SoundCloud recently held an exclusive screening for the latest episode of their award-winning original music discovery docuseries, “SCENES.” The event took place downstairs of private club, The Gathering Spot in Los Angeles, attendees were given a glimpse into the artistic minds of seven of Southern California’s most promising artists — Destin Conrad, Fana Hues, India Shawn, Kenyon Dixon, and Mack Keane, plus producers D’Mile and Jack Dine — as they sipped Palomas and were treated with a popcorn and candy bar.
The episode, “SCENES: SoCal Soul,” Directed by C.T. Robert and featuring key photography by Ira Chernova, spotlights SoCal’s bubbling underground R&B scene as the aforementioned artists explain what R&B means to them, how they are influenced by the community and their experiences.
One of my favorite lines from the 14-minute documentary comes from the surprise performance of the night and featured artist, Fana Hues.
“…It’s important to keep it alive and just keep doing what feels real. Because that’s really R&B. The R in R&B is the Real.” – Fana Hues
The audience erupted in claps, laughter and praise, in agreement with Hues. R&B, rhythm and blues, is all about real stories and real emotions that soundtrack our everyday lives. These melodic and soul touching grooves are the foundation of every genre of music out today.
It was a breath of fresh air to hear these emerging artists give us raw a capella vocals throughout the documentary. In a time where new music is so accessible to create and promote, it was a relief to see that the new generation of R&B is heading in the right direction.
Check out the documentary now on Youtube and Soundcloud. I highly recommend.
Photos & Words by Asha Moné
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