Adam F & Kokiri ft. Rae – Harmony

Drum n bass icon Adam F has teamed up with exciting upcomer Kokiri and talented singer/songwriter Rae to create ‘Harmony’, the latest single to be released on BBC Radio 1 DJ Danny Howard’s new label, Nothing Else Matters. Underpinned by a prominent bassline and breakbeat style drums, ’Harmony’ showcases Rae’s classic diva-style vocals above upbeat piano chords for a summery, nostalgia-tinged track just in time for the festival season.

‘Harmony’ is the result of the meeting of three differing musical minds. Adam F is the mastermind behind legendary drum n bass track ‘Circles’ who is consistently diversifying and pushing his musical skills. Meanwhile, 25 year-old Kokiri, whose debut on tastemaker label Love & Other ‘Retrospect’ was championed by Annie Mac, Pete Tong and Danny Howard, has already played a number of high-profile gigs despite still being relatively new to the scene. Rae, writer and featured vocalist, is in fact also a DJ, remixer and producer with a long history in the house music scene. Despite their differences, it’s clear that the trio share the same ear for production; ’Harmony’ showcases each of their skills to great effect.

The track also received a massive remix by Brighton-based duo The Prototypes, whose high-octane sound catapulted them into the spotlight back in 2010. Their version of ‘Harmony’ builds up the tempo of the original, pairing strong piano chords and Rae’s vocals with a powerful drum and bass beat and dramatic breakdown.

We Rave You chatted to the trio about ‘Harmony’ and they opened up about how their collaboration came about in spite of their different musical backgrounds.

Adam F: “I started hearing Kev ‘s (Kokiri) music from being sent some of his early tracks signed to labels like Ministry of Sound for me to try writing some top lines.  Around the same time he was getting a lot of specialist radio support and I reached out on Twitter to suggest getting in the studio together and see if we can cook anything up we like. I’ve always been a fan of Rae through lots of great songs I have heard on either as a vocalist or songwriter. When we had a rough instrumental we reached out to Rae to see if she was feeling the track and then set up a session together and Rae smashed it!”

The signing to such a big label such as that of legendary Danny Howard ‘Nothing Else Matters’ came as a welcome surprise to the trio:

Kokiri:  “Danny has always supported both mine and Adams tracks. He gave me huge support on my previous single Retrospect and Adam with Believer so when it came down to it, we knew that the best place for Harmony would be on Dannys label.”

Rae: “It’s great when people get excited about a record. It felt like a special one so when it connected with the guys at Nothing else matters I was really happy. Danny & Nigel are on the pulse, so were in good hands.”

Adam F: “Its exciting to be part of the start of Nothing Else Matters, Danny has always supported all of our scenes / genres and that history gave all of us the confidence to jump on board.”

After such a fun work dynamic the power trio are contemplating future collaborations:

Adam F: “We talked about working on more music and that could be a collab or writing or production some in one way or another for sure.”

Kokiri: “Adam & Rae were great people to work with and it would be cool to get in the studio together again soon and see what happens.”

Rae: “It feels like a good collective, musically and personally Its all cool, were connected, so theres always possibilities with people you like and feel inspired by.”

In describing the tune Rae summed it up best: “This record definitely captures a big part of me, my roots, influences, inspirations. I expressed myself freely in the song and the genuine feelings in music usually resonate, beyond that is for us all to see.”

Check out the lush ‘Harmony’ below. The track is out now.