#foundtapes

It is extremely difficult to understate how much Philadelphia Concert Nostalgia is contained on this single cassette. It's an early-generation dub (very little noise, dropped out only twice on my deck despite not having been cleaned,) on a Sony T-160 with a hand-punched typewriter label that reads "ROLLING STONES - PHILLY '89." I don't know where I got it from, which means it came out of the trash at some point. It's a bootleg, shot on August 31, 1989, using a full-size VHS camcorder and an impossibly long lens from the second tier of Veterans' Stadium, tucked right up against the rail: not the legendary 700 level, but close, and all through a hole cut out in the side of a backpack!

Sound quality is surprisingly ripping, but the video is, truth be told, frustrating to watch throughout. This owes largely to the aforementioned hyper-extended zoom, which reduces much of the show in a blurry, energetic, orange and blue haze. If this sort of thing isn't your bag, you might responsibly assess this as a vaseline-blurry mess,  as on my first viewing I did, but the few moments where everything actually comes into complete focus are surreal and gorgeous. It also bears mentioning that whoever shot this must have been very patient, the shot is rarely disturbed throughout the entire gig (tripod in the bag, maybe?)

Aside from a surprise club gig in Connecticut earlier that month, this Philly show was the band's first US date in eight years, and the first of their '89/'90 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour, largely recognized as the period the Stones began their third-act existence as a massive arena act, and the last tour on which Bill Lyman was a member of the band. The eight-year road drought preceding this trip having many convinced this would be the final Stones tour, attendance & audience enthusiasm were both extremely high, and the band delivered.

Nomad is a mysterious figure; in the video for recent single ‘The Smoker’ he is cloaked in darkness, offering a glimpse into an insomniac world. The follow-up, ‘Michael Caine’, held true to this theme, a warped late-night slow jam that is imbued in dubby atmosphere, with his breathy vocals cutting starkly through the haze.

However, there is a certain amount we can deduce about this shadowy rapper from his video. For example, Fila is clearly his brand of choice when it comes to caps, and we can clearly see his stomping grounds of Bristol in the shots of the suspension bridge and the sprawled graffiti lettering.

This tentative handshake is a fitting introduction to his solo work, seeing that his first album, ‘Found Tapes’, sounds very little like any of his work with Bad Places prior, nor his recent collaboration with Brighton girl-group Pure Gold. Nevertheless, that does not mean to say that he decided to limit the diversity of tracks on this record.

Much like his name, he raps nomadically over different bpms, different styles, and different types of instrumentation. What he has managed to do on ‘Found Tapes’ is synthesize these influences into a style of his own, and instead of appearing as a portfolio of his skillset, the nine tracks here serve as an enforcement of his own sound.

He is joined on this project by vocalist Anna Stellardi, Bristol R&B crooner Eskimoe, South London’s Cave City, and London MC Tony EQ.

INTERVIEW

1) How would you describe your sound ?

I would say my sound is like an updated 90s boom bap style, very lyrically focused with lots of different flows and tones. I’m still in the process of developing and exploring my own sound so it’s constantly changing and evolving. This album marks the start of me finding my own style.

2) Can you talk about the features on the record ?

The features all came about organically, the artists slotted in naturally in different places on the album and all did a sick job. And my sister Anna ended up featuring on ‘The Smoker’, she can sing well and it just came about naturally! Big ups to Eskimoe, Tony EQ and Cave City who all did their thing on the tracks and each brought something different to the project.

3) Who are your influences?

I have influences from all over the place. From the UK artists like Kano, Devlin, Jesse James Solomon and Verb T come to mind. From the US I am big on Nas’ and Biggie’s storytelling, Eminem was the first rapper I ever heard, and some of the sounds from American artists like Earl Sweatshirt and Mellowhype inspire me too. Then there’s Italian rappers like my cousin, who introduced me to rap, along with Bassi Maestro and Lord Madness. Outside of Hip Hop, artists like Burial and Mura Masa.

3) It's getting difficult to make any meaningful distinctions between styles of music from different places, so would you still describe your album as a UK album?

My album is definitely a UK album. I’m born and bred in the UK and UK influences can be heard in the music and the lyrics. But I know that the fact I’m Italian influences my style and my lyrics, and my producer is English but grew up outside of England for a long time. Still, I would say the album is homegrown UK music.

4) Has Bristol as a city influenced your musical direction?

Bristol has influenced my musical direction massively. The city’s energy and vibrancy and it’s musical history definitely played into shaping the music I make. Just walking around in Bristol puts me in a creative state of mind.

5) Build or destroy?

Variety is the spice of life - a bit of both.

6) What is more important to you as an artist, capturing a certain energy or striving for perfection?

I am definitely a perfectionist and sometimes through the course of making this album my producer Lyons would have to remind me of the bigger picture on a certain track when I would get too caught up in the details. My writing process almost always starts with trying to find a vibe or energy by freestyling and then refining what I come up with though.  

7) What are your plans for the rest of the year?