Sol.iLLaquists of Sound
Sol.iLLaquist of Sound (soul il e kwist uv sah oo nd) n. 1 a play on words describing an individual whose efforts in searching for ones self reveal his/her soul to an audience often through some type of art medium. 2 One who recognizes his/her self and the reflection of self in those around them.
With the association between hip hop and positive street poetry being tarnished in a platinum chain world, Sol.illaquists of Sound offer Orlando a stronger connection between artist and audience. These kP favs are sure to open the mind with their powerful messages and intense beats, and provide an assured antidote to blueprinted hip hop.
So, who am I speaking to?
It's me, DiViNCi (MPCist/Producer/Engineer)...
Tell us about the other Sol.illas.
Tonya Combs does Back up Vox and additional percussion during shows (shakers and the like). Swamburger and Alexandrah take care of the vocal duties, and Al edits our footage. But we all dabble a bit in each others business.
So when did Sol.illaquists of Sound come together?
It's been years in the making but the current incarnation solidified at the end of summer '02. The full story and its many intertwining intricacies can be found at our website... Way too long of a story for me to get into again...
In my first Sol.illaquist experience, I realized a powerful connection between artists and audience on a different level than I've seen before. What vibes and connections constitute a positive feeling at your shows?
The whole motivating intention behind our music and our daily choices is about maintaining this connection among us and those we talk to/perform for. We don't want to be those types of artists that have a one-sided communication with their audience through whatever medium they choose. They just put their art out there and hope people will get it, or draw what they want from a vague artistic statement. Our messages are intended to be blatant documents of information acquired from personal and shared experiences to be used for beneficial progress. As pretentious as that may sound to some, consider where it's coming from. We're just trying to help.
Whats one thing you want listeners to leave with after a show?
Motivation... Mainly to create their ideal situation, live a passionate life, and stop settling for the things that don't match the value of our actual selves.
Who does the artwork on your album covers?
Swamburger, for those of you who don't know, is an amazing artist. He is the one that does all of the artwork seen on our merch and albums.
Are you all working on an album at the moment?
We just finished up our newest album, "As if We Existed", which should be out in early September of this year on Epitaph/Anti. It's being mastered and submitted this week as a matter of fact. As soon as all the press is done for that we are going to get a jump on the follow up to that immediately. Besides that we are all always working on some sort of side project to keep us busy.
What do you hope for in the future in signing with Epitaph, and are you still working with Nonsense?
We really just hope for more of what we are already doing, just on a bigger scale. We just want it to continue to grow exponentially as it has been. "It" being the amount of support and push we get as well as the number of people the message reaches, not to mention any and all opportunities to support our goals. Nonsense is our family and we will continue to support them in whatever ways we can. They will continue to carry our back catalogue of material but as far as new stuff, Epitaph will be releasing (at least) our next three projects.
What song of yours means most to you?
Every song holds a special place with us for different reasons. But if I had to choose one song that best described what we are here to do and what we are all about it would have to be the title track off of our new album, "As if we existed." For those uncertain with where we are coming from this song says it all and leaves no questions to be asked. And if for some reason anyone does question our motives, "Ask me if I care" is the song that could definitively answer them.
Who writes most of the lyrics?
99.9% of the time, whomever you heard delivering it was the person who wrote it. There are a couple instances however on this upcoming album where I helped to write some choruses and whatnot.
If your music were an animal, what animal would it be and why?
What's that mammal...? They can be big and varyingly hairy, sometimes cute, but often aggressive and territorial, but ultimately a loving and pleasant animal underneath it all? Oh yeah, a Human. [Insert punch-line drum roll here]
I understand you all work on individual projects, what venues can we catch you at?
Shhheeett... Whichever venue happens to be on our Myspace page's list of upcoming events that week. Basically any place with a stage and that's big enough to house our HUGE egos and my (physically) large head.
Your live album in 2003 was recorded at Backbooth, and you've played some shows there since. Whats your favorite venue to play at in Orlando?
That place has its own little magic, as do many places of that size, not too small but definitely not big. We really love the Social too we have a history with that place especially. Swam has been performing there for years and years... It was actually the first place I saw him do his thing.
