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Kwes Speaks On Recording 'ilp' + Producing Upcoming Solange LP

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

London based songwriter and producer Kwes (who we've covered at length these past few months) got intimate in an interview with Billboard last week, discussing every step of his unconventional recording method for his recently released ilp, his new project with Solange and the balancing act a producer performs when juggling between their own projects and those they do for other artists. The 26 year-old claims to have spent the better part of the last decade recording and fine-tuning his first full length LP, while also working on his EP Meantime and various projects for a slew of other artists like Valentina, Black Salad, Elan Tamara and now doing a bulk of production for the most recent entrepreneur of the Knowles family, Solange (whose last EP True featured exclusive production from Dev Hynes.)

Kwes' explicit admiration of the younger Knowles sister cannot be understated. During his stay in New Orleans, where he's been working hand-in-hand with her, on the topic of her soliciting his talent for her upcoming album he said:

"She's brilliant. The fact that she called me to come out… it’s mad.”

The two seem like a natural fit for one another, with the tandem being sure to deliver some exceptionally ethereal grooves, set to Kwes' cerebral, yet minimal production stamp and Solange's lofty vocal treatments and true-pop sensibilities. Each of them flaunting such a lengthy history of dynamite collaborations, we're excited for the fruits of their labor, as in theory this collaboration seems almost perfect. We'll see what the follow-through brings us later this year and early next year. Until then, give Kwes' outstanding freshman LP ilp a listen and read the rest of the revealing account over at Billboard.