I knew NKRIOT was a star the first time I saw him play. He was decked out in his signature customized chrome helmet, playing electronic instruments he built or modified, tearing through guitar solos with a bombast and technical prowess you only get from years of practice.
I’ve seen him play many times since, yet he’s always been kind of a mystery. The helmet, the mystique, the vocoder all cultivate an alluring yet guarded public image.
Now, though, it looks like this Boyle Heights-based virtuoso is ready to break out. He just dropped the first single, “Reality Pages,” from his upcoming full-length debut, Riot, and it’s a smash.
This dark dance anthem pulses with hooky synth lines, dirty sub bass, smooth and melancholy r&b vocals, and brooding lyrics about disaffection, down times and fearing change. This is a song you play when you need to dance full-tilt for the sake of your sanity.
It was produced, written and recorded by NKRIOT himself, and was part of a 12 week period he spent locked in his studio meticulously crafting his album.
That album will be out digitally June 30th via NKRIOT Productions, and physicals will be at the famed Amoeba Records in July. Don’t play yourself: Be sure to catch him at his release show June 30th at the legendary Echo. I love that room, and this promises to be a bold and riot-inciting event.
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reality-pages/id1240786658?i=1240786789
Google Play Music:
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Nkriot_Reality_Pages?id=Bljfj6jvkrmuvrnimmjxk2swv54
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/nk-riot/reality-pages
YouTube Artwork Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3M3e8WZ3es&t=6s