【說書人】Marc Mac - Extend the Knowledge

這個星期開車時都在聽Marc Mac《Extend the Knowledge》的日版初回盤（2012年），本以為會有點嚴肅（看封面），實際上卻很開闊；在紛亂的今日，Marc Mac想傳達的觀念格外珍貴。

這張《Extend the Knowledge》包含了再早一點的《It's Right to Be Civil》，所以是兩張一套的專輯（以下指的《Extend the Knowledge》都是《Extend the Knowledge》加上《It's Right to Be Civil》），如果再加上後來的《Message from Soulville》和《Generation-X》，規模便是四張一套，聽起來更是完整（黑膠迷更是不容錯過！）。

從唱片封面和名稱，大家應該不難猜出Marc Mac把箭矢射向遙遠的二十世紀六、七零年代。人們對於出身於4hero的Marc Mac，可能多半會是專做Breakbeat和Drum and Bass這類強力重拍的音樂印象，但《Extend the Knowledge》卻降低了夜店風氣，灌注了HipHop草創時期的意念，大量取樣了美國黑人為取得政治正確（Political correctness）階段的演講片斷，配合著Marc Mac手中所彈，讓心中所欲的遠景跳脫時空藩籬，希望形成一種類似形而上的音樂內含，即，透過音樂削減政治議題過於嚴正的特殊性，以較為柔軟的手段雕塑此一議題，如下面這首夾雜演說和Marvin Gaye歌聲的絕佳「範本」：



如果粗論作品意境，Gil Scott-Heron的政治與音樂是50/50，《Extend the Knowledge》的政治與音樂是30/70，因此，聽者可能在不知不覺中從好聽的音樂裡體會到深淺不一的黑人民權歷史氛圍，或許還可以在自己心中投射出一些影像。

《Extend The Knowledge》是讓你在聽歌娛樂之餘不忘教你一堂歷史課的好物，假如能繼續延伸至《Message from Soulville》和《Generation-X》，你的收穫會更多。

【MV】4hero - Escape That

I feel it's time that we depart

For futures that means there's no start

All hopes and a sense that we may feel

'Cause peace has lost its mass appeal

Concern has fostered change of mind

Now all that's certain is a passing of time

With patience gone, now greed prevails

Oblivion time we set sail

But it's not as bad as it may seem

I know a place that's found in dreams

The visions in my mind let me see

That Heaven's gates may truly be

Where your inner soul is known to you

And spiritual ground is captured too

If you open your mind you'll be welcome to

Escape that (Going back, going back, back, back)

Escape that (Going back, going back, back, back)

Escape that (Going back)

Where's there's no wrong

When life was strong

Escape that (Going back, going back, back, back)

Escape that (Going back, going back, back, back)

Ooh Escape that (Going back)

Where's there's no wrong

When life was strong

(Back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back)

Where's there's no wrong

When life was strong

Escape that (Back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

Escape that (Going back, going back)

Where's there no wrong

When life was strong

I was once told that nature's plan

Was God's way of looking after Man

That carelessness has a price to pay

Now all that's certain is Judgment Day

Mortality's doom has left a trail

At this moment it seems to fail

Selfishness has a destructive path

Regret be felt in the aftermath

But it's not as bad as it may seem

For I know a place that's found in dreams

The visions in my mind let me see

That Heaven's gates may truly be

Where your inner soul is known to you

And spiritual ground is captured too

If you open your mind you'll be welcome, welcome to

(Back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

Escape that (Going back)

Where there's no wrong

When life was strong

Ooh Escape that (Back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

Ooh Escape that (Going back)

Where there's no wrong

When life was strong

(Back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

Where there's no wrong

When life was strong

(Back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

(Going back, going back, back, back)

Where there's no wrong

When life was strong

version ii.

final version.

【女聲】Ayanna - Truthfully EP

Ayanna Witter-Johnson是第一位在Apollo Theater的 Amateur Night 素人大賽拿到第一名的英國人。學習大提琴多年的Ayanna（鋼琴亦不俗），不只會唱，也會創作，2011年9月，在Marc Mac (of 4hero)的製作下，首部作品 Truthfully 以EP方式發行了：

看看之前的作品 Give In ：

Give In 的原版是Phonte與Darien Brockington為4hero的專輯 Play With the Changes 所唱：

　

【靈饗】Erik Rico & Marc Mac (of 4hero) - Direct Soul EP

　
這個，你絕不能錯過，另一種foreign exchange！

“For me there's no one set way that I begin the creative process, which is why technology is so important; it allows me to capture things on the fly like a moment’s inspiration” Eric Rico

When L.A. based Eric Rico and Marc Mac (4hero) hooked up in the studio this summer, the only guideline was not to let the boundaries of tempo & style limit the creation.

Marc's Afro-Latinic frame fused with Tech-Soul forms the bedding for Eric’s unique vocal style.

A real modern day fusion elusive of genre and stretching our mental perception of SOUL.


　

Erik Rico
http://lifenotesmusic.weebly.com/

Marc Mac
http://marcmacproductions.com/