Having gone under the mysterious name Bobandii for a number of years, Auckland-based rapper/singer Silas McClintock made the decision to forge a new musical path under the name Silas Futura. The result of this creative artist looking for new pastures musically is his newly released record ‘Pluto’, an impressive EP that displays an evident sense of growth and discovery.
Having immersed himself in the world of electronic beats and hip hop as Bobandii, on ‘Pluto’ and under his new artistic brand, McClintock has branched out stylistically, exploring everything from jazz, soul, RnB, and even funk.
To achieve this he leaned on some of Auckland’s most accomplished musicians, with the production support of Ben Lawson providing him with the backing he needed to dip his toes into what were at times uncharted musical waters for him.
The musicians featuring are Yoko Zuna’s JY Lee on saxophone, Pavel Kazinets and Michael Howell on guitar, Ezra Donnelly on drums, with Michael Pawley on bass. The result of having such a talented support cast of musicians means the high points on Pluto stick out at the listener, drawing you in from the get-go and holding your attention throughout.
Precious has a contemporary RnB feel of the type perfected by the likes of Anderson Paak and Miguel, highlighting McClintock’s versatility as both singer and rapper, while Compulsion is arguably the catchiest single he has yet released, with its infectious hook and chorus, backed up by an excellent feature from singer-rapper Tei.
Lotus sees McClintock flip the switch completely with flourishes of sax and keys in what is a gorgeous alt-RnB affair and one of the more daring tracks he has produced to date.
Meanwhile, Papakura rising star Fable and Auckland rapper PollyHill offer up two fantastic guest vocal spots on Breathe and Snapper respectively, with McClintock happy to let his guests shine while he remains in the driving seat.
McClintock has shown incredible musical growth on this record, from the production right through to the styles on display. His ability to move effortlessly between singing and rapping is also commendable. ‘Pluto’ is exactly the sort of album he needed to make first up under the newly adopted and more personal Silas Futura name. It separates his past exploits as Bobandii and musically establishes a wide new path for where he could take this new project.
If Silas Futura is here to stay the signs are promising. There’s no doubt McClintock has the musical knack to keep producing material that equally bops in places, while at the same time retaining a deeper sense of musical craftsmanship.
