Classical constraints don’t bind Kenneth Schafer—he shatters them with Highway Racer, a observe that launches pop into symphonic hyper pace. That includes the electrifying vocals of Nicki Gonzalez, it’s a kaleidoscopic detour from materials mundanity, a high-octane waltz via exhilarating time signatures and textures that by no means settle into predictability.
Image the freeway dissolving right into a neon-lit utopia as you push the pedal to the ground—Schafer orchestrates that actual sensation with each word. Regardless of being leagues aside from his formal classical coaching, there’s no mistaking the deft hand of a cultivated sonic architect.
Presently based mostly in Baton Rouge and pursuing his Grasp’s at LSU after finding out at Oberlin Conservatory beneath Elizabeth Ogonek, Jesse Jones, and Michael Frazier, Schafer has spent years absorbing all the pieces from Impressionist and Baroque composition to Latin, jazz, and African rhythms. That broad spectrum of affect crackles via Highway Racer, a track that turns pop into one thing wildly unpredictable with out dropping an oz of accessibility.
With a solo marimba sonata within the works and Highway Racer main his foray into pop, Schafer proves his capacity to navigate each the live performance corridor and the dancefloor. And if Highway Racer is any indication of the place he’s steering subsequent, it’s going to be a trip value taking.
Stream Highway Racer on Spotify now.
Evaluation by Amelia Vandergast
