Los Angeles based Trio, Kaviar, is cooking up an infectious sonic-brew with their debut EP, 'Round One.'
With six tracks, artist and entertainer Leigh, Producer ImDre, and songwriting DJ, Philly-Mac, combine their expertise to traverse the adjacent lanes of R&B, Hip-Hop, and Electronic music on their latest harmonious escapades; landing toward innovative musical territories.
Kaviar gathers from their life experiences' and musical cornerstones on their debut EP, amalgamating them together to create an ample playback experience that fascinates and serenades listeners from soca-beat festooned tracks to timeless contemporary R&B harmonies.
Kaviar inaugurates 'Round One' with an infectious new-age creation that borders on the edges of R&B with its diverse vocal swells that garnish the backdrops of "Fire," like a dark-blue silk robe; comforting and enticing at the same time. It's an opening track that beautifully introduces the trio, with each member meriting a spotlight overtop the ominously droning subs and wavering pads that fester in the ambient backdrops.
There's a moody aura that settles in almost immediately when Kaviar delivers their lines with nonchalant confidence, and as the LAf cooperatives harmonize and bellow, their salubrious adlibs and the dismal tones they manufacture drip over the "Fire" hooking lines, suppurating intoxicating captivation deep in your bones: "the way you throw that ass, got me hypnotized, yeah, yeah, ass so fat." It's a tantalizing teaser that grabs your attention and chaperones straight into the next soca-festooned track, "Getaway."
With a softer palette established through oscillating pads and an island vibed back-beat, "Getaway" channels into the most infatuating dance-hall records, allowing Kaviar to blossom into their more lighthearted assemblage. Here, Leigh, ImDre, and D.J. Philly-Mac draw from their R&B touchstones to produce an archipelago of harmonized melodies over their catching hook, "gеtaway, getaway, getaway!"
It's a buoyant top-line that arrives like a synergized dose of dopamine, settling straight into your bloodstream and prepping you for the smooth flowing verses that garnish the fleshiest portions of this instant-classic; highlighting their Hip-hop influences with a keen and creative wink.
The next track, "Only One," comes like a distant relative of its island predecessor, with the same magnetized R&B vocal performances embellishing this new-age creation. What's contrasting here is how effortlessly ImDre's sonic stratagems embed Leigh and D.J. Philly-Mac's presence over this track; there's enough space over the playback that your attention is never drawn to the wrong spots.
This is the most playful track off the record, operating with a swaggering cadence held by the outstanding vocal performances and utilizes a crisp assortment of saturated synths, taste-full pads, and soft-tethered hi-hats that draws reminiscence to 32nd note trap-house beats you'd hear on the radio, but with an enormous handful of finesse injected into the formula.
"Misbehave" appears with similar silver-tongues traces attached, highlighting the LA trio weaving and blending their vocals together, but this time, over a production that proves even more innovative, to say the least.
With the sequenced rhythm of what sounds like a bedframe squeaking, and a fruitful abundance of electronic motifs, Kaviar demonstrates that no sound is off-limits; they can create a masterpiece out of anything, just so long as they're working on it together.
"Misbehave tonight, I want your worst behavior," they sing, crooning with a low-register harmonic, demanding attention with every breath, and winning you over the same way a classic swooner does.
The next neural dose, "Pogo," renders-up like an innovative amalgam between Electronic, Hip-hop, and Contemporary R&B, buzzing like something that arrived from the future. There's no shortage of vocal harmonizing, enchanting melodies, and lyrical seduction, as the Los Angeles based crooners delicately corral themselves over the latter-sections of this track like a cherubic choir. It's a playback you'd want as a soundtrack for the most sensual moments in life, and while you might get caught up in the tantalizing notions of seduction and infatuation, Kaviar never borders on the edge of overwhelming; always landing with a healthy intention on the heart of their listeners.
With most of 'Round One' fluctuating between minimalistic soundscapes that leave enough room for the dynamic trio to swell and blossom over their serenading hooks, the last track on this EP feels like a contrast. It's the busiest sonic sequencings to reach listeners from their new-age musical catalog.
"Kaviar Night" sits somewhere in-between a fresh take on Electronica and a rendition of a timeless R&B classic. The theme throughout the record is still present here, brooding over the sensationalism in their voices as they sing, "come be my VIP, I'm where you want to be (I'm where you want to be), big vibes they all for free, there's no fee when you roll me." Still, their production finds balance, seizing the synergistic presence of Leigh, D.J. Philly-Man, and ImDre like a four-course feast, developing in flavor as they chaperone listeners from one delicacy to the next; never losing sight of their aesthetics.
When you look back at 'Round One,' the engorging feeling of nostalgia isn't that far-gone; these three talents have developed their crafts with the best influences in mind. Yet, in more ways than one, whether it be the innovative productions, scintillating top-lines, or the serenading and swaggering cadences they so often run with, Kaviar never comes up lacking in innovation; their debut is unlike anything that's come out of L.A. in the past decade.
It's an unsurprising and exciting feat for the gifted individuals who make up Kaviar, and with "Round One," they've already got listeners scratching for another course of the vibed-out, dripping-wet, new-age classics they're securing as their brand.
Think of it as a fine delicacy, served to those who can appreciate the sonic luxury that arrives when three budding artists work as one.
Can you walk us through the process of writing 'Round One?' What was each of your individual roles when it came to writing, the production, and the creation of the record?
Writing this project was a fun one! We did what came naturally to us. Nothing in this EP was forced. The writing of this project was very organic and it shows! Individually, we all have input on each other's lyrics, placement, tone, and structure. Dré does the majority of production and
engineering.
Can you describe some of the emotions you found yourselves diving into the most throughout your performances on 'Round One?' Are these emotions a powerful placeholder in your artistic processes?
We ended up doing a writer’s retreat to get inspiration and pull from being in a different environment. A Lot of the emotion and energy on “Round One” was drawn from wanting to create the space not only just for our audience but for ourselves as well during the lockdown.
Were there any significant challenges you can recall experiencing creatively, or otherwise when you think about 'Round One?' What did you learn about yourselves as artists through overcoming those hurdles?
The biggest challenge we faced was time! We did everything in the house with the exception of mastering. Time is definitely a commodity that we take for granted. We would say that we learn creativity cannot be rushed. Everything takes time for some projects more than others, but it's necessary to get an amazing final result.
If you could give your listeners a few personal words that would act as a prologue to the experience behind 'Round One,' what would you feel the need to say, and why?
We created a landscape where listeners can escape and have fun; not letting circumstances
control how and when we entertain ourselves.
How did you go about curating the flow from one track to the next on "Round One?' Were there any discussions about how the E.P.'s storyline should flow in terms of order?
The flow-on round was created to how a DJ would play in the club or how a soundtrack is structured through a movie. The order is meant to take you through a cohesive ride full of good vibes and energy.
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