Strandz Releases Debut Mixtape 'Diaspora Dance Music'

Consciously wanting to slow everything down, British rapper Strandz’s new project Diaspora Dance Music is an ode to cultural expression influenced by the black diaspora. Fluidity is favoured over predictability, which is proven by how he has widened the net to collaborate with a variety of people such as 111SYRI, Rimon, Krept, Pip Millett, Bella Shmurda, Kamal. & Teejay. And then it's reinforced sonically when you listen to the mixtape itself.

With the discourse surrounding Dance music and who it belongs to, this project interjects into the conversation, providing its own thoughtful opinion.

Dance is about feeling. Expression. Colour. Rhythm and that is shown through Afrobeat, Dancehall, Highlife and Hip-Hop, valuing diversity to capture a true, authentic expression of that meaning.

To Strandz, who grew up in South London, a cultural high-point, where African, African American, Latin, Indian and Middle Eastern cultures took and borrowed from each other to create something special.

“Dropping my debut mixtape Diaspora Dance Music as an independent artist is a significant step in my journey as an artist. I aim to use this project to showcase another side of me as a performer", Strandz said, speaking about the project.

The opening track, ‘Democrazy’ begins with a sound bite questioning the meaning of the word. Defined as: “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives”, Strandz surprisingly starts off subtly with a political offering. Disguised by rustic and warm sonics that creak the comforting of hazy afro-jazz through horns, saxophone and rhythmic percussion, the South Londoner paints a picture of his environment.

The MOBO Award nominee immediately drops us into the second track ‘Amazon’, a track that wouldn’t be out of place in the rave. featuring Bella Shmuda, who delivers a melodic hook, the track is built from 808 trap beats and other enriching elements, where Strandz doesn’t shy away from his street life past, comparing it to a jungle, and danger that follows you.

Continuing the same sound but exploring different themes, ‘Rebel’ features Teejay is all about Strandz’s experiences as an immigrant. However, like ‘Amazon’, and reflecting most of the Black-British youth, it is influenced by Jamaican culture as TeeJay sings, “Zim zimma, who got the keys to the fucking beema/ every girl I talk to say she love a singer.”

‘Invincible’ is a response to the expectations placed on men in the modern dating scene, and the role they're sometimes happy or unhappily play in it.

Whilst Strandz vents on the R&B 2000s inspired ‘Make it Out’, about the politics of the music scene and the difficulties of staying in it, he also celebrates the fact that he has made it out, whilst fellow South London rapper and the more established Krept; flexes with bravado, listing his accomplishments that Strandz can aspire to.

The romantic ‘VIP’ sees us led in by Kamal.’s sweetly sung voice, as he sings “You make me feel like I’m grown/been a minute since I’ve been in love, I’ve been on my own” before Strandz interrupts in disbelief at finding the love of his life in Croydon.

Now fully into the romance section of the mixtape, the electrifying 'Mile High Club’ with 111syri, set in a Parisian summer, borrows from the early 2000s with a Justin Timberlake and Timberland type of experimental beat, which carries nostalgia before ‘Days of Hubris’ feels like the beginning of an action movie before ultimately revealing itself to be a song to dance, move and skank to.

The move from ‘Days of Hubris’ to ‘Aura’ is jolting. The latter is in your face, being a soulful UK Garage cut that is further softened by Rimon’s honey-like vocals and the themes of self-love and betterment that they both explore.

Already working together quite recently on ‘Hold You Down’ ‘Ms.Tery’ is a continuation of a successful working relationship North-West London R&B artist Mnelia. The song was written together, and the soundscape was made up of a Funk & 90s Hip Hop-influenced beat.

‘Stay the night’ pulls you further into a sensuous romantic world; however, afraid of being hurt Pip Millett advises caution on the chorus.

The instrumentation of ‘Angel House’ gives off a Grime aspect as Strandz showcases his distinct soft spoken cadence as he tells the story of arriving and leaving a girl’s house.

The project was a hope to create to provide the same escape from life and the coming together in joy and unification that  Dance Music originally cultivated in gatherings and underground parties, hearing the lick of the sound systems but with the sounds of a downpour surrounding him, piano chords playing underneath like rainfell, he decides to end on a more serious tone with ‘Mind, Body and Soul’.

We see a more introspective and mature Strandz as he reflects on belonging and the meaning of place, having lived in numerous places in the world,  confronting what has been weighing on him rather than pushing it to the back of his mind.

Strandz has also announced that in November, he will be putting on a headline tour that includes performances in Dublin, Manchester, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, London and more.

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