I heart Mabanua's "Done Already."

So lately, I've been getting myself back into some Hip-hop, especially some old school hip-hop (i.e. a tribe called quest, notorious B.I.G., common, ll cool j, naughty by nature, tlc, etc.). and once again, i was searching for some new and old hip-hop albums, and I came across Mabanua's "Done Already" cd. If you like Common, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Jurassic 5 and hip-hop Jazz, then you'll like Mabanua.

Here's a snippet from his website (http://www.mabanua.com):

Mabanua was influenced by the sound of the 90’s hip hop group such as “Arrested Development” and the music of the 60’s and 70’s legends. He wanted to emulate the groove of black music he listened to as a child. He begun collaborating with a number of bands as a drummer at prominent music clubs in Tokyo. His technical and expressive skills came to full maturity during this period. Simulataneously, mabanua started to work on his own track using Akai MPCs. Since 2006 he was a member of a jazz-hip-hop group “Ovall”. It is a band of four musicians: their music is a unique mixture of sampling and live sound. Mabanua’s contribution as drummer consists of a characteristic, profound beat. His sensibility as a percussionist is also his strength in track making. His sound originates from a personal vision and although the basis of his music is hip hop, the ultimate goal is to create unique sound transcending any genre.

“mabanua” is a made-up word, an anagram of his real name. His first album will be release in October 8th,2008.

What makes Mabanua's cd unique is his jazzy hip-hop instrumental breaks between tracks, and his reminiscent sounds of early old school hip-hop. If you were to fuse Common, Erykah Badu, The Roots, and Jurassic 5 into one band, then you would have Mabanua. You guys should definitely check him out.

Here's a random video of Mabanua making a beat (*enjoy):



related sites:
http://www.mabanua.com
http://www.myspace.com/mabanua