When Denitia Odigie left Houston, Texas to carve out a niche in New York City’s music scene, her cadence leaned towards something all too familiar: eccentric, neo-soul peppered with country western undertones and acoustic flair. Earlier works draw mindless comparisons to Dionne Farris, India.Arie, and Goapele. It worked in her favour, though. Her solo career consists of four self-released EPs, a debut album and a tour across Europe until a serendipitous bond with Puerto Rican rapper Brian ‘Sene’ Marc lead to a harmonious musical union. Par example ‘Holiday’, an electro-fused rap record with Denitia crooning in a lower, sultry register while ‘Sene’ drops a couple of bars. Her voice, his flow, matter of fact the whole vibe was the launch pad for one of their many blossoming projects. Opposites attract.
Sene as he’s known, was the Brooklynite floating through California for years before finding himself back in the Empire State. When he wasn’t fronting the indie ‘Supergroup’ Recess (a collective known as Sene + The Clubhouse), he was making his mark as one-to-watch in the city’s multi-layered hip hop circuit. “I have a hip hop background, but when I was little I listened to everything; it was a blessing to come across Denitia. We see eye-to-eye on a lot of things” says Sene. He met Denitia at a party, and chemistry marked the beginning of two worlds fitting together just so, releasing songs that glide over your senses like crushed velvet. “The way our styles were together felt fresh” muses Denitia. The duo’s ‘Blah Blah Blah’ EP isn’t enough – at only three tracks. Yet, the production matches polished records leading the sheep right now, if not better. ‘She’s Not The Only One’ is a sure fire hit that’s a bit of Lover’s Rock sprinkled over a `90s-inspired, mid-tempo beat. The group emulates the minimal, ambient pop taking over the airways, but considering that Sene expressed desires to work with Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Mark Ronson (which makes perfect sense), living cliché; Marilyn Manson, Denitia & Sene are taking steps in the right direction.
Words by Safra Ducreay
Where: Brooklyn, NY
What: Ambient electronica fused with hip-hop
Get 3 songs: ‘She’s Not The Only One’, ‘Blah Blah Blah’, ‘Again. (New Ride)’
Interesting facts: Denitia had a speaking role in the motion picture Country Strong starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Sene used to be a child model – which explains his smouldering looks.
