined background in soul, funk, jazz, and reggae, as well as house music and pop production, this record embodies a retro yet modern feel destined for dancefloors and radio plays alike.
Sure to get us moving, "Sweet Release" is the danceable groove of 2023 that has us fueled with constant movement. Discoda emanates a hypnotic foundation that sends glimmers of 70s dance through the speakers, all while capturing the essence of chic dance club vibes of the 2010s within the infectious nuances.
With upbeat drum patterns and a charismatic rush of airy and dazzling synths that usher you towards the compelling nature of "Sweet Release," myriad feel-good vibes stem from this song. As Sannie Fox cascades her bold and sultry croons upon the rhythmically charged composition, we get glamorous hints of nostalgia in how she presents herself. She professes many relatable lyrics while coming off as cool, collected, and unbothered.
Dripping with authenticity in the playful yet truthful lyrics, "Sweet Release" has a reminiscent atmosphere that acts as if Lady Gaga were thrown into a time machine and sent to the past - making all of the luxury dance hits we crave to this day. Not too far off.
Propelling this ambiance through the intoxicating melodies that are easy to get lost within, the memorability and catchiness of "Sweet Release" is an easy playlist add and has us singing this song long after it comes to an end.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Discoda and Sannie Fox! Congratulations on the release of "Sweet Release." This song brings life to your best artistic attributes, and we loved taking it in! What inspired the nostalgic and unapologetic essence of this song? Sannie Fox: 90s house, 70s silky disco, big vocals
Discoda: Dom and I are both musically rooted in soul, funk, jazz, and disco, and I think the vibe of the track is founded on all those elements. A couple of people have said the song reminds them of the acid jazz genre, which hadn't occurred to me, but it's a style of music we were really into as teenagers when it blew up in the 90s, so there are perhaps some additional nostalgic inspirations there.
You both bring something so unique to the track and complement one another throughout your shared dynamic. How did this collaboration come to be? What was it like working with one another?
Sannie Fox: Thanks. I met Dom a while back, and we've played as guests in each other's solo projects. We have similar tastes in music, i.e., soul, jazz, blues, dub, and so it turns out, electronic music too. Dom & Rick were getting started with Discoda last year & sent a few beats to me, which had no vocals yet. I liked the sound and added some electric guitar and synths, then I went to the studio to sing, and in the end, after they had mixed, reshaped, and mastered, we had a song - "Sweet Release."
Discoda: Sannie and Dom met a few years ago and realized they were musically on the same page, both fans of soul and blues, and both gigging in London. When we formed Discoda, we wanted to collaborate with Sannie, and while putting this track together, we thought it could be a good fit for her to stamp her own talent and personality on it. The track actually started from an idea that contained nothing more than a simple chord pattern and drum beat before we built the groove and arrangement up into a solid instrumental demo. We then passed it to Sannie, who added her own vocals, and they fitted the track so well that the song instantly made sense. Usually, when writing songs, the lyrics and melody would come a lot earlier in the process rather than get added at the end when the music is pretty much finished, but with Sannie, it just worked seamlessly. We all get on really well, too, so the writing process was always enjoyable. We hear various musical inspirations through the time capsule of sounds you convey in "Sweet Release." Who do you look up to as musical influences? What about non-musical? Sannie Fox: I love many different genres of music and different artists. I always come back to some of my favorites like Jimi Hendrix, Busi Mhlongo, Bob Dylan, Massive Attack, John Lee Hooker, Ali Farka Toure, etc... I love RnB, techno, classical music, and psych rock. Lately, I have been listening to Sleaford Mods, Baxter Drury, and Bonnie Rait. Non-Musical - I am a fan of visual artists Dagmar Schurrer and Kristin Liu-Wong.
Discoda: I couldn't name particular individuals here as there are just too many performers, composers, and producers that Dom and I admire. Most of our influences are fairly retro and steeped in soul, funk, jazz, and disco, as I said, but there are a lot of new artists we listen to and look up to as well. I've always had a passion for house music, too, and was part of a house duo in the 90s, so the Discoda sound is borne out of a combination of Dom's multi-instrumentalist talents (guitar, bass, trumpet, drums, and vocals) and my background in dance music production. That means that the end result is pretty organic and soulful but with some digital elements thrown in and all underpinned by a four-to-the-floor disco/house groove.
What message do you hope your audience takes away from this track?
Sannie Fox: No message, really. The song is about a positive feeling, so hopefully, it inspires uplifting energy. Discoda: That's a question more aimed at Sannie, I think, but I just hope it makes people feel good and puts smiles on their faces. I think the end result is pretty chilled and uplifting, so it might help soothe some stress! What's next for you?
Sannie Fox: Discoda and I have a second single, which will be released later this year. In the meantime, I have my own album I am working on, and between that, there is another collab song coming out with a different project later this year.
Discoda: We've got another song in the pipeline that's been written in exactly the same way - we had an instrumental track that we gave to Sannie to add her own melody and lyrics, and she's again come up with some amazing vocals that fit perfectly. That will be our third single which will be out in April/May. Before then, we're hosting a launch party for Sweet Release in Shoreditch on 28 Jan.
