• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RVA Mag

Richmond, VA Culture & Politics Since 2005

Menu RVA Mag Logo
  • community
  • MUSIC
  • ART
  • EAT DRINK
  • GAYRVA
  • POLITICS
  • PHOTO
  • EVENTS
  • MAGAZINE
RVA Mag Logo
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Sponsors

Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND drops new album, ‘Neuromelanin’

Gabriella Lacombe | May 17, 2017

Topics: BSTFRND, Fly Anakin, hip hop, Satellite Syndicate, Soluh!

Precise sampling, smooth jazzy interludes and effervescent beats meet in the intelligent and harmonious way that has come to be expected from Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND in his fourth album, Neuromelanin.

Pioneered by producer, multi-media and hip hop artist Jefferson Harris, the 12-track album’s cerebral themes begin at the title, which refers to a polymer pigment found in certain neurons of the brain.

Neuromelanin is more plentiful in the human brain than in any other species, and while high concentrations of neuromelanin can be found in the neurotransmitters responsible for joy (dopamine) and the fight-or-flight response (epinephrine and norepinephrine), the exact science of what neuromelanin does has yet to be pinned down.

Chemically or musically, Neuromelanin is an anomaly as a whole.

“Neuromelanin has the most energy of any type of material, it has a lot of fantastic qualities that can seem too good to be true,” Harris said. “Everyone, not just Black people, everyone has melanin. The album is an exploration of relationships and connections that I’ve had with people and this earth…It’s important to remain in touch with that, that every living thing on this planet is connected.”

The tone of Neuromelanin, which the RVA beatmaker dropped last month, is set with an audio sample of American civil rights activist Dick Gregory saying, “what’s the number one lie we tell you kids today? We say the number one problem confronting America today is the problem of air pollution…the number one problem confronting America today is the problem of moral pollution.”

The background audio builds in the track “Ginkgo Tree” before fading into the gritty snare and sweet vocal loops of “Windowsills”. “Kundalini Awakening” features fellow Mutant Academy member Fly Anakin and is peppered with the rounded smack of hand drums, while the dreamy track “Sirius B” (named after a piece of astronomical lore from the Dogon people of Mali) is all loose muscles, repeating the phrase “I take my time.”

The two also collaborated on the project Yo’ Mama Boyfrnd earlier this year.

Harris took his time with Neuromelanin, the first album released by BSTFRND in a little over a year, and the result is a thoughtful collection of songs that further strengthen the narrative flare of Harris’s musical career.

Harris will continue to flex his creative muscles this year while producing the next Soluh! LP, planning future tours and working on another LP for BSTFRND, an indication that he is overflowing with ideas that will further buoy his ideo-musical ascension.

RVA hip hop artists Fly Anakin & Koncept Jack$on drop first collaborative album, ‘Chapel Drive’

RVA Staff | March 31, 2017

Topics: BSTFRND, Chapel Drive, Fly Anakin, Koncept Jack$on, Mutant Academy, Nickelus F, Satellite Syndicate, The Grand Scheme of Things

Last summer RVA Magazine had the chance to sit down and chat in-depth with local hip hop artist Fly Anakin after he just released his album, The Grand Scheme of Things, and the young emcee hasn’t slowed down since. At the top of the new year, Anakin, alongside producer BSTFRND (Satellite Syndicate), dropped collaborative EP Yo Mama Boyfrnd and now he’s on to his next project, Chapel Drive.

The album, which dropped March 13, is a project fellow RVA rapper Koncept Jack$on (Mutant Academy) and been ready to hit the streets for a year now.

“As soon as we started Chapel Drive, I just had finished [ The Grand Scheme of Things],” said Anakin. “We never stopped recording. As soon as he {Jack$on} recorded and put out [Hawaii LP], I recorded the intro to Grand Scheme and after Grand Scheme I recorded lxcvlsxnly 2 and Chapel Drive was built.”

And while its been in the works for over a year, Anakin said the process came together rather effortlessly.

“We never tried to make songs for Chapel Drive. We had a certain foundation of songs for that shit already,” he said. “We didn’t even have the idea to do Chapel Drive until we were like seven songs in.”

Anakin, photo credit: The Cheats Movement

The first track the hip hop duo made off the 16-track record was “lxcvlsxnly 2” [prod. ewonee] in February of last year.

But the prolonged release was a learning experience the two gathered from local RVA producer Ohbliv, according to Jack$on.

“One day he told us that everything he puts out is a year old,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the pair have worked together on a project. The two dropped a video for “You Never Know” last year in March, a track off their collaborative EP, The Mandate: Side A.

Chapel Drive is the first full LP from either artist to feature all of the Mutant Academy team, quite a feat if you think about how size of the local hip hop collective. You have producers, emcees, audio engineers and visual artists alike, ranging from BigKahuna OG, Graymatter, BSTFRND, Foisey, Ewonee, UnluckyBastards, Sycho Sid, Henny L.O., Rey Fernandez and manager Cam.

For our regular readers, you’ll recognize some of these names from our 2016 Best Richmond Hip Hop List.

