Born and raised in South East London, Joel Culpepper has been working on his music for as long as he can remember. Hip Hop/Soul is the type of genre you would fit him in, although he gravitates more towards 'alternative' and 'anything that is heartfelt'....
Wearing nothing more elaborate than an oversized plain white t-shirt, baggy denim jeans, baseball cap and thick dark stubble, Häzel looks nothing like what you’d expect from an ‘industry figure.’ Despite the viral success of his mixtape The Lost Tapes and his production credits on records by the likes of Drake, Onra and Slakah the Beatchild, the quiet natured 27-year-old French producer is firmly dedicated to one thing only- perfecting the craft of “beat-making.”
Born in Brazil to a French mother and Brazilian father, Häzel has lived in France for over 10 years. Within that time he has built a name for himself on the both the Parisian and international Hip Hop scene, alongside his best friend and fellow beatsmith Onra.
It was whilst working in Canada with Slakah the Beatchild that his music first came to the attention of the-then up and coming Toronto MC, Drake. Although neither musician knew it at the time, their collaboration on 2007’s Comeback Season mixtape was to become a turning point in both of their careers.
Following their collaboration, the musicians’ lives could not have followed more separate paths. Whilst Drake exploded into mainstream consciousness in a journey that has been well documented by the blogosphere, Häzel resisted requests from music labels to take ownership of his career. He remained unsigned up until a few months ago, when he finally broke his unsigned run to team-up with his buddy Onra’s new imprint, Catblock Records.
Today, Häzel takes time out of his schedule to grant Soul Culture a rare interview. Relaxing into the lounge chair of a quiet Parisian diner, he seems grateful for, if not yet entirely comfortable with, the rush of attention that his music has brought. However he soon eases into conversation when he speaks of his love of music.
Any fans of UK dance music might recognise this burgeoning producer and beatsmith by his Government name - Darren Williams - because Mr. Williams, although now known amongst the cool kids as Star Slinger, had released two dance 12” vinyl records as at 2007 to relative success.
Thankfully, dance music became quite limited and constraining to the musician/producer (boring if you like) and he re-discovered the widely varied and eclectic vinyl-collection he had been unscrupulously building up for quite a few years. You see, Darren Williams is also an avid record-store visitor and collector of Vinyl and in April of 2010, Star Slinger – the beat tapes producer was born.
One of the few DJs on mainstream UK radio whose name is synonymous with unmitigated credibility, Gilles Peterson has deservedly earned his reputation as a tastemaker of some serious mettle. Having brought to wider attention hidden musical gems from Brazil and Africa, two years ago Peterson set his sights on Cuba having been invited to sample some of the exciting sounds courtesy of the island’s gifted young things.
The Havana Cultura project was born and what was at first meant to solely generate another compilation CD turned into something of a movement; this generation’s Buena Vista Social Club, perhaps.
Gilles brought a cross section of some of his ‘discoveries’ to the packed out Barbican Hall last Tuesday with virtuoso Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca [pictured below], in turn backed by a superlative band. Initially the venue appeared too formal and subdued for the kind of hip-swinging fayre manifest on stage. Nevertheless, thanks to the boundless energy of the artists and a very responsive crowd, the Barbican was to be set ablaze with Fonseca and co’s heady mix of the Tango, various other Afro-Latin rhythms, Jazz, Hip Hop and Funk.
The night was
There are just certain artists that evoke a special feeling from fans and fellow musicians alike. An artist that, no matter the battle plan, you'd still opt to musically walk into war with them blindfolded. It's a trust that very few artists are able to get from their fanbase - but somehow Erykah Badu has been able to hypnotize me (and a gang of others) into being willing to do this since she stepped on the scene in 1997.
The evolution of Erykah is a type of transformation that's rarely seen, at least in this modern generation. She has the ability to adjust and shed certain skins similar to jazz artists of yesteryear and has a way of convincing her audience that they need to change with her too.
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Last Tuesday night saw the premiere performance by the ‘Rebirth of The Cool’ project at the Blackheath Concert Halls, South-East London, as part of the London Jazz Festival 2009 (in association with Trinity College of Music’s regular ‘Beats In The Bar’ showcase night). ‘Rebirth...’ combines the forces of some of the UK’s brightest young talents for further sonic exploration of the auspicious union between Hip-Hop and Jazz. The project is organised by Rolling Sound, a media training provider for the young. At the helm of ‘Rebirth...’ is respected urban maestro and DJ, Eric Lau. Other illustrious names to have contributed to the Project include rapper TY and the award-winning jazz musician Finn Peters. During intense rehearsals spread over the course of nine weeks, ‘Rebirth...’ participants composed six original tracks to be performed for the first time at Tuesday’s gig.
The legacy J Dilla has left on Hip Hop is continually noted by consumers and creators of Hip Hop culture. However, beyond leaving a legacy with his passing, Dilla inspired his younger brother, 22 year old Illa J (born John Yancey) to dedicate himself to music while providing another vessel for Dilla's productions to live on. With the release of The Yancey Boys, Illa J exhibits his vocal and lyrical agility over unreleased J Dilla beats. Whilst over in London last month, SoulCulture spoke to Illa J about being a new artist, adlibbing to Al Green and why he's not trying to be another J Dilla.