Words by Jesse Serwer—
De Tropix, a collaborative project between DJ/producer/vocalist Damon Bowen (a/k/a Instinct) and vocalist Cherry B (hype chick/backup singer/choreographer for M.I.A.) caught our attention three years ago with their scorching, dancehall-inflected U.K. club banger “Adeyhey.” While the duo dropped a few more brap-worthy tunes we loved just as much, as quickly as they had seduced our ears, the Anglo-Vincy duo (Cherry B hails from St. Vincent, while Damon is a U.K. native of Vincy extraction) disappeared back into the ether.
After a two-year hiatus, Damon and Cherry have reconvened De Tropix for a new five-song EP, The Skyward, that takes their sound in a moodier, more expansive direction while still retaining the dancehall- and soca-fied undercurrents that grabbed us the first time around. Stream the EP exclusively here on LargeUp, and look for our exclusive interview with De Tropix coming up.