Blog - The Movement Fam, Independent Hip Hop Record Label - Toronto + Montréal
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EP
Positioned as the beginning of the "Notion Island" series, which will see Notion team up with one producer for a full-length project, this first volume puts Notion and Toronto-based up-and-comer Egward in the lab to create a soulful, introspective yet head noddin' piece of work.
Today, Thursday November 8th, is Notion's born day and we're kicking off with the first visual from his new project with Toronto-based producer Egward. "Notion Island Vol. 1" is a soulful journey through the last 18 months since Notion's debut album "Heart On My Sleeve", and this first visual acts more as a teaser than a full length video.
This EP marks a return to form for the Aussie MC/entrepreneur, as he explores both the dark and light elements of his psyche - from the uplifting title track to the dedication to his lady on "KeepMyBabyWarrrm", from reflections on his 420 enthusiasm on "UsedToBeHiiigh" to exploring the gender injustices on "MansWorrrld" with Montreal legend D-Shade, from celebrating life on "LoveLoveYalll" with brother Notion to a deeply introspective moment on "AmaliiiaRodrigues". SVNTY6's moving production is steeped in soul samples and is most certainly some of his best work to date, ranging from hopeful and optimistic to melancholy and reflective.
The second single from Cee and SVNTY6's collaborative EP, "Be Better", samples Ms. Rodrigues' classic "O Xaile de Minha Mãe", a song Cee discovered a decade back during Spanish lessons. He had sent the song to around ten different producers over the years, and only SVNTY6 had been able to flip it right.
Two years ago today, Cee and Dr. MaD released their debut collaborative EP 'Steps To The Peak'. Alaiz x The Movement Fam. This was the first proper EP either artist had dropped; Cee had given us a bunch of mixtapes and some loosies as a solo artist in the past few years, while MaD had dropped a ton of singles and digital-only EPs.
Ahhh yeah. The homie Clarity just dropped his brand new EP 'Good Days, Bad Days' and the project features 'Dreams', with Cee, the fam Tragic (of Philly Moves) with cuts from Uncle Fester (of The Extremities). Check it out!
Notion has been a busy man in 2014 - dropping videos for singles 'Young & Crazy' and 'Lift Up (Remix)', and featuring in the visual for Cee & Dr. MaD's 'Another Day' (original and the Fresh Kils Remix); mixing, mastering and featuring on Cee's internationally charting debut album 'This Is All I Know'; hitting up three Canadian tours (The Golden Tour with Relic, Ghettosocks & Fresh Kils; The Palmer Squares debut Canadian Tour; The Bodega Brovas debut Canadian Tour); and opening for heavy hitters like Jeru Tha Damaja, Hilltop Hoods and Black Milk. However, he's been relatively quiet on the new music tip since dropping his debut EP 'Pride On My Cufflinks' back in December 2013.
On September 13th 2013, Cee teamed up with Montreal based producer/DJ Dr. MaD to release their debut collaborative EP (and the first official EP either artist had dropped), 'Steps To The Peak' - an 8 track love letter to the 514. Seeing as we're about to celebrate the first birthday of the project, we figured there's no better time to launch the Deluxe Edition.
'Pride On My Cufflinks' is a milestone in the now 30 year old MC's career. The EP showcases both Notion's lyrical prowess and his production skills, all the while soaking up his rollercoaster ride experience of leaving his life in Australia and moving to Canada to pursue his music. The often dark yet sparse soundscapes make way for his potent, thought provoking narratives, garnished with equal parts optimism and concern for the future. Production comes courtesy of the USA's Remot (Kidz In The Hall, K-Os), Hungary's Diaz & Sima, Sydney's P.R and of course, Notion handles the vast majority of the work. The guestlist is as international as Notion himself; Ohio's Copywrite, Southern California's Gravity Christ, Australia's NeeQ, Toronto's iLLvibe and B3auu, the legendary DJ Grouch, and Notion's older brother Cee. This project is the perfect appetizer before Notion drops his debut LP, 'Heart On My Sleeve Music', in summer 2014.
This project is an eight track love letter to the city of Montreal. It was entirely written, produced, recorded, shot and designed in the 514, with the exception of Notion's mixing and mastering in Toronto (he's part of The Movement Fam so it's cool). Dr. MaD's production is enveloped in the art of sampling, with old Soul and Jazz tunes brought to life by his deft chops, dipping them in Hip Hop on the way out. Cee used this sonic landscape to tell real life stories about his experiences in Canada - leaving his home country of Australia to pursue a dream in the great wide north, the tumultuous move to Montreal, dealings with immigration, and his regular battles with fear, doubt and negative energy. Ultimately, it's a story of two artists connecting through the love of music in order to express their 'amour' for the city, the country and the culture of Hip Hop.
"The Movement Fam's Notion (Toronto) and Cee (Montreal) teamed with Heavy Aux Records' Toronto native iLLvibe for a fresh, fun summer jam over one of Notion's productions; as the tangible chemistry between the three MCs became more evident, what began as a simple collaboration had now spawned something much larger and more exciting.
