Welcome to Astral Realm, where Clash staff writer Shahzaib Hussain navigates the cosmos of the newest, most essential alternative releases in music. Each month’s roundup features a Focus Artist interview, a Next Wave artist spotlight and a breakdown of noteworthy song and projects.
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Focus Artist: Orion Sun
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When Tiffany Majette released ‘Hold Space For Me’ in 2020, intimate concepts of home and memory, of fragmented identity and queerness found widespread acceptance with a generation living vicariously through insular, digitised places.
On new EP ‘Getaway’, Orion Sun embraces collaboration and connections as vessels for personal growth; the weight of relationships still weighs heavy but there impact is softened by conversations with friends and lovers. On ‘Getaway’, which features contributions by Nascent, Guapdad 400, Rodaidh McDonald and Rostam, Orion Sun opens up her inner sanctum and rediscovers herself in songs that move between incandescent indie, cinematic soul and folktronic R&B.
The Brooklynite shares the emancipatory transitions she experienced recording ‘Getaway’ and how the intergenerational burden that defined her earlier material became her biggest blessing.
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Tiffany, you’ve been very open about your itinerant life. In which ways did your environment become synonymous with creative expression?
My environment plays a huge role in what inspires me. Growing up in a predominantly white area of South Jersey, I was exposed to things that no one in my family knew or were even listening to – that entailed this preteen emo phase where I was into indie rock and more folky things. Leaving Jersey to go back to Philly again, older and more mature, I was able to take what my Mom and Grandmother were listening to, what my cousins and friends were listening to, with me. I’m an open person, I didn’t really reject anything but I didn’t take everything in either. It’s an interesting contrast.
You’re based in Brooklyn now?
I think it’s my favourite place I’ve lived.
Brooklyn is a unique enclave, famous for its diversity. Is Brooklyn ‘home’ to you now? Have you found your tribe?
Like you said, it’s the diversity that sets Brooklyn apart from the places I’ve lived before. Mount Laurel (New Jersey) is a pretty small town and sometimes when I go back, I can see that it’s changing, with the potential to be a bigger more inclusive space. When I was there, it felt really small. If I went from Jersey to New York, it might have been too overwhelming but being in Brooklyn has been life-changing. You could think of the most niche thing you’re into and you could find a community here. I’m in a really cool, well-rounded area and I don’t feel too far from anything. That has been hugely beneficial to my mental health.
Your first project, ‘a collection of fleeting moments and daydreams’, was an escape from personal upheavals you were going through as a teenager. What would you say to that young Tiffany with the weight on her shoulders, just trying to make music?
I think this silence says a lot because I would definitely just be staring at myself. Life was just so crazy then that I didn’t really have time to daydream on that too much. I’d say, “some of those daydreams will come true, all you have to do is keep going. There’ll be roadblocks but you’re on the right path.”
Looking back can be overwhelming sometimes but I also think this path makes sense because I’ve worked hard. Even down to how I look because I’m not your conventional artist. Back in the day, I don’t think there was a space for me like there is now. There are so many amazing artists that I would love to thank for that but I didn’t really see anybody that really looked like me, doing exactly what I was doing. I’m also into other genres of music and that can turn people away sometimes. I’m just really happy I’m an artist in this day and age, because I don’t know if it would have happened.
Were you surprised by the reaction and fanfare that came after you released ‘Hold Space For Me’?
Yes, I was. With ‘Collection…’, there was way less intention outside of just me being free and wanting to express whatever came to mind; ‘Hold Space For Me’ was a direct response to things going on in my life. Up to that point, I’d even stayed away from using pronouns because I was just so nervous and I was still trying to figure out my identity. That was a big deal for me because of the way I came out, it was just understood and inherent. I never really felt the need to make declarations but I was saying it in the most natural way I could, through music.
I felt incredibly exposed after releasing it but to see messages from listeners saying it got them through events in their lives, or expressing eerily similar situations to my own – it became very comforting. I love to look for confirmation throughout my life, confirmation that I’m on the right path. I don’t stay in that space for too long because it can get a little convoluted but when I do check in on those things, I feel so much pride.
