Let’s get one thing out of the way, straight off, “Purple Clouds” is so laid back that you can ride to it, elevate to it, make love to it, dance to it, as well and sing and rap to it! Multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist, Klef Mikaydo, has loaded this track with all the goodies you need for true ear-worming bliss. Whether by intent or happenstance, every moment and every picture painted in Klef’s songs are feel intimate and relatable to the listener. If that feeling is indeed premeditated, it is even more impressive. The one thing that separates the Californian artist from any other crooner out right now is how easy he makes it all seem.
He has instantly likeable vocal range as opposed to some of his contemporaries, and with that, he’s a menace: his songs all hover around that precise octave range, and in that range he’s in his zone. That zone is a space that only he can occupy successfully, subtly intertwining melodies with extreme finesse. Every note is comfortably at home with the next and it exudes a certain confidence that only comes as an innate gift.
And all of that is injected into the honey smoothness of “Purple Clouds”. Klef Mikaydo has a great knack for providing context without straying from the central plot, another trait he exploits on this single.
He expertly weaves comments and anecdotes in between his personal perspective to create vivid scenes of hedonism: “All those bitches out there playing with their nose. I like it sunny, I ain’t fucking with no snow,” before he hits the chorus: “I’m living life, a lonely stoner, like to free my mind, and I, blowing purple clouds.”
There are dizzying arrays of subtext on any given verse, and it makes the song that much more captivating. The production coincides with the vibe of the lyrical content, providing the appropriate atmosphere, and creating a complete sonic package.
It’s one of those beats that set the mood. You start to think that whatever Klef does over it hardly matters, but as always his smooth lone wolf voice adds just the right R&B vibe to make it essential. By this point, it’s clear the singer-songwriter has his own personal formula nailed down to tee.
We’re talking about catchy hooks, entrancing melodies and synth-flavored R&B, the merits of which are never up for debate. You always know what you’re going to get from this dude, and at the peak of his powers too.
With each new track he releases, Klef Mikaydo asserts his status as a great singer, songwriter and an artist who continues to evolve. He successfully channels an array of emotions into his music, which proves fruitful for his songwriting.
“Purple Clouds” maintains the high quality aesthetic of his previous releases, and will hopefully allow him to gain the recognition he deserves. Klef sure has the potential, confidence and creative range to reach great heights. And what better time than now?
MORE ABOUT: Klef Mikaydo who previously went under the moniker G.Klef, writes and produces all of his works, which he releases through his independent label EliteStar Empire. The Californian artist who started to compose music at the age of 9 soon learned to play the drums and enhance his vocals. By middle school he had learned to play the tenor saxophone and trombone, and was soon introduced, via a friend, to software programs such as Fruity Loops and Reason, which offered him the essentials tools he needed to move his recording career ahead.
