GRAMMY AWARD-NOMINATED® ARTIST
KENNA RELEASES EP
‘LAND 2 AIR CHRONICLES II – IMITATION IS SUICIDE’
‘Imitation is Suicide’ is the First of a Three-Part EP Series
“Anytime he puts out some music, I listen.” – Okayplayer
Today Grammy Award®-nominated artist Kenna drops Land 2 Air Chronicles II – Imitation is Suicide, with follow up EPs to roll-out this fall.
The Land 2 Air Chronicles II series is a continuation of the initial Land 2 Air Chronicles project released in late 2012. The second installment of Kenna’s three-part EP series is based on the Ralph Waldo Emerson essay “Self-Reliance.” In Imitation is Suicide (chapter 1 of 3), Kenna is stating the clear influences in his work to help define a musical compass while giving credit where credit is due.
“For me, this EP is about art and the influences that help shape my perspectives,” said Kenna. “You can definitely hear the Rick James, The Cure and David Byrne influences, but you will also see the Buggles, David Lynch, Hitchcock and Warhol references as well. I know they say imitation is flattery, but without acknowledging your influences I think ‘Imitation is Suicide.’ Inevitably.”
Co-produced by Kenna and N.E.R.D/The Neptune’s writer and producer Chad Hugo, Imitation is Suicide is an eclectic mix of various genres spotlighting alternative-leaning funk, R&B, and hip-hop meshed with moody electronics.
The first single and lyric video off the EP, “Relations,” was well received by fans and critics alike:
“As catchy as it is smart, this heady yet sparse funk, hip hop tinged track will inhabit your mind in much the same way as the song this canny sleeve artwork references.”
– Velour Magazine
“If you’re on the prowl for some deep bass and grind-hungry ladies, then look no further than Grammy-nominated artist Kenna’s new [lyric] video for ‘Relations (An Ode to You and Me)’”.
– Vibe
The irreverent single “Relations” is currently featured on a national ad campaign for Myspace, where Kenna serves as a lead creative.
“We didn’t know what would come of the song – the whole thing was impromptu,” said Hugo. “We hit record and ‘Relations’ was born.”
Kenna recently joined the iconic Dim Mak Records roster where founder Steve Aoki credits Kenna as having a “…unique sound like nothing Dim Mak fans have heard before and will help shape the future of Dim Mak as well as the global music community.”
Land 2 Air Chronicles II – Imitation is Suicide is available now on Dim Mak Records.
iTunes: https://itun.es/i6xN6h6
Beatport: http://btprt.dj/15p3j45
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/18o4F0U
For art (credit Nathan Cabrera)
ABOUT KENNA
Kenna is a Grammy Award®-nominated musician, philanthropist, lead creative and Chief Vision Officer of the new Myspace. He was raised in Virginia Beach, VA, where he became friends and career-long collaborators with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes/N.E.R.D. Kenna expressed an interest in music when he first heard U2’s The Joshua Tree. That album inspired Kenna while studying singers like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, as well as groups like The Cure and Duran Duran. Kenna has worked and toured with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Mark Ronson, No Doubt, N.E.R.D and Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Mike Shinoda, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold, and Ashlee Simpson. He continues to create his own sound that has yet to be categorized and filed under any mainstream genre. He is defined only by his natural constitution to never be what you expect. In addition to his musical pursuits, when Kenna learned about the global water crisis affecting his home village in Ethiopia, he decided to create the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT project. In 2010, Kenna and his colleagues climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to bring attention to the water crisis. Kenna developed a transmedia platform and 19,340-ft. website with a game engine for fans and followers to participate virtually with the climbers. This concept, rooted in social media, was the first of its kind. The project generated 3 billion impressions, over 2,300 pieces of traditional press, and helped influence U.S. Foreign Aid appropriations through advocacy to bring clean drinking water to thousands of people in his home country and the world.
ABOUT DIM MAK
Since the label’s inception in 1996, Dim Mak has thrived on a commitment to preserving a boundless, forward-thinking music community. Everything about Dim Mak stems from founder Steve Aoki’s “Do It Yourself” ethos to morph and move with the industry’s ever-changing tides. It all started with a 7-inch record from obscure, SoCal hardcore ensemble Stickfigurecarousel in 1996. Dim Mak has since put out nearly 500 releases to date and has broken artists from The Kills, Battles, Bloc Party, The Gossip, Klaxons, The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Felix Cartal, Datsik, and more. Dim Mak’s current roster boasts major releases from Infected Mushroom, Clockwork, Angger Dimas, Azari & III, Keys N Krates, Dirtyphonics, and many more. For the last 10 years, Dim Mak has thrown the now iconic weekly Dim Mak Tuesdays events at Dim Mak Studios in Hollywood, CA. Dim Mak has created a platform for many cutting-edge artists like Afrojack, Zedd, A-Trak, Lady Gaga, Borgore, Travis Barker, Kid Cudi, Justice, and Zeds Dead amongst many others to break out into the world of music.
For more information on KENNA, visit:
www.soundcloud.com/kennachannel
For more information on DIM MAK RECORDS, visit:
