New York, NY (Top40 Charts) UK trio Kachina shares "Alright (feat. Afua)", the first single to be lifted from their upcoming EP "
Alright" to be released on the 24th February via NexGen Music's sub-label Affectionate Grooves. Kachina producer Zurcon has shared stages with Prodigy, Orbital, Dave Angel, Judge Jules, Paul Oakenfold, BT, JFK, Carl Cox, Grooverider,
Finley Quaye, while frontman Rob Sparx has had previous support from
Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Kissy Sell Out, Eddy Temple Morris, Skream & N-Type. Featured singer Afua has had singles 'Want To' and 'Golden Robes' aired on BBC
Radio 1 / BBC 6 Music, also performing with
Sly & The Family Stone at the Clapham Grand, London in 2012. Sparx has also performed supporting slots for the likes of Skream, Benga, Fresh, Borgore, Qbert, Chase n Status, Nero and Phalaeh. Together, Kachina has had collaborations with Synkro, Nero, Bar9 and Distance.
KACHINA formed in Leicester in 2014 after Sparx and Zurcon found common interest in drum and bass, dubstep, grime and dub studio sessions. Their first performance came when they landed a spot on RINSE FM DJ Marcus Nasty's show in February 2016. Their first release 'Smile' was co-written by fellow producer Prangman in 2014, and was released in 2015 on the 'Smile' EP on Affectionate Grooves. 'Smile' received heavy support from Toddler T, BBC
Radio 1 and DJ Monki in 2016. KACHINA continue to perform at the monthly Sous Sol event at Sub8ten in Leicester and will be performing at Bass in the Park in Royal Leamington Spa in the UK in February 2017. Their follow-up track 'Waiting For You' will be released on Affectionate Grooves later in 2017.
Afua has also been listed as a singer, writer and arranger on 'U4Mi' on Jerusalem Come LP by Juice Aleem (Ninja Tune Records, Big Dada), 'Club Card Points', 'All One Word' LP by JetTricks (Legere Recordings), and on 'Live The Dreams' on Horsley Park LP by Rivera Rotation (Lounge Records).
Drawing influences from the classic UK Garage sound popularised by Tuff Jam, Kachina also list Groove Chronicles, Burial, Marshall Jefferson, Derrick May, Carl Craig, Armand Van Helden, Moloko, Gorgon City, Cause & Affect and Prangman among their influences.
'Alright' is a pacey track, launching straight into cut samples of Afua's soulful vocals and jazzy stabs with the characteristically subby dancehall bass coming in soon after. The track is perfectly mixed for the dance environment, with gating and compression techniques creating an ideal balance between sound and silence, creating effects that are both powerfully reminiscent of rock-solid 90s electronica and fresh in delivery and tone. Fans of Todd Edwards, Tuff Jam and early
Artful Dodger will appreciate.
Kachina explains each track of their release: "The title track "
Alright" is an uplifting feel good tune with a happy vibe that takes you back to the classic 4/4 UKG sound but with a big BIG bass which keeps switching tone every 8/16 bars along with some lovely gospel-influenced vocals from Afua. The tune gets busier as it progresses with more drums, stab layers and vocal harmonies until it forms a much thicker, heavier and funkier sound towards the end. Stay tuned for updates as announce future accolades relating to "
Alright".