Do you think the Orlando hip hop scene is more or less responsive to your music compared with others?
Umm... Really it depends. Since we have spent most of our time downtown throughout the years, we have had the chance to get a lot more involved personally with people around here. This, for one, can create a better response to what we do as people feel more connected to it all. On the other hand, you will have your people that feel like they own you in a way or conquered the mystery of you when they think they know something about you. So those types start to respond less than they may have originally. These types are very few, far between, and nearly extinct nowadays though, as the response is better than ever. Plus we perform less and less in Orlando as we get busier and travel more, so that always forces people to appreciate you more. Don't it always seem to go that way?
Joni Mitchell never lies- Q-tip
What sets Sol.illaquists of Sound apart from other hip hop artists in the Orlando scene?
I think what sets us apart from some is our outlook and motivation. We, like many others, have very high hopes and ideals but unlike some we have encountered, have been honest with ourselves about our progress and have truly given ourselves the credit needed to actively pursue those ideals in a way necessary to achieve them. I guess you could call it focus. We know what we are in it for which travels beyond our personal benefit and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it done. But you'd be surprised by the others that are going to emerge out of this scene that share this focus.
Listening to your music, there is a noticeable blend of genres. How have the influences of different genres brought you to the core sound of your music?
Each one of us, on top of having different cultural backgrounds, have had varied musical upbringings as well. But it's safe to say that, for the most part at least, we can all agree on what is good music regardless of its perceived classification. Good music is everywhere hidden among even more horrible music. When producing the stuff for our albums I try to take in to consideration all of what we enjoy about all the good music we listen to both on an individual and a shared level. 'Cause if you look closely at all the good stuff from all the different genres you will find many of the same ideas that tend to work universally. I call these the governing dynamics of music; all the rules and tricks that when executed correctly tend to render successful musical products. Our core sound is that, just the fusion of all our favorite dynamics from different genres and cultures. It's our way of simultaneously paying respects to our predecessors and inspiring our successors to approach music/life the way it should be approached; with no fear or self-imposed limitations but rather just a passionate love for it all. For those of you who don't know, this idea isn't new of course, ask someone over 25 years old, or for you new bucks, just Google the word "hip hop" and you can learn all about this exciting fusion of music that we use.
And FAHEEM?
FAHEEM (Free Astral Hip hop Extra-terrestrially Energized Message) is a name we came up with to describe our genre of music. Really it was a joke because we knew that people were going to try to coin us as one thing or another so we just tried to beat them to the punch with this ridiculous name. It's fun.
You all emphasize non-smoking shows. Have you experienced many people who disrespect this, even after hearing your messages?
Yeah, people try to ignore it. Some just don't get it and others think they are rebelling against being told what they can or cannot do. When in actuality they are just hurting themselves not to mention us or others. It's like, what are you trying to prove, asshole?
Whats the deal with Culture Mart?
Swamburger started Culture Mart about five years ago. It has served as many things over the years, a few of those things being a meeting place, a headquarters for activists, as well as a shop to sell art, clothes, and music on consignment. It's really a shop located in downtown Orlando providing something that there wasn't enough of around here: Culture. It has recently had a grand reopening and with continued support should remain a staple of the hip hop community in Orlando.
I understand there was a documentary entitled, Writes of Passage, made to bring the listener an inside look on what you guys are all about. Where can we check it out?
Our friend Lizzie is thankfully always in the process of working on some kind of documentary and this particular one focused on the meetings that were being held at Culture Mart. Every Sunday we would hold meetings at the shop where we would gather to organize and activate the local community by way of physical, informative, and interactive means. The documentary itself comes from a time that seems like it was ages ago (when in actuality it's probably only been a year or two), but the information is definitely still relevant. You can find Lizzie on the beast that is Myspace (www.myspace.com/funkybuttmonkeemusic), become her e-friend, and ask her about getting any one of her DVDs... Another good one to check out is the "lead by example project" in which we are also a big part of (definitely our favorite of hers).
Explain your most interesting experience onstage.
