Ade’s debut album ‘Midnight Pizza’ will bless your ears and make your mouths drool

Every slice of Ade’s brand-new album ‘Midnight Pizza’ hits different, starting from ‘Another Weekend’ synthesized funky-disco beats to the 90’s hip-hop nostalgic ‘Havin’ Fun with Pharaoh’ opening bars. 

Along with ‘The City’ these three singles were pre-streamed a few weeks before the album release on Fri 23 April, blowing out the Internet. Produced, mixed (and baked) by New York-based artist Ade, ‘Midnight Pizza’ is zested with additional toppings and reorchestrations from yMusic’s sextet members CJ Camerieri and Alex Sopp (arrangers for Bon Iver and the legendary Paul Simon too).  

Drafted over the past 5 years, each note in Ade's debut album shouts out the contradictions from the liquid and chaotic modern era faced by the millennials. Ade's music perfectly fits in the uninterrupted stream of the so-called remixed culture. That doesn't mean his tracks aren't original, but the exact opposite. 

Today, the hardest part of being a musician is to redesign an old or contemporary jingle that triggered their creativity and put it in their narrative. To that, 'Midnight Pizza' is an intimate and captivating layered reinterpretation of Dr. John's groovy basslines along with the R&B flows from Back Street Boys, Dr. Dre, and Gorillaz.  

‘The City’ builds a floating atmosphere reflecting the stuck-in-the-middle feeling of wanting to be a cooler version of yourself, yet not knowing where to begin. Like a Domino’s ExtravaganZZa pizza, it's the perfect tune for those who simply cannot decide what to order (or to do next). ‘In the Alley’ kicks skepticism away as the spicy and exotic combination of flavors in Domino’s Buffalo Chicken pizza. 

Ade condensed all his good vibes in these 60 seconds, giving us the anthem to march towards glory. It’s morning again, and the monsters from your nightmares are gone. Your coffee tastes like self-acceptance and ‘Happy Birthday’ by Ade is playing on Spotify. Its chords are sugary and savory at the same time, just like a Hawaiian pizza. Plus, this song hides the sweetest story of all. 

“The cassette sample I used at the beginning is actually my parents trying to secretly record 3-years-old-me singing Jump Study by Dr. John”, explained Ade about the strange conversation at the beginning of ‘Happy Birthday’¹. And if you’re willing for some high-quality throwbacks of the good ol’ The Muppets Show, you just have to watch its official video on YouTube. 

Are you craving new music by Ade yet? 

Martina Bovetta 

@lulinabulina 

Image: Official album artwork