Foggy Notions presents Contour


Date: 16 Feb 2025
Time: 8pm (Cellar)
Ticket Price: €18.50 BUY TICKET

Contour

February 16th, The Cellar

The Charleston, South Carolina artist Contour’s body of work is evidence
of a restless curiosity that culminates on his latest album and debut
for Mexican Summer, Take Off from Mercy. Starting off as a beatmaker,
Khari’s vision has broadened over releases like Onwards (2022, Touching
Bass), Love Suite (2021, Good Question) and Weight (self-released/Purple
Tape Pedigree, 2021), spanning from noirish, sample-driven R&B to covers
of Strawberry Switchblade. Take Off from Mercy eschews samples in favor
of guitar-driven songwriting, positing a singular take on the blues,
Tropicalia, hip hop, post-punk and indie rock, establishing Lucas as an
exemplary lyricist and broad collaborator, working with the likes of
Saul Williams, Mndsgn and his co-producer, Omari Jazz.

Following the pandemic, Lucas toured relentlessly, recently opening a US
run for Erika de Casier and appearing at Pitchfork Festival (Chicago)
and Le Guess Who? Beyond his prolific solo output, recent collaborations
include Black Decelerant, an ambient duo with the aforementioned Omari
Jazz who just released their self-titled debut on RVNG Intl. Lucas also
collaborates with the operatic baritone singer Davóne Tines as part of a
band called THE TRUTH on ROBESOИ, a performance released by the
venerable Nonesuch Records.

Contour is a key member of a distinct cohort of young artists weaving
the traditions of Black music into thoroughly modern, avant-garde
songcraft. Within his work, genres and disciplines collide. Lucas’s
radio show for Dublab, Footprints in the Dark, took stock of the deep
discographies of foundational figures like Gilberto Gil and Georgia Anne
Muldrow. Meanwhile, Lucas has organized readings with the likes of
Harmony Holiday and screened films from Black Audio Film Collective
director John Akomfrah, and completed artist residencies with NTS Radio
and Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works.

Within all this activity, Lucas’s sound and voice are immediately
recognizable, his flow and declarative honesty heavily influenced by
rap. Lucas’s recent live shows with the likes of Billy Woods and Bilal
featured him roving the stage singing and rapping over samples before
sitting at the piano for downcast, Bill Withers-style ballads. Take Off
from Mercy is a document of hard-earned lessons learned while on the
move. Omari and Khari worked on the record in Charleston, Portland, NYC,
London, Paris, Georgia, LA and Houston, feeding into the album’s themes
of transformation through migration. Lucas will follow the fall release
of Take Off from Mercy with expanded live tours through the US, UK and
Europe in fall 2024. As this flurry of activity suggests, there will
inevitably be more records, shows, tours, readings and screenings in the
near future. The urgency of Contour’s vision is palpable in this myriad
of pursuits.