Premiere: Kendl finds beauty in his percussive new single, Ella

Header photo by Sergey Osipov.

All the way back in 2017, we were welcomed into the world of Kendl - the musical project of Melbourne's Jesse Kendal - who at the time, was telling us about his then-just-released debut EP Colours. "His sound is bold yet minimal, taking on a stripped-back house sound that at times, feels particularly reminiscent of names like Australian festival favourite Tourist, with percussive break-downs and pulsing, hypnotic bass lines captivating us across many of his gorgeous productions," we said on him at release. "It's a sound quite unique to Australia particularly in its restraint, choosing to avoid the flat-out heaters that Australia's house scene continually delivers and electing to keep things more subdued and impactful."

Two years on, and in his first release since his debut EP, Kendl is keeping true to his sound. Ella is the first taste of a new two-side release due shortly - Ella/Manyara - and it's one bound to impress, uniting these shimmering synth melodies with a driving percussion backbone to create this almost UK Garage-comparable sound, finding the rushing energies of a Jon Hopkins production and stripping it right away to its fundamentals; an effective move that stops things from becoming too messy. "Traveling through Sri Lanka, Indonesia and East Africa over the past year inspired me to write Ella. The connections I formed with people from different cultures, environments and backgrounds was a good change of perspective and gave me a lot to write about," he says on the single. "It’s hard for me to put into words where exactly the music I write comes from. I know it comes from a place deep within me, somewhere the ego keeps telling me to stay away from. I’ve found that’s usually where the best stuff is, the real you. It's what I've spent the best part of a year tapping in to and where my new music comes from."

It's a really unique single from an area of electronic music not commonly explored within the national dance music output, and we're looking forward to hearing more. Watch the single's clip below, worked on with Chicago artist and illustrator Rory Scott.

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