Music has been changing a lot lately, and it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that it’s getting a little bit more electronic than it’s ever been before. Technology has changed the face of our planet and the people who live on it, for better or worse. We’re living in a world that would have seemed only possible in dreams to the people who lived exactly where we do now a century ago. The future is now, and our modern times come with a very modern soundtrack that is reflective of our streamlined lifestyles.
NIK:11 knows what time it is, and she isn’t planning on lowering her voice any time soon in favor of watching the world change before her eyes. She wants to be the change, and her music represents her aspirations fully and completely. “4Play,” her new song which is out everywhere indie music is sold this summer, is her latest declaration of creative intent to her fellow artists, and it could be considered her most threatening and mesmerizing contribution to the pop lexicon to date.
NIK:11, it should be said, is the definition of what it means to be a strong woman in the art world. Her work doesn’t owe anything to anyone, and she’s made a point throughout her entire career of maintaining her artistic integrity no matter what she has to sacrifice. “4Play” isn’t the kind of song that comes together overnight; it’s the result of a long process of cultivation that begins within the very depths of her soul. NIK:11’s voice is the epitome of smooth and is delivered to us in a sexy contrasting light in this song, and not dissimilar to her previous recordings, you can tell that her work behind the soundboard was just as dedicated and time-consuming as actually composing the track was to begin with. Put simply, taking shortcuts is never an option for NIK:11. It has to be one hundred percent authentic every time or it doesn’t make the cut.
If you’re looking for fresh, groundbreaking beats that are guaranteed to get you dancing and feeling alive with vibrancy, then look no further than what NIK:11 has offered up to us in “4Play.” I’ve never been the biggest electronica fan in the world, but I couldn’t help but find myself getting completely lost in the maverick rhythm of this track, which is as unpredictable as it is catchy.
Summer music is a genre unto itself, and feel good dance tracks a big staple in its repertoire. This song makes my “favorites” playlist for the season and is likely to remain in my regular rotation of songs for the rest of the year, which isn’t something that happens very often (if ever) for me personally. But that’s just the kind of artist that NIK:11 is. Even if you didn’t start off as a fan when you first hear her music, you’re bound to walk away with a certain kinship with her sound, which is steeped in the universal language of passion.
-review by Jodi Marxbury
