PVibez

Hey lovely people it's that time again for another update. So with the X-Perimental Mass project doing it's thing with a second video being released in November for the drum & bass track ' Space Race 1' , I felt the urge to drop a solo single that was more in line with previous works.

I have really been enjoying producing the videos for the Mass project and I aim to get even better at that line of work as time goes on. With all that being said. I felt because certain plans ie The Vibezlab Vol III project didn't manifest this year, as neither did the Andrae Bentley EP, there was a gap, and I didn't want to lose all that momentum of the last 3 years.

So I decided to drop a single in the interim. The X-Perimental Mass Project was an Electronica type project. It was designed to open up new pathways to allow me to express myself in as many ways as possible as an artist. It was not really made for the kind of shows that were spinning The Vibezlab Sessions I & II.

The single Spread Love was a vault joint that was hauled and revamped for 2020. Ironically it is a true precursor to the PVibez solo project that will be emerging in the coming year. The track goes back to a more jazzier leaning with a synth lead taking the lead with ad lib vocals coaxing it along before a breakdown singing the chorus refrain "Spread some love" and repeating it until a full vocal outro vamp takes things out.

The song was actually written on the piano after I kept hearing the progression and melody going around in my head. From there I took the idea into the Vibezlab to lay down the instrumentation. Once the drums and chords were laid down I put the bass guitar down. I wanted the bass to groove and be funky but I also wanted it to play more notes and be more melodic to counter the synth lead to come. Percussion came in the form of a triangle, bell tree, shakers and other miscellaneous toys. Then once the bed was laid down I put the lead monologue and backing vocals down and then the synth lead parts. 

I am proud of the way it came out and the mastering job from my main man Andy LeVien @ RMS Studios was as usual on point. Oh and he was actually in the process of moving house when he took time out to get the work done lol. Cheers Andy ;))

In terms of influences for this track after completing it and listening back I could reference certain mavericks for sure, but on my part I was just being PVibez, there was no contrived effort to sound like this guy or that guy, although artistically I see nothing wrong with that, I didn't employ such techniques when creating this song.

Which influences can you hear me channeling? If you've read my bio you may spot a few :)

There is nothing like seeing a plan executed and manifesting in the way you planned it. This project has completed my end of year wish and shall take the year out in style setting us up for what should be..GOD willing a greater year.

Until then you lovely people stay blessed and keep the faith.

YAH BLESS

Hi there lovely people, hope all is blessed with you all as we enter into autumn and another phase of this pandemic situation.

I am just dropping a quick line to update you on what is taking place in my life and the Vibezlab. Recently you all know that I released 'Afro Head Charge'  taken from my 2020 release 'X-Perimental Mass' feat the amazing  JoVia Armstrong on percussion. I was setting out to have it promoted via Facebook but I came across some red tape as they viewed the material as being socio-political. 

Saying all of that I have had a drought of inspiration to play let alone practice over the past few months. But I am happy to let you know the fire is re-stoked and I am feeling like a teenager again. First thing that kick started it off was me getting my Maschine up and running after a software problem had it sitting around collecting dust-much to my frustration! 

So once I got that sorted, with much thanks to the good people at Native Instruments, it kickstarted a revival in me to finish what I started a couple of years ago, when I was embarking on my studio upgrade.

So more recently I have added a Rocktron Banshee II Talkbox...maaan I have been wanting to get my hands on one of those for a long while now. Well it arrived in all it's glory yesterday, brand new and boxed. I now have my eyes on several more things including a Boss Loop Station pedal board, Ableton Live Controller, Electronic drum kit, A 6 string bass (any brand as long as it is decent), Behringer Arp Odyssey, Korg MS20, Korg kaoss Pad,

Everything in that list is there for a reason  and the thought of what it can bring to the table is really inspiring my mind to just practice, compose and create. I have also been watching alot of performances on Youtube of some of my faves and checking out pods and interviews and documentaries relating to all things musical.

So anyways people it's been a lazy Sunday morning and I need to go and make myself some breakfast. I will be checking out ebay later and various online stores to see what's on offer or if I can cop myself a bargain...

Until next time be safe and take care. YAH Bless!

Welcome once again my good folks! Wow I can't believe we are in September already and its 20:16 on a Sunday evening and I still haven't eaten (lunch or dinner). The reason is I got hooked on Adobe Premiere putting together a couple of videos for 'Afro Head Charge' and 'Space Race 1'. It was my first attempt at using Adobe Premiere and I am a complete novice at it .  I am very much aware its a beast of an editor. 

Saying that I've learnt quite a bit over the last 3-4 days and I already had in mind the vision that I wanted for both tracks. I had to source material outside to create these videos as they are not performance or directorial based. I compiled various footage and clips from a free licensing site. The end result is pretty cool and the response has been a pretty positive one. 

