For starters, he’s dropping the "Kid." The U.K. producer announced the name change on his birthday, writing: "I was 21 when this all began. Today I’m 26 and feeling ready to turn the page."
Henceforth known as Kidnap, Matt Relton is ushering in the change with a new two-track EP entitled Skin. The title track, which Billboard Dance is exclusively premiering, is a poignant, piano-laden composition. "It is about the sadness of inevitable change; about seeing the end in sight but not wanting to let go," Relton says.
The theme is evident in the stripped-down arrangement, which features little more than a somber chord progression and a beautifully woven vocal duet. "I kept the composition as bare as possible to shine light on the growing space between two voices," Relton says. The result is one of Kidnap’s most emotionally intelligent offerings to date.
"Skin" further marks a stylistic evolution for Kidnap, most notably in its conspicuous lack of drums and percussion. The song is far more akin to a film soundtrack or ballad than a dance record, and ultimately points to exciting new territory for the maturing producer.
Kidnap’s new Skin EP is due out on his own Birds That Fly imprint on Friday.
