Swedish-Ghanian duo Deki Alem reach the surface with “Fun”. Wonderland take a first look at the video, and talk musical origins, refining their palette and their forthcoming debut album.
Cultivating the kind of untouchable underground spirit that births cult followings and insatiable live shows, Swedish-Ghanian sonic racketeers Deki Alem are ready to cut through the mainstream’s stain-glassed sealing. A thrilling blend of rap and rave characteristics, the twin sibling duo of Sammy and Jonny Bennett—or four piece with the full outfit—are emerging as one of the most striking and idiosyncratic acts in Europe.
Announcing their debut album, Forget In Mass, will be unleashed later this year, Deki Alem share its inaugural teaser single, “Fun”. It’s quite simply enthralling. There’s touches of The Prodigy, etches of JPEGMAFIA, and vast helpings of unique and fully formed artistry. Expect to be taken through several sonic phases; so starkly progressive across it’s three minute run time that it feels like much longer of a cut. The vocals snap, the percussion pops, and the video slaps.
Below, Wonderland take a first look at the visuals and hear exclusively from the Bennett brothers, the wider band and the video’s director.
Check out the riotous visuals for “Fun”…
Read the interview…
What are your earliest musical memories?
Sammy Bennett: Unwillingly listening to ‘Frozen’ by Madonna and feeling how every cell in my body just wanted to die. I hated that song as a child, it was the ultimate mood killer.
As twins in this group, do you think there’s a symbiotic sonic relationship that allows you to connect musically on a deeper level?
Sammy Bennett: No. I wish, but no. It’s a lot easier to see where we’re coming from when referencing stuff because of a lifetimespent together, but no magic trick.
The stylistic brevity that you work within is impressive, from trip hop to D&B. How do you work on refining that palette? Was it a natural merger of sounds or something you’ve chiseled?
Johnny Bennett: It’s just the result of the four of us throwing ideas at the wall and not being scared of fooling around with the stuff we love.
Your debut album, Forget In Mass, is set to land later this summer. What can we expect from that? What influenced the work?
Richard Zastenker: Expect complete madness. This is Deki in our big boy pants and they’re barely hanging on by a thread. We’re hitting the big tv screens with this one.
We’re all grown up in the 90’s and share a big common love for that era whether it’s hiphop, nu-metal or dance music. The music is heavily influenced by that but also the differences among us combined with the ambivalence of Stockholm. The final polestar and muse is our live shows, so expect that kind of energy among the track list.
First single from the record, “Fun” is ferocious entertainment. Why did that feel like the song to enter into your new era?
Johannes Klahr: “Fun” is a party anthem mind game. The sound, theme, darkness and energy of ‘Fun’ took us to a place where it felt like the undeniable first step to uncover the new chapter of Deki, while still remaining a lot of the DNA we are known for.
Talk us through the video accompaniment. Where did the idea come from? How did you bring it to life?
Johnny Bennett: The idea came to me after watching a movie at our hometowns (Gothenburg) Film Festival called Motel Destino. We were looking for a narrative that could play off the sentiment of the song, while at the same time provide an angle the song couldn’t achieve on its own.
We ran the narrative of a housemaid slowly falling for the mess of a destructive guest through our friend and director Broken Int, who really carved out the plot and brought it to life.
Broken Int: My initial idea was to stage a psychosis from the perspective of my close friend in her apartment, most of my music videos are based on situations in my personal life and the people around me.
So we kind of put that and Johnny’s concept together. A hyperbolic, symbolic representation of an ongoing real life situation and the environment it plays out in.
What else is to come from you, this year and beyond?
Sammy Bennett: Music, we’re dropping our debut album Forget In Mass later this summer and doing a bunch of shows across Europe.
