Feature

Dwele: On to the next...

“I want to be known for creating music that creates memories I want to be the soundtrack for peoples’ lives.”

If you were to ask a varied cross section of the “soul” public who is or was their favourite soul artist, then I am sure that Dwele’s name would pop up a few times. 'Subject' (2003), second album after 'Rize' (2000), was indeed the mallet that cracked the nut as he smashed his way into neo soul/soul music genre's.

Eleven years, or so, down the line and Dwele is returning with his newish album 'Wants World Women' (2010). Still looking young with his obligatory funky hairstyle and sporting a slither or two of grey hairs in his beard, the New Orleans inhabitant is rocking up with the album, “This album came about when I was working on the song 'I Wish'. The first lines that came to me were: "I wish I had a dollar for every dollar you think I have/I wish I had those Gucci shoes in side that Gucci bag." I thought that this was a side that a lot of people do not really know about me the things that I like that are a bit flashy. So that is when it hit me to split the album up into different sections and so that is where the 'Wants' section of the album came about. It gave me a chance to be my alter-ego really.

Dwele splits the album into three quite distinct sections and whilst you still get the soulful and distinctive vocals, Dwele does indeed delve into subject matter that die hards may not be used to. “There were songs that were more politically driven but it is hard to put out a song like that between two love songs, and so I created a section specifically for that, and then the 'Women' section is the baby making section! I think in a way the album creates the way for me to try something different in the future. It is showing people that I can do different things instead of trying to pigeon hole me.”

In a sense, his need to go in a different direction and show that he is more than a neo soul crooner is obvious. We can easily forget that Dwele was an emcee/rapper before we caught wind of his vocals on the Slum Village track 'Tainted' off the album 'Trinity, Past Present Future' (2002). In fact as we sit somewhere in a Hampstead restaurant he lets me know that he actually loves Drum & Bass and would not mind dropping something. I duly started to educate Dwele (can you imagine?) on the beauty of Drum & Bass. We listen for a minute or two to Kool Fm and Dwele genuinely seems to like the drum and bass. He then drops another bombshell because he has actually made a Drum & Bass tune all be it as a result of a dare:” A friend of mine asked me to make a track, write the lyrics and shoot a video in five hours using the German word for apple juice, which is Apple Scholer. So I did it and it is up on the internet..." You Tube

The track ain’t half bad and it shows that first and foremost singer song writer Dwele (who plays a number of instruments) is a musical gifted individual. True, there have been a couple of album's that maybe have not quite been up-to-standard. But I think we can forgive him because in the main Dwele is usually well on point and he gracious about the importance of his roots as a Detroit citizen. “I think Detroit is very inspirational because you have so many different genres to pull from, like Detroit being the home of techno, there is a lot of hip-hop - gospel. Also of course Detroit is the home of Motown and my mother, father, aunt's and uncle's were all into that music. By us coming up under that it rubbed off on us.” he adds nostalgically, “I mean, my father taught me a little bit of the keys, after he passed away it kept a bit of him with me and so that is why it has so many great musicians. Even though Detroit is no longer the home of Motown, it is the spiritual home.”

As for Dwele, one of the contemporary greats from Detroit, his mission is simple. “It is eleven years I have been in the business but it does not feel that long ago - It feels only like yesterday that I put out subject. I want to be known for creating music that creates memories, "I want to be the soundtrack for peoples’ lives.”

If you haven't bought Dwele's album 'Wants World Women' yet, we would advise you sneak this one into your collection - out on e1 records.
Words Semper Azeez-Harris