Feiertag – Keep Your Head Up feat. Noah Slee / Ballon Sogni feat. Falle Nioke
Joris Feiertag is a Dutch producer and live-act from Utrecht in the Netherlands who makes music that is a finely balanced combination of organic and synthesized elements, often using ingenious syncopated rhythms combined with instruments such as the harp and kalimba.
This autumn he will release Roots, his third album on revered German imprint Sonar Kollektiv. Having concentrated his attention on catchy hooks and a number of guest voices on his first, and deeper breakbeat workouts on his second, Joris felt it was time to deliver something that sat comfortably in a space somewhere between the two. The LP features a plethora of vocalists from across the globe including Rotterdam’s Robin Kester; Guinea born Falle Nioke; Tru Thoughts recording artist Rhi; young spoken word artist from London, Nego True; Afro-futuristic U.S. hip hop outfit OSHUN and Berlin based vocalist Noah Slee, who features on the latest single, Keep Your Head Up (Release Date: September 7th, 2023).
As a song about biding your time and waiting for your moment, it reflects perfectly the process Joris had to go through to be able to collaborate with Noah on the track. Having danced around the idea of working together for some time, the dream eventually came true when the pair met in the German capital. The result is a timeless piece of music that finely balances out Feiertag’s electronic sensibilities (here reminiscent of Maribou State) with Slee’s soulful aesthetic, whilst still retaining a pop feel. Minor key dark, brooding and emotional instrumentation combine with jazz tinged, sultry choir like vocals to great effect. It’s a space that Feiertag inhabits when he’s at his best. Lovers of Gabriels and Daft Punk alike will definitely be fans of this one!
Falle Nioke features on the new single, Ballon Sogni, which drops on September 7th. As has often been the case, Joris discovered Nioke via Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist. The West African artist, now based in Margate, Kent in the UK south-eastern coast, is known for his sophisticated blend of electronic and pan-African music on his own releases, and the pair achieve much the same here with a song that roughly translates to “Football Dream”. The result is a rough African bass-driven workout, complete with traditional balafon sounds which give way to something more ethereal as celestial choirs and chants take the dream somewhere quite otherworldly.