Crazy things happen all the time it would be hard to pinpoint the most interesting of all. The last time we were in NY, Swam purposely fell off the (high-ass) stage onto his back and continued rapping without missing a beat; he was so amped it gave him super powers... I've blacked out and wound up in weird position not knowing how I got there, had a muscle spasm in my arm thinking I dislocated it, been offered a bag of cocaine during a solo, and I swear I floated one time. It was really strange; I jumped just ever so slightly and somehow wound up standing straight up on the table in front of me. Afterwards a couple of my friends were like, "what the hell happened at the end when you got up on the table it looked crazy?" None of us could figure it out.
I hear you guys have played with some pretty well known artists, such as Dwele and Scratch from the Roots. What artist has been your favorite to play with?
Scratch was amazing to see every night and Dwele was a favorite artist of mine for a while so that was fun. Sage Francis would definitely have to be a favorite. We spent so much time together and did so many shows together last year. We love the guy and really respect his gangsta. Oh yeah and Jeffrey Osbourne was fun, that was actually the night I floated. I must have been high on the wings of love that night (again with the punch line drum roll please).
Have you guys toured outside of the US? If so, how was the response compared to US audiences?
We have played Canada and the response has been great. The crowds up there were really into it and matched if not exceeded on some occasions the intensity of our crowds in the states. I have done some solo stuff on a tour with Sage all over Europe and the responses were always good so I think as a group it would be that much more well received. We'll see this summer; we are doing a show in Switzerland and possibly one in Germany at the end of June.
If you could play any other instrument besides your own with great skill, what would it be? Feel free to make up an instrument if a current one does not suit you well enough.
I'm currently working on learning how to play (real) drums. It's a different sort of discipline than just using my fingers but ultimately I feel it will only help and build upon my current MPC skills. From there, I'm going to keep learning other instruments. We all are in the process of getting better at playing different instruments but maybe we'll just surprise everyone one day with which ones.
What is your greatest hope for your music?
For it to be listened to by everybody. Really listened to and ultimately for it to inspire the world to make the change they want to see. You can call that a cliché' answer when it actually happens as many times as it's said.
interview by Alisha Torrealba
Sol.iLLaquist of Sound (soul il e kwist uv sah oo nd) n. 1 a play on words describing an individual whose efforts in searching for ones self reveal his/her soul to an audience often through some type of art medium. 2 One who recognizes his/her self and the reflection of self in those around them.
With the association between hip hop and positive street poetry being tarnished in a platinum chain world, Sol.illaquists of Sound offer Orlando a stronger connection between artist and audience. These kP favs are sure to open the mind with their powerful messages and intense beats, and provide an assured antidote to blueprinted hip hop.
So, who am I speaking to?
It's me, DiViNCi (MPCist/Producer/Engineer)...
Tell us about the other Sol.illas.
Tonya Combs does Back up Vox and additional percussion during shows (shakers and the like). Swamburger and Alexandrah take care of the vocal duties, and Al edits our footage. But we all dabble a bit in each others business.
So when did Sol.illaquists of Sound come together?
It's been years in the making but the current incarnation solidified at the end of summer '02. The full story and its many intertwining intricacies can be found at our website... Way too long of a story for me to get into again...
In my first Sol.illaquist experience, I realized a powerful connection between artists and audience on a different level than I've seen before. What vibes and connections constitute a positive feeling at your shows?
The whole motivating intention behind our music and our daily choices is about maintaining this connection among us and those we talk to/perform for. We don't want to be those types of artists that have a one-sided communication with their audience through whatever medium they choose. They just put their art out there and hope people will get it, or draw what they want from a vague artistic statement. Our messages are intended to be blatant documents of information acquired from personal and shared experiences to be used for beneficial progress. As pretentious as that may sound to some, consider where it's coming from. We're just trying to help.
Whats one thing you want listeners to leave with after a show?
Motivation... Mainly to create their ideal situation, live a passionate life, and stop settling for the things that don't match the value of our actual selves.
Who does the artwork on your album covers?
Swamburger, for those of you who don't know, is an amazing artist. He is the one that does all of the artwork seen on our merch and albums.
Are you all working on an album at the moment?