For Afro Head Charge I had in my mind scenes of African drummers inter-spliced with the current climate and even past struggles regarding civil rights, racism, police brutality etc The concept of Head Charge was also a dual one in that the head charge was an elevation of the people of the motherland and the African diaspora raising their level of consciousness via connecting to the source of the Most High...some would call it the ether. 

I wanted to showcase JoVia playing on her bongos and percussion but due to time constraints and her many commitments that couldn't materialize. I soon got to work though and it was a true labour of love. 

I was thinking of putting in clips of myself too but I have an idea for when I think its best for me to appear in a video for this EP project. If it goes ahead..you will be the first to know! I just need to clarify the concept. 

I also have onboard my homeboy Art Digital who worked on some beautiful graphic image designs for the video. But his work with me will also no doubt end up being merchandise down the line. 

I saw some brilliant footage on this site called Videovo. I also looked at Shuttershock. The frustrating thing along the way was that the most brilliant footage was not allowing a license for the clips to be used with music for public performance/entertainment of any kind. 

Also when X-Perimental Mass was released I really wanted to get 'Afro Head Charge' and its video done during the time the BLM marches were going on. I had it in mind to tie it to a charity for the cause. 

Well it has finally materialized and it has arrived at a time when I have a VEVO channel too so that's a great bonus. 

Well the time is 20:53 on a Sunday evening and the sound of the Bee Gee's BEAUTIFUL 'How Deep Is Your Love' performed by Portrait is playing on The Soul Of London FM and I'm actually feeling quite euphoric despite not eating lol. I'm going to take a final look and tweak the video for 'Space Race 1' The power of completing a task is a beautiful thing..isn't it? ;)

I guess its back to work!!! 

Speak to you all soon :)

Sooo here we are August 2020! What a year it has been. I wont go into what we have all had to endure and live through over the last 7 months and with the utmost love and respect some more so than others. 

At the start of the year I was interviewed by the fantastic Imran Mirza at Blue In Green Radio.Com and I got my mojo back working it out on my keys. I also had rising UK soul man Andrae Bentley in the lab for some songwriting for his planned project. During the same time I received news of being nominated for a GroundBreakin Award in the Best Soul EP Category. All seemed to be going beautifully until this thing that seemed to be so far away, turned up on our doorstep and throughout the rest of the world causing a global lockdown. 

Whilst many artists carried on turning up the heat and pushing stuff out I didn't feel that passion. I had to take stock of many things about not just the world and us but about the whole meaning and purpose of life. 

Due to the lockdown no studio session at The Vibezlab took place and the vocalists I had in mind had no home studios or means of recording safely so the intended projects had to be put on ice. 

When I finally acclimatized to the status quo my intention was to  become more present or active musically. I would watch Don-E on his fabulous late night 'live' facebook watch parties cranking out all his latest pre-released work. And that really began to put things back into perspective. Another thing was the influence of the radio. I think within a week of the lockdown I had to switch the radio off from all my regular talk show stations because everything was saturated with the pandemic. 

I stumbled on The Soul Of London radio station and I was so astounded by the output of incredible indie soul releases from here in the UK and the US and the world. The quality seemed to have gone up this year and I began to feel left behind, lazy and frustrated. 

I couldn't call artists in to record and I couldn't send songs to them because they didn't self record and couldn't go anywhere else to record. Then the light went on for an instrumental project I had in mind for some time. It was going to be different from my previous releases but just touching the tip of the iceberg in the future plans I aim to bring to the public down the line. The project I am talking about is  called X-Perimental Mass, and was one of the most exciting things I done as a musician because it broke the mould of what I had previously done. This was my first full out instrumental project and it was left field taking in influences from drum n bass, electro-funk,  electronica latin and soul flavours and more. 

I contacted talented US percussionist to the elite the fantastic JoVia Armstrong to drop some fire on two tracks 'Afro Head Charge' and 'Soul Suite' and I had a track that Vicky Flint had already laid some trumpet on called 'Mi Colombiana'. Everything just seemed to move as if by magic from the recording to my mixdown to sending the tracks off for mastering by my main man Andy LeVien at RMS Studios. 

I decided to release through Bandcamp and that was going to be the one stop shop but then I decided to put out a digital release to make it more accessible to those who only buy/stream through a particular outlet. 

The response was a welcome one and it has given me the green light to now begin to bring the full quota of PVibez to the world. I am still the soul man and proud to be but the eclectic nature doesn't have to just manifest as sub influences in stuff I produce. I have now opened the door for  that eclectic nature to dictate on its own terms and bring forth another dimension to this musical journey. 

Speak to you all soon!