- New Zealand’s Ladi6 is a project of both the individual and the band. Keeping relatively busy since their debut in 2008 with tours and another two albums, Ladi6 changed up their creative approach when developing their Royal Blue 3000 EP.

Sometimes when this narrative of changing the creative process is promoted, it can be used as a placebo or a euphemism for a lack of creativity ...BUT, in Ladi6’ case, it has proved to be a very legit and fruitful endeavour. Having conducted a series of live sessions to create and test ideas on live audiences Ladi6 have cultivated some seriously wavy soul.

Moving successfully from a more conventional sound into neo-soul by tastefully integrating organic instrumentation with a multitude of electronics, Royal Blue is as crisp and colourful as the land of the long white cloud itself. There’s a great sense of space and freedom within the tracks, the way the powdery chords waft and weave amongst minimal but vital percussion allows Ladi’s gentle but spirited vocal to settle into the ideas as needed. You can hear how their live workshop has encouraged the pacing and the appropriation of exotica into a distinctly Ladi6 vibe.

Ladi6 have always sounded effortless in their songwriting and stylistic choices, what’s interesting to observe in their evolution in sound and creative practice, is that the bond formed over three albums means that they could probably shift in any direction and make it sound good. This performative evolution into minimal neo-soul, though, is definitely a worthy survival stratagem to be handed down.

- NJR.