“I feel like we’re kind of in the middle of a musical renaissance in the East Bay right now,” mused Mirza Kopelman, percussionist of Oakland electro-soul band the Seshen. The seven-piece band has members spread out all over the East Bay, but “Oakland is where we cut our musical teeth,” Kopelman explained. “It’s where we had our first shows and our best shows. It’s just home.”

The Seshen is certainly giving its hometown something to talk about. The group mixes influences from hip-hop, pop, R&B, world, electronic and indie-rock music.

“It’s dance music with substance and interesting beats and melodies — not like the EDM vibe,” Kopelman said.

The poetic lyrics and sultry melodies from vocalists Lalin St. Juste and Akasha Orr are perfectly complemented by electronic textures and acoustic percussion. The result is the perfect nighttime dance concoction to sway your hips to.

Aki Ehara, bassist and producer, is heavily influenced by the likes of Little Dragon and James Blake, but he and Kopelman also love reggae. Other influences of different members of the band include funk, Stevie Wonder and Tori Amos, and all seven of the members are united by their love for hip-hop.

The eclectic group recently released Unravel Remixes, an EP of remixes of songs from its 2014 release, Unravel.

“It’s cool to hear your music being chopped up, or just completely turned upside down on its head and being changed into different genres,” Kopelman said.

The Seshen is also currently working on a full-length album due for release in 2016. Since the release of Unravel, the band has been playing tons of shows, including a spot on the lineup at South by Southwest in March.

“We’ve been in the studio, we’ve been on the road, we’ve been doing it all,” Kopelman declared.

The band members may be getting to play more shows outside Oakland as they move up the ladder in the music industry, but they’ll always love their hometown the most. In September, the Seshen is hosting a residency at Leo’s in Oakland called “Love, Oakland.”

According to Kopelman, “It’s kind of a love letter to Oakland or a love letter from Oakland.”

There are four evenings of the residency — each Tuesday of September — and each night, the Seshen will play alongside another Bay Area band.

“We’re just excited to be able to play on a weekly basis and play with other artists that we really love from the Bay Area and just have that good vibe that Oakland can provide,” Kopelman explained.

The Seshen is looking forward to letting loose with the crowd and having a blast in its favorite town. Come out for a night, and see what the hype is all about.

Contact Madeline Wells at [email protected].