Sowilo & Sir the Baptist’s Soulful and Funky, Scream & Shout

We don’t know much about Sowilo. His social media presence is limited and there is little else to find online. Thanks to his record label IDAP Music, we know that he is both Scandinavian and enigmatic. We know that he is a multi-instrumentalist producer and songwriter who has that Prince-like ability to create music completely on his own, playing every instrument, engineering and mixing every track.

That is what his bio tells us. What we know from listening is that Sowilo (whoever he may be) is funky, soulful and able to hit all the marks for Pop fans too. His debut single is a collaboration with popular Chicago rapper, Sir the Baptist. “Scream & Shout” is one part Gospel, one part Hip-hop and five parts infectiously catchy Pop song. Like his fellow “one man bands;” Bruno Mars and Pharell Williams, Sowilo creates a feel-good groove with universal appeal. From the song’s Sunday-morning Gospel chorus to Sir the Baptist’s fun and funky rap in the verse, “Scream & Shout” pops with energy.

Drums define that energy and feed it throughout the song. Not content with a simple drum machine beat, Sowilo peppers these tracks with ambiently recorded organic percussion. Snaps, claps, snare rolls and foot taps add depth to the sound. The producer makes clever use of subtle changes in sound to affect mood. For instance, I count at least three different organs on the track. Each is chosen to help create the right vibe at the right time, and that vibe changes from Funk to R&B, Gospel to Pop.