Shuffle Aces: Kan Wakan – Like I Need You

I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one who has missed a particular song when I hear something, do a bit of research and discover it was actually a hit. In this case, I bounced Kan Wakan Like I Need You off my teenage kids, but interestingly none of them had heard it either. Part of the success of this track is that it was used in an HBO promo (which explains why it’s not as well known here in Australia), but there’s something about this band that I find really interesting.

What excites me is the way that they craft their songs in such an orchestral way – this is clever stuff, but very refreshing in the way they blend different influences and sounds together. Like I Need You in particular sounds like a theme song for a Bond movie – brilliant arranging, and a great voice. The band is made up of composer/multi-instrumentalist Gueorgui I. Linev, singer Kristianne Bautista and producer/guitarist Peter Potyondy and they are based in LA. The name is derived from the Tagalog word kalawakan, a loose term for atmosphere, space. Bautista and bassist Ian Anderson are Filipino, while Linev is Bulgarian so it’s an interesting cultural melting pot.

Linuv originally saw the band as a small orchestral ensemble, but with the addition of Bautista’s vocals they have managed to broade their scope. Bottom line is that the music is amazing and the whole of their debut album Moving On is great listening.

Official Website: http://www.kanwakan.com/
Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/KanWakan
Twitter: @KanWakan

You can find all the Shuffle Ace tracks – including this one – on a Spotify playlist here.

Shuffle Aces is a series of posts that highlights a song of the week that “shuffling” has brought forth. With all the streaming services it’s not just an iPod on shuffle mode that we use to discover new stuff, but the principle remains the same: hit play and wait to see what gems come forth.

 

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