Deprived is the first single by Brinkman - a singer-songwriter of latvian descent based between Venice and Milan in Italy. Deprived is a solo comeback after many years of staying quiet

Brinkman

Deprived

Stephanie French is a Canadian singer-songwriter and poet. Her music is influenced by artists such as Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott. Both musically and poetically she touches on personal experiences, her love for people, the black community and God.

Originally from the province of Alberta, Stephanie French currently lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Stephanie can be heard on her debut EP Diary of Stephanie streaming now on all platforms. She can also be heard of a variety of Canadian-based projects such as fan favourite “Black Everyday” by Arlo Maverick.
Learn more at: thestephaniefrench.com

Simple, absolute, and unchangeable in the brilliant darkness of a hidden silence.

Songs about folks, sunsets, oceans, mountains, jungles and dive bars I woke up in. Stories of feeling locked out in the rain, getting stuck in a square peg, making the mistake of dancing with the fairies and feeling like Rip Van Winkle. They are stories from an outsiders perspective, the belief in heroes, mythologies and an open highway. Indignation at injustice and the belief in a better tomorrow. Or maybe just disillusionment. 

If you’ve ever asked yourself what happened to this world and what happened to dreams maybe one of these songs is for you. If you still believe in the power of music to make you a better version of yourself then maybe one of these songs is for you. Or maybe you just wanna have a laugh and listen to some toe tappin music that makes you feel like your not the only one with a quirky perspective on the world. Maybe you just want to feel like a hero with headphones for a few minutes. Or maybe your just looking for a slob to hang out with. 

I know it sounds like a tall order but I’ll try my best.

Hanging out in the cloud forests of the Sierra Juárez mountains in Oaxaca, I’m tapping into the sounds of the universe like a mushroom-drunk nahual, reaching into the heart of nature to grasp at the mysteries of existence.

You’ll hear influences from deep time and across as many cultures as I can get my hands on. I get obsessed, man. Seriously, everything else melts away around me. I can spend days absorbed in an idea, like that stone statue guy—but with a stone guitar instead.

My approach to music? About as unpredictable as my ability to remember where I last saw my passport (pretty crucial when you live abroad all the time, right?). My unique way of processing the world often leads to an avant-garde approach to life. And yeah, maybe there’s been a mushroom-induced revelation or two along the way, but who’s counting? I don’t need a million-dollar studio—just a good instrument, a decent interface, a computer, and some monitors that hopefully survive my absent-minded chaos.

I’m a multi-instrumentalist who loves complexity, especially when it sneaks up on you through unexpected rhythms or harmonies from the far corners of the globe. From Carnatic ragas to garage rock grooves—why not just mix every cool sound and see what happens? Maybe I’ll start with a harmonic progression from Bach’s Goldberg Variations and slap it into a Hindustani 7/4 thaal (that’s rhythm, if you’re wondering). It’s a bit technical but, trust me, as cool as—well, let’s just say it’s the kind of vibe that might inspire a dream-like hallucination about nailing the perfect groove. (Music available for film, TV, and media licensing.)

Yeah, I am a Ph.D. trained evolutionary biologist, and... that sounds impressive until you find out I bailed on it the second I landed a good job. I was bored out of my mind. People look at me like a guy who won the lottery and then spent it all on the greatest collection of rare video games (I mean, I’m not that bad, right?). But switching from science back to music wasn’t just quitting—it was finally tuning into something deeper. Music and science might seem like distant cousins, but to me, they’re intertwined—both ways to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Now, I live in Capulálpam De Méndez, a mystical town in the Oaxacan mountains. The ancient Zapotec culture runs deep here, and creativity flows as freely as the mezcal at the fiestas (and trust me, there are plenty of fiestas).

Art is for everyone, and I’m always pushing to create something that connects—whether it’s a complex harmonic structure or just the right amount of groove to make you forget your troubles (or your keys, in my case).

So if you’re into music that teeters on the edge of chaos but mostly lands right where it needs to be—well, welcome. Just don’t expect me to remember how I got here, or where I left my bag. Seriously, my passport might’ve been in there… Was it the tuk-tuk? (sounds like a joke right... Err.. its not....)


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Relajándome en los bosques nublados de la Sierra Juárez en Oaxaca, estoy sintonizando los sonidos del universo como un nahual borracho de hongos, llegando al corazón de la naturaleza para intentar comprender los misterios de la existencia.

