The newest track by Cape Town native Gina Jeanz is totally bound to shake up dance floors and enliven your spirits by virtue of its percussion led rhythms. ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ brazenly lends from the ‘Baile’ styles of Sango and on top of that, this soulful vibe is created by Dani Bagel’s vocals coupled with these honey-sweet chords from the piano.
There aren’t many Hip-Hop/R&B orientated female producers in the city of Cape Town, and for young woman who are looking to venture into that realm in many ways Gina Jeanz serves as a figure of inspiration. Her style elegantly encapsulates various forms of R&B, House, Hip Hop and Electronica. The latter is probably the most prominent as her impressive sound design is one of the elements which stand out in her tracks.
Talking about sound design, it’s actually the subtle sonic events in ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ that have the potential to inspire eargasms. The soft pad which rises just beneath the keys, the way the delay from the “Love Me” sample has a slightly higher velocity on the right side of the stereo field… In reality this is quite a minimalistic song yet you can tell the meticulousness that has gone into it. The song writing didn’t seem to have that same level of meticulousness though. We gather that the track is essentially about honesty and the portrayal of true emotions. “I want you to/ love me/lo-love me”. In the chorus Dani states she wants her partner to love her, yet in the beginning verse she goes into how she recoils from the matters of the heart. This juxtaposition creates a paradox. Dani’s voice is a delight and her lyrics are ‘dope’ (in the sense that they are catchy and cool) but this paradox takes away from the actual substance of the lyrics. There is also a hint of futurism embedded in ‘Smoke & Mirrors’. Why I say that is definitely because of the shimmering lead synth faintly panned to the left and the plucks which are revealed during the verses. Honestly this felt like homage to Soulection but done in her own way. If you’re a DJ, jamming this track is a great to diversify your sets and simultaneously warm up the crowd. You’re welcome to find ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ on all digital streaming services.
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