London based three-piece R I T U A L recently released their second EP ‘From The City To The Wilderness’ to universal acclaim. With support from the likes of The Fader, Pigeons & Planes, Noisey, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, The 405 and more, the trio are already one of the most talked about outfits as we look towards 2016.

Opting to let their work do the talking for them thus far, R I T U A L‘s mystique to date has meant that people’s opinion can be based purely on their music, and their work really has spoken for them so far.

Today sees them release ‘From The Wilderness To The City’ – a reimagined, total rework of the original EP ‘From The City To The Wilderness’. Personally curating and commissioning the complete rework, the trio have flipped the title (and the folk inflected RnB sound) of the original on its head, and collaborated with some of the most exciting new voices and producers in hip-hop and RnB, from both sides of the Atlantic.

At its core, it’s a remix EP. But it’s much more than that – featuring the likes of rising London-based rapper Jay Prince, future starlet Raye, Kevin Abstract and Bearface – both members of exciting new hip-hop collective Brockhampton, along with remix work courtesy of Alfa Mist, Sound of Fractures (who produced the aforementioned Raye’s track ‘Flowers’, and Norwegian producer Hasta.

We had the ‘Low Season’ remix premiere on The 405, the ‘Instinct’ remix premiere on RWD, with the final two tracks premiering on Complex, along with the trio’s first ever interview.

Speaking on the release of the remix EP ‘From The Wilderness To The City’, R I T U A L have said “We’ve teamed up with artists that we not only work with and listen to on a regular basis – but people we really believe in. All the artists involved are at the beginning of what we think will be a really exciting time for them.”

“In Raye and Jay Prince, we have two of the biggest talents that the UK scene has produced in years, and Brockhampton is probably our favourite new act of 2015…”

“We met Hasta through his management (who also work with Cashmere Cat) – he is only 18 and super talented. Norway has a habit of nurturing amazing producers and he is the one to watch, no doubt…”

“Then there’s Sound Of Fractures (who produced Raye’s ‘Flowers’). He really took ‘Instinct’ to a different place and has such a dark and distinct sound.”

“‘Josephine’ was probably the hardest song to rework, being so personal and intimate on the original – but Alfa Mist just blew us away with his rework – it’s so musical and has such a great feel, it reminds us of Slum Village Era J-Dilla which is always a good thing”

The band have already had strong Radio 1 support from Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and other Radio 1 DJ’s, they’ve been playlisted on Radio 1 Xtra, ‘Track of the Week’ on Jo Whiley’s Radio 2 show, as well as whole host of other spots – including a guest play from 4AD signing SOHN, airplay from KCRW in LA, and praise from Peter Rosenberg, the profilific Hot 97 DJ in New York.

The original version of the EP ‘From The City To The Wilderness’ saw the trio marrying together elements of RnB and folk, laid upon a bed of soothing electronics and warm, pop-tinged instrumentals. Numerous tracks off the EP ended up hitting the global, US, and UK viral charts on Spotify, with accumulative streams for the EP already surpassing the 2.5 million mark across all platforms.

Speaking on the original EP, the band said “The title itself [From The City To The Wilderness] describes the atmosphere and backdrop on which we make our music. The noise and pollution of the city where we live, the constant roar of modernity set against a stillness – the quiet of an intact and natural environment. This has had a big influence on the songwriting – our voices and instruments coming up against our computers and the noise of machines, is an essential theme of R I T U A L”

– – –

R I T U A L on Facebook
R I T U A L on Twitter
R I T U A L on Soundcloud
R I T U A L on Spotify
R I T U A L Official website