We just finished up our newest album, "As if We Existed", which should be out in early September of this year on Epitaph/Anti. It's being mastered and submitted this week as a matter of fact. As soon as all the press is done for that we are going to get a jump on the follow up to that immediately. Besides that we are all always working on some sort of side project to keep us busy.
What do you hope for in the future in signing with Epitaph, and are you still working with Nonsense?
We really just hope for more of what we are already doing, just on a bigger scale. We just want it to continue to grow exponentially as it has been. "It" being the amount of support and push we get as well as the number of people the message reaches, not to mention any and all opportunities to support our goals. Nonsense is our family and we will continue to support them in whatever ways we can. They will continue to carry our back catalogue of material but as far as new stuff, Epitaph will be releasing (at least) our next three projects.
What song of yours means most to you?
Every song holds a special place with us for different reasons. But if I had to choose one song that best described what we are here to do and what we are all about it would have to be the title track off of our new album, "As if we existed." For those uncertain with where we are coming from this song says it all and leaves no questions to be asked. And if for some reason anyone does question our motives, "Ask me if I care" is the song that could definitively answer them.
Who writes most of the lyrics?
99.9% of the time, whomever you heard delivering it was the person who wrote it. There are a couple instances however on this upcoming album where I helped to write some choruses and whatnot.
If your music were an animal, what animal would it be and why?
What's that mammal...? They can be big and varyingly hairy, sometimes cute, but often aggressive and territorial, but ultimately a loving and pleasant animal underneath it all? Oh yeah, a Human. [Insert punch-line drum roll here]
I understand you all work on individual projects, what venues can we catch you at?
Shhheeett... Whichever venue happens to be on our Myspace page's list of upcoming events that week. Basically any place with a stage and that's big enough to house our HUGE egos and my (physically) large head.
Your live album in 2003 was recorded at Backbooth, and you've played some shows there since. Whats your favorite venue to play at in Orlando?
That place has its own little magic, as do many places of that size, not too small but definitely not big. We really love the Social too we have a history with that place especially. Swam has been performing there for years and years... It was actually the first place I saw him do his thing.
Do you think the Orlando hip hop scene is more or less responsive to your music compared with others?
Umm... Really it depends. Since we have spent most of our time downtown throughout the years, we have had the chance to get a lot more involved personally with people around here. This, for one, can create a better response to what we do as people feel more connected to it all. On the other hand, you will have your people that feel like they own you in a way or conquered the mystery of you when they think they know something about you. So those types start to respond less than they may have originally. These types are very few, far between, and nearly extinct nowadays though, as the response is better than ever. Plus we perform less and less in Orlando as we get busier and travel more, so that always forces people to appreciate you more. Don't it always seem to go that way?
Joni Mitchell never lies- Q-tip
What sets Sol.illaquists of Sound apart from other hip hop artists in the Orlando scene?
I think what sets us apart from some is our outlook and motivation. We, like many others, have very high hopes and ideals but unlike some we have encountered, have been honest with ourselves about our progress and have truly given ourselves the credit needed to actively pursue those ideals in a way necessary to achieve them. I guess you could call it focus. We know what we are in it for which travels beyond our personal benefit and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it done. But you'd be surprised by the others that are going to emerge out of this scene that share this focus.
Listening to your music, there is a noticeable blend of genres. How have the influences of different genres brought you to the core sound of your music?
Each one of us, on top of having different cultural backgrounds, have had varied musical upbringings as well. But it's safe to say that, for the most part at least, we can all agree on what is good music regardless of its perceived classification. Good music is everywhere hidden among even more horrible music. When producing the stuff for our albums I try to take in to consideration all of what we enjoy about all the good music we listen to both on an individual and a shared level. 'Cause if you look closely at all the good stuff from all the different genres you will find many of the same ideas that tend to work universally. I call these the governing dynamics of music; all the rules and tricks that when executed correctly tend to render successful musical products. Our core sound is that, just the fusion of all our favorite dynamics from different genres and cultures. It's our way of simultaneously paying respects to our predecessors and inspiring our successors to approach music/life the way it should be approached; with no fear or self-imposed limitations but rather just a passionate love for it all. For those of you who don't know, this idea isn't new of course, ask someone over 25 years old, or for you new bucks, just Google the word "hip hop" and you can learn all about this exciting fusion of music that we use.
