Multi-talented Homecut frontman, Andy Brooks aka Testament does an organic remix of ‘All for Now’ using only his highly respectable beatbox skills and a loop machine. The original version can be found on the critically acclaimed album ‘No Freedom Without Sacrifice‘.

UK Hip Hop’s Homecut frontman Testament drops an acapella of “Come The Revolution” for SoulCulture.

Read our full interview about his varied musical inspirations, working with his best friend Corinne Bailey Rae, and religion in music here.

Photo by Naomi Ncube.

“I’m very much embedded in Hip Hop… everything I do has got that Hip Hop undercurrent to it. If I’m doing a Jazz tune it still has a Hip Hop aftertaste,” says Andy Brooks aka Testament, Homecut’s infectiously charismatic frontman.

Despite it being a windy day on London’s Southbank, Testament is enthused as he talks to SoulCulture’s Tola Ositelu about his musical heroes, using rappers as points of reference where others would use more pedestrian examples.  But to limit Homecut’s sound to just Hip Hop doesn’t take into account the group’s varied style and myriad musical inspirations.  Testament cites an impressive array of artists as influences from Hip Hop staples Nas, J Dilla, Madlib and Mos Def to Jazz and soul legends Bob James, Grosvenor Washington Jnr, Gil Scott Heron, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Erykah Badu and more obscure acts such as Moondog. He’s partial to a bit of Bossa Nova too. With such a dazzling list of musical icons, Homecut must be a collective of some very informed individuals…

“I am Homecut,” says Brooks, 30.  This is no arrogant assertion; Homecut is just Testament and a selection of tight musicians. Starting out as Homecut Directive, a debut single “Come Revolution” was released in 2003 to critical acclaim.  So how did the line up become so streamlined?  “Come Revolution” did us a lot of favours… [it] opened a lot of doors, in terms of getting good reviews, shows and stuff. We [Homecut Directive] decided to go into hibernation and make the best album we could. During that time the band just dispersed and I was the only one left.  Then it became Homecut: just me…”

Testament is a creative force of nature all on his own.  Singer, rapper, freestyler, musician, composer, poet, human-beatbox, producer and sound engineer he is your archetypal renaissance man.   Nonetheless he gives a typically self-effacing British response to being hailed as such.  “You know that expression Jack of all trades and master of none..?” he laughs.

The name Homecut has an original twist to it but it’s more than just a snappy title rolling easily off the tongue. Testament explains how it encapsulates the ethos of the project.  “In Hip Hop a cut is a scratch of a record or a sample. But we don’t use samples… we mainly make it ourselves. Everything on the record is very much live. I only use samples on two tracks… and even then that’s like a snare drum and a kick drum.”

Testament clearly relishes the live sound.  His debut album, No Freedom Without Sacrifice, features 40 musicians from all over the country and beyond.  As he puts it, “The whole [UK] scene is represented there.”  The album’s lead single, “I Don’t Even Know”, made the Top 10 Hip Hop/Rap chart iTunes [UK] last summer and features two of Britain’s finest: Soweto Kinch and the mighty Ms Corinne Bailey Rae.

“I’ve known Corinne for years,” he explains.  [Ms Rae also featured on the "Come Revolution" single in 2003.]  “We both studied English Literature at Leeds University.  She lives round the corner from me.  She was round my house for a cup of tea and I was playing the roughs of the album and she heard the groove of “I Don’t Even Know” and she said, ‘I wanna be on that track’. It’s a lot better for her being on it, her vocal just melts the track…”

Testament brings much of his fascinating life experience to the table when crafting his songs. The son of a Ghanaian mother and English father, Testament’s cosmopolitan upbringing has seen him live in cities as diverse as Harare, Zimbabwe (where his father taught for three years) and London before settling down in Leeds. It is no surprise then that this international outlook adds some more flavour to the Homecut sound as heard on songs like “Harmony”.

