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It’s been three years since ?uestlove (The Roots) famously revealed: “…I listened to the album ,Triple P' seven times in a row…I made 23 friends listen to the album 3 days straight… at gunpoint – I’m on the run. I will go to jail for Platinum Pied Pipers." And the time has been used well by Waajeed and Saadiq, who have since changed their name to the more simply stated PPP.
“Abundance” marks the arrival of PPP as a band. They have developed a new sound that’s even bigger, and an album that’s more dynamic and organic than their first. While “Triple P” brought worldwide notoriety to the Detroit based PPP production crew and their global collective of like-minded and soulful collaborators, “Abundance” raises the stakes. They have reclaimed the music of their city. The golden Motown era sounds that their parents played while they were growing up have been given a thorough and respectful re-rub for a new century and a new generation of listeners.
While “Triple P” had a helping hand from an eclectic selection of edgy peers like Dilla (R.I.P.), Steve Spacek, SA-RA Creative Partners, and Invincible, it also launched the solo careers of previously unknown vocalists Georgia Anne Muldrow and Tiombe Lockhart.
“Abundance” has a much more focused guest list and shines the spotlight on amazing new talents Coultrain, Karma, and Jamila Raegan. Rather than repeat the successful formula of “Triple P”, PPP would prefer to progress and develop with new conspirators to keep proceedings fresh.
“Coultrain brings the substance and the ‘cool’, Karma brings the power and fire; it’s amazing she’s not been discovered before. Jamila brings style with her unique tone. Together it’s a winning combo”, says Waajeed.
Since the release of “Triple P”, Waajeed and production partner Saadiq moved from Detroit to Brooklyn. And while Brooklyn life may have changed their sound, it has also made them appreciate their Motor City roots which are audible throughout the album, the majority of which was mixed in Detroit by Grammy Award winning engineer Todd Fairall. From the Motown vibe of “On A Cloud”, the super-soulful gospel-tinged first single that exemplifies the new PPP sound, to the techno-influenced “Rocket Science”, Detroit is evident throughout. Prior to the release of “Abundance”, PPP performed new tracks to packed crowds in Europe on a 25-date Fall tour in a warm-up for 2009.
During their first album campaign, PPP sold out tours worldwide, playing high profile performances at the likes of ‘Coachella’ and ‘Central Park Summer Stage’, with acts like Roy Ayers, Brazilian Girls, and Mark Ronson. PPP’s cover of “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” was voted one of the ‘Songs of the Year’ by listeners to the BBC Radio 1 show Worldwide, in 2005.
Between gigs and recording albums, Waajeed has been working with Cee-Lo, Mark Ronson protégé Daniel Merriweather, Pharoahe Monch, and John Legend protégé Estelle, and has remixed artists such as Radiohead, Roy Ayers, and Tony Allen, just to name a few.
(Quelle: Groove Attack, 1.12.2008)
FORMAT: CD
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