It all came together during a beautiful November weekend in which my good friend Steve Deneen (AKA the Mellow Drum Addict) had put in place a meeting of the minds for the recording of the 2nd group LP he envisioned under the Live Percenters moniker (himself and Philly's I-Be4Evr comprimise the mainstays of this ever evolving group) with the 3rd member this time around being Session @ The PM's own Physical Graffiti, hailing out of North Bergen, NJ. Accompanying Physical for the trip to Lancaster was her comrad & soul-traveller (catch him when you can) brother Henry Quester. Both Physical & Brother Quest are down-to-earth folk with a deep (and ever growing) appreciation for life & the arts, which was evident after the initial daps & late night rap session around Steve's dining room table.
A 7inch record rotating at a cool 33rpms, Constellations is comprised of 4 songs, each contributing it's own flavor & as a whole giving off a sense of - dare I say it again - love. Love for the artform of Hip Hop (as well as music in general) & love for the people - on the corners, in the barbershops, record stores, punching the clock - wherever people may be who have a yearning for freedom, and know that gaining it means having respect & love for our communities and humanity as a whole. That's the vibe I get after meeting this pair and listening to the selfless project they have released.
The selflessness I speak of is evident by the release of the project on wax. In the year 2012, it isn't easy to drop a 7inch record (especially in regards to Hip Hop music. As 7inch releases are quite uncommon within our circles.) and to work it on the streets. The streets? Yes, the streets, which all too often fall victim to the same ol' monotone descriptions of illegal activity, yet never seem to acknowledge the constant growth and evolution within the minds of its writers, thinkers, creators, movers, shakers; those of whom continue a long standing tradition of stirring the pot at the bottom, where the flavor lies most concentrated in life. And it is here where brothers and sisters like Blu (Los Angeles), Physical Graffiti (North Bergen, NJ), Clear Soul Forces (Detroit), and Khaliq the Navigator (San Francisco) summon the energies which will lead us into new eras of expression - expression which is blossoming within the framework of a overly analytical society, yet comprised of the natural elements of life which have push us forward and never ceased to exist through time.
So that leaves us now at the music. I believe music speaks for itself. No need for me to wax poetically about the reasons why you, the listener, should be listening to this release, using all sorts of adjectives as if the music stood only as art for art's sake. But if I may digress ever so slightly, let me say this: the 4 songs on this project each are unique, individual presentations, which together, represent a well-rounded whole. Similar to the foundations laid down by master teachers such as Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Gene Ammons, each of whom used the tenor saxophone as their instrument of choice (each having distinct individual voices) to further enrich the musical landscape on which they stood, the artists who make up this release, represent the natural evolution of that lineage in Hip Hop form. I think it is also important to note that the lo-fi sound of each song serves not simply as an aesthetic like so many of today's contemporary performers employ, seeking to package their contrived artworks to an underground market just as over-saturated as any commercial avenues, but one easily gets the feeling that this is expression at it's core - creating with the tools at hand to set up a dialogue with you, the listener, communicating the spirit of freedom which runs through us all, whether we are conscious of it or not.
Each copy of the limited release - 300 copies worldwide - was handmade by Physical & Quester. That's love.
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| "Constellations" |
That's where it all begins: Henry Quester & Physical Graffiti - the minds & hands behind the Sessions at The PM brand and their latest 7inch EP release, Constellations.
Peace be unto YOU.
- Bruce Geter-Richards
Copies of "Constellations" are only $10 to purchase and your purchase will go towards making more projects like this & other community based artistic endeavors happen in the near future underneath the Sessions @ The PM banner.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
Khaliq The Navigator - Sunship
Clear Soul Forces - Strangers in The Night
Side B:
Physical Graffiti - Moments Spent
Blu - Mars
(For more information regarding the "Constellations" release, including purchasing a copy, or more info about Sessions @ The PM, contact sessionsatthepm@gmail.com. For any other inquiries contact Henry Quester at artjazzandtimetravel@gmail.com, or Physical Graffiti at physicalgraffiti9@gmail.com . Also, for further insight, I'd recommend checking out the youtube pages here and here)
...and as a lil' treat for reading this, here is Khaliq the Navigator's, "Sunship", produced by 4AM, included on the "Constellations" release...
1 comment:
Really well written. We are truly humbled. Thank you for your understanding.
-Physical
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