Following the comprehensive retrospective collection Nostalgia: Beats of 2008 – 2020, BBE Music recently announced new material from Canadian production powerhouse Beatchild (formerly Slakah the Beatchild), in the form of his hotly anticipated new 4-track EP, Unselfish Desires. The EP will be out on August 13th, but is available now for pre-order.
On July 9th, Beatchild previewed the project with the single, “Adapting,” which he described as being “about false progress.” which is available now on Apple Music, Spotify, and other digital streaming platforms.
The Unselfish Desires is another perfectly-formed example of the expectedly unexpected sound that has become Beatchild’s signature style, from jazzy, blunted opener “Unselfish Desires” through to 80’s synth-pop inspired, funk-laced closer “In My Head.” Scratchy, head-nodding beats combine with original chord progressions and quirky sonic touches, often glued together with the artist’s own mellow vocal tones. A prodigious multi-instrumentalist, Beatchild pays keen attention to the music production process, skillfully combining heterogeneous sounds and beats that combine to lend his music its unique charm.
As for the tracks, let’s have Beatchild, aka Byram Joseph, take us through them one by one:
“One of my personal challenges when creating music that really makes me feel something special is to compose chord progressions that I feel I’ve never heard before. ‘Unselfish Desires’ wrote itself after the Wurlitzer progression was recorded. Everything just fell into place so quickly and naturally. It’s such an incredible feeling when that happens.
‘Adapting’ is a song about false progress. The music is a never ending loop that feels like progression in how it moves from joy to sadness and back again. It’s the perfect paradox musically and I wanted the lyrics to mirror the feeling I got from the music.
Pulling from real life moments has been something I have always shied away from in my writing. I’ve been trying to be more honest and vulnerable and truthfully, I still find it terrifying. In ‘Dance For Love’, I was thinking of when my wife and I force ourselves to dance with each other through difficult moments and exchange our energy when it’s too tense or sad to talk.
‘In My Head’ was pure fun with no specific intention other than to create a feel good experience. My favourite moments when writing music are when I am free to get completely lost in my own head. Songs like this one usually see me jumping around my studio while I compose the lyrics.”
The third volume of Beatchild’s incredible Soul Movement album series will be coming on BBE Music soon, but until then, be sure to pre-save/pre-order Unselfish Desires on your favourite digital outlet. You can check out lyric video for “Adapting” below.
You can follow @Beatchild on Instagram.
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