“None of those people [were in a position] where it was our first time coming to them,” said Koncept Jack$on. “We would get the beats before we knew we were making an album. We wouldn’t say ‘send us beats for the album’. It was pretty easy and quick.”

This mixing pot of talent made for a diverse album that starts on a grittier note with lxcvlsxnly 2 [prod. ewonee] and moves into smoother or more reflective tone on “when thugs cry” [prod.foisey].

“In this case, staying in-house was important. I wanted to make sure that everybody in Mutant Academy shined in some kind of way,” said Anakin. “It’s so many of us, it’s like, I just want people to understand that all these motherfuckers are here for a reason. These motherfuckers is talented and they are not just links on the fucking computer. These people are real and awesome at what they do.”

Major RVA hip hop player Nickelus F also makes an appearance on the track “’03 steve harvey remix” as well as a few other local emcees.

“It’s literally like people that we’re friends with and shit. People that we love, people that we have relationships with. Nobody on that project from mixing to cover art to guest verses- all that shit was all family,” said Anakin of the project.

And while Richmond is bubbling over with diverse hip hop acts, Jack$on points to their creativity that makes them stand out among the rest.

“I think creativity and structure/consistency go hand in hand,” he said. “You have to stay creative to be successful. If you took creativity away, I don’t know how consistent you would be.”

From older projects like Hawaii LP and elsewhere ave. to Chapel Drive now, the creation of universes and full concepts in their music has remained consistent.

The lyricism from Fly Anakin and Koncept Jack$on especially, has made for an even more hostile environment for the faint of heart.

“This is our first album together and this is more of a serious tone,” said Jack$on. “We are here, we’re revamping and ready. “When we started working on that album we thought ‘Okay, it’s time to shake shit up for real’ and not just at the local level. If you stay on that local mind state, you’ll stay local. We’re talking about competing with people we look up to.”

Chapel Drive is up online, but cassettes will soon be available and they are also putting it out on vinyl. You can find the album at Plan 9 and will be shipping them out to those that order.

Words by Tico Noise

Local hip hop collective Soluh! drops new EP, ‘Neon Black’

Amy David | July 20, 2016

Topics: experimental hip hop, Firehouse Theatre, hi[ hop, Satellite Syndicate, Soluh!

Satellite Syndicate member BSTFRND (Jefferson Harris) and fellow musician Rob Gibsun make up the hip hop group Soluh!, who emerged onto the RVA music scene earlier this year when they brought us their debut experimental hip hop EP, Incredible Heat Machines.
[Read more…] about Local hip hop collective Soluh! drops new EP, ‘Neon Black’

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 1/13-1/19

Marilyn Drew Necci | January 13, 2016

Topics: 1349, California Death, Circle Thrift, Clair Morgan, Dave Watkins, Deva, Doof, Full Of Hell, gallery 5, Goldrush, Hardywood, James Dangle, Kississippi, Moon, Night Idea, Rawn The Almagest, Recluse Raccoon, ROMP, Samurai Tiger, Satellite Syndicate, shows you must see, Slang, Slowers, Sports Bar, Stay In, Strange Brew, strange matter, Superbody, The Bronzed Chorus, The Camel, The Dawn Drapes, The Weak Days, Tombs, Unsacred, Urban Shaman, Various Eggs, Young Scum

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, January 15, 9 PM
Strange Brew & Sports Bar @ Hardywood – $5 suggested donation to benefit Video Fan Forever

OK yes, so this week we’re featuring a show which only has one band on it, but I can’t imagine any of you could possibly get away with hating on this.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 1/13-1/19

Now, Back to Your Syndicated Program: An Interview with The Satellite Syndicate

Amy David | January 6, 2016

Topics: hip hop, Satellite Syndicate

I remember about a year and a half ago, I had probably one of the best times of my life at a house show–despite it having all of the ingredients for a terrible time.

[Read more…] about Now, Back to Your Syndicated Program: An Interview with The Satellite Syndicate

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/18-11/24

Marilyn Drew Necci | November 17, 2015

Topics: Asylum, Balliceaux, Bestial Evil, Brian Jones, Castle, Child Bite, Cross Eyed, Dirt Merchant, en su boca, Eric Hunter & The Distractions, ET Anderson, Harm's Way, Homewrecker, Horsehead, Humungus, Iron Reagan, JC Kuhl, Left Cross, Malice At The Palace, Manzara, Mob Assault, Negative Approach, Night Birds, Omega Boys, Red Death, Satellite Syndicate, Scott Clark 4tet, shows you must see, strange matter, The Bobby Thompson Project, The Camel, The Canal Club, The Milkstains, Twitching Tongues, Zack Mexico

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, November 21, 8 PM
Night Birds, Iron Reagan, Red Death, Cross Eyed @ En Su Boca – $8

One of the two hottest punk rock tickets in town this week (more about the other one later) is happening at En Su Boca Saturday night–and it’s guaranteed to be a total mess, in the best possible way.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 11/18-11/24

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • ⟩

sidebar

sidebar-alt

Copyright © 2021 · RVA Magazine on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Close

    Event Details

    Please fill out the form below to suggest an event to us. We will get back to you with further information.


    OR Free Event

    CONTACT: [email protected]