Is this perhaps why Testament has such an interest in people and their individual stories? Testament keeps his philosophy simple: “If something moves you it moves you, you know? I think everyone has a story. There’s a wicked quote by Tracey Emin; she talks about [how] she’s become an institution. She thinks everyone should be their own institution, and there’s a lot to be said about that. Everyone has a story, we’re all made in the image of God so we all have something of worth…”

Fairly open about his faith, does he ever feel pressure to keep it to himself in a society where beliefs based on absolutes are seen as exclusive?  “I don’t think that’s true. Lupe Fiasco is a well known Muslim, Mos Def is a Muslim…” he muses. “People don’t want to be preached at… if you’re a preacher, great, do your thing – but I’m not a preacher, I’m a rapper…”

“St Francis of Assisi says, ‘I preach all the time, sometimes I use words’. That, for me, is more powerful. So if I do a song about living in the city, whether I talk about God explicitly in that or not, how I talk about it will make Jesus smile… That’s cool, we’ve just got to be ourselves. Whether people notice the Jesus side of it or not I want people to be uplifted.”

Seeing Homecut live in action it won’t be long before you pick up on Testament’s wry sense of humour. How does he strike the balance between potent lyrics, credible no-compromise artistry and not taking himself too seriously?  “What gets me excited as an artist are people just being themselves,” he says. “If you are a Method Man and being completely loopy or ODB completely being yourself on record; I’m excited by that.”

“No Freedom without Sacrifice [a quote by Zimbabwean politician Morgan Tsvangirai] can be quite a heavy moniker at the end of the day… I wanted it to be a snapshot of my four years and they were quite a tough four years. But I also had quite a few giggles.  For me, being a lyricist, it’s a lot more powerful to say something and leave people room to breathe, smile and reflect – instead of a karate kick to the eyeballs. That’s not fun. I’d rather have a dialogue…”

No Freedom Without Sacrifice is out now. Click to buy a digital copy.

Homecut online: MySpace / Twitter / Facebook

Photography by Naomi Ncube.

AGMP PROUDLY PRESENTS

BREAKESTRA featuring Miles Tackett, Mixmaster Wolf, Afrodyete and more

+ special guests HOMECUT featuring Testament ( First Word Records )

DATE: TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2009
VENUE: DINGWALLS, Camden Lock, London NW1
TIME: Doors open at 7.30pm
COST: £17.50 + booking fee from Ticketweb

www.breakestra.com

After a four-year break from the studio, L.A.’s finest practitioners of gritty soul/jazz, party funk & breaks, BREAKESTRA, return to the fray with a brand new studio album on Strut this September, ‘DUSK TILL DAWN’.

The brainchild of producer, engineer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist “Music Man” Miles Tackett, Breakestra was formed from a love of golden era late ‘80s / early ‘90s hip hop and a fascination for the dusty samples that peppered the era’s classic records. From watching revered West coast DJs like Cut Chemist and Mixmaster Wolf cut up hip hop, funk and breaks, Tackett looked to form a live collective of musicians that could play the originals live with all of the same sounds, feel and musicianship. Through weekly jams at a local coffeehouse session called The Breaks, Breakestra was created.

From then on, with their base at fabled Thursday L.A. club night Rootdown, Breakestra became renowned as one of the great live funk bands of their era. Mixmaster Wolf, first persuaded off the decks at The Breaks to voice Bobby Byrd’s ‘I Know You Got Soul’, became a key voice and hypeman out front. An amorphous line-up of L.A.’s finest players, led by Tackett on bass and vocals, ensured that the grooves were kept super-tight with local musicians like drummer Pete McNeal (Z Trip’s band), James “The Funky Penguin” King (The Lions) and Jeremy Ruzumna (Macy Gray’s band) all a part of the Breakestra fold at different times.

The band’s recordings have been rare to savour, numbering an early live cassette-only mixtape, a handful of singles and second mixtape release on Stones Throw and a debut studio album, ‘Hit The Floor’, on Ubiquity in late 2005.

For 2009, Breakestra return with their long-awaited sophomore set exploring all colours of the funk spectrum.

Friday 3 July saw the launch of ‘Onwords & Upwords’ bi-monthly showcase, the brainchild of accomplished Spoken Word artist, Richard Smartt Jnr better known as [Verb]swish.

