They were shoving artists in and out of ever-shorter sets at this year's SXSW festival. Despite this, Laura Mvula dominated, and her voice sliced through hipster air. The beautifully bombastic sounds usually supporting her, such as on "
That's Alright," don't hurt either, but on this remix her voice also commands a very different mood.
Silent Rider shifts the audience from an ebullient crowd to an entire, silent universe. The public anthem is now personal, but equally cinematic. It's easy to picture Mvula staring out a window at an attentive night sky empowered by a super moon. As the chorus kicks in, her eyes turn an unforgiving crimson. Mvula's fangs do recoil, and a sense of acceptance hangs in the space, but her message of "recognize my strength" clearly lingers. Silent Rider's juxtaposition of dark power against Mvula's feminine muscle is endlessly satisfying.
This isn't the first time we've appreciated a Silent Rider remix. You can hear their remixes of Vacationer, Passion Pit and Houses
here. To catch "That's Alright" for free download, head over to the group's
Facebook.