Release : Speakers Corner Quartet - Further Back Than The Beginning
Artist : Speakers Corner Quartet
Album : Further Back Than The Beginning
Genre : Acid Jazz
Source : Retail Vinyl
Label : Lanquidity Records
Cat. Number : LQ001
URL : http://www.myspace.com/speakerscornerquartet
Street Date : 2009-09-00
Rip Date : 2009-09-23
Encoder : LAME3.97 / -V2 --vbr-new
Quality : 187kbps 44100Hz Joint Stereo
Tracks : 5
Time : 21:14 min
Size : 29.93 MB
A1 Angkor Vat 6:22
A2 Simply Put... 3:49
B1 Chichen Itza 5:05
B2 King 2:38
B3 9/8 3:20
Bass: Tom Yardley
Cello: Kahlil Hicks
Drums: Kwake
Flute: Biscuit
PAST
Speakers corner quartet started as the house band at the infamous hip
hop/spoken word open mic night ôspeakersÆ cornerö in Brixton, London. In
the beginning the prerequisite of the quartet was to deliver beats to
emcees/lyricists at the all night open mic sessions. Imperceptibly the
quartet started writing their autochthonous compositions. It was
instantaneously envisaged that the quartet had an extended aptitude that
transcended backing lyricists. The anomalous line-up (cello, flute,
contrabass and drums) required an aberrant approach to composition, using
single lines en masse to create chord structures, rather than utilizing a
committed harmony instrument. With influences from Zakir Hussain, Olivier
Messiaen, Sun Ra, MF Doom to name but a few, the unique sound of the
Speakers Corner Quartet is almost impossible to pigeon-hole. An amalgam of
Asian-classical-jazz-hiphop, this is true mulatto music.
PRESENT
Further back than the beginning is the incipient E.P from the Speakers
Corner Quartet. This E.P is the anterior project for the quartet, a
precursor to the album for prospective release later in the year. The
product was recorded and mixed by Ahmad Dayes and Jesal Padia in a
contemporary home grown savoir-faire and elucidates the philosophy of the
quartet and 12tone C.I.C. ôAngkor vatö setÆs the scene, composed in 5/4 it
is a true east and west fusion, with rotund grooves it moves with
omnipotence, the cello creates a foundation for the affecting flute to work
over, the bass then brings solidity to the composition. ôChichen itzaö is
another amalgamation the world over with echoes deep in Asia, there is a
certain hip hop feel to the groove despite being in 7/8. ôKingö is the
hiatus of the E.P a welcome break from the two previous hard hitters, King
grows from the beginning to the end dynamically, a nice half way point to
the album. ô9/8ö is j dilla influenced Saharan swinger in the time
signature of 9/8, after the initial hip hop groove it drops into a ride
groove with an expeditious descending flute line, the composition then
breaks down into a chord based breakdown which finally mushrooms into a
solo frenzy at the end. ôSimply putö was originally written to support the
legendary ôHerbie Hancockö at the royal festival hall, one of the most
distinguished venues in the capital, a highly melodic piece with strong
concept, a palpitating rhythm section breakdown, which then flows into
another ebullient solo section, the track was fundamentally composed around
a ôHerbie Hancockö sample which was then abandoned for copyright purposes,
although the name of the piece came from this sample ôSimply Putö. This E.P
is a taster of things to come, the genesis of something astronomical.
FUTURE:
This ensemble is playing music to help people. Music is a public service
and they are firm believers in the mental, physical and spiritual power of
the idiom. The main aim of the quartet is to relay truth, wisdom and energy
to the listener and allow inspiration to flower. SpeakersÆ Corner Quartet
trusts that through expression, universal transcendence can and will take
place.
Enjoy !