Down Long Enough is the highly anticipated EP from rising funk hip-hop production duo, Re.decay. The EP brings together a diversity of featured artists, blending skilful musicianship to create great hooks, and we can comfortably say it’s some of the highest levels of production we’ve heard. Released last Friday (26th June), it had big expectations based on the singles that were put out earlier this year, ‘Sun in the Morning’ and ‘Ghost’. Fortunately, the rest of this longer-than-average EP is equally full of rich sounds, groovy rhythms and heavy beats.
Re.Decay consists of Owen Ross and Emanuel Bender who are currently based in Berlin. The pair are both established musicians in their own right, with extraordinary achievements to back this up, including Ross having opened up for acclaimed acts such as The Roots, Gym Class Heroes and Afroman in previous band Re-Up, gaining the support from admirable publications like Huffington Post and also Bender’s previous work as a producer working with names including Alle Farben, Moli and Fhat. With this extensive experience under their belts during their time working in Berlin but also in New York, Re.Decay is the product of participation in vast and diverse artistic communities. The pair bring a wide range of musical knowledge to the table.
First up on the EP is the ‘Down Long Enough – Radio Edit’. This condensed version of the track is the ideal opener to an almost impeccable EP. The track introduces the rich vocals from Owen Ross and is fuelled with flare, emanating positive dreamy vibes but still maintaining depth from layers of synths and percussion.
Track two is the previously released single ‘Sun in the Morning’, which features ADH, Mawcom X and Sedric Perry. This track oozes funk and flows above a thumping beat, perfectly combining the different styles coming from the artists on the track. ‘Sun in the Morning’ now has its own music video directed by French film maker Alex Forge and was shot both in Berlin and New York.
Next up is ‘Ghost’, which was also released as a single. This track hits harder than the previous two, with Brian Ennals on vocals speaking of personal hardships over a rhythmic bass line. On this track Re.decay let the lyrics take focus, forming the backbone of the track in the bassline. When speaking to Arch City Media, Re.decay spoke very highly of Ennals: “His wordplay and delivery are truly unique and we’re confident the world will see a lot more from him in the near future.”
Track number four, ‘Harper’ is the longest on the EP and we’d definitely recommend listening with a good stereo system or headphones. It features Marie Kim’s tantalising vocals over more dynamic sounds that have been expertly layered. A completely immersive experience.
Titled ‘Hasselhoff’, track five is the shortest number but certainly packs a punch. Ennals is back on the vocals for this song and it is more menacing than any of the previous tracks. It’s a powerful song that displays more of the high-quality production featured on the whole EP.
Second last on the EP is ‘Olanante (B.O.M.B)’. This might be the poppiest song on the EP and features some beautiful harmonies from ADH and Sedric Perry on vocals. The experimental approach with sounds and instruments really pays off on this tune, with a gospel-style vocal and guitar interval adding a completely unique and special aspect.
Lastly, we have the extended version of ‘Down Long Enough’, rounding up the EP in full circle. Speaking of the EP, Re.decay shared the deep importance it carries for them: “This record has been four years in the making and we couldn’t be prouder of how it came out. The artists we collaborated with from around the word each contributed something unique and special, they are the reason we were able to take this record where it needed to go.” Overall, the EP has proved the talented capabilities of the due and they certainly have a lot to be proud of, we look forward to what is to come.
Words by Aisha Fatunmbi-Randall