http://www.thesituation.co.uk/concert_frameset.html
Pharoahe Monch album listening party @ No.5 Bar, London 23/03/2006
By Nooreen Kara
Currently doing the rounds performing in Europe, Pharoahe Monch invited industry insiders to have the first listen of his upcoming album ‘Desire’. While he’s known for his hard lyrics and complex tracks, most notably the stomping ‘Simon Says’ from his 1999 solo debut ‘Internal Affairs’, this album sees Monch stray slightly, finding himself revelling in a more soulful ambience.
The title track ‘Desire’, i.e. “the fire that ignites the push”, is produced by The Alchemist, and leads on nicely to the next track. ‘Push’ is the first official single, slated for a September 18 release. Self-produced, Monch encourages everyone who “represents the struggle” and with ‘desire’ to push. ‘Tower of Power’ serve as the Bay Area soul band who strike up a impressive melody of horns on the beat.
Versatility is Monch’s key as he discusses topics varying from girls to gats, the latter of which features on ‘When the Gun Draws’. This follows-up from ‘Stray Bullet’, a track Monch made as part of NY duo Organized Konfusion, told from the perspective of a bullet. He hopes the track will be accompanied by a 15-minute short film, available only on the non-censored world wide web.
“Sometimes I’m silly, and I’ll write a song about girls with six-inch heels and booty shorts,” he laughs as he plays ‘Bar Tap’. Initiating from this song will be a series of nasty skits, where Monch will go on to marry and subsequently murder the girl he meets.
Old-skool pop even gets a mention. After admitting his childhood fondness for Tom Jones, Monch played ‘Body Baby’. Again self-produced, the track is reminiscent of something a lil’ Vegas-inspired, as Monch switches his style to mimic Elvis Presley on the chorus. There’s the street tracks too: the internet-leaked hype track ‘Let’s Go’ and ‘What It Is’.
‘Desire’ features a couple of superstar guest spots – both Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu have both laid down vocals for ‘Hold On’ – and on the boards are various producers, including Denaun Porter, aka Kon Artis of D12, who executively produces this album. Monch praises him for being able to “shift from different sounds”, varying from 50 Cent’s ‘P.I.M.P’ to everything he’s done with D12 and now what he’s done on ‘Desire’. Porter also produces the track ‘Walk Alone’, which samples Aretha Franklin.
‘Desire’ will be released on Steve Rifkind’s SRC label. The rapper switched from Geffen and almost signed with Eminem’s Shady Records, but contract difficulties between Geffen led him to “wait it out”. Monch says, “We went on tour with Mos and Kweli and I got on a bunch of writing projects; I wrote a couple of songs for Puff’s new record.” Believing he was too blessed to not release the material he had, friends and family encouraged him to push forward and after more label negotiations, he chose SRC. “They not only felt records like ‘Push’ and ‘Hold On’ but the A&Rs and Steve Rifkind are also interested in songs like ‘When the Gun Draws’.” Monch is adamant he will record a clip for that track: “Hip hop at the core is just moving away from radio and moving more towards internet and I feel I’ll be able to express myself more through the visual on the net, than on, say, MTV.”
Fans of Monch’s earlier work won’t be disappointed; ‘Desire’ is fresh, and his rhymes are on point. “The one thing I know that when you step away from the game as an artist is people don’t get to see your growth or which way you’re moving, be it diagonal, sideways, up or down, or spiritual. The dark side of Pharoahe is an easy and comfortable part for me to be in, but I’ve also grown into that singing aspect, soulful wise. I try to keep people who check for me guessing.”
‘Desire’ is set for a November 27, 2006 release.
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November 27th! Pharoahe Monch
