Nothing hits home better than a collaboration that breathes authenticity. Today, SG Lewis, Channel Tres and Robyn have delivered that to us in an especially dire time of need, as the music industry, and our lives continue reeling from a global pandemic. Entitled “Impact,” this track leaves room to be played on repeat, and for wondering, “how did they get this so right?”
In July of 2019, two of our favorite artists to watch quietly, and seemingly indirectly linked up. Channel Tres had just released his long-awaited Black Moses EP, and SG Lewis had completed his Dusk, Dark and Dawn trio EP release with the release of the final piece, Dawn. Robyn was on her worldwide tour celebrating the release of her sought after album Honey, with Channel Tres on board as a supporting act. Lewis, a multifaceted artist like Channel Tres, as singer, songwriter, and producer, had put his spin on Tres’s track “Sexy Black Timberlake.” Since, we’ve seen the two link up on an “At Home” series on Apple Music, and now, an official collaboration.
It’s so often that a veteran artist hops on a track with an artist of the moment, and it’s transparently not right. It leads us to wonder if it was a mutual moment of clout chasing, or a chasing of the charts. “Impact” is not this. It’s the furthest thing from it. Each of these artists, left of center in their own right, brings a strong flavor to this track. Beyond her pop stardom, Robyn too is a producer and DJ herself. “Sam made this instant thing, it ́s a special skill to make a song that hits you right away the way ‘Impact’ does,” Robyn said in a statement. “The track just gave me the feels and it wasn’t hard to write a chorus to it, especially with Channels vocals on there already. Channel Tres came on tour with us last year, so I know how strong he is on stage and hopefully some time in the future we will get to be on stage together, with Sam, performing this song.”
“Impact” leans forward with an 80s sheen that we often see in SG Lewis’s music, but is an obvious platform for Channel Tres and Robyn to let their talent shine. This production is given further depth by slick underpinnings of arpeggios, and electronic nods to 2010’s house music just ahead of its boom. Channel Tres’s vocals are soothing as ever, clearing a path for Robyn’s iconic as ever vocal feature. The chemistry between these artists is palpable, leaving a wonder to how they executed “Impact” with such ease while not ever being in the studio together.
“Impact” premiered via Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show last night, and is out now on all digital streaming platforms.
Connect with Channel Tres: Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify
Connect with Robyn: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Connect with SG Lewis: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
