Straight off the Berlin bloc, D E N A premieres the acoustic style of her recent Kitsuné single, "Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools" filmed by Emily Longfield and Zoe Kahlert at Berlin's Kaiku Studios. The light piano dance-jazz of Denitza "D E N A" Todorova is accompanied by "s.o.s." chants, back-up and banana-maraca shaking from Anna Glahn, mixed and recorded by Jonas Verwijnen with session editing courtesy of Emily Longfield.
Kicking it off with a cha-ching and a laugh; D E N A switches the E-MU setting to a Rhodes piano and sets sights for summertime amid the drudgery of winter. "Working in the cold and imagine that it's hot, winter is too long and summer is too short, nothing in between I'm always wanting more, hanging here and wishing to be there, ending up not really being anywhere, I know the grass is always greener on the otherside, nothing I can do about it when I'm not satisfied". Even in the itemized listing of cash-diamond rings-swimming pool wants in the titular chorus, objects like "diamond rings I don't need them" are but external lavish adornments to exteriorize a more profound yearning for colleagial companionship.
In the spirit of keeping the poolside-vibes au naturale in the studio, D E N A cups her vocals in a fist to mimic the slowed-down-pitch sampling style about 55 seconds in. "I'll bring my friends with me, just about 20, if you got a swimming pool don't leave me hanging". Juxtaposed images of "palm trees in the winter night" permeate throughout that will have you skipping spring and thinking of summer, "dreaming of the warm while it's so cold outside" and craving the ultraviolet light comforts. The stripped down minimalism of the materialistic demands presents an intimate performance that displays Todorova's vocal range and a desire to spend some quality socializing with the crew. "All I want is you with my friends by the swimming pool". With D E N A joining the current international underground leagues of urban-spitting women, maybe we can expect future minimalist cuts from Feebzz, or an a capella Chippy Nonstop run for the "Money Dance".
D E N A's single, Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools is available now from Kitsuné.
D E N A has two SXSW dates booked:
March
11 The German House
14 The Tap Room at Six