Bloc Party's Kele Okereke Turns to Electronica for Solo Debut

Just as Thom Yorke drifted from Radiohead on his solo debut, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke has gone down the electronica path for his forthcoming solo debut, 'The Boxer.' Okereke tells Spinner that the 10 tracks comprising his new album draw from a variety of different electronic influences, including vocal house music and 2-step garage, a precursor to the UK's grime movement.

"It was only really popular for a few years in the UK," Okereke says. "We listened to quite lots of it while making this record. One of the defining traits of that music is that they'd pitch the vocals. The vocals sounded unnatural, like chipmunks."

Indeed, a handful of tracks have Okereke's distinct vocals sounding a bit tweaked, most noticeably on the album's second track 'On the Lam.' The song finds Okereke at his most dancey, so much so that he could even pass off as a pop star. 'Tenderoni' has Okereke in a Depeche Mode state of mind and the album's opener, 'Walk Tall' has his voice up against what sounds like a buzz saw.

'The Boxer' was written and recorded in 2009, when Okereke has a few breaks from Bloc Party touring duties. It mixes live percussion, piano and bass and acoustic guitars, with Okereke taking on most of the recording duties himself.

"To me, I don't know what I hear when I hear it," he says. "There are lots of things I've listened to in the last year. This guy called [Ed] Banger, this guy Rusko who's becoming quite popular. I like DJ Shadow's approach in cutting and pasting music and sticking it together. But I guess the biggest influence for me is vocal house music. I wanted to get as close to that sense of euphoria that you get when you're listening to that -- a soulful voice at a minimal song beat."

'The Boxer' is out on June 22 via Glassnote Records. Fans in New York can have an exclusive first listen to the album on Wednesday night at Le Poisson Rouge, with Okereke providing a DJ set as well. See the flier below for information about the event, which is sponsored by Spinner and independent music site distribution Amie Street.