Jaimeo Brown Transcendence's Work Songs is one of the most exciting, experimental, and important albums set to drop this year. The project is centered on the samples of songs laborers have sung through the ages as they toiled away with their work. Producer and drummer Jaimeo Brown teamed up with Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Chris Sholar and a host of other musicians to usher these historic tunes into the new millennium. What makes Transcendence's music so literally transcendent is how it builds new sonic textures on top of these historic audio samples, effectively linking our present with our past. When the two things come together, the audio collages arrive at a sound that's incredibly forward-thinking and fresh.One of the standout tracks from Work Songs is "For Mama Lucy," which features a sample of the voice of Leroy Grant, a man who was incarcerated in Mississippi's Parchman Farm prison in the 50s. We hear Grant sing in a throaty croon about being distraught over a ill loved one. But what's cool is that the backing music behind his voice takes us on a journey that begins with a distorted blues rock sound that recalls the vibe of Electric Mud, and then evolves drastically, culminating with some blissed-out free jazz that sounds as chaotic and propulsive as modern life feels.VICE is proud to exclusively premiere the music video for "For Mama Lucy," which you can watch below. The video follows the song's lead, visually bridging that gap between our past and our future through sampling. But in the video's case, it's the sampling of historical images spliced with the trappings of modern-day life. We see plantations and slain Civil Rights leaders in black and white as well as LCD monitors and current technology in vibrant color. Watch the video below and then keep scrolling down to read a short email interview I had with Jaimeo, who breaks down his vision for "For Mama Lucy" and the whole Work Songs project in general.VICE: How did you develop the concept for this video?
Jaimeo Brown: The concept of the video is woven from the fabric of the larger Transcendence story. Transcendence seeks to transcend the barriers of history, art, and technology. We wanted everything, visually and sonically, to line up with this message so that "For Mama Lucy" would be accentuated emotionally. It was very much a collaborative effort amongst the creative team that has been involved—Steph Thom and Freda Knowles from saltjam., Haley Brawner from my record label, and the talented filmmaker Brad Wong, who did an amazing job finding the raw footage and assembling it to create a coherent, powerful piece.The music video is a collage of images spanning a wide swath of American history. But it seems to begin and end with images of what looks like the Oak Alley plantation—there are also references to the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and World War II. How did you select the images for this film, what do they say to you, and how do they reinforce the overall concept of the song and the album?
The images that were chosen reflect the historical nature of Transcendence. In order to transcend the darker realities of our history, we have to face them. Transcendence finds its roots in the African-American experience, but demonstrates the common denominators that are found in every culture. The album illuminates music that has been tied to great struggle, perseverance, ingenuity, and courage. From Mississippi to Yamagata, Japan, work songs have been a way that humans have been able to transcend the overwhelming hardships of life.As the video progresses, it turns from black and white into vibrant color. What is the significance of this shift?
The color also speaks to the future, as the black-and-white images refer to our history. The goal was to connect the two. It's always important to me that hope is the preeminent message of Transcendence, and I believe the color helps bring that out and conveys our optimism.At certain points, we see not only the collaged images, but also the mediums through which they are disseminated—like televisions, iPads, and computer screens… What's important about not only the message, but the medium in which we get content?
Technology has produced a virtual reality in our culture. The idea of transcending technology focuses on making the best use of this medium. The Gees Bend quilters taught me that necessity and creativity are the parents of invention. If we have the right intentions, technology can be used in incredible ways to transcend.What can we expect to see from the other music videos coming from this project?
I'm really hyped about the next video. It will feature some incredible work by the prodigious animator and filmmaker Fons Schiedon and dancer DC Focus. The visual elements of Transcendence are as important as the music itself, and we're really excited about creating stunning videos that encourage others to transcend!Pre-order Work Songs on iTunes and go see Transcendence live at the Brooklyn Bowl on February 21.Follow Wilbert on Twitter.
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Jaimeo Brown: The concept of the video is woven from the fabric of the larger Transcendence story. Transcendence seeks to transcend the barriers of history, art, and technology. We wanted everything, visually and sonically, to line up with this message so that "For Mama Lucy" would be accentuated emotionally. It was very much a collaborative effort amongst the creative team that has been involved—Steph Thom and Freda Knowles from saltjam., Haley Brawner from my record label, and the talented filmmaker Brad Wong, who did an amazing job finding the raw footage and assembling it to create a coherent, powerful piece.
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The images that were chosen reflect the historical nature of Transcendence. In order to transcend the darker realities of our history, we have to face them. Transcendence finds its roots in the African-American experience, but demonstrates the common denominators that are found in every culture. The album illuminates music that has been tied to great struggle, perseverance, ingenuity, and courage. From Mississippi to Yamagata, Japan, work songs have been a way that humans have been able to transcend the overwhelming hardships of life.As the video progresses, it turns from black and white into vibrant color. What is the significance of this shift?
The color also speaks to the future, as the black-and-white images refer to our history. The goal was to connect the two. It's always important to me that hope is the preeminent message of Transcendence, and I believe the color helps bring that out and conveys our optimism.At certain points, we see not only the collaged images, but also the mediums through which they are disseminated—like televisions, iPads, and computer screens… What's important about not only the message, but the medium in which we get content?
Technology has produced a virtual reality in our culture. The idea of transcending technology focuses on making the best use of this medium. The Gees Bend quilters taught me that necessity and creativity are the parents of invention. If we have the right intentions, technology can be used in incredible ways to transcend.What can we expect to see from the other music videos coming from this project?
I'm really hyped about the next video. It will feature some incredible work by the prodigious animator and filmmaker Fons Schiedon and dancer DC Focus. The visual elements of Transcendence are as important as the music itself, and we're really excited about creating stunning videos that encourage others to transcend!Pre-order Work Songs on iTunes and go see Transcendence live at the Brooklyn Bowl on February 21.Follow Wilbert on Twitter.