CONTEXT Radio #21 with AYBEE | A Sampler, Drummachine, and a Sampler

Woke this morning, and I was thinking about what to play on the Radio show. In a brief second the thought came to just go in with my sampler + 1 record, and dive off the edge. So that’s what i did. Actually brought the Sampler, Circuit, and the KP3 and one Record… The rest as they say is history. Heads up this is RAW bizness… But well worth the effort. Hope you can take the ride, and as always Enjoy! – AYBEE

CONTEXT Radio past Shows >>

AYBEE | On Sun Ra, Improvisation , and the Musicians mission.

AYBEE sits down with esteemed Chicago-based music writer and curator John Corbett to explore the deeper meaning behind Sun Ra’s work and examine the roles that improvisation and experimentation serve in times of political and social upheaval. Corbett is well placed to discuss such issues, as he’s the acclaimed author of books such as Travelling The Spaceways: Sun Ra, The Astro Black And Other Solar Myths and A Listener’s Guide to Free Improvisation.

http://www.electronicbeats.net/aybee-john-corbett-conversation/

AYBEE | RA Podcast 550

In the mix for RA’s 550 Podacast | Interview here.

Tracklist /
San Juan Pueblo (Tewa) Butterfly Dance
Gael Segalen – Ascension
Billy Cobham – Inner Conflicts
DFLN – Signs
Captian P. – Escapism
Pied Plat – Ode To Ede
The Bazile Republic – Brotherhood Smoke
Damon Bell – Land Of Merowe
AYBEE – We Come In Peace
AYBEE – Man Over Machine
Walt J – Reborn 1 (DJ Qu’s Journey Towards Birth Remix)
Glenn Underground – Black Action
Roy Ayers – Holiday (Kenny Dope Rmx)
Jaco Pastorious – John and Mary
Ron Trent – Hooked On Your Love

[DBR-V030] AYBEE – THE ODYSSEY LP

AYBEE - THE ODYSSEY

Deepblak’s Chief Alchemist AYBEE will release his fourth full-length studio album, The Odyssey, in November 2016. As befitting its grand title, this newest long-player finds him concerned with personal journeys: both the personal one that has brought him to this point – living in Berlin, 15 years since founding Deepblak in his native Oakland – and the one that beckons for him personally and creatively in future: AYBEE sees himself as being halfway up a mountain, looking back on where he has come from, and to where he will be headed next – both concepts play a profound role in the emotional textures of the album, which in true Deepblak fashion draws from jazz, deep house, techno, hip hop, blues, experimentation, cinema, space, time and infinity.

The Odyssey represents a change-up for AYBEE in several ways, forged from a desire to keep expectations at bay and throw something of a curveball for those who felt they had him pegged: “a good pitcher always keeps you off balance”. This newest work saw him deliberately limit his sound palette in a creative exercise that challenged him to create a full body of work from a small pre-selected library of sonic elements. While this was restricting in some aspects, the approach to – as he puts it – “throw the ingredients in a basket and cook with it later” gave him more freedom to focus on atmosphere and groove instead of putting hours into trying out different options – “otherwise I’d still be in the studio now trying to work out which hi-hat to use on the third track!”

While the resulting collection of tracks, bound together in sounds used yet disparate in their applications of them, may represent a more accessible AYBEE album than those prior, it still contains within it the DNA of his work with Deepblak Rhythm Czar, Afrikan Sciences – most notably in their improvised, one-take album length Miles Davis homage ‘Sketches of Space‘. That 2014 LP was closely followed by another collaboration, with Jerome Sydenham and Ron Trent as S.A.T., released on the former’s Ibadan Records and pursuing a more techno-driven sound to the polyrhythmic jazz experimentation of ‘Sketches’. Elements of both styles can be found in The Odyssey, as it moves through tempos and styles, yet the approach he has taken regarding the sounds used ensures it will forever be a unique work in his discography – quite literally nothing in his work before or since will sound like this record.

The Odyssey’s artwork is by the artist Grzegorz Redko (www.grzegorzredko.com), whose animations of the cover art will be released online ahead of the album release, lending another dimension to AYBEE’s latest statement of artistic intent, with many more still to come as he keeps climbing that mountain.

AYBEE – Man Over Machine from Deepblak on Vimeo.

A MESSAGE | A Film by AYBEE

AYBEE has unveiled his second short film, ‘A Message’ – the follow-up to his directorial debut, ‘The Gift’, which premiered at Washington DC’s Forward electronic creative culture & new media festival in 2015 and featured appearances by Levon Vincent, Fred P and Christopher Rau.

As with the prior film, ‘A Message’ is directed and scored by the Deepblak boss himself. The nine minute dialogue-free film was shot in a mysterious Berlin location unknown to the general population. A track from the Oakland producer’s forthcoming LP, set for release in Fall 2016, is featured on the soundtrack.

‘A Message’ is dedicated to the memory of Derrick Curtis aka Dreams From Last Night, the North Carolina-based Deepblak artist who passed away in July 2016.

“The film was originally supposed to be a lead into an upcoming project, but with the sudden passing of DFLN during post production I decided to make it a dedication to him. The film involves an encounter with a gatekeeper to the other “side” in the hopes of delivering a message.” – AYBEE

A Message | A Film by AYBEE from Deepblak on Vimeo.

