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What do you get if you mix a love of ’90s R&B with today’s bass music production styles, and add a singer with a saccharine sweet voice? Well, you get songs that are as perfect for the radio as they are for the clubs, AlunaGeorge style. Comprised of singer Aluna Francis and producer George Reid, this London based duo are starting to make an impression on the charts with their infectious hooks and dance-inducing beats, and it’s only a matter of time before they pull a Jessie Ware and (very deservedly) start to blow up in America.
In the case of AlunaGeorge, the whole is most definitely greater than sum of the parts. Aluna, the vocalist, has an angelic voice that is at times softly soulful and at others sleekly robotic, meaning she can tug at your heart-strings with a lovelorn verse (“Put Up Your Hands,” “Watching Over You”) before exploding into a lung-bursting pop gem of a chorus (“Your Drums, Your Love,” “Just A Touch”). With a delivery reminiscent of the polished, high-pitched voices of American R&B singers like Cassie as well as the diva-esque sass of female UK Garage vocalists, Aluna’s vocals combine the best of both sides of the Atlantic.
Producer George Reid has mentioned his admiration for Pharrell and The Neptunes, but these influences are blended up with the last ten years of British bass music, and dubstep, garage and 2step all make an appearance. From pitch-shifted vocals and shimmering synth shards to off-kilter drum patterns and sub-bothering bass, George always keep the listener on their toes, without ever straying too far from their quest for that R&B gem. It is for this reason, perhaps, that AlunaGeorge, who had their first release just last year, have been so well received both critically and commercially, and why they are poised to steer their pop music clear from the formulaic mess that is so prevalent on the radio.
With a back catalogue including eclectic remixes, the bouncy You Know You Like It EP, the stellar “Your Drums, Your Love” and most recently an exclusive on Annie Mac’s yearly compilation, AlunaGeorge already have a large body of uniformly great tracks to titillate you while you wait for their 2013 debut album. Click through for essential listening and the best of the duo’s sleek and sexy videos.
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Essential Listening
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