The mysterious Chicagoan Spirit Of The Black 808 has charmed us with 6 EPs, with their latest documented production coming in 2020, since arriving on the scene in 2013. In comparison to other artists' obscurity, here we have little to no information to work with, apart from one image of a baby found on this artist's SoundCloud page and a mini write-up with no identifiable information. Apart from mentioning the inheritance of his elder brothers' record collection - total anonymity; however, for me, until clarification comes, which it may not, and that is fine, I think of this as two possibilities.
The first is a collective. Bear with me here. When I listen to the entire catalogue, I notice elements of many artists, including the label owners who have released on Episodes, Machining Dreams, Synapsis Records, and Eargasmic Recordings, and I feel that Spirit Of The Black 808 could be a collaborative effort by these producers.
The music from Spirit Of The Black 808 spans the full range I expect from the above labels and their artists, especially those who appeared early in the label’s output. Diverse and unpredictable, Restrained, yet raw, sparse, and experimental in other areas. However, the mini write-up throws this theory out unless it’s meant to throw people off slightly.
After thinking more deeply, the second possibility leans me toward G. Marcell for a few reasons. He transitioned from his label, Bearatonerecordings, to the other labels mentioned above and a larger, established network in 2011, with his last release on his label in 2012. He was picked up by Keith Worthy in 2011 and Hakim Murphy in 2012, two major forces from Detroit and Chicago, and released for them. Following this, in 2013 he released for Episodes and Synapsis Records, and the third was on Vanguard Sound!, Amir Alexander’s label. This is interesting, as Spirit Of The Black 808’s first three releases in 2013, chronologically, are on labels of Ike Velez (Episodes), Hakim Murphy (Synapsis Records), and Daryl Cura (Eargasmic Recordings), which places this artist’s transition firmly within that tight Chicago music collective, which includes many on the roster of these labels.
After the second release, Spirit Of The Black 808 and G. Marcell have released on different labels. Regarding Spirit Of The Black 808, the other three releases came out on Hizou Deep Rooted Music and Sounds Of The City in 2015, and on Joe Marougi’s Roundabout Sounds in 2020; he co-founded Plug Research.
On a side note, I find the mystery of Spirit Of The Black 808 intriguing, and I also find the artists and their productions on the labels discussed here fascinating; over time, I will write about them. Strange as it may seem, one thing shines through and connects them all, and it is abundantly clear to me: none of them does this for popularity. These are personal journeys: such a beautiful quality–total respect to all who do it in this way.
One moniker with a small output on respected labels; however, Spirit Of The Black 808 productions are extremely dear to me. I have followed this artist’s output since the beginning, and they never disappoint. Always something different, which makes it intriguing when a new release appears. Another favourite of mine.
SPIRIT OF THE BLACK 808
…fusion of deep house, funk, downtempo boogie and hip hop.
The first release, titled ‘Analog Funktions’ came out in 2013 on Episodes. It features three tracks of Chicago-style machine funk that perfectly align with the label’s sound, or, for that matter, you could be forgiven for thinking this is Ike Valez. It is for this reason that this producer’s debut is an incredible feat: to slot right in, especially if we consider that this producer is new to the scene and not part of the collective.
‘Analog Funktions’
‘FrecuenciaX0X’
‘Guerilla Shit EP’
This is all about the B-side ‘4dabrothaswhoainthere’: exceptionally good. It starts with a voice saying “this is 4dabrothaswhoainthere”, and the beginning of the acid line that flows throughout the track, lowering its presence at the 5-minute mark and slowly fading out. This is a track that builds from the beginning, revealing well-thought-out, subtle yet interesting (intriguing) sounds throughout the track’s progression and entire duration. The percussion is incredibly tight, including the angsty drumming, with bass drum, and kick, with well-placed sounds creating immense depth and mood. There isn’t a single poor sound choice, or even one out of place. From the track’s mid-stage, we hear a man’s voice ask, “Why does the sun kiss the earth?” and again at 6.30. Additionally, an upward-sliding (glissando) female voice enters at 6 minutes and continues until the end, ending with the male voice saying, “this is 4dabrothaswhoainthere”.
This artist shows restraint and Incredible depth in sound design and production techniques.
Adding to this record’s appeal is the unusual A-side, with both tracks featuring darker sounds. ‘King Kong’, with its 808 drum and Chicago-style jack, patterns, also contains varied samples of Denzel Washington’s voice from the tense ending of the film ‘Training Day’, in particular, “King Kong ain’t got shit on me!” And ‘Guerrilla Shit’, a low-energy affair that brings melancholy and a tense, frightening edge to the track; to be fair, they both do that.
