MKE – Early Hours is the new album from this virtual artist that dives into Soulstep and late-night Afro House sounds. As its title indicates, the album is intended to be an exploration of those quiet hours before the sun rises, with each of the 13 songs unfolding in a similar manner to a diary entry; “built for listeners who sit with their thoughts a little longer than most”, according to the artist.
Diving Into MKE Early Hours: A Late-Night Afro House Journey
Despite being a relatively long release, Early Hours moves at a remarkably consistent pace, with most songs sitting around the 110–113 BPM mark. This gives the record a steady, unhurried pulse that suits its late-night Afro House setting.
Opener Too Late To Mend sets the tone, pairing the album’s Soulstep influences with a reflective mood, while Take Me As I Am (I’m Bad At Love) introduces one of its recurring themes: the complicated business of relationships. That idea continues through to One More Drink For Closure, while other track titles – the likes of The First Taxi Home, Corner Shop At Sunrise and Before The City Woke Up – create a little nocturnal world.
There is plenty of movement beneath the introspection as well. My Turn Too brings a more dancefloor-friendly character to the record, while When The Streets Get Loud and Shift Change sit within broader Afro Soul territory. Indeed, rather than treating the electronic influences here as purely functional, MKE uses Afro House grooves to carry the emotional weight of the songs, giving Early Hours meaning beyond surface level.
The closing Fear Of Failure provides a fitting end to the album’s journey. At just over four minutes, it is one of the album’s longest tracks, leaving plenty of room for its reflective atmosphere to linger.
Ultimately, with its Soulstep influences and late-night Afro House feel, Early Hours is an album about the accumulation of small, somewhat lonely moments – and all those thoughts that tend to arrive when there is nobody else around.
Where to Stream the MKE – Early Hours Album?
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