‘Harmony’ is the result of the meeting of three differing amazing musical minds; Drum n bass legend Adam F, rising house producer Kokiri and Rae – the acclaimed singer, writer, DJ, remixer and producer. Olivia Warnford-Davis catches up with her to find out whether life is currently all peace and harmony…
How does it feel have a release on Danny Howard’s label? Have you always been a fan?
It’s great, I was introduced to Danny a while back and he’s really smashing it right now, the label is fresh and diverse which I love, it’s exciting to be a part of it.
Has Danny always supported your music career, or has this been the first time you’ve worked together?
Danny and I have been in touch for a while, we talked about working together a few years back and he’s been a big support with my recent tunes, Take Me Away, Deep In Your Love and Groove On.
You previously collaborated with DJ SKT on the track Take Me Away which was a huge success on the house scene. How was it working on a break beat style track?
I approached it with the same feeling as my re work of Hide U back in 2010. I worked the vocal before the rest of the production so firstly I channelled into a pure vibe, so many tunes from the era of the original had that combo of breakbeat with house beats. It’s killer for me, it was inevitable the breaks would be a feature and keeping the essence of the original within a fresh, tight, seriously playable production was the magic.
It seems you can adapt well to all sorts of genres?
My love of music started with soul, Motown, pop, then my big brothers love of rave, jungle and house took over. So yes, I’m influenced across the genres and if something resonates with me naturally, I’m in.
Not only do you sing but you can DJ, remix and produce! Did you get involved with the productions as well as the vocals on this track?
The track was already sounding hot, I wrote the song, produced the vocal and it was pretty much nailed.
Are you currently DJing or producing your own music right now?
I’ve aways DJ’d and performed live during my set, and I love it with a passion. I’m working on several new collaborations, and solo projects, I also have a new project which is bubbling. I’m really excited about whats to come.
You’ve had a lot of collaborations and successes on other big labels like Defected and Toolroom. Now Danny’s label, you must be getting a lot of recognition now?
I’ve been doing what I do for a while in lots of different ways, sometimes featured artist, sometimes solo productions, sometimes collaborations so I have to work hard for people to join the dots, but yes, recognition from many people who I respect and some great fans, and lots more still to achieve.
It seems like your speciality is house music, have you enjoyed working on a new genre? And do you want to experiment with other genres in the future?
Before I signed to Defected in 2008 I was pretty diverse, I was DJing, doing house but also in bands, and writing an acoustic album, house music happened for me and I embraced it, but being an artist, the creativity goes much further and I always knew I would let that creativity flow and evolve, music is intertwined and I keep an open mind, it’s exciting to have that freedom.
What was it like working with Adam F and Kokiri?
Adam F and I connected straight away, fans of each others work and buzzing to be working together, Kokiri is a great guy, fresh on the scene, we all bring something to the table in a really cool way and we had a lot of fun so far.
Check the video here :
You seem to have great stage presence as well. Any live performances of this track coming up? Or performances in general?
I love connecting with people and I give a lot of energy with full on mixing and singing, we would love to do Harmony live for sure, Ive also done an acoustic version which is really special for the right places. I would usually be in Ibiza most of the summer but this year due to studio commitments and all the stuff going on with the new records I’ve been based in London, focused on that side, I’ve been loving my summer dates back and forth to Pacha Mallorca and were planning new tour dates right now. I’ll be heading back to Asia soon and possibly America.
You all bring your own unique style and qualities to the track, have you learnt anything new from this collaboration?
It’s reaffirmed that the best things in music are unplanned and organic.
Do you think this could be one of your most successful releases yet?
It’s already brought success on many levels in different ways, the true success we have yet to see.
Are there any possibilities for future collaborations with Adam F? Or any similar acts you would like to collaborate with?
I hope so, there are a few things in the pipeline, I’ve also been working on some stuff with Andy C since he smashed the remix of Take Me Away, and after hearing the prototypes mix on Harmony were definitely talking, there’s some serious talent in this world.
