Song You Need: Gabriel Gifford and Aphty Khéa’s carnal premonition
With “Voice From The Wind,” Gifford announces his forthcoming mini-album, Hailstone King
Left: Gabriel Gifford, photo by Jelly Luise. Right: Aphty Khéa, courtesy of the artist.
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Take a deconstructed, bass-heavy beat from the pulsing womb of a German club. Mix in a visceral lead vocal, alternatively whispered and shouted in Greek, and you’ve got a hit in my book. For the second single from his newly announced mini-album, Hailstone King, Berlin electronicist Gabriel Gifford enlists the record’s Aphty Khéa — the Greek-British singer and multimedia artist who also co-produced the forthcoming record — to deliver a queer anthem of epic proportions.
“In the lyrics for ‘Voice From The Wind’ I refer to myself and my experiences with gender-neutral grammar, which pretty much doesn’t happen at all in mainstream Greek society (unless one is referring to or talking about a child), and is otherwise only done within the queer community,” Khéa tells The FADER. “‘Voice From The Wind’ is an angry queer letter addressed to queerphobes globally.”
For his part, Gifford explains he used the track to “explore a feeling of premonition — something carnal brewing inside before it’s even conscious.
“Chloe’s [(Aphty Khéa’s)] artist project is incredibly detailed and ethereal, but I wanted to create something entirely raw, uncensored and guttural, touched on in their track ‘Alerta,’” Gifford continues. “Knowing Chloe personally, I knew there was an empowered aggression and darkness we could explore together, which ended up feeling very cathartic. I approached Chloe with the themes, concept, and imagery for my upcoming project. I felt it was very important that they were able to explore a narrative that was deeply personal, but also one that aligns with the protagonist in my own project. Identity and upbringing ended up being at the core of the track. The haunting imagery in the lyrics sits perfectly with the lore I’ve been exploring.”
Watch the wintry visualizer for “Voice From The Wind” and check out Hailstone King’s tracklist below.
Hailstone King tracklist
1. I Hold You To This Light (Entrance)
2. Voice From The Wind (feat. Aphty Khéa)
3. Raised By She-Wolves
4. Calling Out 4 U (feat. Softmax)
5. King, Wives, Mirror (feat. LYAM)
6. Mid-May (feat. LIYV)
7. Barking Dogs Seldom Bite
8. Autopsy (Exit)