Biography
Who is Tanya Morgan? Although the name evokes something of a neo-soul
songstress, the music is overtly hip hop. Making matters even more
complicated, this woman's name is actually the pseudonym for a group
of three male MCs. Not confused yet? Well try this on for size: Tanya
Morgan is a group comprised of Von Pea and Ilwil (Ilyas and Donwill)
- two totally separate acts. Now, relax that furrowed brow while I
get you up to speed on the future of the culture.
Tanya Morgan was born in 2003 when MC/Producer Von Pea and MC Donwill
decided to bloat their collaborative efforts into a full length album.
With Ilyas locked in and along for the ride, the trio leaned on the
production talent of Brickbeats (also known as Dave or Brick) to round
out the other half of the album's production. They began shuffling
demos of songs back and forth as wav and mp3 files via AOL Instant
Messenger© and email between takes on their other projects. Oh
right. I forgot to mention that Von Pea lives in Brooklyn while both
Ilwil and Brickbeats call Cincinnati home. They actually met online
originally and didn't meet in person until halfway through the album's
completion. There goes that brow again. I hope I'm not moving too
fast for you.
Within the span of a year, the collective of four recorded all the
material that would become their debut, Moonlighting. The tightly
knit 13-song set is bound together by the story of a misled record
shopper and his unwanted purchase. The album's title is a nod to the
fact that Tanya Morgan is really two acts in a group together who
are, in a sense, moonlighting on their respective ‘jobs' by working
with each other. In promotion for this grand opening, the group has
readied and released two projects: Sunlighting and the Sunset EP.
The bandwidth busting download that is Sunlighting plays like a mixtape
in a sense yet still showcases the group's personality and presence
while the Sunset EP boasts original production by Von Pea and Brickbeats,
giving the listener a clearer view of what to expect with Moonlighting.
And what sound should one expect from three men who named their group
after a fictitious woman? Expect the unexpected. There are no neo-soul,
rap/r&b hybrid songs on the album. There is actually no crooning
whatsoever. There is cursing - sometimes, but not the cursing just
to be cursing. Cursing more like ensuring the ignorant listeners hear
it. It is the sound of a non-violent M.O.P. who took charm classes
at the Handsome Boy Modeling School and had to record an album over
the beats that class professor Madlib thought twice about using for
their final exam. Lyrically the three saturate their clever content
with enough personality to push the listener through songs at rewind
button-breaking speeds. Tanya Morgan has, in effect, dubbed their
sound “Running Man Music”, and that descriptor is two fold. When the
BPMs aren't cranked up to a pitch frenetic enough to induce the dance
itself, the emotion evoked by the music is enough to remind the listener
of a time when Hip Hop was urgent. The album is a clever tongue-in-cheek
look at what it means to be a consumer in today's single-driven market
where the album format is slowly dissolving altogether.
Collectively and individually, Tanya Morgan has worked with Nicolay,
The Justus League, Fat Jon, Main Flow and a long list of others. Along
with getting a nod of approval from several of their peers, Tanya
is now making her rounds in various publications and websites as the
buzz-worthy group to watch.
So when can we expect to meet Tanya Morgan? Well, following a gorgeous
sunset, Moonlighting is tentatively scheduled to drop on a clear cloudless
night in April of 2006. Make sure to watch. The stars will be shining
brightly that night. |
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Album Release Parties
NYC MOONLIGHTING RELEASE PARTY
Opus 22 @ 559 W 22nd St
April 6th, 7pm-4am
DJs Brainchild & B Sharp and more
In conjunction with Wax Poetics, Rare Form Promotions, Audible Treats, and Loud Minority Music
PHILADELPHIA MOONLIGHTING RELEASE PARTY
Upstairs @ Metro Lounge @ 626 North Front St
April 20th, 10pm-2am
DJs Afrodjiak and Special Guest
In conjunction with The Sunshyne Group and Loud Minority Music
CHICAGO MOONLIGHTING RELEASE PARTY
The Silver Room @ 1442 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Friday, April 28, 7pm-10pm
Hosted By The Silver Room, L.E.S.,and DJ SEAN DOE (All Natural, Inc., Beatmonstas)
CINCINNATI MOONLIGHTING RELEASE PARTY
The SET @ GUILDHAUS @ 1622 Vine Street studio 22
April 29, 10pm-2:15am
Promoters: DJ Chris Paul, Josie of Enterprise Network, & DHawkins
TANYA MORGAN with LUPE FIASCO
University of Colorado at Boulder
April 22nd
Event sponsoring SORCE @ University of Colorado
RELEASE PARTIES TBA:
Cincinnati, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago
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