The homie Citizen of The Understudies out in the Bay Area, California, hollered at Cee to jump on his latest single 'Ghosttown' produced by Digital Martyrs, which also features Kensho Kuma and Cyberclops of CandleSpit. Go 'head and cop the 3 track EP from iTunes!
First up, from the whole Movement Fam across the world, we hope everyone had a great Christmas, copped stacks of pressies and stuffed their faces. So to go with the occasion, the homie Theo3 is about to drop yet another project, this one with Phat Tony and it's called Yung Santa. The fellas will be dropping an EP this month...check the trailer and info after the jump.
Happy Holidays yall! The work never ceases and the YUNG SANTA EP is ready for a late December 2010 release in support of the Beatz to da Streetz music program out of Toronto. (www.b2ds.ca) 6 original songs of pure goodness mixed by Toronto mainstay Scam of Time Bandits music. Phat Tony and Theo3 spontaneously created this jam packed cache of fresh songs in just 2 weeks time with a goal of limitless creativity, social awareness and good vibes. Take it in, spread the link and come along for the ride!
Anyone who has frequented Brunswick St in the past year or two would have almost certainly noticed a poster or scribble on a chalkboard about Simon Wright and/or The Eclective. We were lucky enough to open for the boys at the Evelyn Hotel last year, and the whole band are great guys and very talented musicians.
After travelling up and down the east coast of Australia touring, the boys managed to get in the studio and bang out their debut EP. This coming Monday 2nd November (Cup Day Eve) will see Simon and the band launch their EP at the Evelyn (351 Brunswick St, Fitzroy), so if you're in Melbourne, get on down!
Simon managed to slip me a couple joints from the upcoming EP, the smooth 'You Don't Know' (which I'd heard before in the live format) and the laidback, jazzy 'Holding On'. Really hanging to hear the EP in full, so I managed to catch up with Simon to have a chat about what's been happening in the world of the Eclective...
Hey Simon, how's things man?
Real good Cee, Summer's comin' and things are happenin'. I love this time of year.
So every time I hear about you, you're somewhere in the country, touring. What's been happening lately?
Well actually the band has been layin' low lately. We've been in the studio finishing off the EP and in the lab workin' on some new material. Basically gettin' ready for a big summer.
I know you've been playing your ass off for years with a variety of bands and musicians, so you're finally dropping the EP! Tell us about it.
Yeah man, it's been a long time comin'. My first band "The Wright Brothers" released an album, but since then I haven't had a solid enough project to warrant the investment. The time I've spent in Melbourne putting together "The Eclective" has been amazing so far and we all felt it was time to start working on the next level. The band are all very focused at the moment. The EP itself is a collection of what we've been getting up to since "the Eclective" first began, it's eclectic obviously as tha'ts what we are all about. There's are elements of funk, soul, reggae, latin and of course Hip Hop. "Choi", the producer, has done great stuff with it. We wanted to capture as much of the live element as possible as ultimately that is where our strength is.
What's the line up for the band for this project? Have you played with these guys for a while?
Yeah this is the official "Eclective" line up these days. Hasn't changed much in the past year:
Drums - Travis Constable
Bass - Owen Downie
Keys - Andrew Vollmer (He also did a lot of the Sax on the EP)
Guitar - Tristan McCoppin
and Myself - lead vocals, acoustic guitar and MC
We also had a few friends come in for sessions including:
Candice Monique and Kate Kelsey Sugg - Backing vocals
Nick - Trumpet
Ivan "Choi" - Percs, bits n bobs (He also produced it)
Oscar O'brian - Trumpet
Gus Rigby - Sax
You've got the big launch for the EP at the Evelyn, next Monday 2nd November. What can the people expect from the show?
This will definitely be our best show yet. We are launching a bunch of new material, as well as remakes of our old favorites. We have spared no expense on sound and lights and our supports are both amazing, "Direct Influence" and "Unleash the Nugget" two of my favorite upcoming Melbourne acts. The night is goin' to be great fun!!
I've always been curious, especially since your style is so varied, but who are you main musical inspirations?
I've been inspired by so many people over the years and all of them are very different. I'd have to say my biggest musical influence has been my father. He was giggin' around while I was a kid. I didn't realise until recently how much that influenced my music and life in general. Other than my old man, though:
Ben Harper
Michael Jackson
Stevie Wonder
Common
Talib Kweli
Bob Marley
Fat Freddys Drop
De La Soul
Jimmi Hendrix
Muddy Waters
........ so many more
Do you plan to tour the country off the back of the EP?
Yeah we have an east coast tour planned for Dec/Jan and down to Tassie in Feb. Then hopefully over the west coast late Feb.
What's next from here? Are you working on any other projects?
My focus is with the "Eclective" 100% at the moment. I'm writing a lot and the whole group has really come together of recent. We're looking at getting professional representation and try crack the Aussie festival circuit. From there we'd love to get over to Europe. The next EP is already in planning, so just keepin' it movin' really
Any other gigs coming up or residencies we should know about?
Well it has not officially been released yet but we return to the Evelyn for our Monday night residency straight after our EP release. We have taken a couple of months off there to finish the EP and write some new material, but we are lookin' forward to gettin' back there for summer.
Hit us with your contact details so the people can get at you!
www.groovecollective.com.au
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