BBE Music recently pulled back the curtain to unveil a new David Bowie tribute compilation, Modern Love, due out May 28. The album was revealed on what would have been Bowie’s 74th birthday, and features an array of talent such as Jeff Parker, We Are KING, Meshell Ndegeocello, Helado Negro, Khruangbin, Matthew Tavares, L’Rain and Nia Andrews.
Attached to the announcement, BBE Music presented We Are KING’s cover of “Space Oddity.” This version of the classic tune propels the atmospheric tone set in the original to new heights. The instruments themselves in We Are KING’s mix have less tangibility, but there is a stylistic loft and firmness to their stripped-down approach. Reverb and other modern effects are employed masterfully, there is a throbbing kick drum backing the mix and a soft, layered harmony introduced where there once was just Bowie resounding with himself. This all serves to generate a breathy, open, and airy homage. Definitely a few touches of soul blended in, which is a sound and genre a lot of the artists on the project are looking to for stylistic inspiration.
The project was curated by music executive and DJ Drew McFadden, alongside BBE Music founder Peter Adarkwah. “I felt that the connection between Bowie and R&B, jazz, funk, gospel and all things soulful, had never really been explored before,” said McFadden in a press statement, “At least not so much in covers, which tend to lean more towards rock and pop. Certainly, there’s been plenty of Bowie covers over the years, but none that have really tapped into what seems to have been a big part of his core musical style and direction.”
Check below for the track list and artwork of Modern Love, a tribute to David Bowie, out May 28.
Modern Love Tracklist
01. “Life On Mars” by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
02. “Sound & Vision” by Healdo Negro
03. “Lady Grinning Soul” by Kit Sebastian
04. “Soul Love” by Jeff Parker and The New Breed (feat. Ruby Parker)
05. “Panic In Detroit” by Sessa
06. “The Man Who Sold The World” by The Hics
07. “Right” by Khruangbin
08. “Silly Boy Blue” by Nia Andrews
09. “Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family” by Foxtrott
10. “Move On” by L’Rain
11. “Tonight” by Eddie Chacon & John Carroll Kirby
12. “Modern Love” by Jonah Mutono
13. “Where Are We Now” by Bullion
14. “Fantastic Voyage” by Meshell Ndegeocello
15. “Heroes” by Matthew Tavares
16. “Space Oddity” by We Are KING
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