Andre Unknown, a remarkably versatile artist hailing from Rio de Janeiro but now firmly rooted in New York, is making waves with his distinctive approach to music. As a keyboard player, singer, and designer, he’s not just breaking boundaries; he’s transcending them. With a self-made app, a diverse array of collaborators, and a self-produced process, Andre Unknown has carved out a unique niche in the world of indie-electronica.
His latest offering, ‘Affection,’ co-produced with Vic Delnur, is a testament to his creative prowess. The track, a captivating blend of indie-electronica, showcases Andre’s versatility in both vocals and production. It’s a journey through artificial and intelligent soundscapes, seamlessly merging house-influenced beats, grooves, Japanese vocals, French dialogue, poetry, and digital synths. Andre’s vocals themselves are a hybrid of the human and the mechanical, at times vulnerable and exposed, at others entirely digital, creating an otherworldly auditory experience.
But what truly sets Andre Unknown apart is his ability to find inspiration in the unlikeliest of places. He’s a musical scavenger, sampling everything from within his computer to the sounds of the streets. His creative well draws from the mundane, like dirty white shoes, the kinetic energy of city life, the rhythmic cadence of traffic lights, and snippets of overheard conversations.
Andre’s journey to New York was serendipitous, driven by a quest to bridge the gap between misaligned expectations and his Brazilian friends’ experiences in the United States. It was in this bustling metropolis that he met Vic Delnur, a fateful encounter that would come to define his American creative life. The two previously collaborated on Andre’s tracks ‘Truce’ and ‘Inches,’ but it was their collaboration on ‘Affection’ that truly captured the essence of their partnership. Notably, Victor Chicri, Delnur’s father, contributes a mesmerizing Rhodes solo on the bridge of the track.
At its core, ‘Affection’ is a reflection of Andre’s artistic vision. The track delves into themes of exclusion and the transformation of loneliness into solitude, drawing from his own personal experiences. In an industry where authenticity is paramount, Andre Unknown stands out as a trailblazer, defying conventions and crafting music that challenges the boundaries of the human and the digital. ‘Affection’ is not just a song; it’s a glimpse into the mind of an artist who refuses to be confined by genre or tradition, pushing the boundaries of what music can be.
