Producer David Ansari of Vallis Alps has returned with his new solo project Davey. ‘NOT ME’, his debut release under the moniker, is a collaborative single with Seattle rapper Sol.
A sharp turn away from the dreamy electronic pop of his previous endeavour, ‘NOT ME’ is a minimal but searing industrial hip-hop cut that features Sol rapping over distorted, blown-out synths and metallic percussion. Stream ‘NOT ME’ below:
“The beat for ‘NOT ME’ came at a weird time; I had just moved to New York, and it felt like I was being reintroduced to the ugliness of America’s social dynamics after a few years living outside of the states,” Ansari explained.
“All the music I was making was frenetic, unruly, dissonant; I was doing things like distorting entire mixes, stretching audio until it was grainy and unrecognisable, and generally experimenting with sound more than music – but ‘NOT ME’ felt like a controlled burn, and it needed someone like Sol to take it to the next level.”
Ansari also described the collaborative process with Sol as effortless. The rapper had recorded his verses at Ansari’s Brooklyn studio 45 minutes after meeting for the first time over coffee.
In a statement, Sol reflected on how the track’s lyrics – which he originally began penning back in 2018 – have only grown more poignant over time.
“Usually, timeless lyrics are something we seek as artists, but bars like ‘Too many young Black G’s screen printed on tees‘ and ‘Don’t talk to police, they just kill in the streets‘ are the type of lyrics I’d love to stop singing,” he commented.
‘NOT ME’ is the first taste of Ansari’s debut EP as Davey. The project is due to arrive later this year.