The DnB-fusion group KRANKk, consisting of producer Aram Abgaryan on keys, drummer Thomas Geysen, and guitarist Willem Heylen on guitar and electronics, is based in Antwerp. They gained notoriety with their critically acclaimed debut album Dark and have continued to push the boundaries with their following releases. The trio is still evolving; their most recent release, “Nova,” features a soul-piercing vocal performance by fellow DnB enthusiast Selah Sue. The group combines their love of DnB with UK Garage and a variety of other genres.
The album is as cinematic as they come, beginning with a discordant synth lead and Selah’s rich vocal accompaniment. The track then reaches a plateau with the help of a gyrating synth bassline. Here, Selah searches far within herself for the courage to continue during these turbulent times. Against the ebb and flow pulses of the sonic canvas in front of her, she breathes out “Hope when I do I feel alone/Break when we’re falling out of line./Breath when you’re doing things in life Ooh/When I need to judge you” with her raw, emotionally charged vocals.
As Selah continues, “It was obvious where the song would end up when I heard KRANKk. I was instantly enthralled; they reminded me of my first musical love, Dnb,” and “Nova” was composed rather rapidly after that.
