If you need a sound that gets you right in your feelings, R.LUM.R’s brand of ‘Alt&B’ is right on the money. Favouring soulful, electronic-influenced production and yearning vocals, which are particularly evident on recent release ‘Be Honest’, the Orlando-based artist has a magic touch for bringing you back to ‘golden age’ R&B without forgetting what year you live in. Check out the tune below and get to know R.LUM.R in our Q&A.
Who are you?
R.LUM.R, a person who likes to make stuff.
Where are you from?
I was born in Bradenton FL, but I live and operate out of Orlando, FL.
What is unique about your local music scene?
I think there’s a lot of DIY going on here. In fact, Florida has a lot of pockets of some really interesting creative stuff going on, like in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Miami, and Orlando. People are realising the power they have to communicate directly to the people that want to hear them, and are taking advantage of that.
Describe your sound in three words. Go!
Sonically exploring emotion.
What makes you unique as an artist?
I’m me, and that’s all I can be. I accept that, and with each new track I hope to celebrate that more and more, and encourage you as a listener to do the same.
Have you heard any new music lately? Got any recommendations?
Ta-ku’s Songs To Make Up To is incredible, BASECAMP’s EP is sick, Tyrese Gibson just released a single called Shame that is honestly amazing, and Attom, though he doesn’t have a huge output as of this moment he’s probably my favourite up-and-coming producer. Also, I just discovered The Meters and Modjo, who I’m pretty into at the moment.
Tell us a little about this release.
I see ‘Be Honest’ as a story between two people, and one is offering the other their deepest feelings, or has already, and they’re not getting any sort of reaction. They’re asking their partner, “Be honest with me! I don’t know how to feel!” We get to see into this person’s brain in real time.
What inspired the artwork for this track?
I wanted something very blatant to go with the idea of asking another person to be unhidden. Block text, a photo that only draws your eye to the person in it and the text involved creates an imperative of the title. After working on the photography with my friend Tyler Babin, who does such amazing work, it just seemed to reveal itself.
What else are you working on at the moment?
I’m working mainly on a lot of songwriting and collaboration. I’m just trying to enjoy being in the studio as much as possible. I’m really loving the idea of creative collaboration. While I’m frequently working from the home studio, I can’t wait to be able to be a studio rat, honestly.
Do you have any shows coming up?
It certainly looks like I will be having some coming up sooner than later. Stay tuned, follow me on Twitter/Facebook and you’ll be the first to know!
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