DFLN aka Derrick Curtis (Remembering)

Derrick Curtis DFLN

I did not want to have to write this… We should never want to write these type of things. Because in writing I felt that somehow i was letting go, and that is something I am not prepared to do.

A little more than 48hrs ago i was laughing at Derrick. Last week we had a conversation about the Roland TR8. He wanted one. I told him the thing was garbage, but he was not listening. He was like “man I am looking at these KINK videos and he’s killing it!” I was telling him yo man that’s KINK he can make a shoe-box sound good, but the TR8 is hot garbage don’t do it. You know he went and did it… 🙂

So the night before last he hits me up like “ yo man…you were right that thing is a toy!” I was like why you don’t listen to your boy tho?? What am i gonna lie to you for?? 🙂 He said he took it back. It was a normal, funny, and innocent as any other convo we had, and just like that he was gone.

There are too many waves of emotions that hit you when u go thru something like this, but disbelief is the one that is dominant. Many of you were just getting to know what we in the Deepblak circles have known for a while. That Derrick Curtis was special. When i met Derrick i had heard his music via short doc on a visual artist named Joshua Mays who at the time was living in my hometown of Oakland. The doc said music by Deflon. Upon searching his music up i was floored. It turned out he was also good friends with Maf Maddix (Bro. Aten) who was friends with Afrikan Sciences. When i got to know him he was a really really shy, and extremely humble guy. A stark contrast for someone whose music had an explosive nature to it. But i knew instantly he had “it”…he had that “thing”. His sonic world was beautiful. Full of color, depth, and narrative. Listening to his stuff was a cinematic experience.

At the time he was doing a lot of beat driven music in the LA Beat scene mode. I told him i would love to hear what his uptempo stuff sounded like. So he cooked somethings and sent them. I will never forget myself and Eric (Afrikan Sciences) sitting in Berlin listening to a batch of joints he sent over just shaking our heads. We knew….you could hear it. We knew he was going to have an impact. His melodies, his arrangement, his sense of rhythm, his production, his synth handle, his chops on the keys, it was evident. It was such an inspiration for us. And what made it particularly potent is that he was in North Carolina situated light years from any type of scene, or hype around the type of music he was creating. He was the new kid that we knew was gonna take this further than we ever could. It was the beginning of a new chapter. And that is what makes this so hard to bare. I feel as though i have witnessed a rocket taken from the launch pad before it ever took off.

I was pitching him on coming out to Berlin for a minute kick-it with Eric and myself as he was gearing up to start performing LIVE. He always had so many questions in particular about Ableton. Much of it way over my head. I would always be like man ”you need to hit Eric with that he’s the guru”. So i thought the best thing would be hands on. If we spent a few weeks in the lab together we could all collectively work it out right there. I was really looking forward to that…

But the Creator has a Masterplan…

I do not question that which is greater than myself…but i hurt in my selfishness of wanting him to remain here…

I will miss him. I will miss our convos/skypes… and most important i will miss his creations, and the joy they brought me…

He was such a humble un-assuming soul. He was limitless in my eyes, and maybe that’s why he has moved on…

Maybe his gifts are needed for greater works on higher planes…

I wanted to wake up this morning only to believe that this was indeed a “Dream From Last Nite” but it was not. Its hard to type this. I can only be grateful for crossing his path… i can only be grateful for the time i was granted with him. His journey continues… and so does his music. I will always look up to the star filled night sky, and hope that in the stillness of the moment i can hear you out there.

Safe Travels Brother

Love Respect and Power

AYBEE

SHADES of TOMORROW- DEFLON from Marquis Bradshaw on Vimeo.

[DBR-V028] AYBEE – The Heart Of The Sun (Single Sided 12″)

AYBEE issues this single sided excursion into the depths of late night madness. Built around a monstrous bassline “The Heart OF The Sun” builds slowly into a marriage of groove and ethereal sentiment. A prized possession in AYBEE’s late night arsenal over the last months it finally makes it’s way to vinyl as a special single sided release.

AYBEE - The Heart Of The Sun

[DBR-V006] AFRIKAN SCIENCES – Means and Ways 2xLP (Reissue)

Afrikan Sciences

Afrikan Sciences universally celebrated 1st LP “Means and Ways” gets a 2xLP reboot.

[DBR-V027] DFLN – The Way I Feel EP

DFLN - The Way I Feel EP

The multi-talented North Carolina native Derrick Curtis known as DFLN (Dreams From Last Night) makes his debut on Deepblak. Brought to our attention a few years back DFLN has been a consistent source of inspiration with the freshness of his perspective, and sonic tapestry. Isolated from club/dance culture in N.C. lends to an authenticity of his voice. Isolation let’s DFLN’s music emanate from a truly special place. Leaning away from sampling DFLN chooses to play out his music from scratch. This coupled with an unworldly sense of rhythm has yielded some of the freshest music we have heard of late. “The Way I Feel” EP is an enchanting walk through moods, and swing. It is unchained, fluid, and free. It is what we encourage here at Deepblak. Leaps… We hope you enjoy as much as we do presenting.

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