Seth Dollar is a Syracuse, New York based artist who is striving to craft a unique brand of R&B. Atmospheric R&B fuses with commercial rap to create and craft his signature sound. He’s already received a warm welcome from his first singles and played notable support slots which include acts such as Earl Sweatshirt.
His latest single “University Village” is an irresistible offering. The backbone of the track is Seth Dollar’s softly-penned vocals that are soaked in chorus. Rhythmic and melodic, his lead vocal line is strengthened by divine backing vocals that creates a larger-than-life sound. Crisp synths pierce through the mix alongside a thudding bassline that is set to create an instant impact.
Discussing the release, Seth explains:
“Originally written to the melody of Alicia Keys’ Diary, I was inspired and also intrigued to try something familiar but also different for myself musically this go around; first hearing the song in 2004 and being a fan of the originality of it, in today’s time it was fun to harp on something I know from growing up, and finding a way to reintroduce a similar originality to a newer generation and audience who are discovering these moods, sounds, styles, flows and writings for the first time.
I wrote the song personally from my own experiences in school; having the freedom of living off-campus and the world of it in itself. Some of my first experiences with women I hold dear to my inspiration and process to this day. My coming of age story and era.
We recorded and mixed the majority of the song at my downtown apartment in Syracuse, NY this past March; there’s a mood brought along with the process. Red lighting. The city’s skyline right outside of my window. Candles and specific incense based on what I’m working on in sessions. Brother Maars, producer of the song, gave me the original demo of the instrumentation back in January after playing it thru headphones in the studio. Sometime in March, Nate Glyn, co producer, and I tried a good take to the demo and it almost didn’t see the light of day. It was Nate’s thought to pitch the tempo of the entire record down, and with a few additional tweaks, we have the song that is now available on all platforms.”