Music > Audioline
Tall Black Guy
28/11/16
WHO?
It’s not everyday in our Fine City that you come across a musician who spent his youth growing up between Detroit and Chicago in the USA, has travelled the world extensively with his music and has been requested to perform at parties alongside the likes of musical trailblazer DJ Jazzy Jeff. Since releasing his first musical offering in 2009, Tall Black Guy has found himself well and truly on the musical radar. His music – a nostalgic nod to its roots in old-school hip hop - has found itself championed by musical stalwarts such as Questlove and Gilles Peterson to name a couple. And now there’s a new album to demand our attention - Let’s Take A Trip.
WHAT?
TBG’s patience and practice has resulted in music that unashamedly takes its listener on a journey. It may be structured around jazz, funk, soul and hip hop but it doesn’t stop there. A musical restlessness tests the boundaries of those labels, giving us so many experiences across his work. It’s full of different sounds, different singers and uplifting rhythmic melodies. “For me I don’t want to be in one box,” he told us, “I just want to be open to making all types of stuff that I enjoy listening to. I try and make everything that catches your attention.”
LIVE?
The early days of music sampling have developed into Tall Black Guy teaching himself how to play instruments. A listen through his most recent album reveals a meticulous attention to detail little witnessed in the music industry. “The Let’s Take A Trip album took me three years,” he said. “I’m still learning how to play – pretty much everything you hear on the album is me playing it. When you take your time and you have a concept it can really happen.”
It is this approach to his art that sees Tall Black Guy a sought-after artist for gigs worldwide. “When me and my wife moved here we didn’t know what was gonna happen – the last five years we’ve travelled to a whole bunch of places we never thought we were going to travel to.”
THE FUTURE?
The new album signals another phase, starting the New Year with a gig in South Africa – and a bit of advice for all of us based on his own experiences. “Don’t ever close yourself off. At the end of the day you’ve still got to practise. Everybody’s got some type of creative talent, they’ve just got to tap into it. Once you master something nobody can take that from you.” Tall Black Guy, we salute you.
