Kelman Duran
Born1984
La Ermita, Espaillat Province, Dominican Republic
Alma mater
Musical career
OriginNew York City, NY, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Producer
  • songwriter
  • composer
  • disc jockey
  • visual artist
LabelsSCORPIO RED [1]

Kelman Duran is a Dominican songwriter, producer, composer, disc jockey and multi-disciplinary artist, best known for his production and songwriting contributions to opening track "I'm That Girl" and "Heated" from Beyoncé's 2022 album Renaissance, as well as his scoring work on 2022 film Rodeo.[2][3][4]

Early life

Duran grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City in 1989,[5] residing there from the ages of 5 to 19.[6] He attended Harlem School of the Arts as well as Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts, graduating in the same class as rapper Nicki Minaj.[6][3] He then studied sociology at Binghamton University, before enrolling in film and experimental video at CalArts.[3]

Career

2017–2023: Debut projects, film scoring, and Renaissance

After attending CalArts, Duran moved to Los Angeles, where he became a fixture in RAIL UP[5], a series of recurring dance parties in the underground Afro-Caribbean night scene.[7] In 2017, Duran released debut project 1804 Kids, which is a reference to the Haitian Revolution and "dedicated to Afro-Caribbean sounds."[8] Duran was recognized as "an artist you need to know" by music publication Rolling Stone in January 2019, before releasing his second full-length project 13th Month, inspired by the Sioux calendar as well as time Duran spent on the Pine Ridge Reservation amid the Lakota Tribe making a long-form video piece To The North P.I & P.II about the lives of the Native Americans trapped on the reservations.[9][10] Pitchfork described the album as a juxtaposition between "the social plagues still haunting us" and a dance-floor "release".[10] Duran released his third full-length project Night In Tijuana in 2021, inspired by his migration to the United States in the 1980s, and is described as traversing "spiritual jazz, electronic, and ambient [sounds]".[3] Duran received permission from late Memphis artist Princess Loko's family, estate, and close friend Tommy Wright III to use her catalog of songs in his productions, sampling her song with Wright ("Still Pimpin") to create dembow and reggaeton-infused opening track "I'm That Girl" from Beyoncé's seventh album Renaissance in 2022. He also co-produced dancehall-fusion track "Heated".[3] Duran scored French film Rodeo, curating the soundtrack during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Berlin. He searched for music that elevated director Lola Quivoron's "portrait of suburban angst".[4] The Los Angeles Times described his work in the film as an "adrenalized soundscape".[11]

Discography

Studio albums

  • 1804 Kids (2017)
  • 13th Month (2019)
  • Night In Tijuana (2021)
  • Scorpio falling’ (tba)

Songwriting and production credits

Credits are courtesy of Spotify and Tidal.

Title Year Artist Album
"Phylum" (Kelman Duran Remix) 2019 Tristan Arp Suggested Forms
"I'm That Girl" 2022 Beyoncé Renaissance
"HEATED"
"Bacardi Papi" (with UTILITY) 2023 Vv Pete Non-album single

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 I Am Gangster Score Composer [12]
2016 To The North Director, Producer, Writer Filmed at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota [6]
2022 Rodeo Score Composer/Curated Soundtrack - film debuted at Cannes Film Festival[11] [13]

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Award Result Ref
2023 65th Annual Grammy Awards Album of the Year (Renaissance) Nominated [14]
Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album (Renaissance) A Won

Notes

A. A Winning producers in this category with less than a 50% album contribution are awarded with a Winner's Certificate.

References

  1. ↑ "Kelman Duran releases new album 'Night In Tijuana' on Scorpio Red". leguesswho.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ Lopez, Julyssa (August 10, 2022). "Kelman Duran Didn't Expect To Be Part of Beyoncé's 'Renaissance'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Gospel of Kelman Duran". Carhartt WIP USA. January 3, 2023. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Dominican experimental composer Kelman Duran selects five tracks, which inspired the score of 'Rodeo'". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  5. 1 2 ""It's Just Diaries:" An Interview With Kelman Duran". Passion of the Weiss. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Breaking Through: Kelman Duran · Feature ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ "These 19 Dembow Club Remixes Will Make Your Memorial Weekend". The FADER. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Listen To "Solos," An Urgent, Spiritual Reggaeton Edit By Kelman Duran". The FADER. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ Beta, Andy (January 24, 2019). "Kelman Duran Puts a Ghostly Spin on Reggaeton". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Kelman Duran: 13th Month". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Review: A marginalized woman's societal disconnect meets shock-edited naturalism in 'Rodeo'". Los Angeles Times. March 24, 2023. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  12. ↑ "'I Am Gangster': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. June 9, 2016. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  13. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (May 31, 2022). "'Rodeo' Review: Stealing and Popping Wheelies in a Life-Is-Doom Existential French Motocross Flick". Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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