The Silhouettes Project X Talulah Ruby X KeepVibesNear – Venus

The Silhouettes Project enlists Lanzarote-born talent Talulah Ruby and East London favourite KeepVibesNear for their intimate new offering “Venus”.

Having just announced a key headline show at the iconic KOKO Camden next year, the Hackney-based collective continues their immaculate run of form with “Venus”; an atmospheric soundscape produced by Sam Ellwood allows space for Talulah to flaunt her melodic range with typical elegance, before choppy vocal samples and heavy-set drum breaks chime in as we reach the apex of the vibrant chorus. The euphoric backing quickly fades back and opens pockets for KeepVibesNear to deliver intricate wordplay and his signature stripped-back vocals. He details a passionate new love and the ethereal connections that can transport us into a state of pure bliss, giving another glimpse into the truly feel-good vibrations expected from this grippingly unique project still to come.

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Speaking on the record, Talulah Ruby mentions: “I remember walking into the session and feeling so much grace between us all. We all seem to have a mutual admiration for each other’s flow states. The initial lines bring this “mission” like approach to caring for someone. The idea of making someone’s life a little easier and asking them to accept that love as a form of relief. “If I flew you up to Venus, would you stay there?” Can they accept love? The song feels like it’s an ode to healthy forms of care.”

When asked about the collaboration, KeepVibesNear says: “Venus is a special song. A special coming together between me, Sam and Talulah, because it wasn’t the song I expected when I thought of myself and Talulah on a song and I love that we didn’t make something people would expect from us or that I’d expect from myself. Feel the energy we found made so much sense.”

Sam Ellwood adds: “I think that the three of us are all quite peaceful people, the sessions that we had for “Venus” were super relaxed and open. As a result, I think the track turned out quite different to what any of us expected we would make when we went into it, and it’s definitely very different from anything else I’ve released before!”

With a clear desire to create music with true impact while spotlighting the diverse stories being told across London’s underground, The Silhouettes Project is creating a thriving ecosystem on its own terms. Formed in 2018 by Asher Korner (Asher Kosher) and Jaden Osei-Bonsu (Eerf Evil), the collective has become a vital new space for artists to connect and create, touching on community, alternative industry structures, the grassroots hip-hop scene and raising top-level talent across the creative arts. Finding refuge at the ROOT 73 Studio, the group represents community engagement at the highest level while exploring a new industry model that allows them to reinvest funding into apprenticeship schemes for local talents. With a true artist equality ethos, each artist on the project takes an equal split of royalties, no matter their size – a truly ground-breaking financial model that values input rather than output.

Embodying the importance of collaborative spaces, ROOT 73 was founded in 2015 as a non-profit arts organisation and industry-standard recording studio nestled within the infamous Total Refreshments Centre in Hackney. The space opened doors for artists including breakout star ENNY and underground pioneer MANIK MC, allowing emerging talent access to high-quality equipment and a free-flowing environment to write, record and collaborate with like-minded people across the creative arts.

Utilising money earned to support the next generation of youth in music, ROOT 73 funds an apprenticeship scheme called From The Ground Up, which has grown into a fully-fledged development hub for young people to learn skills in artist management, marketing, event curation as well as free studio access to develop their musical talents. A sustainable infrastructure that feeds directly back into the community, The Silhouettes Project stand as a testament to the power of collective determination and will continue to disrupt the music industry’s majorsetup, beckoning new talent across the city.

The Silhouettes Project released their first album in 2020, championing some of the most exciting artists emerging across the UK including ENNY, Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, Bel Cobain, Nix Northwest, Jords, Danny Sanchez, Kieron Boothe, Elisa Imperilee, Meron T, Goya Gumbani, Natty Wylah and Summers Sons to name a few. A pivotal moment which catapulted their intimate community into the international spotlight, the project collected well over 50M+ streams, major tastemaker acclaim across the likes of THE GUARDIAN, HIGHSNOBIETY and CLASH, and saw key performances across Glastonbury and the Tate Modern to The Jazz Cafe and Hackney Church. The Silhouettes Project’s ethos is one of equality and longevity in collaboration and community. Bringing live music, alternative hip-hop culture, industry opportunities and resources back to the ends, the collective has quietly become one of the most important projects across the UK and shows no signs of slowing down