Former Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke hits the decks
Bloc Party may be over, but former frontman Kele Okereke is still a force to be reckoned with
Kele Okereke is best known, in contemporary music's collective subconscious, as the former frontman of British turn-of-the-century electrorock band Bloc Party, who burst on the scene with 2005's Silent Alarm, a powerful and confident debut that pulsed with an insistent energy and soulful bent.
Bloc Party took an indefinite hiatus in 2013, leaving Okereke free to focus on the solo career he began in 2010 - a mix of original song creation and DJing. His debut, The Boxer, is a fine example of introspective, minimal electronic music. Its 2011 successor, The Hunter, oriented itself more towards the dance floor, drawing liberally from dancehall, dubstep, and electronic dance music.
Both albums, in name and tone, draw attention to Okereke's complicated, sometimes contrary, relationship with celebrity. He's famously shy and reticent. In one interview with Skyscraper in 2005, Okereke said: "Why is it important to know what I had for breakfast? Or who I went to bed with? Or what sneakers I am wearing? If it's relevant to understanding my music, then so be it. But if it's purely to satisfy the media's obsession with celebrity, then no thanks. I don't want to play that game." He's also been known to feed the media false stories for laughs (one ersatz debacle featured Madonna dragged out of Bloc Party's dressing room in a headlock).
Despite his public reticence, Okereke powers on, creating music that feels continually fresh and relevant. Fans can expect a new album titled Trick on October 14, the day after Okereke's 33rd birthday. In the meantime, he will drop a series of singles, beginning with Doubt, a tantalising first taste of what he has in store. A statement released by Okereke's label describes Trick as "soulful", "sensual" and "libidinous", "standing at the crossroads of club history, old-school soul and modern electronic R&B, with a distinctively British twist".
Doubt indeed blends a sultry club beat with the raw, yearning vocals that have come to define his work. " Storm clouds rise," he sings. " I get down on one knee/ I get down on one knee and pray". The simple melody is veined with traces of trance and dubstep.