Late night lullabies: Winding down with Skinny Pelembe
- Text by HUCK HQ
This week, Johannesburg-born and London-based artist Skinny Pelembe takes the decks for our Monday Mix series.
The singer, who signed to Brownswood Recordings back in January, made waves earlier this month with his debut single “Spit / Swallow” – a splash of mellow pop-psychedelia laced with soulful guitar and soft hip-hop beats. It’s a combination that has already helped prick the ears of Radio 1’s Huw Stevens and 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne, as well as Giles Peterson, who selected Pelembe to be part of his Future Bubblers programme in 2016.
“In a way, I centred this mix around one of my first tracks, ‘Baby Laxmi’” Pelembe tells Huck. “I made that the day my brother – in Indonesia at the time – told me my niece was born. There weren’t really any words to get across the feeling, so it ended up as an instrumental. The seven instrumental tracks leading up to [that track] on this mix are definitely sonic and stylistic references that I made when writing it, but are also all songs and beats that soundtracked formative moments in my own child and teenhood.”
“I guess I’ve put together a sort of lullaby mix,” he adds, jokily. “Probably more for myself than anyone else.”
Listen in full below:
Find out more about Skinny Pelembe, and his upcoming live shows, on his official website.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
This erotic zine dismantles LGBTQ+ respectability politics
Zine Scene — Created by Megan Wallace and Jack Rowe, PULP is a new print publication that embraces the diverse and messy, yet pleasurable multitudes that sex and desire can take.
Written by: Isaac Muk
As Tbilisi’s famed nightclubs reawaken, a murky future awaits
Spaces Between the Beats — Since Georgia’s ruling party suspended plans for EU accession, protests have continued in the capital, with nightclubs shutting in solidarity. Victor Swezey reported on their New Year’s Eve reopening, finding a mix of anxiety, catharsis and defiance.
Written by: Victor Swezey
Los Angeles is burning: Rick Castro on fleeing his home once again
Braver New World — In 2020, the photographer fled the Bobcat Fire in San Bernardino to his East Hollywood home, sparking the inspiration for an unsettling photo series. Now, while preparing for its exhibition, he has had to leave once again, returning to the mountains.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Ghais Guevara: “Rap is a pinnacle of our culture”
What Made Me — In our new series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that have shaped who they are. First up, Philadelphian rap experimentalist Ghais Guevara.
Written by: Ghais Guevara
Gaza Biennale comes to London in ICA protest
Art and action — The global project, which presents the work of over 60 Palestinian artists, will be on view outside the art institution in protest of an exhibition funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
Ragnar Axelsson’s thawing vision of Arctic life
At the Edge of the World — For over four decades, the Icelandic photographer has been journeying to the tip of the earth and documenting its communities. A new exhibition dives into his archive.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai