LA-based producer KUREI is one SoundCloud’s brightest under-appreciated gems. Since he released ‘Late Night,’ last year, he’s continued to impress us with releases on Below The Surface, SUS Collective, and Don’t Die At Work, plus an incredible collaboration with yojas. and bd hbt. Today we are excited to premiere his greatest work to date in ‘Zenith.’
Working with vocalist AJ Euro, KUREI crafts an emotional banger that’s moving and filthy, truly showcasing the depth of his talents. AJ & KUREI’s chemistry should come as no surprise, as the two are from strangers. “I started the beat at Starbucks in my headphones. I wrote the chord progression first and started building around that. I showed my girlfriend the same day and she started pulling up some ideas she had. She wrote the lyrics in a day basically and we recorded a little iPhone demo and I used that to finish the beat. Then re-recorded over the final beat in the studio to wrap it up,” KUREI tells us of how this collaboration came together. AJ expands on her involvement in the writing process saying, “The first line I wrote was ‘you make my soul smile’ which I was inspired to write because of the charming & handsome man that is Kurei. I wrote it on a sticky note while we were on FaceTme in January of this year and a couple weeks later when I first heard what he was working on, it was a perfect match! I ended up writing the rest of the song around it & the rest is history (:”
When trap and bass artists opt to expand their sound and explore more melodic and emotive directions it can often feel forced or haphazardly slapped together. A producer creates a beat, commissions a top line from a vocalist and stitches the two together. As is the opposite with ‘Zenith,’ the organic nature of its creation combined with the real life connection between both artists make the song nothing short of spectacular. KUREI proves his talents continue to expand while creating a work that’s gritty enough to please his die-hard bass head fans. Stream ‘Zenith’ below.
