London-based producer Poté is an artist with a story to tell. Having only moved to the city from the tropical climes of St. Lucia when he was 12 years old, his journey into music was as much inspired by his newfound surroundings, as it was getting to grips with – and understanding – his cultural heritage.
His early days were defined by dark, thrashy dubstepgrime hybrids that enamoured him to London’s bass cliques, before a period of experimentation saw his sound take on new and expressive forms. Snapped up by Portguese indie giants Enchufada in 2014, he released a series of tracks that referenced the sunshine and island life of his childhood – see frenetic drum workout, ‘Jabulu’, as a case in point – but it wasn’t until the summer of 2015 that Poté really started to embrace a true vision for his music.
New EP, ‘Over The Water’ – an ode to the journey that brought him to the UK – is centred around that transition, and the notion of coming full circle. “It’s about going through that process of finally writing music for myself instead of trying to please or impress people around me”, he tells us. “I started writing poems which then turned to lyrics that I would sometimes sing, rap or get another vocalist in to record. They turned into building concepts for future releases, ‘Over the Water’ being the first of a string of them.”
The artwork that accompanies ‘Over The Water’ – featuring the Amazona Versicolor, the national bird of St. Lucia – is also a talking point, with the bright, flurogreen colours of its wings a striking visual reference point. The artwork also depicts St.Lucia in the background, symbolising the deep, personal ties that anchor ‘Over The Water’ in Poté’s experiences. “The bird is flying back from London to St. Lucia, specifically to my homeland Praslin. It's flying towards a little island just off the beach where I was brought up. It represents my soul going back home, basically me finding myself again.”
Despite its complex narrative and in places, musicality, ‘Over The Water’ has still managed to find plenty of favour with tastemaking broadcasters too – Annie Mac, MistaJam and Huw Stephens have all been regular supporters of the EP across BBC Radio networks – while Toddla T, arguably Poté’s most vocal backer, invited him to record at the BBC Maida Vale studios alongside Tom Misch and Section Boyz.
Out now on The Full Hundred, ‘Over The Water’, although only billed as a prelude to a second EP featuring Kojey Radical amongst others, is still a glistening introduction to Poté – an artist finally giving himself the room to flourish.
WHERE: London
WHAT: Intricate, insular Caribbean flavours
GET 3 SONGS: ‘Katz’, ‘Fall’ ft. Arctic Lake, ‘Red Moon’
FACT: Poté was born in Praslin, or the Praslin Quarter, in St. Lucia. The island itself is divided up into 11 different ‘Quarters’ and has a population of just over 180,000 people.
– – –
Words: Tomas Fraser
Photography: Fiona Garden