You’ve always had an affinity with space; this sci-fi angle where you explore the wonders of the world and beyond. Where does that fixation come from?
I used to watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but my favourite was Twilight Zone. I’ve watched every Rod Serling interview and read the books that his daughter wrote about him. I really loved how he looked at life. I love reminding myself that I’m an extremely small speck in this universe. I’m so inspired by my environment and I’m intrigued by what’s beyond what I can see. I think it comes down to not fitting in. My Mom would always tell me to think beyond the neighbourhood, to think beyond this town. So, I always thought big. Even now I’m that little kid asking a lot of questions and I feel like space and the unknown has given me so much comfort.
With the visuals for this era, there’s an emphasis on nature. Talk me through the imagery for ‘Concrete’ and ‘Dirty Dancer’, and this exploration of the natural world?
During the pandemic, I was going out for walks and it became a part of my schedule because all other anchors in my day just disappeared. I’m the kind of person that needs a routine otherwise things get dark really fast. It helped my overall mood and I was starting to understand why it’s so important to just get out and get away.
Before I thought I had to leave the country to see something beautiful but because of the pandemic, I was forced to be present. I never really took the time to look and I didn’t even know nature was this accessible to me – a lot of these beautiful places aren’t accessible to Black and Brown people, that’s intentional. Anyway, I digress! I really wanted to move forward in my personal life and by loving the earth the best way I can, I could learn to love myself. I was focusing on the ancestors that came before me and asking myself: What does this land really mean? Whose is it? How can it be protected in the way that it should be?
That’s when the seeds for ‘Getaway’ started to germinate. This experience was different because it was marked by collaboration…
Yes. I view myself as a pretty introverted person but I was lying to myself that I could stay inside and be in my own company. That was a big adjustment because with ‘Hold Space For Me’, I brought someone in to work on the demos with me. On ‘Getaway’, we were building everything from scratch. It was really cool to work with so many different minds and hands and vibes. It was about overall growth, I didn’t want to be that artist that gets in my own way, you know?
I feel like ‘Getaway’ is a really cool jumping off point, a catalyst of sorts. I grew so much and looking at how I made it, I’m not even thinking about being self-conscious because I’m having so much fun! That is one of the biggest takeaways: it makes me want to work with people even more, the more I work with people the more I learn.
Let’s talk about the song ‘Pressure’. You’re singing through the weight of expectation. What is the “pressure” you’re singing of?
‘Pressure’ started off with me trying to get to that session, on the way there I got a flat tyre. I was keeping calm but felt pressure about this studio session. I was thinking about how I was feeling in that moment but as the song was being fleshed out, it became more personal; it became about the pressure that I feel supporting my family.
I feel pressure to make my Mom proud because she put a lot of work into putting me in spaces and gave me opportunities. I went to a great school which definitely inspired my love for music and she was always supportive of that. I’m aware that this familial pressure is self-imposed but that’s just how I function. That’s how I get stuff done, so I’m not really opposed to it. But I do feel it and I’m grateful for music because I’m able to get those feelings out.
On this project, you also explore the mechanisms black women in particular, develop in order to protect themselves – methods of self-preservation…
I’ve always struggled with self-esteem. Loving who you are and where you come from is essential. Growing up in a predominantly white area, you’re never necessarily the coolest, I certainly wasn’t! So, I spent a lot of time appreciating myself, being patient with myself. I realised I wasn’t taught this because all the women in my life had to be strong. When things are challenging, there aren’t many outlets for black woman. I grew up in a space where we didn’t talk about heavy stuff and that pushed me into writing. We’ve had to be strong for for ourselves but also our families; I’ve watched my Mom be strong for her Mother and my brothers.
I had this revelation where I realised there’s always a process to healing, that everything will fine in the end. I was in that mindset of really wanting to shed light on this process because of the pandemic because things were looking like they were going to change forever.
What were your sonic references this time round? ‘Getaway’ is a cogent mix of live instruments and subtle electronics flourishes…
Subconsciously, I’m always looking for Marvin Gaye; he’s living inside of me in a little car. Outside of that, I was consciously thinking how these songs would sound live and what the band setup would look like. Before, the setup would be me and the DJ, sometimes I’d have a band if it was for a bigger event. I’m happy you caught that it’s a blend because I think that’s where I’m going to stay. I love the electronic side too much, I like the bubble that I’m in.
My favourite track is ‘Celebration’; a starry-eyed escapade. Why was this the final song of the ‘Getaway’ experience?
I just knew I didn’t want drums on this one because I was flowing on it naturally. I was really into ‘Keep You Satisfied’ by Marvin Gaye at the time and I wanted to recreate the slow-burning vibe. Throughout the whole EP, I explore this longing – this self-reflection and fixing – and I feel like ‘Celebration’ is that point when you give into the moment and hope for the best. Outside of relationships and love, I feel we did a good job of scoring how some celebrations feel. To me, it’s always jubilant but also melancholic, it’s never really one emotion.
Which specific track captures the collaborative spirit of the ‘Getaway’ experience?
‘Without You’. I made that song with so many loving people. The bass was playing, everybody was talking and I started improvising – everything went quiet, I opened my eyes and I got so emotional. I’m getting emotional now! I get overwhelmed when I think about the people in my life that believe in me. I really can’t do it without them. Even things like this interview mean a lot to me, because in the bigger picture it adds to this dream that I had. I hope this doesn’t sound pretentious, but I’m made to do this. Every time I listen to this song, I get sucked right back into that really small studio space.
In what ways do you want ‘Getaway’ to resonate with listeners?
If you need to get away, I want my music to be that escape – even if you don’t have the financial means and can’t go to the park for hours on end, this can be that little pocket for you to feel peace, to feel euphoria, to feel something. ‘Getaway’ is that little vacation or a little partner to talk to when you’re on daily commute.
You mentioned you’re already onto the next thing. What are you working on?
I’m working on my next album! When I got the idea, something happened to my body. I get so fucking excited! I’m really excited because this is the first time I’m going to be touring, so I’m so looking forward to what my brain is going to be inspired by on the road. I’m leaving space for what can happen during that period of time but a lot has transpired already, I have a general theme of where I’m going to go.
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Next Wave Recommendation: Elujay
Oakland’s Elujay exemplifies the thrill of discovery that ‘Astral Realm’ is all about. This isn’t a musician emerging for the first time; Elujay has released three projects independently, his mutable sound evolving from the soulful dilettante found within 2019’s ‘Adojio’ to the tuneful alchemist found on debut album, ‘Circumvnt’, released at the top of this year.
Anchored by an earnest, sometimes psychoactive, search for clarity in the haze of a pandemic-ridden world, Elujay probes our addiction to modern compulsions. At times a soothsayer, other times a romancer, Elujay scales new heights; from the languorous ska-inflected ‘Luvaroq’, to the breezy new jack swing evocations of ‘Ratrace’ and the 2-step majesty of ‘1080p’, Elujay offers up his most heady and iridescent project to date.
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Who is Elujay?
Elujay is a multi-hyphenate artist who loves to conjure energy to create beautiful art. I can say I’m sort of an enigma and I mean that in the most endearing non-cocky way possible!
The Bay area is renowned for its countercultural confluence of sounds and genres. How did that inform your creativity?
It’s a very diverse place so it’s easy to take a lot from different influences and cultures. It’s easier to find inspiration from so many different areas. Definitely a dope place to grow up.
What three records have marked your artistic identity?
I’d say ‘Speaperboxxx/The Love Below’ by Outkast – 1000%! I’d also say ‘Underneath The Pine’ by Toro y Moi and ‘Cilvia Demo’ by Isaiah Rashad. Those are definitely projects where you can find my sound – three projects that were influential in my early days of creating.
