Ryder Shafique And Mr Melody Step Up
Hi guys. So a big new album coming out ‘Rise’ on the Cool & Deadly label. Co-Produced by Chubby J from Pressure Drop with collabs from Chase & Status. Dub-Reggae, Hip Hop and Soulful moments – talk us through the album, what are the big tracks on it and how long did it to create?
“It’s all big… haha. We were not trying to fit into any genre or trying to imitate anything out there at the moment. The album is a representation of how we were feeling at the time of writing a reflection of our personalities and of where we’re from musically and culturally. So there are many different sounds and vocal styles on the album, there is something for everyone. ‘Naturally’ is the first track after the intro. It is one of our personal favourites and has a nice fresh feel to it. We are basically saying that we do what we do as it is natural for us, that we are not trying to be anybody else. ‘We Rise’ is the next track and is the title track for the album. Here you find positive lyrics with a more reggae sounding backing track. ‘We Fear Not’ and ‘Broken Dreams’ feature guest production from Ed Solo and Chase and Status respectively. We have more hip hop and dancehall sounding tracks such as ‘Spread My Wings’, ‘Once Again’, ‘Son of Man’ and ‘Babylon’ where I lead the way vocally, then Mr Melody takes over towards the end of the album with ‘My Life’ and ‘Let Love Be’. All the tracks have their own unique sound production wise and are very deep lyrically. We close the album with ‘Psalms 23’ where I read the Psalm over Spanish guitar to close things. The album took a few years to finish as Chubby J’s studio is based in Brighton and we are in Gloucester, so there were lots of trips up and down the motorway but it has been well worth it.”
So you both hail from Gloucester – a real tough South West English city – what was it like growing up there?
“Growing up in Gloucester was good. It is not really that tough, we do not have the pressures of the bigger cities. The area we both live in is very multicultural, so we grew up amongst all sorts of people, colours and religions. This is reflected in our musical approach and stance. Sometimes life can be a little slow down here and there are not as many opportunities, but it’s close to lots of major UK cities and it made us what we are today so it cant be bad.”
What artists were you listening to back then, who were your influences/favourite artists as teenagers?
“Mainly reggae artists while growing up although we were both surrounded by lots of different music from an early age. As a teenager I remember being inspired by watching Jamaican stage shows such as Reggae Sunsplash and Sting and wanting to be like Ninjaman, Shabba Ranks and Supercat for their individual style and presence.”
How important to you is portraying a true feel of Reggae and Caribbean culture in your music?
“We are being ourselves, we are not trying to portray ourselves as something we are not, so the music is going to have a true reggae and Caribbean feel because that is the blood that flows through our veins. I believe that it is very important to remain true to oneself and reflect your heritage and culture positively. Without knowledge of ones roots how can one grow?”
It’s been said the album can be called a modern day Massive Attack on holiday in Jamaica – what are your thoughts on that quote?
“It is nice to be compared to such a high calibre act as Massive Attack. The production is by Chubby J one half of Pressure Drop who were an influence on Massive Attack themselves. We are also from the same sort of area in the UK as Bristol is only 30mins drive so it kind of makes sense.”
What is the best album ever made?
“I don’t know. There are so many good albums out there many I haven’t heard. A personal favourite is Buju Banton’s ‘Til Shiloh”.”
What have been your big clubs you’ve rocked out to over the years?
“We have performed all over the world with Pressure Drop as part of their soundsytem. A memorable club we performed at was Flux in Vienna where the stage is made up of a bass speaker! It was a part of movement called the Dub Club, which unfortunately is no longer, but it was nice to be involved.”
What are your views on the current ‘knife culture’ sweeping the country – do you think there is any way of curing it?
“Our way of thinking is the system needs to be adjusted. What is there that can be valued above life? It is a lot deeper than just knife crime though, why do people have such low self-esteem, no respect for others and are so violent? I am saddened to see so many talented people losing their lives unnecessarily.”
What one artist in the world would you most like to work with in the studio?
“It would be nice to work with production duo Sly and Robbie. They are both living legends and the amount of influence they have had on music in general not just Reggae music is amazing.”
You have both worked on separate projects over the years, Melody with Pressure Drop and Adam Freeland, Shafique with your debut track ‘Rider (Rhyme Provider) and work with the likes of Chase & Status, Al Haca and also with Pressure Drop also. What has been your proudest piece of work the pair of you?
“Well to date it has to be the album ‘Rise’, seriously. We both have put in a lot of time an effort into that project. There were many ups and downs so to see it manifest and come together and receive the credit and attention it has we are both very proud.”
What are your favourite DJs of all time – back in the day in Reggae life Gloucester or anyone from around the world?
“David Rodigan. His knowledge of the music he plays and his approach is so refreshing – he is also very entertaining to watch/listen to.”
What’s next from Black Canvas?
“We both are working on solo projects and there will hopefully be many more Black Canvas albums to come. Look out for our names, as there will also be many guest features on hip-hop, reggae, roots and dubstep projects. There is also the live show, which at the moment includes the DJ talents of either UK DMC champion JFB or the reggae/breaks sound of Jinx in Dub. Keep your eyes and ears open we’re going to be everywhere!”
Black Canvas ‘Rise’ on Cool & Deadly Records out this Summer.
www.myspace.com/ukblackcanvas
www.myspace.com/coolanddeadlyrecords
DON LETTS (Big Audio Dynamite / BBC Radio 6)
‘It’s a really refreshing album, I will support on my show’
