Further exploring her sonic realm, the latest installment in her growing catalogue is a captivating four-track assemble – consisting of “Sgadi Li Mi” “Return to Nowhere”, “Ensemble”, and “What’s In The Past”. The extended play features a percussive profile reminiscent of her late 2019 Selected EP, switching out acid stabs for haunting hymns. The resulting work is a striking soundtrack that explores the raw contrast between desolate and hopeful, weft into the fabric of de Witte’s expanding sonic identity.
The release of Return to Nowhere fits perfectly in these uncertain times. De Witte shares in an exclusive interview with EARMILK, “I made the EP before the current COVID-19 crisis. After being inspired by recordings of age-old traditional chants. So, I never intended it to be a “Corona-record”. However, it did grow on me during this period of isolation.”
We are amidst quite the cultural crux of the modern anti-racism movement, with George Floyd’s murder lighting the match that’s started a fire that’s burning in the form of protests and positive change not just in the United States, but around the world. Charlotte de Witte confidently makes her stance on the matter known, “I think the current events have once again revealed that racism is rooted in our communities and industries,” she acknowledges. “We should not live in a world like this. We should not accept this. We should be more evolved; equality and respect should be self-evident.”
Dance music, definitively, is rooted in the creative works of people of color and Charlotte has historically supported the works of and at times collaborated with various black musicians. Black rapper Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden collaborated in 2009 on what was the first single off his fourth studio album Tongue n’ Cheek – “Bonkers“. In 2018, de Witte stated that his 12” vinyl was the first she ever purchased.
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