Brought to you by LA-based songwriter and producer Kanwal, Rage Funk is a representation of the meeting of rage, power, and passion through music. Kanwal’s unique persona reflects his multicultural background, time spent wandering around the world, upbringing in New York, his transition to LA, and his journey along the way—bonding with a free sense of self.
Describing his latest offering, the singer shares, “Rage funk is where all the unconventional, unsavory emotions and desires live. It is where the raw, odd parts of our psyche get stuffed, beneath layers of constructed identity and social expectation. Kendrick Lamar’s TPAB is rage funk, but so is M.I.A’s arular, Beyonce’s Lemonade, and James Brown’s “Please Please Please”. Raw emotion manifests differently for everyone. For me, it’s about expressing the sides of myself that other people think are outlandish or don’t fit together. Rage Funk is also about giving a voice to aggression that, for a long time, I didn’t feel comfortable acknowledging.”
Kanwal was born and raised in New York by an Indian/Sikh father and a Russian/Jewish mother. From an early age, he was exposed to a variety of genres including Sufi songs, Bhangra, classic rock, funk, and Hip Hop. His own sound explores the tension between these differing cultural influences and brings in a rockstar-style edge. Distorted vocals meet dirty bass lines and rugged, textured synths. His embodiment of rage funk blends funk, hip-hop, pop, and rock.
After recording a few songs with his friends in high school, he became addicted to music production. He has spent years perfecting his craft, gathering inspiration, and clarifying his vision. Kanwal has drawn a lot from time spent in different countries across the globe. One summer, he spent two months working with refugees in Athens Greece. While there, he started making music with a group of Syrians, Afghans, and Ethiopians who had been forced to leave their respective countries.
Kanwal’s first studio single, titled ‘Tuggin’ Me Back’ is an inverted pop song about the struggle between expressing intense emotions and conforming to social expectations. It features funk-drenched soundscapes, heightened melodies, and vibrant synths. Throughout the song, Kanwal sprinkles oddball elements, like reversed electric guitar slides and realistic sound effects. The song is being distributed by AWAL.
He shares, “I wanted this one to feel like you’re listening to a radio pop song, but in ‘the upside down’. It’s a song on the edge, and to me, it reflects the idea that we always live on the edge of our socially accepted selves.”
Following his debut studio single, Kanwal plans to release three more songs throughout the fall.
For more info, check out his Instagram feeds below:
https://www.instagram.com/kanwalzworld
Source/Image provided by NoraMay
About Author
