AUDIOMUTANT: Ceschi and Fake Four Inc. edition
It's the third installment of AUDIOMUTANT, TM's "music digest" feature as hosted by me, and it actually comes sooner than planned and with a slightly changed formula. "Why sooner, and why change something that's already perfect?" you may ask. There are important reasons! Today's AM is about Ceschi Ramos and his label, Fake Four Inc.
Usually I try to keep this feature as varied as possible and feature news, reviews etc. from all kinds of artists and genres that I consider interesting, noteworthy, et cetera. Variety is pretty much this whole website's thing, so it's only appropriate. But today is different and the focus is on the Connecticut indie hip hop/folk/whathaveyou artist Ceschi and Fake Four Inc., the label that he started with his brother David, and that became home to some of the most interesting music acts in recent years (not just hip hop ones).
It's a very messed up and frustrating situation, and if you didn't yet hear about this, then below you can read all about Ceschi's highly controversial arrest, the case against him and the initiative to keep Fake Four going while he's away. Since a lot of you may be new to Fake Four and its artists (including Ceschi), the rest of today's AUDIOMUTANT will feature some select tracks that might get you interested in the label's rich catalogue. Who knows, maybe some of you will start digging around after this article and find a new favorite artist. If you do, make sure to support them and Fake Four Inc. #FREECESCHI. HELP FAKE FOUR Here's the statement regarding Ceschi's extremely shady arrest and sentence, and information on the crowdfunding campaign to keep Fake Four alive. Keep in mind that despite the name of the whole initiative, the goal is not actually to free Ceschi (though if all the media attention this generates helps his case in any way, then that would obviously be amazing). It's about spreading the word about the injustice that happened to him, the practices that the law enforcement uses, and about making sure that the label he founded and worked hard to establish will not be ruined because of what happened.
So that's that. The more you read about it, the more frustrating and angering it gets. David Ramos (Ceschi's brother) provides updates on the situation while Ceschi is away, and it's really sad how the situation affected their family and especially their grandfather, who they have a very strong bond with. Make sure to visit the provided links and spread the word about what happened if you'd like to help out. The thing that really speaks for Fake Four, not just as a label, but as a community, is the amount of support both the fans and the artists have been showing. And speaking of artists: let's get to the music. Obviously this isn't even the tip of the iceberg, but it's probably better to feature a few songs than to dump albums-worth of music on you guys. AUDIO: CESCHI & FACTOR - "PRAY" Even though my favorite Ceschi album is 2010's "The One Man Band Broke Up" (produced entirely by DJ Scientist, who did absolutely beautiful work for it. Check it out!), and I think it's the record where Ceschi's talents as lyricist, rapper, singer and instrumentalist are really shining at their brightest, it was an older song that's my favorite of his. It's "Pray", from the Canadian producer and frequent collaborator Factor's 2008 album "Chandelier." That was the song that initially really sold me on Ceschi, it's absolutely great, so I'm gonna say it may be a real good place to start. AUDIO: CARS & TRAINS - "BLACK BIRDS IN THE BRANCHES" I was a bit late to the party on cars & trains, but when I finally checked it out it, this song became a favorite fast. Cars & trains is multi-instrumentalist Tom Filepp, from Portland, Oregon, who makes music in a very interesting electronic/folk style and also runs Fake Four's "sister label" Circle Into Square. This song is from last year's album "We Are All Fire." VIDEO: FACTOR - "GRAHAM LAWSON" Closing this edition of AUDIOMUTANT is Factor's video for "Lawson Graham", from his 2010 record by the same name. Probably not the most impressive Fake Four video to choose, but I always liked it a lot, and this is a great instrumental track and goddamn right it's great for walking your dog at night. That's barely scratching the surface, but if you find something you like in the songs we featured, then the links sprinkled throughout this article should get you started on exploring these and other artists on the Fake Four roster. Make sure to check out the Fake Four Inc. website and their Bandcamp. Also, if you didn't yet know about them, check out the Trash Mutant interviews with Gregory Pepper and Sole, and look around our music section for some reviews of their albums. Remember to spread the word about #FREECESCHI and Fake Four, and I'll see you next time. Have you enjoyed today's AUDIOMUTANT? Do you have your own Fake Four and Ceschi favorites you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments! |
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