Verbs explained that he wanted to put on a night that gave spoken word as much of an equal billing as good music. He didn’t want poets rushed off stage to make room for ‘loud music that would only deafen us’. Verbs kept the line up simple; four quality artists spread over the evening. The show wasn’t bursting at the seems with acts therefore the audience could really appreciate each one to the full. The performances were stripped down to bare essentials, proving that none of the artists on the night were your flash-in-the-pan types, with an over-reliance on clever production to hide mediocrity. These are the real deal.

Verbs also interspersed the night with a brand new piece split into several snippets called ‘Down’ which was an ode to the peculiar times in which we live. In the deft manner that has come to epitomise Verbs style of performance poetry, he delivered mini-soliloquies on living in the Big Choke in 2009. The pieces remained topical without being parochial and Verbs drew inspiration from the socio-economic and environmental challenges facing the world today. He also performed his future classic ‘Nobody’ featuring Abimaro and Mercy doing a sublime job on BGVs. The song pays homage to the virtues of obscurity, something our celebrity-crazed society constantly overlooks. Yet Verbs didn’t forget to add a healthy dose of levity to the proceedings and his banter with the audience all night went down a treat, too.

Verbs picked a choice bunch of artists for O&U’s maiden voyage. First out of the stable was poet-cum-singer-cum-guitarist, Sh’maya and his trusty Loop Station. He intrigued us with the wonderful soundscapes he created using just the Station, his voice and the guitar. However the poetry in the first half of Sh’maya’s set was lacking for me. It wasn’t bad but I couldn’t help thinking it sounded a little bit derivative. However, he really came into his own in the second half, when he delivered an epic piece about the self-destructive choices we often make on our journey to find a pure and meaningful love.

Next up was Abimaro Suit, one of my favourite live acts of late, who wrapped her warm vocals around some more of her original material. She was accompanied by the amazing Mike ‘Macfro’ on acoustic guitar, who has already made a name for himself as one of the premier young soul/jazz guitarists on the scene today. Abimaro gave us a sneak preview of ‘Mark’ and ‘Luke’, two of the songs on which she’s been working based on the four Gospels of the New Testament. With the track ‘Ginger Tea’ she uses, to delicious effect, the recipe for her favourite hot beverage as an allegory for her personal evolution. Miss Suit’s voice and craft can’t help but bring you to your knees- she’s like a lullaby on two legs. She makes you fall in love with great music and lyricism and the marriage of the two, each time you listen to her.

Honey-voiced Mercy Adjepong was yet another worthy addition to the night’s cracking line-up. For those of us in attendance, both familiar and unfamiliar with this lady’s talent, she taught us something about the elasticity of her range and her impressive songwriting skills. A personal highlight was ‘Out The Window’; its insouciant, summer rhythm belies the slightly sombre feel of the lyrics and the contrast is a lovely one.

The night was rounded off by the ubiquitous Testament from Homecut aka Andy Brooks. I have seen Homecut in action three times in less than two months and it’s a different experience each time. I make no bones on the Soulculture pages about my appreciation of this group. It’s not for nothing that this outfit is getting 5-star reviews in the Metro and that they are making their way to the forefront of the UK live scene. Ever the charismatic and versatile performer, this time it was the turn of Testament’s beat-boxing talent to leave us slack-jawed in awe. Sailing through familiar tracks by the likes of Erykah Badu, Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, he soon had the crowd engaged in an ad-hoc game of ‘name that tune’. Later in his set, with the help of a loop station and his ability to recreate a host of sounds with only his voice, Testament did re-interpretations of tunes from his excellent debut album ‘No Freedom Without Sacrifice’. No two Homecut gigs are the same and last night’s set re-affirmed this. (Do yourself a favour and catch them at the Jazz Café on 24 July 2009).

All in All O&U’s launch night was a resounding success. Next show is on 4 September@ the Horse Bar, Lambeth North and definitely a date for your diary.

Review by Tolita.

