Oliver creates what he calls "experimental/ hop hop/ down tempo", but if it's experimental, it's a science experiment that know precisely what happens when you mix one vibe with another. For the layperson, it's closest to spoken poetry, with a good dose of rhythm and acid-style music as a backdrop. And in an environment of staid raprhyming, Oliver's style takes you right back to the basics of hip hop, crossed with a library-room reverence for butter-soft words.
The songs on his album "Anodyne Holiday" take you on a journey, from the surreal descriptive poetry of "State of Us", to the slick, quiet, rainy-day-by-the-sea style sparsity of "Listeners of Piano". Thrown in to the pacing are the kind of upbeat syncopated cruising-songs that use funky and unexpected repetitions, such as in the infectious "Zoomorphic"; or instrumental additions that speak of retro summers and girls on vinyls with beachballs. There's also a dulcet trip to Paris-Derniere style latin, 60s fashion, which can only conjure the image of a beautiful girl in a chill Barcelona club, arms above her head, rotating her body in slow, beat-driven circles; and - a highlight - the chillest and most rhythm-tuned kid you'll ever hear, on the track "Carey G". If you're wondering where a 14 year old can get so much cool, it's because it's Oliver himself, several decades earlier.
Instead of just using music as a backfiller, as we are often prone to do in this age of i-pod excesses and disposable music, Oliver's is the kind you'd want to put on when you were in the mood to really listen. His explanations of life and intimate preoccupations take greater meaning with every repeat of his debut album. The syncopation of grating and smooth; social commentary and attention to detail; make these magical tales - told with humour - speak to the soul as roundly as they harness the body with beat.
MTV was recently lucky enough to speak with Oliver about his musical evolution, and his album, where he gave an indication of the preoccupations and history behind this astonishing debut.
MTV: How long have you been making music?
Oliver: I have been making music for 22 years; I started recording at age 14, in fact on track 4 on "Anodyne Holiday". The song "Carey G" was actually recorded when I was 14 along with another song called "My Kangol." I sent a low fi cassette tape to one of the producers on Anodyne and he added the music then he passed it back. Then I took it back into the studio and had DJ Donnie D lay Scratches over the track. I played trombone in Junior High for 3 years then gave it up actually, I was forced to play an Instrument by my mother's family because they all play something. I gave up the horn to write.
Actually what made me want to make this kind of music were artist like Dana Dane, Slick Rick. Albums that come to mind are "Dana Dane With Fame" and "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick". Later in art College I began doing Spoken Word Poetry at local venues in Chicago and met up with people like Reggie Gibson, Malik Yusef, and Chuck Perkins. One night after I lost the at the Green Mill semi final poetry slam to Chuck Perkins, I was approached by Reggie Gibson to be a part of a record called "The Voices Of Urban Renewal". The Urban Renewal project was one of the first of its kind to fuse spoken word poetry with different genres of music. This was my first paid recording. It was pretty cool
MTV: When did you realise that you wanted to make this album, Anodyne Holiday?
Oliver: In 2004 the idea was floating around my head but I had no idea what producers I would choose. Then I was invited back to Chicago by Trevor Arnholt to tell my spoken word to the 2004 under-shorts short film festival. At the festival, I met back up with friends John Carmichael and Jeremy Sole. We all met back in Chicago in 97 in art college. At the 2004 festival I began talking to the both of them about making music for a solo project I had in mind. The both agreed and the rest is history. Three years later Anodyne was born!
MTV: Why did you choose the title that you did?
Oliver: I am a Aldous Huxley fan. I was going to call the record "Soma Holiday", but I think a band was already called that, so I found a lovely word called "anodyne" meaning "to alleviative pain".
MTV: What has been the strongest influence on your music?
Oliver: The strongest influence on my musiclet me think.... I think I take bits of everything from books, to visual art, to film. For example in the song "Zoomorphic", I was trying to figure what special gift I would give the Green Monkey. Months before writing the song, I read a book called "Mr. Vertigo" by Paul Auster, so I decided to make the Green Monkey levitate like Walt the Wonder Boy in "Mr. Vertigo". If I had to pick one out of the three main influences, it would have to be books.
