Music
03 Aug 21

PREMIERE: Alternative hip-hop producer Cbakl shares 'Where My Soul Takes Me'

Already curating a sizeable following through previous tracks, Cbakl is ready to take things a step further with his August 5th release.

Hugely successful Irish beatmaker Cbakl is back with a bang to release his ephemeral third single 'Where My Soul Takes Me' this week - premiered below.

The alternative hip-hop artist produces eclectic beats drawing influence from jazz, R&B, soul and house.

Starting out uploading tracks to SoundCloud aged 15, Cbakl began gaining an organic following online. Cbakl has now progressed to becoming one of the nation's most in demand beatmakers, effortlessly transitioning focus from SoundCloud to Spotify and Apple Music; amassing over 10 million streams across various platforms.

The beginning of 2021 saw Cbakl developing his live set and presence in the local music scene by performing on the BBC alongside Declan O'Rourke, releasing two singles this year to date also.

'Where My Soul Takes Me' is a soul-infused hip-hop track, allowing Cbakl to once again demonstrate his talent for flipping soulful samples that blend effortlessly into the sonic landscape he has created over the years.

"I finished the song during the most recent lockdown at a time where I was feeling very isolated and introverted," Cbakl says of the song's lockdown origins. "I think many of us thought that lockdown would provide a period of insane productivity but towards the end I was finding it harder to create due to the lack of outside inspiration."

"As with many other songs I've released in the past, this track is heavily influenced by '70s soul music. I love the atmosphere a sample from that period can bring to a track, it seems to usually make for a really memorable track," Cbakl tells Hot Press.

"I find it hard to pinpoint my inspirations as a beatmaker in general, however, producers like 9th Wonder, The Alchemist, and Kanye have all played a part in shaping my sound over the years, the way they were chopping vocal soul samples blew my mind when I was younger and I knew it was something I wanted to get involved in."

Cbakl is slated to share an EP featuring the new offering, along with a collection of music videos to accompany each song on the much-anticipated project.

Listen to 'Where My Soul Takes Me' below: