Miles Bonny is playing with ALTA, Amin Payne, Cazeaux O.S.L.O. and Able8 at Melbourne’s Howler on Friday April 11. It’s door sales only: $10 before 10.00 pm, $15 After.
The multitalented Miles Bonny has enough skills to warehouse. (Did you know that soulful muso and some-time disciple of hip-hop plays niche brass instrument the flugelhorn?) Catch the renaissance man here throwing open the bonnet on his recent works and showing us how they tick.
1. ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’
I recorded this song as a commission from arts supporter Stephanie Greene. She asked that I make a ‘hip-hop version of it’ which I interpreted as a beat. I just sang it as I felt it. People seem to dig it.
2. ‘Junkyard Dog’
I was in Berlin, doing some shows with the German soul band Ruff Cats. The opportunity came up to spend two days with them in the studio. This is one of the first two songs from that session to be released. I wrote this song on the way to the studio and Uwe of the Ruff Cats helped produce it. It’s massive and unlike anything I’ve ever done.
3. ‘Searching For’
Anthony Valadez is a friend and DJ/producer in LA. This is one of two songs on his album that I sing on. He came out to where I live in Northern New Mexico to shoot a video. It turned out to be beautiful.
4. ‘Cosmic Consciousness’
I recently wanted to start making my own beats again, and I learned about this new Korg App called Gadget for iPad. I downloaded it and made this Bonikowski ‘Saturn in the Ninth House’ project in a few weeks. It was a lot of fun. The sounds in the app ted to be dubsteppy so it is reflected in the sounds in these beats. But this track is my favourite little moment on the release.
5. ‘Sea of Desire’
Alex Ford was creating his The Wild Imagination album and asked me to join him on this song. Esta made the beats – super dope track all around. I can feel what the vocalists are all talking about. Was fun to record and I’m looking forward to performing it live with them in Perth soon.
6. ‘Jankosec’
Before I was known as a singer, I made beats. It is through beats and hip-hop that I learned about soul music and the artists who were sampled. I loved that original music so much, I started creating sounds similar to it. The beat is part of a series of beats that I’ve recently collected to make available for others to buy or use for their own vocals.
7. ‘Let You Go’
I’ve been going through some relationship changes recently and recorded this song recently during that time. In fact the female involved is on the chorus, saying freedom. The beat is by Ta-ku and was released free on a Soulection comp. Ta-ku and I have a finished EP that we are looking for the right home for. I look forward to it being released sometime.
8. ‘Dirty Flugelhorn And Harmon Mute Samples’
I play flugelhorn, which is a lower tone trumpet. I use it as a production element when I record, but also play live – as I will at my upcoming shows. I want to share that sound with other producers and creators. So I released a sample set if sounds. I’ll record volume two soon. So many horn sounds on keyboards or VST plugins aren’t very real sounding, so I wanted to create some real, raw, horn tones for musicians to sample, chop, layer, and use.
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