URBANRENAISSANCE

REFLECTIONINTROSPECTIONEXAMINATIONCONTEMPLATION
EXHILARATIONEXPERIMENTATIONEVOLUTIONREVOLUTION…

URBAN MUSIC: An organic amalgamation of Hip-Hop, Rap, Jazz, Soul, Reggae, Gospel, the Blues, Urban Music is the voice of the city. Everywhere you turn is a story, a unique life being played out on every street. People from all corners of the globe living together, blending their voices, sharing their experiences. A movement produced by the drama, sounds and energy of the streets, Urban Music is the expression of history and culture, of social and political philosophy, of personal journey, and timeless universal messages. Sensory bombardment. Sensual overload.

After years of being force-fed the materialism of mainstream Hip-Hop and Pop music, the world is ready for a change, and we need look no further than Urban Music's amazingly rich history for creative inspiration and expression. By freely mixing genres, today's Urban artist creates a new sound that is fresh and full of meaning, an art form with the power to teach, to heal, to incite revolutions, to make us laugh and cry and dance. From the ghettos of Jamaica to the streets of New York, from Paris to Tokyo and everywhere in between, artists are fusing the music with their own languages, rhythms, cultures and histories, creating an Urban Renaissance.

In this world of fading borders and international boundaries, EL FECO B steps to the forefront of the new musical frontier bringing a collection of beats, lyrics, hooks and harmonies blended together to create a sound similar to none in the current musical landscape. An Urban Singer, Songwriter, DJ and Poet, EL FECO creates a blend of old-school vibes and new-school attitude that moves into a funky new territory, knocking down artistic boundaries in every direction.

Born in Manchester, Jamaica, EL FECO was surrounded by music from the very beginning.
The birthplace of Reggae provided the perfect environment for this innovative new artist to learn music as an art form. In Reggae's rich tapestry of expressions - Roots, Dancehall, Lover's Rock, Dub - EL FECO recognized the importance of allowing different styles of music to express different messages. Artists as diverse as Yellowman, Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Shabba Ranks, Sly & Robbie, Beenie Man and Freddie MacGregor, taught EL FECO the value of music as social commentary and the power of music as physical expression.

Spending countless hours exploring his Mom's collection of records by artists like Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Bill Weathers and Michael Jackson, EL FECO discovered American R&B and Soul music, opening the doors to another world of sounds and expressions. From these singers he continued to learn the many ways in which music can be used to teach, inspire, relate and entertain.

Moving to the U.S. at the age of 12, EL FECO witnessed the very beginnings of the Hip-Hop movement. Artists like KRS-1, Public Enemy, Run DMC and LL Cool J were elevating poetry into another art form, melding different genres of music into a new sound that was full of meaning and power for the Urban youth, giving voice to people relegated to the margins of society. In Hip-Hop, EL FECO recognized the overtones of music as social commentary and embraced its ability to reach out and touch the lives of people all over the world.

In his teens, EL FECO immersed himself in the music scene at every opportunity. His home away from home became the Philadelphia club scene where he found himself surrounded by all types of creative people willing to give him a platform to begin exploring his own musical identity.

His first professional gig was with a small Sound System playing various clubs around the Philly area. Stints as DJ, Selector and Singer gave EL FECO the opportunity to hone his lyrical skills and showed him the importance and responsibility of holding the crowd's attention and earning their respect.

"Working with the Sound taught me the value of individuality and letting different kinds of music express your message. It gave me an ear for what people want to hear. As Selector, you have to make the crowd move. There is nothing worse than playing your heart out and getting no response from the crowd. I like to see people enjoying themselves and want to make sure they have a great time. There is a lot of power in what I do…My ear for what people want to hear, knowing what they want to hear, has spilled over into everything I do with my music."

From the Sound System, EL FECO moved out on his own to begin experimenting with different sounds and styles, writing and developing his own material and blazing his own trail. Opening for acts such as KRS-1, Scarface, SuperCat, and Shabba Ranks allowed EL FECO to showcase his ability to express himself in a diverse array of musical styles and spread his message beyond the traditional limits of genre. As a true Artiste, EL FECO understands the diversity inherent in Urban Music and uses it to connect with the world.

"Music is the universal language and I have the knowledge to speak it, to bring it across to all different kinds of people, in all walks of life. My songs are my experiences…they are expressions of what I'm feeling, what I see around me, what I'm learning. My message is universal."

Immersing himself in both the Reggae and Hip-Hop cultures, EL FECO has discovered a way to extract distinct essences from each movement, and bring Urban Music up to date by blending the two into something fresh and new. EL FECO shows us that Urban Music is not just a musical genre, but a philosophy, with a message handed out to a danceable beat. An art form meant to touch your mind and move your body.

Taking his skills to the studio, EL FECO recently spent time recording for the legendary King Jammys in Jamaica as well as for England's premier Reggae label, JetStar. One track written in England, "Girl", reached the top of a number of independent Reggae charts in England and has sold an impressive number of copies over seas. Recent collaborations with such legendary producers as Handel Tucker and Sly Dunbar have earned him the praise of local DJ's and led to the impending release of his first full-length album.

The album, set to drop later this year, gives us EL FECO at his very best. His inventive musical stylings and heartfelt lyrical approach take the listener on a journey of sonic exploration reaching deep into the roots of Urban Music. Serving as more than a pleasant escape from reality, EL FECO's music demands an introspective confrontation of it, proving that he has the ability to move our minds and our asses.

"My music IS me. It comes to me naturally. Like the answer to a question, it is spontaneous and real. I want my music to connect with the people, to bring them a new message. I want to give them something to think about, to act on, to relate to."

The first single to be released off the album, "BUSSIN' IT" is a fun party track geared toward the dance floor. It blends R&B and Hip-Hop vocals from singer Wil Guice with smooth yet constantly hard-hitting lyrics from EL FECO. With this track, EL FECO proves himself as a hard-spitting DJ who not only has a command of the conventional litany of lyrical rhymes required for a DJ to survive, but also has a unique gift to blend melodies into any kind of music he chooses to explore. The track blends spontaneous yet well thought-out rhythms from Jamaica with table influences and jazzy chromatic horn-hits over creepy pad sounds. Most of these influences are well hidden, and don't take away from the driving force of the drum and bass, a signature of Jamaican music. EL FECO takes the Jamaican phrase BUSSIN' IT and reinvents it in a way that will have the whole world saying it soon.