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Smoko Ono continues his hot streak with infectious new single ‘Keep It Moving’ feat. Knox Fortune, out now on Ultra.
Inspired by Chicago house and disco, the carefree ‘Keep It Moving’ combines funk-laden bass and airy synths with Knox Fortune’s delicately layered, shape-shifting vocals. “On the dance floor we forget / All the times that we regret”, sings Smoko’s Chicago-based collaborator in a blissful vocal over a driving disco stomp. The track has a summery lo-fi house feel guaranteed to uplift music fans this spring. A collaboration that is well overdue, this is the second time the Chi-Town pair have come together, in 2016 they co-produced KAMI & Vic Mensa’s ‘RIGHT NOW’.
Speaking about the collaboration, Knox Fortune says “Smoko and I met up at our mutual friend’s house in LA while both on a work trip. He had flown in from Chicago and was doing sessions with some dance producers and I was wrapping up my time out there working on my new music. The whole trip felt very serious and work focused so I wanted to do something more light and spontaneous. Smoko showed me the beat for keep it moving and we chopped it up and had Carter Lang play bass on it. I recorded a rough that day and brought it back to my studio in New York where I wound up finishing the vocals and music.”
Smoko Ono’s production is an integral part of the sound of contemporary Chicago hip-hop and dance music. His first release of the year, ‘Keep It Moving’ follows the 2022 singles ‘Pull Up’, the feel-good jam featuring British artist Samm Henshaw, and ‘Wraith’ with Chance the Rapper & VIC MENSA, which has hit nearly 12 million streams on Spotify.
His latest collaborator, Chicago-based R&B singer/songwriter and music producer Knox Fortune, is widely recognized for his affiliation with the hip-hop collective SaveMoney. He rose to fame after appearing as a feature on Chance the Rapper’s ‘All Night.’, and has since consolidated his stardom with two studio albums, 2017’s Paradise and 2020’s Stock Child Wonder.
The irresistibly catchy ‘Keep It Moving’ showcases the best of Chicago’s burgeoning talents, and continues to build on Smoko Ono’s stellar reputation as one of the city’s foremost musical innovators.
Follow Smoko Ono:
Instagram – Twitter – Spotify – Apple Music
Follow Knox Fortune:
Instagram – Twitter – YouTube – Spotify – Apple Music