For more info please visit:

www.verbswish.com
www.myspace.com/abimaro
www.myspace.com/homecut
www.myspace.com/theverbswish

http://www.myspace.com/mercyadjepong

Homecut’s frontman Andrew Brooks, aka Testament wasn’t to know that the day he chose to launch his album ‘No Freedom Without Sacrifice’ , Wednesday 10 June, was to be blighted by a tube strike. That gave certain lazy Londoners the excuse not to show up, even though the venue was in central London (Brick Lane) and is quite easily accessible by overhead train and/or the bus. It was their loss anyhow and they missed out on a decent night. Industrial action notwithstanding, there were some resilient members of Joe Public in attendance who made use of the numerous other forms of transportation to come and support Homecut.

The show got off to an acoustic start with the peculiar choice of support act, Millie Blue. I say peculiar because Millie’s ukulele and double-bass accompanied folk songs were a sharp contrast to Homecut’s fusion sound. This in itself is not a bad thing except the audience who came to see Millie were clearly not there to listen to Homecut and most left as soon as she had finished. Besides that, the down-tempo feel of Millie’s material didn’t adequately prepare the atmosphere for Homecut’s energetic performance. Perhaps there should have been another act in between to sonically bridge the gap. Nevertheless Miss Blue does what she does well. Her disarmingly sweet voice almost disguised the tongue-in-cheek, acerbically witty lyrics of her songs.

After a rousing introduction by premier spoken-word artist Verbswish, Testament and the gang were on stage in full force. There’s something about Homecut that takes you back to the tradition of the solid live act – making sure that seeing them perform in the flesh is every bit as rewarding as the recorded material. There are certainly things you get from Homecut on stage that is not replicated on their album. ‘The Homecut Mixtape’, a real crowd pleaser that get’s the audience singing along to their favourite Hip Hop tracks from the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes, is a treat reserved for those at the live shows. There’s the obligatory re-arrangement of album tracks that remind the audience this group aren’t here to sing glorified-karaoke renditions of their own stuff. On the night, for example, an interpolation of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Living Just Enough For The City’ put a different spin on the track ‘The City Song’ as it reached its denouement. The live rendition of ‘Participant’, in particular the bass-line, gives the song a more 80s soul feel than is obvious on the album version. Andreya Triana joined Homecut on stage for an impassioned interpretation of ‘Breakdown’ complete with actual (and very deliberate) breakdown in the middle of the song leaving Miss Triana to sing all but acappella before the band come back in with a vengeance. Testament’s high octane performances are enhanced by hugely entertaining banter between songs and even more importantly a group of air-tight, stellar musicians from all over the North of England. Taz Moni on keys, Les Johnson on drums, Kenny Higgins on bass, Gareth Parry on guitar and Taylor Jackson on backing vocals, make for a well-oiled machine but one with a lot of heart. Although the line-up of musicians rotates a lot more than some bands, it is clear that Testament has a great relationship with all those whom he collaborates based on their sonic cohesion and easy personal rapport.

As the night drew to a close Homecut indulged the crowd with two encores rolled into one when Testament and the crew did their own take on ‘Umi says’ by Mos Def and ‘Move on Up’ by Curtis Mayfield as a medley.

So now onto the album. The challenge for acts that gear themselves so much towards the live experience is recreating the magic –energy-wise if nothing else – on record. I’m glad to say Homecut manage to succeed on that front. The prevailing impression of this album – from the thoughtful liner notes that go with each song to the epic choral arrangement of the intro -is that it is a Labour of Love. Many an artist might analogise the creative process to giving birth so that it is almost cliché to say. Yet it is evident that ‘No Freedom Without Sacrifice’ is a child much longed for by its creative parents and the gestation period has been lengthy…and well worth the blood, sweat and tears. The result is a mature, assured debut. Homecut engage in introspection without forgetting the need for levity in the sometimes arduous journey of life (cross ref. the Ecclesiastes 3:11 interlude). They toe the line well between catchy hooks and writing with substance, that avoids straying into the obscure. Every song is penned/co-written and produced by Testament and he plays keys, guitar and percussion on a few of them too. If you’re looking for you-could-have-fooled-me imitations of American emcees you won’t find them in Testament. He has his own style of delivery that is unabashed in its British-ness. More power to him, I say, as most of the time he makes it work. The only exception for me being on ‘Harmony’, a track about miscegnation and the prejudice facing interracial couples such as his own parents. The intentions and sentiment of the track are well and good. Having said that it’s difficult to broach the subject of integration and racial harmony without sounding a tad cheesy, by virtue of the topic being so hackneyed.

