In The Woods.TV: Far From Home

Got hit up by this guy Will via facebook complimenting my Teebs interview. He works with the Portland based In the Woods internet TV station. They got some cool features on the site, dig into it and peep this snippet they caught of Teebs rocking out and tweaking sounds out. Think Ardour might have to be the soundtrack to my bus ride home this evening.

Teebs "Ardour" + Interview

Ardour is music to fly to. Music to ride the bus home late night with. It's music that has depth and feeling, doesn't overwhelm with power and intensity. Sometimes you need loud and in your face, but sometimes subtle is better. Take a track like "Lakeshore Ave." where all you got is a repeating loop, but it's beautiful and you don't mind listening to it fade in and out for a minute and fourty five seconds.

Teebs lived with Flying Lotus and Samiyam for a period of time. I can't even imagine what kind of devastating sounds you would hear on the daily being around those two. Teebs seems to have taken it his own way crafting distinct pieces of music that scream bright colors, kinda like much of the artwork I've seen by him.

Instrumental music is tricky to capture people with, some people have to have words. Some can hear words in the colors of sound. Teebs paints with a brush and he paints with his music. Ardour is epic and cool. Unlike anything I've heard all year. His crew stays elevating, why should he be any different.

Teebs will be rocking Neumos with GLK and Daedelus Wednesday the 20th. It's bound to be a night to remember. I recently chatted with Teebs via email, trying to get to know the man behind the art. Take what you will.

Who is Teebs? How long have you done what you do? What is that? Do you have a musical history or background?

Teebs would be me. I've been living for roughly 23 years now. Living. Besides listening to it, nope.

How old are you? Where did you grow up?

Few seconds older then before. Grew up in a number of places but I've been in Chino Hills for the longest now.

Do you create tunes expecting them to be used strictly as instrumentals? Do you want to work with vocalists? Emcees?

Yeah for the most part it's instrumental stuff. I'm always open to work with people if I find something I like in a voice or person.

Break down your history with Brainfeeder and Low End Theory?

Used to frequent Low End and then played it a few times. Kev is a great person and the whole Low End Family.

I joined brainfeeder in late 08 I think. Still happy and here today :)

Who were you listening to growing up? First record bought? Latest record bought?

Lots of people... My mother for one. First record wasss.... hmm some crappy indie band. I bought it for the cover and it was terrible. Last record wasss... Shuggie Otis maybe. I'm not too sure.

The first time I listened to Ardour it was on a late night bus ride home, it was pretty haunting and fit my mood perfectly. Do you make your tunes at any particular time of day or for a particular setting?

I usually start making my music in the morning when the sun comes up... Usually between 8am-12noon. And its rare that i start out with a mood in mind. Whatever comes out comes out.

I recently interviewed Kendrick Lamar who is a young emcee out of Compton. I asked him if he had heard of FlyLo, Low End Theory, etc, etc and he hadn't . Have you heard of him? I listen to much of the stuff from your camp in the same vein as hip hop, it seems like what emcees should be rapping on, to me. Is their an interest their for more collaboration or is it more self contained by choice?

Never heard of him but I think with every producer its different. If I happen to meet a great rapper to my ears and he likes my stuff I'll instantly work with him. I'm just not looking for it... to me its not a necessity.

What do you try to do with your live set to make it captivating for an audience?

Jump through hoops of fire.

Favorite book?

Don't have a favorite but I do enjoy this short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez called Light is Like Water.

Can you talk about Dublab? What is your roll within the collective?

Dublab is amazing. A creative hub that streams so much good music its scary. I DJ for them, help with events, make art when they need it. It's a nonprofit so it's a very special thing we have here.

Are you rocking any music coming out of the northwest today?

At this very second no but there's a lot of great producers coming outta there. I've had moments hooked on things.

TEEBS

Teebs, Gaslamp Killer & Daedelus at Neumos October 20th. Ardour is out on the 18th. Cop it at the show!

The Left Coast Revival

While us North Westerners stay on our 206, 253, and 503 shit we really can’t forget about our coastal brethren down in Cali. LA has stayed in my mind largely in part to Flying Lotus and his Brainfeeder collective along with the weekly that goes hand in hand with the crew, Low End Theory.

While the city that delivered some of the most timeless hip hop jams the culture has seen, in recent years it’s seen a decline in quality emcees dropping knowledge like their roots demand. As the lyricists lost their way it gave rise to the beat makers to step forward and flourish. Doing their own thing, taking cues from no one and merging more styles together than anyone should ever get away with, something new has been brewing.

Teebs is about to unleash his full length on to the public, I don’t want to spoil to much just yet nor am I truly ready to as I just sunk my brain into it once this evening. I will say this, while in the cloud and riding the bus home at midnight Ardour was the perfect sonic background. Almost celestial in nature, he shows yet another dimension to the “beat” movement we are witnessing.

While at the Airliner beats drop so hard you’d think they were sent back through time for us to get fucked up to, another LA native and long time music maker has just unleashed his debut opus. A saxophone player since his youth, Terrace Martin named his jump off after the Marvin Gaye album of the same title Here, My Dear - playing on the same theme the record is full of love talk, sentimental mood music and heartfelt verses about love and the pain it can lead too.

Martin has been a presence in the LA Hip Hop scene for ages, and with the release of Here, My Dear we are blessed with an at times self indulgent, but always forward progressing release that shows the kind of innovation we used to expect from the town and today isn’t seen from anyone making your standard hip hop stylings. He breaks out his saxophone all over the record, merges live instrumentation and beat making techniques like we haven’t heard since Dr. Dre in his prime. Love me some West coast grooves.

Those classic grooves were brought to life by passionate emcees who had voices for the ages. Ice Cube kept us all in tune with his tales of inner city violence, race relations and more - his intelligence amazed some and only fed others to come stronger, better. I just turned off Cube’s latest album. Gone is the fury to make me pay attention. And it’s not even a matter of good or bad, it just is. It sits their in your speakers and earhole, unwavering. Flat. Lifeless.

What did I put on? More of that new west coast shit! Kendrick Lamar has that anger. He makes music you feel. He spits raw, letting his voice crack. Listening to the first track off of O(verly) D(edicated) I can’t help but feel like the ghost of Cube is hanging out above the beat. This is that Amerikkka’s Most Wanted type dope.

While the world awaits for Game to drop another album - as long as he name checks these cats here, their friends and pulls beats from FlyLo’s archives I’ll check for it - and once again save the West three cats have done it three times in the span of a week for me! Stop pondering fates of dead paths tied to lost causes and open your ears to what’s around you and live around all the music you can.

Teebs & Jackhigh "Rains"

Pretty fucking weird. Thoughts, comments on these visuals? Teebs & Jackhigh Tropics EP out now on Svetlana Industries.