And FAHEEM?
FAHEEM (Free Astral Hip hop Extra-terrestrially Energized Message) is a name we came up with to describe our genre of music. Really it was a joke because we knew that people were going to try to coin us as one thing or another so we just tried to beat them to the punch with this ridiculous name. It's fun.
You all emphasize non-smoking shows. Have you experienced many people who disrespect this, even after hearing your messages?
Yeah, people try to ignore it. Some just don't get it and others think they are rebelling against being told what they can or cannot do. When in actuality they are just hurting themselves not to mention us or others. It's like, what are you trying to prove, asshole?
Whats the deal with Culture Mart?
Swamburger started Culture Mart about five years ago. It has served as many things over the years, a few of those things being a meeting place, a headquarters for activists, as well as a shop to sell art, clothes, and music on consignment. It's really a shop located in downtown Orlando providing something that there wasn't enough of around here: Culture. It has recently had a grand reopening and with continued support should remain a staple of the hip hop community in Orlando.
I understand there was a documentary entitled, Writes of Passage, made to bring the listener an inside look on what you guys are all about. Where can we check it out?
Our friend Lizzie is thankfully always in the process of working on some kind of documentary and this particular one focused on the meetings that were being held at Culture Mart. Every Sunday we would hold meetings at the shop where we would gather to organize and activate the local community by way of physical, informative, and interactive means. The documentary itself comes from a time that seems like it was ages ago (when in actuality it's probably only been a year or two), but the information is definitely still relevant. You can find Lizzie on the beast that is Myspace (www.myspace.com/funkybuttmonkeemusic), become her e-friend, and ask her about getting any one of her DVDs... Another good one to check out is the "lead by example project" in which we are also a big part of (definitely our favorite of hers).
Explain your most interesting experience onstage.
Crazy things happen all the time it would be hard to pinpoint the most interesting of all. The last time we were in NY, Swam purposely fell off the (high-ass) stage onto his back and continued rapping without missing a beat; he was so amped it gave him super powers... I've blacked out and wound up in weird position not knowing how I got there, had a muscle spasm in my arm thinking I dislocated it, been offered a bag of cocaine during a solo, and I swear I floated one time. It was really strange; I jumped just ever so slightly and somehow wound up standing straight up on the table in front of me. Afterwards a couple of my friends were like, "what the hell happened at the end when you got up on the table it looked crazy?" None of us could figure it out.
I hear you guys have played with some pretty well known artists, such as Dwele and Scratch from the Roots. What artist has been your favorite to play with?
Scratch was amazing to see every night and Dwele was a favorite artist of mine for a while so that was fun. Sage Francis would definitely have to be a favorite. We spent so much time together and did so many shows together last year. We love the guy and really respect his gangsta. Oh yeah and Jeffrey Osbourne was fun, that was actually the night I floated. I must have been high on the wings of love that night (again with the punch line drum roll please).
Have you guys toured outside of the US? If so, how was the response compared to US audiences?
We have played Canada and the response has been great. The crowds up there were really into it and matched if not exceeded on some occasions the intensity of our crowds in the states. I have done some solo stuff on a tour with Sage all over Europe and the responses were always good so I think as a group it would be that much more well received. We'll see this summer; we are doing a show in Switzerland and possibly one in Germany at the end of June.
If you could play any other instrument besides your own with great skill, what would it be? Feel free to make up an instrument if a current one does not suit you well enough.
I'm currently working on learning how to play (real) drums. It's a different sort of discipline than just using my fingers but ultimately I feel it will only help and build upon my current MPC skills. From there, I'm going to keep learning other instruments. We all are in the process of getting better at playing different instruments but maybe we'll just surprise everyone one day with which ones.
What is your greatest hope for your music?
For it to be listened to by everybody. Really listened to and ultimately for it to inspire the world to make the change they want to see. You can call that a cliché' answer when it actually happens as many times as it's said.
interview by Alisha TorrealbaMORE INFO: solilla.com, Sol.ILLa's myspace, DiViNCi's myspace, Nonsense Records