Ultra_eko Drops the Music Video For "Yellow Redux", From His Upcoming Album "Off the Grid"
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May 28th marks the release of "Yellow Redux," the newest track from South London-based hip-hop artist Ultra_eko. Immediately melodic with funky guitars, lush synths, and clanging keys, the release showcases the artist's precise vocal flow and lyrical wit. Spurts of brass infectiously accompany this dazzling arsenal, building to a fun, bass-heavy title-referencing hook around the track's mid-point.
"Yellow Redux" is the first single from Ultra_eko's forthcoming album “Off the Grid”. Thematically, the album captures a world whose people are increasingly isolated by technology, marked by the opening words on the track "Viral": "You are locked in this machine, from the moment you are born until your dying day."
Technology is often an antagonist to the protagonists of these album tracks -- the cheating husband whose wife uses technology to expose his infidelities in "WIFI Wifey"; the employee in "Boy Done Good" who finds himself in a soulless job, typing numbers into a computer, the meaning of which he has no idea; the isolated dealer from ‘Alexandre Cazes’ who lives in the shadows through the dark net.
Ultra_eko himself writes; “the inspiration for the characters in ‘Yellow Redux’ comes from my own family and upbringing and there is a real South London stamp on this track, especially in terms of some of the London colloquialisms used.
‘Clout round the ear ‘ole’ - meaning a smack to the side of the head, something I was forever threatened with by my mother as a boy – the two words ear and hole would always be joined together, so it sounds more like ‘ear roll’. The dropping of the ‘H’ is standard when it comes to the London accent.
‘wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole’ – would not go near something, would not even touch it with a long pole.
‘mum’s having kittens’ – this means to get very upset or worried. It’s the British equivalent to the US saying, ‘having a cow.’ Apparently, it originates from an old belief that when someone had very bad stomach pains, it felt as though kittens were clawing the inside of the stomach!
‘But all she got given was a mouthful” – another commonly used phrase I would hear used by my mother as a child. To receive ‘a mouthful’ would mean someone had spoken to you with very explicit and offensive language.
The track also features a spiritual vibe and includes one of my favourite rhymes I have written:
This illusion of us being individuals,
Is like a wave breaking on the ocean’s surface;
Just a brief moment of separation
Where you form a shape of your own
Before returning to the source to reform
Finally, did you know? There’s no such colour as ‘dark yellow’. Probably worth a Google.
Watch the visual for Ultra_eko’s upcoming single “Yellow Redux” right now, be ready to stream it on your preferred music service on the 28th, and connect with him on his social media. Also, check out our exclusive interview with this talented emcee and listen to his debut EP “Kitchen Sink Dramas” below.