May
25
Black Canvas are a pair of vocalists from Gloucester, working with their producer Chubby J (of Pressure Drop fame). They've got an album due to drop shortly on Tayo & Skool of Thought's Cool & Deadly label. I've been listening to it a bit lately and I'm gonna be a bit partisan and say now, I think it's great. It's dub/reggae really, but with a modern sound, and loads of influences from current sounds too. It's got a really positive kind of feel, but not in a cheesy way. I'm probably not describing it very well, but fortunately you can judge for yourself - I was pretty chuffed last week when Rider Shafique dropped over this 30 minute mix of album tracks, singles, remixes and so on, and I hassled him for a little interview to go with it. Check it out here...
... and keep your eyes peeled for the album which is due to drop in the next couple of weeks.
- So, you've got an album coming on Cool & Deadly, but what was your musical progression before this? How long have you been releasing stuff?Well, both myself and Mr Melody are from the same hometown of Gloucester. We were both doing our own things respectively, working with local producers on mainly reggae/hip hop based projects. Melody was introduced to Pressure Drop through another Gloucester resident Constantine Weir and began working with PD featuring on two of their albums 'Tread' and 'Elusive'. This started in 1998. Since then, I was introduced to the guys and we began working together as a live act touring all over Europe. We both have worked with many respected and talented producers like Adam Freeland, Black Grass, Alien Ent, Chase & Status - featuring on album tracks and single releases. So we have been around for a little while.- You say that the album was produced by Chubby J from Pressure Drop - can you explain how the writing process works? Do the three of you all sit down together, or is it more of a case of working to an existing beat?
When it came to tracks on the album we would all sit down and share ideas, samples and concepts together. Usually we would work up a rough beat with J and then write to that, bouncing off of each other’s ideas. Then when we had a rough vocal down we would leave J to do his magic and add the finishing touches. It was a long process as the studio is based in Brighton and we are in Gloucester, so there were lots of trips up and down the motorway but we'd be listening and building vibes on the journey and would be deciding what the tracks needed to make them complete. - Your lyrics are often spiritual, even tending towards the religious (as on the album track Psalm 23) - is this a deliberate attempt to go beyond the normal level of 'conscious style/ positive' stuff? Are you a religious person?
We are both from West Indian backgrounds, which in essence is quite religious. The 23rd Psalm is very influential and in West Indian households it is not uncommon to find Bibles left open on that particular psalm so we were just expressing and sharing part of our culture.
As far as my lyrics go they are a reflection of how I see things. I am not trying to force my idea's or views on anybody, but am rather trying to be true to myself. I am not trying to move with any current trend - it is just what comes naturally. I am not a saint but would say I'm a very thoughtful and spiritual person.
- This kind of content is not often found these days in urban music - it's not really as 'cool' as street references and so on. What's your take on the current state of affairs here?
To be honest there are not many UK lyricists that excite or inspire me. Whatever one chooses to cover lyrically it can be done intelligently. I believe we are all responsible for our own actions and as a lyricist I wouldn't want to mislead the youth with messages of ignorance or abuse my position. Ultimately the lyrical content is going to reflect the environment from which it is created and reality is that that the UK is changing, the youth are facing pressures not so common when I was growing up but that doesn’t make it right. He who knows better does better. It’s more important now to stand up for truth and rights than ever or so I believe.
- What are your influences outside of music?
Life in general - the good, the bad, ups and downs, it all inspires. - What's next for Black Canvas?
Well hopefully the album will receive the attention it deserves and we will be able to tour and share our sound with the world. We are working on a project with our friends Alien ENT in Austria at the moment and will hopefully start recording a new Black Canvas album. We both have solo projects in the pipeline and there are many features and collaborations that we are involved in ranging from dancehall, roots reggae, hip-hop and dubstep. So keep your eyes and ears open. ----
i.d.
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