As expected, ‘No Freedom…’ pays humble respect to its forbears with echoes of the ‘conscious’ Hip-Hop of the late 80s/early 90s as well as nods to samba, West African Hi-Life, disco and a firm salute to the great Jazz maestros. Songs like ‘Time Difference/Cross The Road’, ‘Bring it all together’, ‘Breakdown’ and the first single ‘I don’t even know’ (feat Corinne Bailey Rae and Soweto Kinch) prove that Homecut are not forsaking posterity and future relevance just to get several spins on Kiss FM. That is not to say that ‘No Freedom…’ isn’t radio-friendly; on the contrary. The very appealing ‘City Song’ has something so instantly recognisable about it that it’ll make for a great follow-up single (hint, hint to FirstWord Records). Then there’s ‘YKTE (You Know The Ending)’ with its ever pertinent theme and easy-to-pick-up chorus, sung in an inoffensively flat, eerily serene manner by Leesun.

Homecut eschew the tradition of heavy-reliance on samples so it’s live all the way on their recordings as well as on stage. At the risk of repetition, Homecut’s musicians are a quality bunch; their dedication to the project reflected in the level of craftsmanship. The ludicrously funky bass-line (courtesy of Kenny Higgins) and delicious guitar riff (played by Ben Barker) on ‘Innovators’ – a personal favourite- exemplify the creative gusto put into ‘No Freedom…’

As I am prone to mention I am not one who has a high tolerance threshold for straight Hip-Hop albums, no matter how well they are made. I am far too much a fan of vocals to listen to the most skilled emcees rhyme continuously without beaucoup de melodious singing to break things up. Thus it would take a lot to get me to fully appreciate any Long Player heavily infused with rap. Thankfully, the versatility of ‘No Freedom…’ – its fine, fine instrumentation, melt-in-the-mouth vocal arrangements, and the strong sense of narrative driving each song, are enough to win over even a rap-skeptic like myself. Having spent the last few days with ‘No Freedom Without Sacrifice’ on rotation it is fair to say it is a worthy addition to any Summer-in-the-city soundtrack. Enough depth for satisfying bouts of mental mastication and enough groove to get you shaking your culo in respectable fashion. To pilfer a line from ‘Innovators’, Homecut’s debut truly has something of the ‘instant vintage’ about it.

No Freedom Without Sacrifice’ is now available on ITunes, Amazon and @ www.firstwordrecords.com. For more information on the band and tour dates please visit www.myspace.com/homecut.

by Tola Ositelu.

I have been blessed enough to attend two quality gigs in as many days, both of which are welcome reminders of the wealth of up and coming talent here in good old Blighty.

Last night was the penultimate show of the ‘Pure Gold’ music festival at the Albany Theatre, Deptford SE London. The whole of this week has been dedicated to showcasing the many and diverse talents of final year Music and Performing Arts students from Goldsmiths University. Gigs like this are priceless for the simple reason that having little idea of who these artists were before, you can approach the night without preconceptions. And you are more than likely to be pleasantly surprised by just how gifted some of these acts are.

The night got underway with a couple of songs from warm-up act, Simon Cliffe and his band. They whet the audience’s appetite with their sophisticated and potent lyrics all presented to us in a self-effacing manner that belied the maturity of their sound. Then we really got down to business when the aptly named Sam Beste took to his piano to give us a jazz-soaked interpretation of the first six songs of Marvin Gaye’s seminal ‘What’s Going on?’ album. Beste’s beautiful, fluid playing was complemented by some cool as *expletive* double bass (played by Tom Hanson) and smoothed out drums (Tom Skinner), that enthralled those present. Behind the scenes Mr Beste is a jocular fellow with show-stopping charisma. He brings that same charisma to his playing as well as undeniable dedication to the craft. Soulculture.co.uk salutes you.

