This Spring sees the highly anticipated return of Mara TK, the golden voiced singer of the Kiwi future soul trio Electric Wire Hustle. While EWH’s globally acclaimed career has seen this Māori-Scottish singer wonder all across the world, with his debut solo album ‘Bad Meditation’ he is returning to deeply personal topics about his home in Aotearoa (or long white cloud, the Māori name for New Zealand). The third single and the album’s title track is released 9th April.

Electric Wire Hustle released three critically revered albums released over seven years with their final output being ‘The 11th Sky’ came in 2016 across which time they grew a devoted following.

In the five years since then, Mara TK has been on a journey of musical self-discovery, as he says; “writing this album has been a form of therapy over the last few years trying to figure out what kind of music I wanted to make next”. The result, ‘Bad Meditation’, is his thirteen-track magnum opus, written and produced by Mara himself.

Speaking of the process of making the album he says; “I was offered what was basically a whole studio worth of gear from a friend who was moving overseas. I took a gamble and bought that gear and have spent the last five years learning how to use this shit. I had to bet on my own ability to learn new things so it was scary, but also keep in mind that music, like any other creative form doesn’t have to be perfect - the brush strokes don’t have to be exactly straight”.

‘Bad Meditation’ is an account of love, loss, healing and the story of Mara’s Māori heritage. As he explains; “Growing up poor, everything goes through our indigenous lens. Here in Aotearoa we have our own Gods, our own values our own ways of speaking that are different to the colonial/capitalist culture”.

This sentiment is carried through on the groove of ‘Grew Up Inna Chaos’ and the storytelling on previous single, melancholic lament, ‘Highly Medicated’, which sees Mara open up about his journey to heal following the death of his grandfather, who was his link to traditional customs in Aotearoa. Current single ‘Bad Meditation’ and ‘Colours’ are filled with layered harmonies, while the influence of Mara’s father, psychedelic rock guitarist Billy TK, seeps through. Features on the album include Kenyan R&B singer and songwriter Xenia Manasseh on ‘Met At The River’ and Māori musician Troy Kingi on the Boris Gardiner inspired ‘Every Hori Is A Star’.

An alumnus of Red Music Academy in Toronto, Mara TK’s work beyond Electric Wire Hustle has seen him collaborate with critically lauded names including Om’Mas Keith of Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Detroit producer and J Dilla collaborator Waajeed, and Steve Spacek.

Extra Soul Perception is a collaboration and community music platform that started life between the UK, Kenya and Uganda but is now continuing to grow and connect independent musicians worldwide. Now with Mara TK added to the roster, Extra Soul Perception has released music by Lex Amor, K15, Maxwell Owin, Lynda Dawn, Hibotep, Karun, Labdi, Faizal Mostrixx and more.

Bad Meditation

Mara TK - Bad Meditation [Clip]

end of time DEMO

Swagú

Peace in the Dark FM 1

Tracklist:
𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚊𝚖 𝚋𝚢 𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎
𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝙵𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊 𝙵𝚒𝚊𝚜𝚌𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚎
𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝙸𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗-𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜
𝙲𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝙸𝚝 𝚁&𝙱 𝙼𝚒𝚡 𝚋𝚢 𝙾𝚖𝚊𝚛 𝚂 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚕𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜 
𝙰 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚊𝚛
𝙲𝚕𝚒𝚗 𝙳'𝚘𝚎𝚕𝚒 𝚋𝚢 𝙹𝚊𝚣𝚣 𝙻𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜
𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝚇𝚢𝚕𝚊
𝙺𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚊 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚡𝚕𝚢 𝚡𝚘
𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙴𝚃! 𝚋𝚢 𝙻𝚒𝚟.𝚎
𝙻𝚞𝚟 𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝙽𝚒𝚊 𝙰𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜
𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙾𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚘𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝
𝙸 𝙵𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚋𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚛
𝙼𝚊𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚘 𝚋𝚢 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚘
((𝚃𝚛𝚎𝚢 𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙾𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚘𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝))
𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚢 𝙳𝙰𝚅𝙸𝙳𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲
((𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚁𝚞𝚋𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝙰𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜))

Peace in the Dark FM 1

My extended edit, samping Sister Sledge 'Easier To Love' gloof.bandcamp.com/music

Knxwledge. feat Miguel - Komfortble (Liferasta Extended Edit)

sleepless nights .. Touch much on my mind to get out!!! 
i hope you can relate to me!!!! 

i hope i fall asleep now ... 

i love you 
good night 


Sleepless Nights (Thinking of HER!!!)

The Internet -Tape You

Liv.e : phunkintro. (Mndsgn Remix.)

happy v day.

maison:
instagram.com/maisonslament
twitter.com/maisonslament
@maisonslament

spotify

Back2u

In November 2019, eight artists from Kenya, Uganda and the UK spent a week in Nairobi together exploring new tangents in soul music.

The group, collectively known as Extra Soul Perception, is made up of Faizal Mostrixx (Ug), Hibotep (Ug), K15 (UK), Karun (Ke), Labdi (Ke), Lex Amor (UK), Lynda Dawn (UK) and Maxwell Owen (UK).

Every day of the writing camp they worked with a new combination of artists, putting their powers of improvisation and collaboration to the test. The result was a body of work that reflected their range of backgrounds, interests and disciplines: acapella harmonies, soft spoken word, transcendental gqom, razor sharp swahili rap, bumping broken beat and beguiling RnB. The tracks capture a spirit, unique to a place and time that won’t be replicated again; an energy and atmosphere forged by open minds and prodigious talent.

The first EP of music made in Nairobi will be released in Spring 2020, titled New Tangents in Kampala, London & Nairobi Vol.1. It features five tracks by all eight artists in different combinations, and three cameos.

A1 Lex Amor, Hibotep & Faizal Mostrixx -Ancestry
A2 Maxwell Owin & Xenia Manasseh feat. Joe Armon-Jones - Probably Never
A3 Lynda Dawn & Bes Kept - Roses
B1 Faizal Mostrixx & Karun - In My Soul
B2 K15 & Labdi - Utokapo

Leading the EP out is first single ‘Probably Never’, by London DJ and producer Maxwell Owin with Nairobi singer Xenia Menasseh, featuring pianist Joe Armon-Jones. The track was born out of a series of improvised moments that epitomises the spirit of ESP. A low-slung gospel-sampling beat Max was playing around with late at night with no real purpose, whispered lyrics laid down in minutes on the final day in the studio during an unplanned-but-welcome cameo, and keys added by a supportive housemate as it was being finished in London.

It followers EP teaser ‘In My Soul’, released earlier this month featuring Kampala dancer and producer Faizal Mostrixx with Nairobi singer Karun rapping in Swahili for the first time; as if Obongjayar had been processed through a Hyperdub filter.

All five tracks from the EP will be performed live for the first time on the ESP. tour, featuring all eight artists performing solo and collaborative sets:

22 Feb: The Jazz Cafe, London
23 Feb: Band on the Wall, Manchester
24 Feb: 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool

Tickets and info about the project: www.extrasoulperception.com

ESP. is supported by British Council, Arts Council England and Analogue Foundation.

Mara TK - Bad Meditation [Clip]

Extra Soul Perception

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