“Future R&B” is the most creative and interesting thing happening in the music industry right now. To put it in easy terms, future R&B is R&B with an edge. It’s the unexpected mash-up of electronic and the rhythm and blues genres. It plays with eccentric rhythm, heavy bass and soulful voices. Artists like James Blake, BANKS, and FKA Twigs have entered into the music scene with future R&B in mind but have cultivated their own styles within this innovative genre.
James Blake may be the one who created future R&B. With his first full-length album released back in February of 2011, he made a fresh, new sound that was unlike anything I’ve heard before. I only discovered James recently through the television show The Leftovers, when his song “Retrograde” was featured in the series’ premiere. “Retrograde” is one of the best songs I think I’ve ever heard. I know that seems a little excessive, but there is so much going right in this song. It starts with this haunting hum of James’ voice and then slowly begins to build as the song’s simple yet effective beat enters. The song emotes an eerie darkness that will have you encompassed in James’ beautiful voice and the powerful lyrics behind it.
Another recent artist who falls into the future R&B genre is BANKS. She made a name for herself with her debut EP London and is set to release her first full-length album, Goddess, on September 9. Her first big hit, entitled “Warm Water,” is subtly fun and sensual. The song is quiet but speaks very well. It doesn’t need to have a huge explosion of sound; actually, the easiness of the song is what makes it so effective. BANKS’ song “Waiting Game” happens to be extremely similar to James Blake’s “Retrograde”; “Waiting Game” begins similarly with a haunting moan of her voice, and then the background builds through heavy synths. Although these songs are comparable, they both stand on their own very well and are excellent tracks. BANKS is someone you should look out for; I feel she is going to be a gateway for future R&B to break into the mainstream.
An artist that has truly created her own style within the future R&B genre is FKA Twigs (FKA stands for Formally Known As, due to an artist with the same name getting frustrated). The best way I can think to describe her style is extraterrestrial. Her sound is so unlike anything I’ve heard before that it seems alien to me, in the best way possible. She stays within the future R&B genre with her use of heavy bass and the sensuality of her voice while putting a weird, eccentric twist on it. In her song “Two Weeks,” an intimate yet hard-hitting single, her unique sound shines through while creating a contrasting softness and harshness. “Pull out the incisor/Give me two weeks you won’t recognize her,” she gently sings over an aggressive cacophony of electronic synths and beats. It is both minimal and chaotic, which is what makes Twigs so intriguing. Similar to her musical style, the music video for “Two Weeks” features only one scene set in what looks to be a throne room with multiple copies of herself dancing while a massive-sized Twigs sings.
Some other notable mentions from FKA Twigs’ first full-length album, entitled LP1, include “Lights On,” a sexy, ethereal song cooing to her lover, “When I trust you we can do it with the lights on.” Also “Pendulum,” an airy song about wanting to be with someone, but they would rather be with someone else, is one of my favorites.
What I like most about future R&B is that it’s easy listening. It’s not pump-up music, it’s not dance club music, it’s music that you can get lost in. There is something about it that seems orchestral to me. Every sound and beat has its place that ends up creating something of a masterpiece. As someone who loves innovation, especially in the music industry, I appreciate everything these artists are doing.