Escucharás influencias de tiempos profundos y de tantas culturas como pueda explorar. Me obsesiono, hermano. En serio, todo lo demás desaparece a mi alrededor. Puedo pasar días absorbido en una idea, como ese tipo de las estatuas de piedra—pero con una guitarra de piedra en su lugar.

¿Mi enfoque hacia la música? Tan impredecible como mi habilidad para recordar dónde dejé mi pasaporte (bastante crucial cuando vives en el extranjero todo el tiempo, ¿verdad?). Mi forma única de procesar el mundo a menudo me lleva a un enfoque vanguardista de la vida. Y sí, tal vez haya habido una o dos revelaciones inducidas por hongos en el camino, pero ¿quién está contando? No necesito un estudio de millones de dólares—solo un buen instrumento, una interfaz decente, una computadora y unos monitores que, con suerte, sobrevivan a mi caos despistado.

Soy un multiinstrumentista que ama la complejidad, especialmente cuando te sorprende con ritmos o armonías inesperadas de los rincones más lejanos del mundo. Desde ragas carnáticas hasta los grooves del garage rock—¿por qué no mezclar todos los sonidos geniales y ver qué pasa? Quizás empiece con una progresión armónica de las Variaciones Goldberg de Bach y la meta en un thaal hindú de 7/4 (es decir, un ritmo, por si te lo preguntas). Es un poco técnico, pero créeme, es tan genial como—bueno, digamos que es del tipo de vibras que podrían inspirar una alucinación soñadora sobre encontrar el groove perfecto. (Música disponible para licenciamiento en cine, TV y medios.)

Sí, tengo un doctorado en biología evolutiva, y eso suena impresionante hasta que descubres que lo dejé en cuanto conseguí un buen trabajo. Estaba aburrido como una ostra. La gente me mira como a un tipo que ganó la lotería y luego lo gastó todo en Beanie Babies (no soy tan malo, ¿verdad?). Pero pasar de la ciencia de nuevo a la música no fue simplemente abandonar—fue finalmente sintonizar con algo más profundo. La música y la ciencia pueden parecer primos lejanos, pero para mí, están entrelazados—ambas son formas de desentrañar los secretos del universo.

Ahora vivo en Capulálpam De Méndez, un pueblo místico en las montañas de Oaxaca. La antigua cultura zapoteca corre profundo aquí, y la creatividad fluye tan libremente como el mezcal en las fiestas (y créeme, hay muchas fiestas).

El arte es para todos, y siempre busco crear algo que conecte—ya sea una estructura armónica compleja o solo la cantidad justa de groove para hacerte olvidar tus problemas (o tus llaves, en mi caso).

Así que si te gusta la música que oscila en el borde del caos pero que la mayoría de las veces aterriza justo donde debe estar—bienvenido. Solo no esperes que recuerde cómo llegué aquí, o dónde dejé mi bolsa. En serio, creo que mi pasaporte estaba allí... ¿Fue en el tuk-tuk? (suena como una broma, pero... ehh, no lo es...).

Deprived is a first single by Brinkman co-produced by Steve Lyon. 
Brinkman is a singer-songwriter of latvian descent based between Venice and Milan in Italy. Deprived is his solo comeback after many years of staying quiet.  Website: brinkman.hearnow.com
Released June 11, 2021
Music and lyrics by Andris Brinkmanis
Produced by Steve Lyon and Andris Brinkmanis

Andris Brinkmanis - Vocals, background vocals, guitars, keys, xylophone
Andris Buikis - Drums
Carolina Cury - Background vocals
Philip Clemo- Guitar effects
Stephanie French - Background vocals
Ritvars Garoza - Main piano
Andrejs Grimms - Acoustic guitar
Arber Misa - Electric guitar
Brent Paschke - Main Acoustic and Electric guitars
Ὀρφεύς and Carlo Poddighe- Mellotron, Synths
Paul Rutschka- Bass
Ben Somerville - Keyboards

Mixed by Steve Lyon
Mastered by Calbi/Fallone, Sterling Sound

Special thanks to Giovanni Boscariol, Studio Mosaico, Steve Piccolo, C.V.,  Adele, Kristens and Agata!