TALKING WITH ARTISTS BRIDGE TV INTERVIEW: Contour at Pitchfork 2023
Photo by Matt Lief Anderson.
Talking With Artists is a new original series produced for Bridge TV, hosting discussions with artists in all disciplines. Most episodes of the current season of the series are currently available for viewing now in the Bridge Video collection (subscription required). New episodes are added throughout each season.
TALKING WITH ARTISTS
BRIDGE TV INTERVIEW By Efua Osei
Khari “Contour” Lucas is a multi-genre, multi-media artist hailing from Charleston, South Carolina. I started listening to him around the time the 2023 Pitchfork Fest lineup was announced. From my first listen, it was clear his name alone represented his artistic essence completely. The word contour itself is defined by shapes, lines and space and how movement changes those forms. To contour something is to add dimension, and that idea translates into Khari’s music. Inspired by the way song waveforms resemble a contour map, Contour took the name as his own. He forms beautiful soundscapes like a sculptor shapes a bust, like a painter creates a portrait.
Khari first started producing back in 2013, taking on the name Contour around 2015. He started in the electronic space, becoming more hip hop centered along the way. He is meticulous about sound and presentation, and has intention behind every note, lyric, or film sample. Repossess, one of my favorite videos of his, displays his passion for cinematography. I loved the grayscale aesthetic coupled with the Love Jones tone I felt in Contour and Semiratruth’s performances. He visually pulls inspiration from the L.A. Rebellion film movement to the creators of Black Audio Film Collective, as well as the sounds of 70’s psychedelic to Brazilian and African jazz. While his aesthetic has been uniquely tailored by him, he pulls from a lineage of black and brown artists and pays homage to their exceptional work.
BRIDGE MUSIC EDITOR EFUA OSEI’S CONTOUR DISCOVERY PLAYLIST:
ON SOUNDCLOUD
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