Released in July 2022, Luh’ra’s sophomore EP Nice showed off a versatile indie-soul sound, full of cymbals, sunny brass, and tender vocals. To celebrate the anniversary of its release, producer and DJ, blaqkongo, offers up a bouncy electronic reimagining of the single ‘Give It All’.
Let’s Get Local featured Luh’ra last year, covering her musical journey since 2017 and her vision for locally-designed fashion. 2022’s Nice is a gentle affair, patiently caressing the listener with guitar and trumpet at slower tempos. But the EP avoids the trap of becoming samey lounge lullabies, keeping things engaging with switch-ups like the waltz in the last half of ‘Feels Like’ and the lively percussion on ‘Nice’.
The original version of ‘Give It All’ is one of the tracks that break this silky smooth mould, using snappy drums and insistent keys to create a moodier feel. In the track, Luh’ra sings about giving everything to a situation that doesn’t reciprocate. A more concrete narrative is spun by Andy Mkosi in the second half, detailing an asymmetrical romance.
Blaqkongo changes things up from the outset, choosing to open the ‘Give It All’ remix with Mkosi’s rap verse. We’re immediately thrown the story, which gives the track a more clear conceptual flow. Layers of warbly keys build up slowly, before taking off as Luh’ra’s vocals come in. Blaqkongo stacks up elements until you’re stuck in a frantic vocal loop in the middle of the track, before dropping back into a slower, bobbing pace.
“It was really tough deciding on which track to remix from Luh’ra’s project but “Give It All” really spoke to me in a way that I couldn’t turn down. My vision with the remix was to reimagine the original as an early 2000s RnB song, add some bounce, and try to maintain the emotion of the original song,” blaqkongo said about his remix.
The emotion of the original is definitely still there, the electronic production doing well to communicate the waxing and waning feelings of doubt and desire. The addition of unaltered brass in the closing seconds also makes for a very satisfying, cathartic finish.
Luh’ra has a couple more remixes of tracks off of Nice still to be released. Keep an eye on her Instagram to catch those when they drop.
