City Kay - Daystar (Remove Ya Sound/Musicast Distribution)

City Kay was founded in 2006 by Jay Pharaoh El-Kady, a Londoner of Egyptian descent, these days also active with French band Zenzile. El-Kady's Egyptian background also explains the scarab symbol on the cover of 'Daystar': the title of the album of course refers to the sun and in Egyptian mythology it was presumed the scarab god Khepri or Kheper propelled the sun across the earth just like the common dung beetles roll along their dung balls. Tracks like 'City Is A Jungle', 'Police' or 'Hometown' all deal with Jay's experiences in the British capital, but with 'Here Before', he opts for a dubby reggae version of the eponymous song by folk singer Vashti Bunyan and for cloing track 'Don't Wreck My Life' City Kay even invited veteran singer Cornel Campbell (the two last tracks already appeared as the A-side and B-side of a vinyl single). City Kay produces relaxing dubby reggae, but just as well draws inspiration from the work of artists like James Blake, Kendrick Lamar or Little Dragon. Absolute discovery!