Rafeelya – Tek Your Position – Review

March 4, 2024

Rafeelya: Tek Your Position Single Review by Mr Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

Boston-born, UK-based songstress Rafeelya has been paying her dues for a while, now – after winning 2017’s Reggae’s Got Talent. Now, she’s back with another stellar cut.

Tek Your Position, released via Sir Coxsone Outernational, sees Culture B from legendary sound system Kings Hi-Fi take the executive production lead, while Vinney Satta produces and mixes. The 7” vinyl is now available in the Pauzeradio shop. It’s a great team that’s assembled here, and Tek Your Position is s storming, brooding piece of Roots.

The track is an interesting mix of Roots Reggae with elements of Steppers. The stark horn-led opening almost feels sombre, like a funeral march – before the track quickly slips into something rich and rounded albeit in a melancholy minor key. The rhythm section is central here. The bass is deep and vibrant, not missing a beat as it winds around a complex melody with a rounded tone. Drums perform a rapid-fire beat, with the kick doing a Steppers-style four-to-the-floor while hi-hats rapidly run and the snare hits the two and four. Bongos patter away in the background, bringing added momentum to the track. Keys perform the obligatory bubble rhythm without deviation, although on the verses they drop away, which creates a feeling of stark space before the complex chorus kicks in. Overall, the whole rhythm section is forward-moving and relentless.

On top of this are the glorious horns. They run pleasing lines that weave around Rafeelya’s main vocal line – alternating between more legato lines and staccato runs that jut in and out. They are forthright and add to the feeling of movement. A guitar occasionally joins the fray with riffs – and the inclusion of what sounds like a dampened electric organ (or is it a synth theremin? G-Funk whistle?) is a nice touch, as it runs an evocative melody across the chorus, while skipping in and out occasionally at other points. The drops of synths and samples – like a slide whistle – is great, and overall Tek Your Position’s musical backdrop is pleasing and inventive.

Rafeelya is a superb vocalist – sitting with the melodic and performative sensibilities of a Soul singer but with all the rhythmic flow of a Reggae artist. She sits comfortably in a mezzo soprano range, with the timbre of that voice too – rich, rounded but not shrill. There’s a pleasing resonance to her vocal – it being clear when needed, but with elements of raspiness for effect. She is pitch perfect, hitting every note on the head as well as doing some impressive tonal jumps. Rafeelya delivers controlled runs; improvises well on occasion and makes good use of dynamic light and shade. Lyrically, her narrative about how the world is shifting from Babylon’s control to (hopefully) ours – via absolute chaos and destruction – and therefore we all must ‘take our positions’ either on the side of good or the side of evil, is strong and well-executed.

Side B comes with a Dub version of Tek your Position: a nicely done reimagining which strips the track back to its component parts at points, while employing decent use of reverb across many of the instrumental lines as well as Rafeelya’s vocals – creating an additional layer of brooding and foreboding on top of the original.

Overall, Tek Your Position is a great cut. Satta’s production is top notch, the track is very well composed and intricate, and Rafeelya shows she is a highly skilled artist who is engaging and gifted. A great track for anyone’s collection.