Saturday, August 4, 2007

Artofficial - Stranger



ArtOfficial consists of Danny Perez on Keys, Manny Patino on Drums, Ralf Valencia on Bass, and Keith Cooper on the Saxophone with the vocals provided by emcees Newsense and Logics.

The set up alone beckons the questions “What does a live band with two emcees sound like?” Well, imagine Soulive with a harder edge or The Roots, but jazzier, denser, and more spontaneous. Envision blending your favorite groups from Hip-Hop’s Golden era and replacing their sampled beats with Jazz musicians. Now, what if those Jazz musicians have a knack for creating that boom-bap sound that made us all fall in love with Hip-Hop in the first place? In reality, such a mixture doesn’t have to be imagined. It exists. It’s a living, breathing entity that lives in Miami, but thinks universally. It speaks in a language that is both familiar and unknown. Its name is ArtOfficial and its here to make you remember the past and embrace the future.

Started from the remains of two bands, one Jazz and one Hip-Hop, ArtOfficial has taken the local music scene by storm by implementing their previous musical experiences to achieve quick results. In the words of Danny Perez, “After having minor success in our other bands we were able to use all those years of experience to get the outcome we wanted out of this one.” Part of that experience is seen in their stage shows. ArtOfficial’s live performances have earned them a reputation as extraordinary showmen that according to the Miami New Times “get butts moving!”

Today ArtOfficial is constantly performing and expanding on an already growing fan base even finding time to organize a monthly event dubbed State of The Art where local musicians and visual artists can display their works. “We’ve been running this event for about seven months with a great turnout every time. It gives us a chance to develop the local art and music scenes and also to become part of something bigger than the music. We want to create a vibe, an atmosphere that goes along with the music.” says Logics in regards to State of the Art.

ArtOfficial’s ever growing presence caused them to hit the recording studio with a vengeance. They have currently finished their first recording, a 5 track EP titled Stranger. And according to the band, it’s everything you’d expect from their energetic live shows, but expanded and executed to perfection. When asked about their run-ins with record execs the DIY band says, “We’ve been very successful at handling ourselves so far. We’re going to work this record and plot our next move like a game of chess.”

1. Big City Bright Lights
2. Gone
3. Clockwork
4. Eyes of A Stranger
5. Remember the Days

MySpace Here
Download Here

The Alchemist

No comments: