Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Jordan Rakei was a long way from home as he closed out his second North American tour in San Francisco at The Fillmore last Thursday, March 8th. Rakei brings his own brand of musicianship that amazes with the thoughtfulness of his compositions as well as the practiced discipline that shines through all his tracks.  At the age of 25, Rakei has a strong grasp of his own musical voice, as well as a thorough understanding of theory that allows his tracks to incorporate a myriad of genres including many subgenres of jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and even reggae.  His lack of discernible genre is refreshing and comparable to musicians like Hiatus Kaiyote, Nick Hakim, and FKJ.

After releasing a couple of phenomenal bedroom produced works (Franklin’s Room (2013), Groove Curse (2014)) Rakei’s personal and musical journey took its first leap when he moved to London to be closer to those in his music scene.  He used this opportunity to get out of his comfort zone and connect with a new generation of electronic jazz musicians like Tom Misch, Loyle Carner, Richard Spaven, Alfa Mist, and even Disclosure who Jordan collaborated with by providing vocals for the last track on their latest album Caracal (2015).

Although Rakei ventured out of his shell and successfully connected with many since his time in London, his feelings of introversion, anxiety, and exploration of the self are put on display in his latest release Wallflower (2017).  In reference to the album’s title, Rakei responded to The Spin Off, “That’s me, and I feel like a lot of my friends would connect with that.  We’re lonesome people, that’s how we develop our craft. We are by ourselves a lot, and we don’t really need external input. We make our music in our own space. That is what my whole album is about, being a loner.”

Even the album cover portrays a part of his own story of understanding the self and the self’s relation to others.  Rakei recalled the moment when his father took a picture of him as the umbrella was blowing away and he remembered feeling afraid that people were watching.  This was one of Rakei’s earliest memories of anxiety, a force that would shape him and his music.

1. Eye to Eye

2. May

3. Sorceress 

4. Nerve

5. Goodbyes

6. Clues Blues

7. Chemical Coincidence

8. Carnation

9. Lucid

10. Hiding Place

11. Wallflower (feat. Kaya Thomas-Dyke)

 

While all his works carry the same stamp of a well-thought out composition, many of the tracks before Wallflower were vibe-y and groovy, songs that you could definitely play in a room full of people.  However, his latest album graduates from this and instead seems to replace its usual groove for a weighted beat interspersed with tempo and genre surprises that ask the listener to listen up and listen closely.  Wallflower employs trance elements and plays more with psychedelic and electronic influences that combine intriguingly with his jazz and soul groundings.  

The Fillmore was venue to Rakei’s last stop on this tour with group Hablot Brown opening as support for the West Coast.  Hablot Brown is also a jazz influenced group that plays with soul and R&B aspects and, on Thursday, proved to put the audience in a grooving mood.  They had a six-piece band with a bassist, jazz guitarist, electric guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and vocalist. Their most played song on Spotify, “She Said,” sounded full and dynamic live, with each musician performing and interacting together and the live kick of the drums adding some spice. An “Electric Feel” cover by MGMT got the crowd energized and singing along.  

Rakei and his band, which consisted of a drummer, bassist, and guitarist, soon emerged and launched into “Eye to Eye,” the first track on Wallflower.  Rakei kept his set predictable as he played many songs from Wallflower with some other popular past tracks sprinkled in.  

His voice is so captivating to listen to, his falsetto comes out as fluttery exhalations which are delicate and tender in comparison to his sometimes guttural soul cries, providing the needed dimension to mirror the dynamism of his songs.  The improvisation on his keys was sometimes accompanied with perfectly paralleled scatting, showing off his vocal skill through jazzy licks and scales. Also the use of subtle rhythm play with his voice is quite unique, as not all artists fully take advantage of or use rhythm play in their vocals.  He changed it up by sometimes singing the off beats or syncopating his vocal line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before starting “Chemical Coincidence,” Rakei talked about his perception of the world as a world in chaos and remarked, “I think we’re a produce of randomness,” giving the song deeper context.  This song stands out to me on the album because of how different it is from his other tracks, as it blends a band sound with trance aspects. Once again, Rakei intrigues and amazes with the many musical elements he’s able to bring together.

Rakei’s performance along with his talented band was top-notch as live musicians go.  Their ability to accelerando (gradually speed up) in perfect synchronicity exhibited their technical prowess.  

As soon as he left the stage, Rakei returned to perform “Sorceress,” a song very fitting for March 8th’s International Women’s Day.   Starting off acoustically with just his electric guitar, Rakei finished the song the same way, ending it with one last tender, jazz chord strum of his guitar.  

Noah Slee, a Berlin-based soul-singer and producer, remarks: “Jordan’s music is deep and complex…I feel blessed to know Jordan and experience his gifts…It’s a truly soulful experience.”  That’s exactly how it felt to witness Rakei’s compositions live. My soul feels blessed.

Written and Photos by Anna Nguyen

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