Korgy & Bass at the Skype Live Studio on May 15—click to read about their collaborative set with Rasheed Jamal and see more photos by Bennett DewanWe've had the pleasure of working closely with Korgy & Bass—increasingly so. It all started a year ago when we premiered their debut EP. The two-track introduction to the the jazz-schooled, hip-hop-sampling instrumental duo featured a guest spot from chameleonic chanteuse Coco Columbia, and the guys told us to expect more guest vocalists and instrumentalists in the future.
After including an unreleased Korgy & Bass cut on our recent vinyl compilation and putting together a collaborative set at the Skype Live Studio where they shared the stage with emcee Rasheed Jamal, we've really gotten to know the great minds behind the music. Featuring drummer and composer Barra Brown (also know for his folk pop work with Shook Twins, Ages and Ages, Old Wave and Alameda as well has his jazz alchemy with The Wishermen and his own quintet) and bassist and beat maker Alex Meltzer (who's been known to get funky with Coco Columbia and Two Planets), we've witnessed the pair mash their jazz educations with a hip-hop school of thought to compose and improvise their sampled-based cuts.
'EP Vol. II' is out June 23 via Cavity Search RecordsThriving off experimentation and a good groove, as promised, Brown and Meltzer have upped the collaborative ante on their second release. EP Vol. II, out June 23 on Cavity Search Records, starts off with Meltzer sampling one of Brown's quintet recordings on "BB Beats," which also adds a brassy flair from trumpet player Thomas Barber.
Track two is the Vortex vinyl-featured "Bitter Horizon,” a jazzy, hip-hop gem featuring support from emcee Dusty Fox of Two Planets and the delicate, angelic vocals of folk singer-songwriter Catherine Feeny. Read more about the making of this song here.
Then comes "Training Day," the group's collaboration with TriMet. Actually, Meltzer took an iPhone recording of the MAX train's polyrhythmic bells and incorporated the sample into the underlying sonic landscape. And finally, the EP wraps up with bassist Grant Sayler (a founding member of The Wishermen who's played with Esperanza Spalding, Mel Brown, Dan Balmer and more) featured on the glitchy "WoWEE!"
