CHISEKO SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘OUTSIDE’
A polished blend of abundant grooves and effortless flow, Perth dynamo CHISEKO impresses with a brand new beam of euphoria via his new single Outside. An alternative dance-fuelled paradise, Outside also arrives today armed with a music video drenched in vivid chromatics and CHISEKO himself drawing you deeper into his creative universe.
A slick, suave and confident array of warmth, charisma and grooves, Outside finds CHISEKO fusing elements of hip hop, rap and house into his own addictive style, with diverse nods to the likes of Kaytranada, Azealia Banks, Tentendo, Aluna, Disclosure, Isenburg and The Streets percolating alongside CHISEKO’s glossy flow. Crafted to capture the feeling of exhilaration on a night out as the world passes you by in an intoxicating blur, Outside began life over a year ago before finding its final form, billowing with a moody and arresting breeze as CHISEKO elaborates, “Outside is about the euphoria and rush of being on a night out and everything seeming to fly by in a blur. As we were making the track I was listening to a lot of house music. This definitely influenced most of my creative decisions. Abraham Tilbury, who produced the track, has a very unique and quirky sound which I really love. Him and I usually get into the studio and vibe out until we develop a form which has a lot of character. The rest of the process involves chiselling away at this form until we have a well thought out and detailed idea. Sometimes it takes a few hours, sometimes it takes a few months. Andi, my resident DJ/producer, was also involved and added his own flair to the drums and bass in the second half of the song.”
With equal passions and talent for multiple art forms, including graphic design and architecture, CHISEKO’s dexterous creativity comes to life via Outside’s accompanying music video. Featuring CHISEKO, vivid colour washes and a concise narrative threaded throughout, Outside saw the multi-faceted artist team up alongside videographer Lachy Ross, as well as Evie Oldham and Liam Grace, to capture the mellow yet powerful energy of the overarching track, as CHISEKO explains, “Lachy Ross and I conceptualised the clip together. I sent him a mood board of all of the ideas I wanted to include on the project so that we could tie together a consistent narrative largely based around colour and clothing. The concept is fairly simple and self-explanatory, I’m quite literally ‘outside’. I think the lighting, colour grading and graphics are what really stand out here. Lachy helped to capture the mood of the track by filming at the right time of day and enhancing the colours to make them really pop out.”
Born in Zimbabwe, CHISEKO’s journey has spanned living in London, Leeds and Switzerland, before moving with his family to Australia in 2008. With a lifelong love for visual art, music and adventure, CHISEKO’s childhood and more recent travels frequently influence his creative output, as did some of his earliest musical memories weaving between people’s legs in the living room as they danced at his parents’ house parties in London. Developing his sonic palette after receiving a Ministry of Sound CD in the mail and a copy of Lethal Bizzle’s Pow! single from his dad, CHISEKO also deepened his musical appetite listening to Jay Z and early 90s rap and R&B in his parents’ car, gospel at church services, and watching classic movies with his mother, including Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. But it wasn’t until the age of 13 that CHISEKO would inadvertently ignite his artistic journey, stemming from darker origins but ultimately guiding him to his true calling, as he reveals, “I didn’t start rapping until I was 13 at my high school talent show in Perth. I largely started doing it because I was getting bullied in school and wanted to be seen, to stand out. Hip hop gave me an identity where there were only two black kids in the whole school and skin colour was something I was constantly bullied about. It was funny seeing the energy shift around me after the talent show. I went from being uncool to everyone knowing me and nicknaming me Biggie”.
Now in command of multiple hit singles, including his ground-breaking debut Juice, the sensual Westside Story, and unforgettable collaborations with fellow Perth artists Your Girl Pho and Adrian Dzvuke, CHISEKO’s clever lyricism bolstered by introspective themes and dazzling delivery is no longer a best-kept-secret. From his acclaimed appearance at BIGSOUND earlier this year to snapping up airplay at triple j for his recent silky single Bank Account, to a host of shows at SXSW last week, CHISEKO is thriving well and truly into 2023 and beyond; as CHISEKO concludes, “At a CHISEKO show, expect high Octane dance parties with an eclectic mix of music curated for and by those with an inclination to groove, with a hip hop flavour sprinkled in between. And Outside is also the second single from my debut EP! So that’s something to be excited about too.”
Outside is out today, Friday October 27.
CHISEKO – UPCOMING TOUR DATES
FRI 17 NOV | WAMFEST, MUSEUM STREET BRIDGE, PERTH, WA
MON 20 NOV | LEAVERS FESTIVAL, YALLINGUP WA