Hey, St. Olaf, do you enjoy listening to music while studying? Maybe that YouTube channel that streams 24/7 Lo-Fi Hip Hop beats to help yourself concentrate? Or do you enjoy songs with an electro-future synth/EDM sound? Well if those two genres had a baby, that baby would be the mostly-unknown artist Mokita.
Currently a DJ and musician based in Nashville and part of Armada Music, Mokita began his career as a trained pianist, playing for churches and eventually learning guitar. He later evolved, developing a new style after moving to Nashville in 2015.
Even if you have heard of Mokita already – good for you, if you have – it bothers me personally that more people haven’t heard of him.
Along the lines of social media, his numbers of fans and followers are a bit low. His official Instagram only has 7,000 followers, his Facebook page has fewer than 3,000 likes and his Twitter has fewer than 1,000 followers. However, his numbers on Spotify are a bit better, having over 600,000 monthly listeners. Mokita’s songs like “Monopoly,” “Heaven,” and “Love Alone,” on the other hand, have tens of millions of streams.
He also creates remixes of his own songs, covers of other artists’ songs and remixes of his own songs created by other artists.
Mokita focuses heavily on the genre of dance music, but the label “dance” doesn’t begin to describe the unique sound he creates. His songs largely consist of deep drums and beats, along electronic and synthesized cascades, with the occasional incorporation of a piano, that create an entire world for your ears.
I know that sounds a little out there, but let me explain.
Take my favorite song of his, “Heaven” and I’ll break it down for you.
The song begins by immediately establishing the main melody motif of the piece.
When we get to the very first verse, we hear Mokita’s light and soothing voice. That’s right, Mokita is a DJ who creates his own songs and sings for them as well. The song builds and drums erupt, along with the return of the melody motif. At the same time, Mokita’s pieces create an exhilarating and calming sensation that is pretty hard to find in other music.
So you’re probably thinking by this point, “We get it Benny, you really like Mokita. Why should I care?”
I admit, that’s a good point. But think about how exciting it is to find a new artist and give their songs a try. New music your ears haven’t heard yet, new sensations and sounds to affect you in ways you couldn’t feel before.
Personally, the idea of a new artist with a unique sound is something to be very excited about. That’s why I wrote this article to tell you about an artist who isn’t as mainstream as everyone else. I’m certainly not going to write an entire article on why you should listen to some dumb mumble rapper or some screamo rock band. Why would I recommend an artist that sounds like everyone else when I could recommend Mokita? So give him a try. Heaven is a lonely place, but a great artist never deserves to go unrecognized.
Follow Mokita on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (@thisismokita) and on Spotify (Mokita).
