AQUTIE Opens Her New Label PELE PELE With “Obey The Drum”

AQUTIE has launched PELE PELE, a new independent label and culture platform built around rhythm, heat, and release. Its first drop is “Obey The Drum,” a tense, percussive club cut featuring Tenesha The Wordsmith.

The name comes from the Zulu word for “chili pepper,” which tells you plenty. This is music with spice in its teeth, here to make you sweat and shake. PELE PELE is not being framed as just another label rollout. AQUTIE is building it as a place for records, parties, and artists who want to move outside the usual lanes. “Obey The Drum” makes a strong first statement. The percussion leads, the groove stays locked with attitude, and Tenesha The Wordsmith cuts through with a voice that gives the track its charge. Listen below.

Speaking on the project, AQUTIE says:

PELE PELE started as a way to express myself without limitations while offering that same space to others. PELE PELE is the sound of freedom through self-expression and represents those who feel misunderstood. It’s about creating a community with the people who want to feel the energy, the music, and experience that together.

Obey the Drum explores power, movement, and self-expression through the bold perspective via spoken word by Tenesha the Wordsmith. The record redefines femininity, strength, and liberation, revealing a powerful dialogue between music, body, and identity.

Raised between Harlem and South Africa, AQUTIE’s sound has always pulled from both ends: African-rooted rhythm, New York club instincts, Afro house, gqom, amapiano, deep tech, soul, disco, and beyond. 

PELE PELE makes its live debut at We Belong Here Festival in Brooklyn on June 19, with AQUTIE, ZAINAB, Dennis Free, and Kevin Aviance taking over the stage. Learn more here.

AQUTIE's single "Obey The Drum" is out now via PELE PELE.

Get it on Beatport.