Elkka - Full Circle EP

October 19, 2018 - Femme Culture

Elkka’s EP Full Circle is a shameless celebration of influence from start to finish. I can’t put a finger on what kind of music she is producing, but I can pick out what kinds of music she is digesting. Asking me to describe her genre-bending tracks is like asking me to describe a load of laundry spinning in the dryer. The best I can do is describe the individual articles of clothing as I catch glimpses of them in the turbulent mass. 

Lately, the UK based producer has been wearing dreamy pop anthems, hip hop, trap and an occasional touch of Bollywood. Oh, and a bit of Ellen Degeneres. Full Circle is a fitting title for the variety on this EP that is specifically, authentically Elkka’s. It’s a mixed bag of candy. 

The A side tracks and the B side tracks are as different as night and day (which, consequently, was intentional). ‘2000 and F_cked’ and ‘We’re Here (Again)’ sing a more tender energy with a hint of melancholy. ‘One’ and ‘Talkin’ are boisterous like they just arrived for the party. All four songs are epic, emotional swellings with the signature mark of an activist, a fierce “optimism in spite of it all” attitude.

Overall, I like side A better than the side B because the former have more clarity in the musical themes they are exploring. There are a few points on the latter where the ideas get murky in their execution. Elkka is definitely a maximalist, and I think some of these tracks could benefit from some fat trimming. Sometimes my ear is so overwhelmed with sound that I don’t know what is important. 

Highlights include the whistling melody in ‘One’ that sounds like a children’s toy ringing out in the jungle, and the fearless way Elkka disguises and reveals meaning behind the words in her vocal samples. She is not afraid of showing us her diary and revealing explicitly what she is thinking about. The final notes of the song fade away underneath a particularly vulnerable moment in Ellen Degeneres’ career. With that, Elkka, in an innocent musical maneuver, punctuates the end of the Full Circle EP by literally pinning her inspiration into the track. 

There is an undercurrent of political movement behind this work, and I value the conviction with which Elkka approaches her career. She is a comprehensive brand story. And a busy one. As the founder of Femme Culture, a label and a club night focused on elevating the voices of women and the LGBTQ+ community in the techno scene, Elkka is shining some overdue spotlights. As a producer, she is introducing her voice to the conversation. It is young, loud, strong and undeniably complex. ☔