Unified by dub’s loose sense of space and deep sub-frequencies, CHLLNGR’s unique amalgam of soul, pop, stripped-down beats, and decaying atmospheres has earned the Copenhagen-based artist, Steven Jess Borth II. The nocturnal, murky worlds of his debut ‘Haven’ and it’s follow-up EP ‘Datter’ alluded to subtle pop possibilities featuring Borth’s soft-touch vocals woven into structures indebted to modern R&B’s sleek minimalism and the techniques set forth by dub reggae’s chief architects King Tubby, Scientist, among countless other legends. An artist who shines in the collaborative process, Borth’s acclaimed debut ‘Haven’ featured Coco (of Quadron), Aku (of Dragons of Zynth), Teachers, and he has been a consistent cohort of South African MC Spoek Mathambo partnering in composing, production, and touring as Mathambo’s multi-instrumentalist over the past few years.

Over the past year, CHLLNGR has been working on his next full-length for the LA-based Time No Place label. Recorded at the newly built Red Bull Studios in Copenhagen, Borth took a different approach by recording most of the new record at a legitimate studio as opposed to his previous DIY methods. Again, a collaborative effort: the new album features contributions from up-and-coming vocalist JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET, Blaqstarr, Grace Hall of Skin Town, Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild (When Saints Go Machine, Cancer) and the UK based artist DELS. Keeping much CHLLNGR’s signature moody starkness, his forthcoming LP strives for brave eclecticism, digging deeper into his future-minded soul music explorations. The LP will arrive on LA’s Time No Place – home of FAY, Yola Fatoush, Rainbow Arabia, Skin Town, among many others.

CHLLNGR
Form of Release
(LP + Digital)
out October 27th, 2014 on Time No Place (distributed via Kompakt)

01 For the Books (feat. JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET)
02 First Time (feat. Dels)
03 Come Around (feat. JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET)
04 Inside My Skin
05 Without Yours (feat. JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET)
06 Fall (feat. JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET & Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild)
07 Yes (feat. Grace Hall of Skin Town)
08 Art, Science, Love (feat. Blaqstarr)
09 What You Used to Know
10 Waiting (feat. JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET)
11 Save Me

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