Ladi6 is a New Zealand national treasure. The name might not ring a bell for all us folks in the US, but the group has become widely known for their chilled-out tunes, lead by vocalist Ladi.
Now Ladi6 are about to drop a new album - it doesn't come out in the States until Sept. 17th - and have released a trppy animated video for the four-pieces catchy first single "Beffy".
We haven't seen a release from the group since 2013’s Automatic, but with the release of "Beffy", our love for Ladi6 is reinvigorated with the new track's neo-soul and hip-hop sounds. "Beffy" is a reframe of 90s and early 2000s neo-soul that their early music was built on, but comes inside a krautrock inspired electronic frame, with an old school synth swing. The colorful video by regular Ladi6 collaborator and fellow New Zealand native, Robert Wallace, uses a lead character to tell the story Ladi is singing, but then during the hook he breaks everything down to abstract shapes, colors, and objects that move and pulsate with the beat.
Crisp drums coupled with electronic embellishments make an ideal soundbed for Ladi’s dusty vocals, and prove why the group has performed alongside acts like Mos Def, Oddisee, Erykah Badu, Gil Scott-Heron and others.