Raw underground music.
All three tracks from the EP are below.
‘Dirty Jointz’
The first three tracks fall into Spirit Of The Black 808’s unique fusion of deep house, funk, and boogie. In contrast, track four is a stripped-back percussion track with a melodic line that resembles a continual industrial machine, with a voice scattered throughout - not a distinct word, but rather an exclamation. At 2.30, a spoken word resembles the letters MTC, until 3.20, when the energy shifts to more distinct exclamations, rolling percussion is added for intensity, and a horn enters. Strangely interesting.
‘One’
‘Two’
This track samples the opening sound of Gil Scott Heron’s and Brian Jackson’s ‘We Almost Lost Detroit’ (1977).
‘2.5’
This is a version of track ‘Two’, which Eargasmic Recordings is kindly allowing people to download for free, here.
‘Four’
‘Infroduction EP’
This is one of my favourite 2013 releases. It opens with a 108 BPM jam reminiscent of Three Chairs, Mahogani Music, and KDJ productions. Of the four tracks, this one leans more toward Detroit. The other three tracks are undoubtedly Chicago in feel, with ‘Electronic Love’ and ‘I Funkd Up’ layered with beautiful melodies - subtle, not overdone and nicely placed - and those unmistakably deep Chicago-style grooves. The last track ‘Rough Joint’ is stripped down to the bare essetials with Chicago-style beats with cowbell, a whistle and has an otherworldly feel, made more so by a woman’s voice which produces a musical fragment or phrase making this EP a diverse and very fine release.
‘Infroduction’
‘Electronic Love’
‘I Funkd Up’
‘Invasion Of The Black Bass’
‘Invasion Of The Black Bass’ uses beautiful synths that feel vintage to me, which creates an incredible, heartwarming groove that accompanies and adds to the percussive lines. This being my goto on this EP, unfortunately there is not an full upload of this track ‘Invasion Of The Black House’ is a version of the previous track. ‘Frenzy In Firenze’ is a two-beat rhythm mainly found in Roots music; however, it is not exclusive to it: African musical traditions, with their complex rhythmic patterns, also contribute to its development.
‘Frenzy In Firenze’
‘Rough Bounce’
‘Rough Bounce’, which came out on Roundabout Sounds, strongly reminds me of Sean Hernandez productions. It is a wonderful track, and do check out James Duncan’s ‘Morning Mix’.
REFLECTION
There is no doubt Spirit Of The Black 808 is incredibly talented. One notable observation is how this artist’s sound flawlessly encapsulates many of the artists who have appeared on Machining Dreams, Episodes, Eargasmic Recordings and Synapsis Records and who are part of his close network. His unique fusion of musical styles has placed him among the best in the business.
Another observation is that this artist keeps things incredibly close and personal. The only picture online is of a baby holding a record. The mini write-up says this person inherited his elder brother’s record collection, and it is noted elsewhere that their inspiration lies firmly with Theo Parrish, Larry Heard, and Marcellus Malik Pittman. The image shows deep love, respect, and connection to his elder brother after he took possession of their records. This unknown person pursued production to share their feelings and advances in their life and musical journey from that exact point.
Unequivocally, Spirit Of The Black 808 is all about the music and what that means and nothing about prominence, so it makes sense there is no identifiable information about this individual, which leads me to the paragraph below.
However much I think about knowing this artist’s identity and the importance attached to it, and, additionally, for my thoughts about who this could be, I want to clarify that I meant absolutely no disrespect by my analysis.
For someone to come onto the scene and create something similar, fitting in as if they had been producing for decades in Chicago’s music scene, yet there are sounds, placement and technique that lift and push all of their productions outside the expected, which make them beautifully unique, is a testament to how exceptionally good this artist is at production. Frankly, I am in awe of the brilliance, and I want to understand more.
There is only one point to make, and it is what Spirit Of The Black 808 represents: this is true dedication to the art form, drawing inspiration from many music styles, and I would suggest the connection to his elder brother as the backbone of their musical journey; it is full commitment and professionalism in creating quality music, and that comes through in abundance. A remarkable producer, with impeccable sound selection and an ability to use female and male voices to great effect in interesting ways; it is simply creative thinking on another level, and I hope we will hear more work from this artist in the near future.
Until the next one, I will leave you with track three from Dirty Jointz on Eargasmic Recordings.
‘Three’
Be Safe.
Peace and Love.
Stef