Day 11 of our 2020 charity Advent Calendar, in aid of You Make It & Project Protect.
Dutch producer and recent United Identities affiliate Jelee crafts warm, beats that draw inspiration from electronica, hip hop and jazz. For ‘Skittle Samba’ he tunes into his Bossa Nova influences, matching subtle drum patterns with a gentle bass line.
“I made this track in the early summer of 2020. I wanted to make a warm and chill track, a bit “lofi” esque, but still have that Jelee flavour. So besides the lighthearted and relaxing nature of the song, there are still a lot of subtle details, drum variations and little synthesizer sounds to be heard. I named the track Skittle Samba, Skittles to let you know that this isn’t a very heavy track, and Samba because the instrumentation is really inspired by Samba and Bossa Nova. And when I was younger Skittles used to be my favourite candy. This also is the first completed track I’m releasing that features me on the bass guitar. I recorded the bass when I played it for less than a month. It also is the first instrument I ever owned besides the less traditional instruments like synthesizers, record players and applications, so you could say that is the first sparkle in a new chapter of music for me.”
This year we’ve chosen to split profits from the release between two charities, both of whom are doing important work within their respective fields.
The first charity is London-based organisation You Make It, a creative programme that offers young women access to tools, networks and experiences — group learning, 1-1 mentoring, work experience, start-up support and 1-1 pastoral support — giving them the confidence to transform their lives through personal empowerment.
The second is Nigeria-based initiative Project Protect, a subdivision of Burna Boy’s charitable NGO The Reach, launched to help provide financial, medical and legal resources for EndSars protestors during and after the protests.
Check the below playlist for all tracks in our Calendar.
Artwork across the series by Mark Grieg.