You’re not a new artist per se but this will be the first time many hear who Elujay is. Does this new era feel like a creative reboot? And in what ways does ‘Circumvnt’ chart your evolution?
I don’t feel a lot of pressure to release music; I still feel like a new artist. There are still so many people who haven’t heard me yet. I feel like I’ll be new until I actually breakthrough as an artist. Regarding artistic change, I embrace melody more than I did in the past, I’ve learned how to use my voice as an instrument and I play more instruments now. Experience has made me a better musician.
On ‘Circumvnt’, you seamlessly bridge different musical eras; soul, funk, psychedelia but also sound system culture. It’s transatlantic in make-up. Talk me through these musical references…
First of all, thank you for the kind words! I was listening to a lot of dub-inspired stuff; artists like Peter Hunnigale, Janet K and UK garage in general. Aphex Twin and Jamiroquai were big ones and a lot of experimental stuff like Björk. I was also listening to my good friend, serpentwithfeet; he’s always inspired me because he makes a lot of world music.
Like most records released over the last two years, isolation is a big feature. Your songs have a cathartic way of making sense of that private chaos…
Just the fact that we had to be in the house for a prolonged period of time does things psychologically to you and that was a big transition for me because I caved into bad habits: I’m reclusive by nature and I found myself being less sociable as the pandemic went on. I think finding myself in this space of solitude played a big role in the making of this record. I’d say it’s been quite haunting in a way; the pain attached to traumatic events and everything in between. Sometimes I can’t even listen to the music because it’s so personal and real.
The track ‘Pandemia’ is an overt reference to this time period. Would you say this track captures the compositional nucleus of the album at large?
Yes, I would. I made ‘Pandemia’ with the intention that if someone didn’t want to listen to the whole album, it would be the one track that they could point to. That or the opener, ‘Hummingbird’. I wanted to give a kind of a summarising piece, if that makes sense; here’s what we’re talking about, here’s the energy and here’s the sonic landscape.
‘Hummingbird’ is my favourite track; a thrilling two-parter that starts off plaintive before transitioning into something more propulsive…
I feel it’s the centrepiece of the album because like ‘Pandemia’, it touches on all the subjects that I cover on ‘Circmvnt’. It has such a raw musicianship built into it because of the subject matter, instruments and textures. Overall, it’s a beautiful track and stands on its own. It touches on things people tend to shy away from and it’s the one I’m most proud of.
You dip into the ‘Lovers Rock’ era with the serpentwithfeet-assisted ‘Luvaroq’, a style of music experiencing a resurgence. Where did this fascination come from?
My family is from the Caribbean. A lot of them moved to London in the 40s and 50s, which is where a lot of that type of music was birthed and popularised. I find that super cool, that a lot of my people were in London and they reclaimed their genre in a new city. It’s like an RnB version of reggae in a way – soft with nice chords and good melodies. It was made from this idea that they wanted to make reggae more pop, more commercial in the sense that could be played on radio. I just think that the creation and the proliferation of the Lover’s Rock genre was super dope.
‘Circmvnt’ is an immersive listen; one where you uncover small details every time you press play. What do you want the listener to take away from this album?
I want them to immerse themselves in my world. It’s a continuous experience and not just some random songs put together like a playlist. Whatever they feel from those emotions, I just want them to feel it strongly; whether that’s love or hate. I think music that evokes either one of those feelings is the most important type. I’d prefer it not be a passive listen but at the end of the day it doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to the listener and their interpretation.
What’s next for Elujay? Where do you next want to go musically?
It’s not about where I want to go, it’s about how much time I have to go in a particular direction before I turn an album in. I want to go everywhere; I want to try everything. I just want to make sure I have enough time to be consistent.
