Australian-born, Berlin-based singer/songwriter and producer James Chatburn has developed a reputation for production work that seamlessly meshes soul, blues, and indie electronica and paired with his warm, effortlessly soulful vocals. And if you’ve been following JOVM over the past few weeks, you may remember that Chatburn is one half of the future soul duo The Septembers with the Australian-born, Berlin-based vocalist Donna Arendse. Interestingly, with The Septembers and his solo work, Chatburn has collaborated with Australian artists and producers, as well as a number of internationally-based artists and producers, and as a result he’s been one of Berlin’s go-to, up-and-coming producers and vocalists. In fact, Chatburn has released three singles earlier this year that have received quite a bit of attention across Europe and several other collaborations are forthcoming.
In the meantime, Chatburn’s latest single “Creator” is comprised of layers of twinkling and cascading keyboards, some trembling organ chords, stuttering, boom-bap drum programming and wobbling bass paired with Chatburn’s silky and seductive falsetto to create a song that sounds as though it owes a debt to Erykah Badu, The Roots, Jill Scott and others, as it possesses an easy-going, chilled out vibe. But at it’s core is an age-old lament for anyone creative — their fickle muse has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared and they’re left dumbfounded and confused, wondering what they did wrong, and if there’s anything they could do to get it back. Certainly, for anyone who’s spent hours starting at a blank piece of paper or a blinking cursor, it should feel painfully familiar, as the song seems to express your deepest fears — while bobbing your head to the beat, no less.