MTV: Your album uses a range of sounds to create what has been described as "experimental hip hop". What makes you decide to use a particular unconventional sound in a song?
Oliver: The music was made in part by two producers. Jeremy Sole and John Carmichael. I chose to bring them on as producers because of their unconventional sound. I like their music for different reasons. John Carmichael was the producer of "Exploitation Cantata"; he has a way of making a track that is quirky at the same time with a serious almost dark undertone. Jeremy "sole" uses organic sounds like in the song "Liquid Lucifer". He managed to sync the sound of bubbles to the beat; and also his structure was not the traditional verse hook verse hook. In "Lucifer", Sole made the bridge first, then the verse section, and then he put the hook in the middle of the song. Finally, he made the hook run as long as a verse, then finished with a verse then a bridge. It worked! I guess my experiment was to write and arrange comprehensive lyrics around complex beats and original soundscapes. In many of the songs, the producers used found sounds like salt shakers and oatmeal boxes.
MTV: Sounds certainly do take on a character of their own in your music. Many of them recur in different contexts throughout a number of songs. Are these motifs? If so, what do they signify?
Oliver: The one song on the Anodyne disc that comes to mind is "Blue Susan". Sole made the beat for that, then I went in - like for the most of the tracks - and wrote and arranged the lyrics around the pre-existing beats. In the "Blue Susan" track I really wrote and arranged my lyrics in a way that they would play off the sounds already in the song.
MTV: Where do you find the inspiration for your lyrics?
Oliver: I really grab bits and pieces of inspiration from every where. I think, with me, I wait for it to build. I might see a film that blows me away and the inspiration meter goes up one notch, then I read a book and the author may have a line or an interesting character that makes me want to try to put a spin on it. I guess when the inspiration meter is all full then I sit down and let it all run on the page.
MTV: What is the significance of the Green Orangutan?
Oliver: Ah! His name is Boggie Doogalatts! He was one of the apes in the song, "Zoomorphic", that did not let the pressures of being in captivity break his spirit.
MTV: You're living in Spain right now. How did this come about?
Oliver: This summer was doing quite a bit of work in Europe. I was dating woman from Italy and working with Al-Haca on their "Family Business" tour. I have three tracks on that record. I thought that it might be cheaper for me to move to Europe than keep going from the US to Europe. The woman I was with at the time lived in Terni; Al-Haca were in Berlin and Vienna; and so I chose Barcelona. I chose Barcelona for many reasons. One, it was near all my business; two, it's on the sea; and three, for the culture, the language and the art. I just recently had a chance to visit the Gaudi Segrada Familia Cathedral, and I was blown away! The cool thing is, now that I live here, I can go when ever I like. Here in Barcelona, I was in this cafe the other day called "Prelude" and it was wonderful! All the tables and chairs were made of wood that was carved into organic shapes. The food was great and most of all, they were playing the best down tempo beats! I looked around and told my friend that I found it odd that middle aged people and their families would come to a place like this. It looks like a place you would find in New York's East Village. This city is amazing!
MTV: How is the European music scene different from the American scene?
Oliver: That is hard to say. Because in Europe each country has its own type of thing that is popular. The Music in the US is regional with so many sub-genres that pop up every 15 minutes.
MTV: What's the most beautiful thing you ever heard?
Oliver: Another hard question to answer. I have heard so many beautiful things, but I can tell you one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It's a Van Morrison song called "Madame George" (on the Astral Weeks Album). I love the way that the music builds and changes as the story changes. The way the sounds come in, and most of all I love it for Van Morrison's gruff voice, original phrasing, excellent story telling and flawless writing abilities!! Beautiful!
MTV: What would be an ideal holiday for you?
Oliver: Going Back to Florianopolis, Brazil, for a month with my woman, and live in a small fishing village for a month or two. Just taking in the love of South Brazil!
Oliver's latest album, Anodyne Holiday, is currently seriously covetable property. His current label, Flying Unicycle Records, is looking for a distributorship arrangement and so you can't purchase it anywhere yet. But you can dip into a teasing sample on his MySpace page.
Don't miss out it will blow your mind and soothe your soul. An Anodyne Holiday indeed.
Copyright : MTV Australia