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Release Round-up:
The Growth Eternal – ‘PARASAiL-18’
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On debut album ‘PARASAiL-18’, Byron Crenshaw aka The Growth Eternal is the nu soul devotee creating a constellation of sonic matter; mutating sounds and structures for the curious space dweller. Crenshaw builds these sound collages or a kind of rhythmic science, through arpeggios and nifty use of the vocoder, fluctuating between tender trills and engineered ASMR robotics: ‘The Remains’ is woozy technoid seduction and on ‘Roden’, the veneer of future trap dissipates into an ambient fever dream. On ‘PARASAiL-18’, Crenshaw toys with the frequency between classical and freeform, fashioning his own kind of psychedelic mood music.
Neue Grafik Ensemble – ‘Foulden Road II’
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“‘Part II’ is a bit darker, closer to realness with a sprinkle of hope…”
French-born, South London artist Neue Grafik calls on his revolving “ensemble” to colour Part II of his ‘Foulden Road’ series. Enlivened and enthused by poetry from MA.MOYO (‘Black Bodies’), JJ Akinlade (‘Breath’) Brother Portrait (‘Running On A Flame’), Neue Grafik vividly exhumes the personal and political spine of the black experience.
The EP’s focal point is ‘Queen Asa’, the percussive militant anthem honouring French activist Assa Traoré, whose brother Adama Traoré died in police custody in Paris, a fleshly tribute to the tragedy that befell an innocent man and the people left behind seeking justice. Through jazz fusion’s lambent tonality and ability to coalesce with house, broken-beat and grime, Neue Grafik Ensemble produce a graphic, bracing but ultimately triumphant montage of pain and redemption.
‘Foulden Road II’ is out March 25th.
Fana Hues – ‘flora + fana’
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Fana Hues almost lost her voice as a child, salvaged by the remedial, benevolent might of nature and the nurturing upkeep that came from her family. On new project ‘flora + fana’, the Pasadena-raised artist leans on this elemental power to build a halcyon world, replete with ornate harmonies and syrupy passages into symphonic neo soul; evoking shades of Janelle Monae’s ‘Electric Lady’ in the way romantic realism connects with hints of spacey futurama.
Throughout the project, Hues’ moves between smooth and strident: ‘BAD Bad’ is fuelled by warm funk and brazen desire, her voice retaining an airy quality as comforting as it is sensory. The closing moments of the project – the Western-inspired ‘wild horses’ through to the choral harmonics of ‘wait’ – is a spiritual balm to an unknowing future. A meditative experience that offers a sanctuary to black women, ‘flora + fana’ radiates like slow-burning incense.
‘flora + fana’ is out March 25th.
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Ego Ella May – ‘Centred’
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“I jumped in the ocean still fearful of the sea…”
Lifted from the South Londoner’s EP, ‘FIELDNOTES PT II’, ‘Centred’ is the showpiece of a project languishing in love’s non-linear journey. Ego Ella May creates a baroque flow of tension and consonance through melodious vocals and soft grooves, with words that speak to the suspension of time and the relinquishing of agency when longing for another is the sole motivator. A silken-smooth odyssey.
Nadeem Din-Gabisi – ‘Exit’
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The Croydon artist brings a capricious energy to spoken-word document ‘Exit’. Framed as a prosaic sing-a-long with its “la la la” chants, there’s more to uncover in this proscenium. Din-Gabisi sings of being uprooted and displaced with revolutionary figures namedropped (“Marcus Mosiah setting me free…”) to add historical heft to a regenerative tale that is a timely as ever. With a razor-sharp command of political prose and poetry, Nadeem Din-Gabisi is the newcomer to listen out for this year.
Mwami – ‘Danser/Olivine’
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“East African Vanguard…”
Ugandan underground enigma Mwami incites a quiet revolution with this AA side, his first release since the aquatic electro-soul of ‘waterbody’. On ‘Danser’, kinetic beats and an indistinct talk-rap delivery that calls to mind Tricky, synthesise to form elegantly-paced, hypnagogic house; ‘Olivine’ is the more morose and moodier of the two, still operating in the nocturnal realm, elevated by an echo chamber of choir voices singing a lovesick aria into the cosmos.
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Words: Shahzaib Hussain
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