“Premonition” (1989) is a dance pop song, incorporating aspects of hip hop and jazz funk. It was recorded late at night in demo fashion, and included on my DIY album Nerve. The lyrics consist mostly of cliched phrases, satirizing the end-times though giving way to an urgent chorus. The instrumental track was created entirely on a… Continue reading 1989+33 Premonition
Category: Vocal
1989+33 Void
“Void” (1989) is an art pop song from my student days. One of my weirder, nerdier numbers, in it I still sought to be groove-based. It was recorded quickly along with other songs in a late night session, and included on my DIY album Sleepdancing. “Void” posed an existential question that required a complex musical answer.… Continue reading 1989+33 Void
1991+30 Indigo Pool
“Indigo Pool” is the first song from my 1991 DIY cassette album ōo, in my lo-fi, high-concept early period. The song was composed as it was recorded, layer by layer, beginning with the rhythmic pattern in 11/8 played on two empty plastic water cooler bottles anchored by an abandoned ride cymbal I found in the… Continue reading 1991+30 Indigo Pool
95/25: Uhuru
Uhuru is a self-released album which was completed during the winter of 1995 and released in the fall. I had originally hoped to release it on CD but was unable to secure sufficient funds, so it arrived in a run of 100 cassettes. The program was over 70 minutes long, comprising mainly songs and instrumentals… Continue reading 95/25: Uhuru
90/30: Eccentricities
Eccentricities is a six-song, self-released cassette EP which emerged in the fall of 1990. I recall having 100 copies made and being satisfied with that level of dispersion; it was all I could afford in any case. In honour of the 30th anniversary, I present two of the songs here (with a third linked below).… Continue reading 90/30: Eccentricities
5 Questions to Anaïs Maviel
My interview for I Care If You Listen.
Twenty Tens
As a farewell to the decade when music collections and manual selection became niche, here’s an old-fashioned segue mix. Ìfé | Bangah (Pico y Palo) Georgia Anne Muldrow | Overload Ibeyi | River D’Angelo and The Vanguard | Really Love King | Red Eye Thundercat | Them Changes Erykah Badu | Gone Baby, Don’t Be… Continue reading Twenty Tens
1997+20: WhISH
Below are excerpts from the thirty-minute score for WhISH, an interdisciplinary fairy tale performed by Liminal Gryphon Theatre (director Derek Mohamed, choreographer Tracy Renee Stafford). WhISH premiered in February 1997 as part of the Rhubarb! Festival at Buddies in Bad Times in Toronto. The score was also released on cassette. WhISH was an image and… Continue reading 1997+20: WhISH
EL MAHBOOB 