SHARES THE NEW SINGLE ‘FRETLESS’
FEATURING BAS AND ETTA BOND
LISTEN HERE
| Beau Diako’s debut EP ‘Flutter’ introduced him as an intriguing new proposition on the UK underground scene, assisted by guest features from Jordan Rakei and emawk. Having continued to forge his artist identity with further collabs with Parra For Cuva and DAO, Beau Diako today shares ‘Fretless’, his first single of 2021 as a lead artist. It features two special guests in the shape of J. Cole associate and Dreamville rapper Bas, and Etta Bond, who recently returned with the track ‘How Could I Forget You’. Listen HERE. ‘Fretless’ will heighten Beau Diako’s escalating reputation as a bold and imaginative emerging talent. Bounding to attention with its jubilant, jazz-tinged hip-hop groove, it’s a track in which his lithe production and mellifluous guitar work provides the context for his featured artists to shine. Bas’s flow brings exactly what you’d hope from him, with relentless rhymes, a real force of personality, and subtle melodic touches. Meanwhile, Etta Bond’s topline on the hook provides the soulful touch to both complement and contrast his delivery. Beau Diako first sketched an early version of ‘Fretless’ in 2019, when he was working with Ben Esser in Berlin, but it was only recently rediscovered and completed. The idea of Beau, a quiet soul who likes to let the music do the talking, working with the charismatic Bas would make for a fascinating session to witness, but Beau prefers to have the time alone – allowing him to fully focus independently on his work, but also to give collaborators the space to express themselves. Beau Diako says, “Bas and Etta have been two of my favourites for a long time and I’m so honoured that they were keen to make something together”. Born Beau Diakowicz (he’s a quarter Ukrainian), he was brought up in Fareham, Hampshire – a nice enough place, but not one blessed with a vibrant music scene. A broken leg put paid to his love of football, but did inspire him to pick up the acoustic guitar. Before long, Beau had mastered songs from Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, The Smiths and Sufjan Stevens as his virtuoso talent revealed itself. His early band projects came and went, but that was a blessing. Instead he could craft his distinctive solo sound under his own name. That said, he also now excels as a collaborator, recently working with Kasia Constance on her ‘Cosmic Dust’ EP and contributing guitar to the Sampology track ‘Suffer and Swim’. The first artist to sign to Dreamville, Bas’s collabs with J. Cole have included the US Platinum hit ‘Tribe’ as well as three tracks on his recent international hit album ‘The Off-Season’. In addition to three albums under his own name, Bas has also contributed to all three installments in Dreamville’s ‘Revenge of The Dreamers’ series, the most recent of which topped the US album chart and was nominated for a Grammy. This year also saw Bas guest on ‘Loving In Stereo’, the latest album from the iconic UK production duo Jungle. Inspired by the likes of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Billie Holiday, Etta Bond is renowned for the strength of her soulful vocal, her empowering attitude, and her eagerness to push boundaries. Those traits are all evident in her two-part album ‘He’s Mine’ / ‘He’s Not Mine’, which featured the single ‘Surface’ and was released on OddChild Music. Her collaborators have included Skepta, SiR, Avelino, Donae’o and Wretch 32. Follow Beau Diako: Spotify Apple Music Instagram YouTube Website |
