Neu Alby Daniels

Name

: Alby Daniels
Based: London, UK
Listen: Soundcloud.com/albydanielsmusic
Similar to: Sampha, Jamie Woon

I’ve recently been found fretting over one singular statement made by Grimes in an interview with journalistic genius Nardwuar during the SXSW festival. Whether tongue-in-cheek or the product of drug-fuelled optimism / bullshit, Claire described herself as ‘future-pop.’ This isn’t the first time I’ve seen the phrase scattered about; you see it on press releases, on music blogs. What exactly does it mean? Is ‘future-pop’ inevitably going to consist of ambient recordings, made entirely out of the sound our phones make when receiving a twitter notification? It this the post-modern, “post-modem” evolution in music that’s going to unseat Gaga from her pedestal?

Whatever it may be or may come to represent, “future-pop” will still need its popstars, and London’s Alby Daniels is most certainly One Of Those. His voice is entangled in a neverending web of soul influences, but when coupled with a hazy combination of mangled R&B samples and quintessentially hip-hop beats, we’re in the company of something undoubtedly futuristic. A similar sound has already been given the chart litmus test by Jamie Woon - to mixed results - but this feels more promising, more capable of becoming a dominating force rather than a niche sound.

Alby Daniels plays London’s Lexington tonight (12th April) with First On favourites Arthur Beatrice and The Soft. 

Stream ‘San’en’ below - a collaborative track with Fantastic Mr Fox.