‘he’s proven time and time again his ability to tap into the earthy hip-hop elements that defined the generation of greats that came before him’ – Okay Player

Returning to the scene with his signature beats, Danish producer Kriswontwo is set to release his new single ‘Love, Need You’, featuring esteemed British soul singer Omar, on 28th August.

The moniker of Copenhagen-based Kristian Mathiassen,  Kriswontwo and Omar, who penned the 1991 hit ‘There’s Nothing Like This’, met during a session in Copenhagen, where Omar was set to cut a chorus for another artist. Mathiassen sets the scene: “I asked Omar if I could play him some music…he completely felt it. When the artist arrived, Omar had written and recorded this whole track, and we went on to lace the chorus that was intended to be recorded that day.”

A producer who started making music back in 2009, everything on Kriswontwo’s tracks is played live, though he comments: “I sometimes chop up what I just recorded and then flip it in a different way”.

This artistic originality is clear in ‘Love, Need You’, which blends soft, mellow beats and jazzy textures with Omar’s smooth vocals in a piece that is studded with spacey sounds and fuzzy basslines.

The single is taken from his first full length album, due for release on 14th September through Someothaship,  which comprises collaborations with a host of legendary singers and emcees. Alongside features from Omar, MED, Oh No and Skyzoo, the prolific Georgia Anne Muldrow also guests on the record: an artist Kriswontwo dubs “the first lady of hip-hop”.

The pair first worked together in 2010, finding they shared what Georgia describes as a “connection and weirdness” in their music. This dynamic relationship led to the Danish beatmaker producing her highly acclaimed ‘Ms. One’ EP in 2014, which charted on Billboard and was in heavy rotation on BBC 6Music, with support from both Gilles Peterson and Don Letts.

Inspired by Madlib and the Soulquarian movement in his formative years, Kriswontwo has developed a unique style through his vast influences, which also include the soul, funk and jazz sounds of Stevie Wonder, Randy Crawford and Miles Davis that his pianist father played around the house, and the gospel music his mother listened to.

A compelling example of his instinctive talent, ‘Love, Need You’ precedes the release of an ambitious album that is sure to cement his reputation as one of the most exciting emerging beatmakers around.