Kam DeLa is a name you might have seen if you scan the credits to any number of hot, genre-defying pop projects that have come out of the local scene in recent years. His resume of collaborators includes Ivy Sole, Mir Fontaine, Frankie Hill, and Dom B. But this whole time, the Cherry Hill, New Jersey producer and soundscaper has been developing a songwriting voice of his own.
Kam’s 2021 debut Food At Home was dreamy and reflective, a lush tapestry of notes and atmospheres that soundtracks songs about doing the work within yourself to find love and companionship of the long-term, sustainable type. His latest, The Midnight Snack, is the high-octane flipside to that project: it lives in the id, the impulse zone, moreso than the superego of its predecessor. It’s music about the heat and flash of desire; it’s the text at 1:10 a.m. reading “U Up?”; it’s, in the culinary sense, a visit to the halal truck on Girard Avenue after the dance party at The Saint lets out. In short, Kam DeLa’s latest is about bluntly responding to lust by chasing something temporary, and along the way, it tries to reflect on the impact that hookup culture has on one’s psyche.
In this week’s Key Studio Session, Kam DeLa sits down with our Abdur Rahman to talk about the project’s themes, about how he draws inspiration from Pharrell and The Neptunes (you hear this especially in bombastic funk of the set-closing rager “Saké”), about how being a discerning creator makes him a good collaborator, and about what anime character best fits the vibe of this EP. Kam also plays live with his band: Mark Menk on guitar, Brandon Bradley Pockets on drums, and DJ John Jukebox. Watch the full performance below, and celebrate the release of The Midnight Snack on Thursday, August 8th at MilkBoy with Rae. Diaz and Ania Hoo. Tickets and information on that show can be found at the WXPN Concert Calendar.