When it comes to underground and untraditional music, London’s been leading the scene for years with a number of acts that have broken outside of the country’s borders to share their sound with the world. Embedded in this scene is upcoming artist Kdeem.
Founder of the platform, Driftters Co., Kdeem’s sound can be described as dark and nuanced and his latest EP, The Stardust Cafe: The A Ring, Whilst Intoxicated proves to be just that.
Tell us about yourself—nationality, where you grew up, etc.
On paper, I am “black British”, I was born in the south side of London, England, raised here until 11, then moved to Atlanta until 16. I then came back at 16 and now I’m 24.
Give us a little overview of what you do and how you got started.
I rhyme, I paint pictures lyrically, and I started with producing beats on a software called Reason whilst my mum was studying at Spelman College. I used to use their Macs when I could, ha.
Where/who do you draw inspiration from?
I tend to draw inspiration from my everyday life, the women I meet, the dudes that have similar passions, the views I travel endlessly for, being still in the rush. As far as artists go, at the moment King Krule, TDE, Drake, these artists inspire me to do my thing and do it properly.
Tell us about Driftters Co. and why it’s necessary?
The Driftters Co. will be a music label in the future, and a platform for untraditional artists to emerge from. At the moment we are all working on individual projects, which will set the sound for our group. The collective was made to symbolise change, the word “Driftter” with an extra T is to represent the state of mind I tend to take, slightly more “out there”, and from out here I can take all in that much more naturally.
Describe your sound.
My sound is alternative and vibey. My sound is colourful and dark.
What’re your thoughts on the London music scene right now?
The London music scene right now has been under the microscope for some time right now but I’m not sure there’s been so many eyes on this city’s music scene ever. At least wit hip hop, and with this, I feel like the band wagon has been set. We have all these rappers but still so very few artists. Don’t get me wrong, this city has done well and is doing well to get where we’ve got to and where we’re going, but we must give thanks to the internet and the concept of live shows to help bring it all together. And we still don’t have me mainstream here yet haha.
Tell us about your latest project?
The Stardust Cafe: The A Ring, Whilst Intoxicated.. this EP was exciting for me, it was my first project produced by one producer. Alphonse Funz, Canadian dude, [he’s] cool as hell and creative. The sound he brings to his production was too bliss for me not to make a project with him, and we’ve made a few songs in our time. But this EP was literally a representation of me when I’m intoxicated, thoughts, morals and feelings all wrapped into one project. From the intro “fear” telling myself I can’t be scared to move forward, to “let you go” speaking about not letting a girl go that I’m doing no good for, to “Lucy” speaking about being the devil on the shoulder when I’m drinking… it’s a fun ride with some catchy beats!
What can we expect from Kdeem the rest of this year?
You can expect at least three more eps with various producers such as Sambè, Prospect, Jordan Granados and Moonchill… you can expect more visuals as the collective and I level up with these skills… you can expect more merch from the Driftters collective and last but not least, you can see me tackle the stage once and for all because I’ll be looking to do more shows this year definitely! #DrifttersMusic
