Oliver Grimball - Barcelona, Spain
'Anodyne Holiday'
Oliver Grimball is a deadly MC and producer who first came to my attention through his work with Berlin/Vienna's 'Al haca'. His Debut Solo record 'Anodyne Holiday' features a class collection of 16 tunes that will no doubt impress you as they have me. The records lyrical depth, musical diversity and simple yet affective production, are an uncommon combination these days so this release really stands apart. 'Anodyne Holiday' will soon be released by independent imprint 'Flying Unicycle Records'.
For those of you that have given up on hip hop as a genre, or those that are bored of current hip hop offerings, or those people not sure what real hip hop is all about, this record is for you. Oliver's unique style features a mixture of hip hop and spoken word smarts, he delivers intricate stories about relationships, the Music industry, politics, race and social issues with ease. Grimball is smart, a conscious lyricist who is comfortable toying with bright word play, he welds his knowledge and perception of all that is with passion, each song reveals unbelievable insight and depth, top that off with a wild imagination and quirky sense of humor and you have one artist to be reckoned with!
Musically the record has a funky, soul, old skool hip hop feel, but jumps all over the place in regards to genre. Samples, turntablism, keys and Jazz styled drums all make an appearance on this album.
The songs are honest and warm, just over half way through the album the striped down Latin flavoured 'Boss of Nova', features spoken Spanish female vocals and raw beats, this track is playful and upbeat, there are many such positive numbers on 'Anodyne', but the record also features songs with content of a more serious nature. 'Blue Susan' is such a tune, a song about a girl who suffers from low self esteem, a demeaning boyfriend and poor physical self image, resulting in bulimia and ultimately death...Grimball doesn't skirt about harsh issues surrounding the characters within this tracks, in this number he mentions the affect of the media and advertising on the girl and her perception of self, he also mentions the way that same advertising affected her boyfriend, highlighting how girls can be severely damaged as a result of these negativly affected attitudes.
'Anodyne Holiday' the albums name sake track is a beautiful instrumental; Slinky Rhodes, warm tones, a stroll through the park on a hot, dry day...the tune rolls on with a relaxed air....lovely!
The majority of songs on 'Anodyne Hoilday' are lyrically intelligent, heady and thought provoking but they're also strong enough in other areas to keep light listeners interested. Grimball has a distinct style, the music carries his words, never drowning them, tracks are simple, clever and refreshingly reminiscent of old skool hip hop.
I wanted to find out more about this fine musician who was born and raised in the States but now calls Barcelona his home, check out the below interview for more information, listen to the 'Treat' mp3 and head over to his myspace to pre-order your copy of 'Anodyne Holiday' NOW!!
"I used to pledge allegiance to the United position of a great melting saucepan, now I pledge allegiance to the United State of you and us, you and I " - Anodyne Holiday, 'State of Us'
Download | Duration: 00:03:31
- Oliver Grimball 'Treats' mp3 ('Anodyne Holiday', Flying Unicycle-2008, Release Soon!)Oliver Grimball Interview -
"When he ripped the mic he had flows like butter..." - Anodyne Holiday, 'Exploitation Cantata'.
- Bloggertronix - Where do you do the majority of you writing?
- B - When did you start performing live?
OG - I began performing at 16, The first serious show (over 300 people) was made at my high school in San Antonio, Texas.
OG
OG - Oh Yeah! Carey was me at 14, but who I really want to talk about is Justin Bradic, an MC from the Midwest now lives in Austin TX , he backed me with his vocals on the song 'Come again', you should listen to his solo project to get a better idea of what type of Lyrical weaponry this kid is holding! Check out his Tracks 'Rise' and 'Chinese food', on his Myspace page.
- B - Who produced the new record?
OG - The record was produced in parts by J Soles Musaics and John Carmichael, They used to work as a team on various projects back in the late 90´s, you can check out a track called 'What it is', they provided for the deeper concentration, a Turntablist series Released on OM Records. Then I brought them back together but separately as producers on this release.
- B - Where was it recorded?
OG - The Beats were made in LA, the Lyrics were Recorded at 'Edit Point Recording Studios' in San Antonio ,TX , with the exception of the track '33 Degrees', recorded a Sound works Recording Studio, Chicago, IL. The Engineer and studio owner, Donnie meals, first Recorded me at age 14 on a track called ‘My Kangol’. At the time in the late 80´s Edit point was all analog! 22 years later I returned back to the same studio (now digital) and hired Donnie on as head engineer of 'Anodyne Holiday'. We sat up late nights eating Korean Food and re-working beats, laying down and arranging vocals for Anodyne!
- B - What does the title 'Anodyne Holiday' Mean to you?
OG - It means a holiday with out pain. I’m sorry I wish I could give you a colorful art school answer, but I feel the meaning might be literal -
Anodyne: serving to alleviate pain, 2: not likely to offend or arouse tensions.
&
Holiday: a period of exemption or relief.
- B - You manage to talk about some pretty heavy subject matters in your lyrics, this album comments on social, racial and political issues, and yet you deliver these often intense stories with easy and an upbeat air that is refreshing. Did you make a conscious effort to make the music upbeat and light?
OG - The 16 tracks on the album were the 16 out of 30 tracks I received From Jsole and John. I Listened to all thirty tracks religiously until I found the joints that had the stories hidden in the beats. I wanted to write and arrange lyrics that served as substance for the medium of music. Before I began recording the tracks for the new record RQM from 'Al haca' suggested that I not write a record with lyrics that talk about music, but that I write a record that speaks from my unique experiences, and focuses in on my eye witness camera, what I observe in my external world!
- B - The Colour Green pops up throughout 'Anodyne',
OG - Green is my Favorite color. Is it that obvious? (Smiles). All the journalist love the Green Orangutan! In the song ‘Zoomorphic’ I speak of 24 green monkeys trapped in a cage by a an evil carnival promoter...4 of those monkeys managed to keep the their special gifts while the other 20 managed to get their spirits broken through years of mental abuse. The green Orangutan was one of the 4 primates that kept his talent!
- B
OG - The 'Anodyne' record will be toured with a live 5 piece band and a turntablist. We will make a live interpretation of the anodyne record, so I’m sure we will figure out a way to make the less stage worthy tracks workable for a live audience! No worries…we have it covered!
- B - So you'll be touring with the new record?
OG - Yes but not sure when.
- B - What are your plans for the rest of the summer?
OG - I am in Malaysia with Al Haca preparing to open up for Missy Elliot! The whole gang is here! Cee, RQM, Stereo and Kid Coppa! My plans for the rest of the summer are unclear, but I can Promise the release of one ‘Anodyne Holiday’!
BONUS!! -
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