The producer from Portrush has returned with a transitory new cut that nods to the brighter days.

It’s not news to anyone that the last year has been difficult. The novelty of sitting in the gaff on zoom and having all the time in the world to do some self-reflection wore thin very quickly and while a lot of creatives thought the absence of other distractions would lead to an intensive period of focus and creativity, it just doesn’t work like that.

Portrush producer cbakl soulful new single ‘Where my soul leads me’ was born out of the kind of creative block that seemingly washed over the music world at once. Having garnered a reputation as one of the country’s most prolific acts, lockdown hit hard and in order to get back on track, he acknowledged had to be an acceptance that things wouldn’t be the same for a while.

It was in that realisation that the Class Craic Records founder managed to get out of his funk and after taking some time to himself he found a new lease of life and put it into his music.

The result is the sun-kissed soul-infused ‘Where my soul leads me’, a track that stays true to his trademark style and pays homage to the sampling side of Soundcloud that he grew up on.

It comes after cbakl performed on the BBC alongside Declan O’Rourke and released two singles this earlier this year.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, cbakl said, “I finished the song during the most recent lockdown at a time where I was feeling very isolated and introverted. I think many of us thought that lockdown would provide a period of insane productivity but towards the end I was finding it harder to create due to the lack of outside inspiration.”

Listen to ‘Where my soul takes me’ below:

Elsewhere on District: Robert Glasper on the many rooms of Black American music.

District and Jameson Black Barrel share the same affinity for cutting edge music culture and with that in mind, we thought who better to team up with to explore the intersection of jazz and hip hop. As part of the Jameson Black Barrel Smooth Series we’re examining the developments that are propelling new acts to the forefront and talking to the innovators leading the jazzy revolution. You can purchase Jameson Black Barrel here. Please drink Jameson Black Barrel responsibly. Visit drinkaware.ie