Atu The Duo

It's only March, but I'm certain "Pictures on Silence" will go down as one of my favorite releases of 2013. This is a future soul album from a producer who knows how to accurately punctuate his beats with silence. The layered vocal samples and tight beats here on  "The Duo" are only one example of Atu's ability to mesh smooth R&B with that sense of stillness. Alicia Keys' effervescent voice fades in and out, impeccably matching the continuous claps. It's epic. And so is the lush black & white music video and album artwork.

This is the third time we've covered Atu, a 21-year-old Malawian producer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. This time he's got a new full-length with collaborations from the likes of Sango and dpat, along with updated/remastered tracks like the popular "What You Like." Definitely an album you don't want to miss. Check out the subtle piano on "Let Me" -- fucking perfect.

You can listen to all tracks on Bandcamp. Heads-up: all proceeds will go to EveryChild in hopes of providing some financial assistance to rural areas of Malawi. Future soul with a social bend: you can't get any better than that.