It’s quite likely that if you don’t recognise the name Pi’erre Bourne that you have still heard of him through his producer tag – “Yo Pi’erre, you wanna come out here?” – made famous from Playboi Carti’s 2017 hit ‘Magnolia’. He has been the main producer for Playboi Carti since then and deserves a lot of credit for their combined success because the beats are a massive part of their music’s appeal.

With Carti he’s created a radical sound with woozy video-game inspired synths and hypnotic melodies, contrasted by extremely mean sounding bass, which with the surreal vocals makes for twisted songs.

This has caught the attention of major artists and he has now produced for Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and more. Meanwhile, he also makes solo material, which he is currently performing on a tour of Europe, and he is stopping off in Leeds on the 18th February to play at Headrow House.

His own songs are slower and more tranquil, with a fair few ballads throughout his mixtape series ‘The Life of Pierre’, such as the song ‘Ballad’. Like with Playboi Carti’s music, the beats are the real highlight. They take the Nintendo-esque synth melodies in a dreamier direction and have the touch of nostalgia that old Zelda soundtracks give you.

Jim Clemoes

[Header image: Pitchfork]