Every week, the Milwaukee Music Premiere sponsored by Density Studios connects the city’s artists with our listening audience. If you’re an artist with a track you’d like us to debut exclusively on Radio Milwaukee, head over to our Music Submission page to learn how.
I don’t usually start these Milwaukee Music Premieres with an explainer, but because I’m apparently now an old person who doesn’t understand this sort of thing, a quick note about the title of dak duBois’ new track:
The “uk” in the title has nothing to do with the United Kingdom. Rather, it’s internet shorthand for “you know.” Thank you for your attention.
The song continues a couple things we’ve come to expect from duBois — a fusion of funk-soul-psychedelia and an inclination toward pulling in other members of the Milwaukee music community whenever possible. Doing the honors for the latter on “uk u don’t have to lie” are frequent collaborator Emmitt James, who swoops in for a 12-bar second verse, and drummer Jon Harris, who duBois rightfully calls the glue holding everything together.
The bass and wah-wah guitar licks might jump out at first, but it’s worth lending a sharp ear to what Harris has going on. He manages to both keep the train on the track and give it a little sway from side to side, including some deft use of the hi-hat (or maybe it’s just a standard cymbal … either way, pretty cool).
Those are the waves duBois rides while laying down vocals with a simple message — There are a lot of fools in this world, and the foolishness is happening despite duBois very clearly explaining how this all should work:
I just need you
To play it cool
Follow the rules
You just need me
To be consistently
Persnickety
Round two belongs to James, who opts for a wordier approach:
I been hopin’, I been searchin’, I’ve been trying to find
A little peace of mind
Left to right, I don’t know, but I need a sign
You know, some sort of guide
Ear to the divine like, “Can you hear me now”
They said you got a plan. I do, too. Can you hear me out?
If duBois is frustrated by the situation, he’s doing it in the most chill way possible. We should all be so lucky to take everything the world throws at us and groove right back in its face.
Enjoy this oh-so-smooth act of defiance by hitting the “Listen” button at the top of the page, or catch “uk u don’t have to lie” on the 88Nine airwaves throughout today (8:30 a.m.; 12:30, 4:30 and 8:30 p.m.).
Milwaukee Music Premiere: dak duBois, ‘uk u don't have to lie’ – Radio Milwaukee
