Attendees of the TEDx conference in Toronto this week will be the first to get a glimpse of the new direction for a band that has been doing nothing but forging new directions in music since they debuted last year.
BADBADNOTGOOD, the multi-hyphenate jazz group that first made a name for themselves by releasing a mixtape that gave jazz treatments to classic hip-hop tracks from artists such as Nas, MF Doom and A Tribe Called Quest, say they're "moving to a different sound."
Huddled in their basement studio in Toronto's west end, Matthew Tavares (keys), Chester Hansen (bass guitar) and Alexander Sowinski (drums, sampler) excitedly talk over each other about their numerous new projects, making it hard to keep up with them all. But first thing's first, which is today's live performance of all new material, something Sowinski promises will be "different than anything we've ever done at any other time."
"We'll be arranging music that you would never expect to be in that arrangement," adds Tavares, which says a lot coming from a band that has already covered tracks from hardcore rappers such as Gucci Mane and Tyler, the Creator. "It will be even crazier than that. This is way left field, '60s nerdy jazz, Charles Mingus-type stuff, and it's the most arranged stuff we’ve ever done," he says.
Other than to say they will be performing with saxophonist Leland Whitty and guitar player Luan Phung, the band's two unofficial members and go-to collaborators, BADBADNOTGOOD's members refuse to give more details. Those curious will have to stream the TEDx concert live at 3:15 p.m. ET today (after Oct. 26, the footage will be made available on the website) if they want to find out for themselves, but even then there's no guarantee that this material will be on any of the several new projects that are in the works.
"We're just trying to figure out what makes sense," says Sowinski, mentioning plans for a few things, including another electronic-based free release, more '60s-influenced material that they've already recorded with acclaimed producer Frank Dukes (two songs of which appear on the The Man with the Iron Fists soundtrack), a collaboration with Odd Future rapper Earl for his upcoming solo record as well as plans for an official label release of original material that will continue to straddle the line between hip-hop and jazz instrumentals.
"You don’t want to repeat yourself, but you don’t want to go so crazy that you don’t sound like what people like," says Tavares, struggling to explain where exactly the band is headed sonically. "We just kind of —"
"Influences are coming from everywhere," Hansen cuts in.
"— trying to be unique," Tavares continues. "Covering music's one thing, but when you’re writing it you don't want to just do what you've been covering, you know?"
"But you want to produce something equally as great as the songs you’ve been covering," Sowinski says while Tavares nods his head, then adds, "and that takes time.”
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