Next up we were treated to some of the impressive songwriting skills of one Miss BB Bywater. BB’s manner on stage is an engaging one, reflected in her off-the-cuff banter with the crowd. Special mention to Mercy and Katanya on backing vocals who very nearly stole the show. The evening got a bit more eclectic when virtuoso guitarist and Aussie native Liam McGrath and band stepped up to do their thing.

Abimaro Suit

But the night truly belonged to Abimaro Suit, who’s performance was last but in no way least. Anyone privileged enough to spend time in Miss Suit’s company would agree that she’s the closest thing to a walking beam of sunshine most of us are likely to come across. She is warmth personified on and off stage and if in any doubt her sizeable fan base present in the audience were testament to this. Singing all her own compositions, whilst big sis Lakwena’s graphics flashed on the main screen, Abimaro’s set kicked off with the acappella number, ‘Carry me’; a song replete with gorgeous melody, edible harmonies and foot stomps, a hearty nod to her East African roots. Abimaro’s dulcet, rasp-tinged voice soared over the flawless BGVs as she makes unabashed appeal to her heavenly Saviour. Suit’s poetic prowess is evident in her thought provoking lyrics as she covers varied topics – faith, unconditional love, identity and life in general. Songs like ‘21’ (accompanied by the superb MK on acoustic guitar) and ‘I only boast’ display sagacity beyond her 21 years. This young lady has some serious stage presence too, assuredly addressing the crowd without being in the least bit conceited. Plus her easy rapport with the backing vocalists is a delight to watch.

At the end of Abi’s set, the audience were on their feet for a well deserved ovation, with the artist of the hour giving humble thanks to her family and all those who contributed to such an outstanding performance. On my walk back to the bus stop I heard some ladies still buzzing from the night’s events. Despite sketchy knowledge of the lyrics, they were doing their best to belt ‘I only boast’. In a nutshell, if you don’t yet know Miss Suit’s music get to know (www.myspace.com/abimaro). Watch this space for an exclusive interview with the lady herself in the coming weeks.

Fast forward 24 hours and, I’m just fresh from another live set, this time a freebie courtesy of the Southbank Centre. Tonight it was the turn of Hip-Hop fusion outfit, Homecut, to leave me cheerily impressed (even though I missed the first half due to a mixture of bad timing, dodgy transport and my habit of confusing the Southbank Centre with the National Theatre). Actually, it’s a bit unfair to try and categorise artists at all, especially ones as versatile as Homecut. Hip-Hop fusion doesn’t sufficiently define their sound. Catch them live, then you’ll get my gist.

Homecut's Testament

The group is fronted by the lyrically agile Testament and a more adorably personable front man you will not find. Seeing someone so comfortable on stage is entertainment in itself. More importantly, Testament reminded me that intelligent, insightful spoken word is alive and well. Backed by his crew of tight musicians and their jazz-infused beats, he rhymes, freestyles, beatboxes and sings sweetly in both English and the Ga language of his mother’s native Ghana. One of the several highlights of the half of the show I did manage to catch was the band’s homage to rap or the ‘Homecut mix tape’ as they called it. Without being overly deferential to the mainstream, the mix had something for everyone. Even someone with my limited knowledge of Hip-Hop music could recognise the band’s take on celebrated tracks by the likes of Gangstarr, Busta Rhymes and Dead Prez.

Homecut is something of a precious find. A Hip Hop influenced outfit with refreshing lyrics, no trace of profanity or casual misogyny, able to convince a skeptic like myself, who usually has a slight aversion to the genre, to sit up and listen. And no fake-a*s* Yankee twang in sight. Score!

Homecut’s debut album ‘No Freedom Without Sacrifice’ is out at the end of May 2009 featuring guest appearances by Corinne Bailey Rae and Soweto Kinch amongst others. For more info and to sample some of the tracks visit www.myspace.com/homecut.

Review by Tolita.