Jordan Rakei has enjoyed a stellar 2019 so far, cementing his worldwide rep as a modern soul icon in the making. The preternaturally talented songwriter, producer and live performer released his latest album Origin this summer via Ninja Tune which received universal appreciation for his ability to meld his influences from jazz, hip-hop and soul into such a singular and potent musical vision. The London-based, New Zealand-born and Australia-raised musician is currently in the midst of a Eurorean tour and will head to North America later this month, following sold out shows in New York and Los Angeles earlier this year, and has just released a live version of album single “Mind’s Eye.” Filmed in one continuous shot at The Pool studio in London and directed by CHILD, Jordan and his expanded band deliver an epic, extended live version of the fan favorite.
Origin is an album that is overtly inspired by dystopian visions of our future, with many of the album lyrics exploring technological growth and how it affects our sense of humanity. In addition to “Mind’s Eye,” it features well-received singles “Say Something,” “Rolling into One” and”Wildfire.” Stream Origin HERE, watch Jordan’s COLORS performance of “Wildfire” with almost a million views HERE and view his performance from earlier this summer on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic HERE.
Soulful, intimate and expansive all at once, Origin cuts straight to the point, in every sense of the word–the melodies are brighter, the sound is bigger and the vision behind it more finely-tuned. Switching up from the highly personal and intimate portrait he painted with 2017’s Wallflower, which was a way of grappling with his experience of anxiety and introversion. He channelled the classic songwriting and musicality of his heroes Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan, striving to surprise and delight with the form of his work, and always infusing it with the same effortless swing and human feel that he fell in love with listening to A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock and 9th Wonder. He also meditates daily, something he adopted partly in response to his issues with anxiety, and something which has shaped his worldview and informed his writing and production process.