Gonjasufi | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Sumach Ecks |
Also known as | Sumach Valentine |
Origin | San Diego, California, United States |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | |
Instruments |
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Years active | 1990s–present |
Labels |
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Website | www |
Sumach Ecks[3] (born 1978),[4] better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi.[5]
Life and career
[edit]Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father.[3] He spent his formative years in Chula Vista, California.[5]
Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playing Helios the Sun God in the opera Persephone.[6]
In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within the San Diego hip hop scene; notably with the Masters of the Universe crew.[7][8] Touring under the stage names Sumach Valentine and Randy Johnson,[7] his first band was called Plant Lyphe.[6]
Ecks gained notice from Warp Records in 2008 after an appearance on Californian musician Flying Lotus' album Los Angeles, on which he sings on the track "Testament".[8] His Warp debut album, A Sufi and a Killer, was released March 8, 2010.[9]
Ecks' voice has been described by Pitchfork as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of George Clinton and Lead Belly".[8] He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more".[8] His music is largely experimental, fusing urban beats with psychedelic flourishes.[10][11]
Besides singing and rapping,[12] Ecks also serves as a producer,[13] DJ,[14] and yoga teacher.[5]
On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album, Callus, which featured contributions from Pearl Thompson.[15]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]- A Sufi and a Killer (2010)
- MU.ZZ.LE (2012)
- Callus (2016)
Remix albums
[edit]- The Caliph's Tea Party (2010)
- Mandela Effect (2017)
EPs
[edit]- The Ninth Inning EP (2011)
- Untitled (2013) (split with Ras G)
Singles
[edit]- "Holidays" b/w "Candylane" (2009)
- "Kowboyz&Indians" b/w "My Only Friend" (2010)
- "Kobwebz" b/w "Speaketh" (2010)
- "Nickels and Dimes" (2010)
- "Ninth Inning" (2011)
- "The Blame" (2012)
Guest appearances
[edit]- Flying Lotus – "Testament" from Los Angeles (2008)
- The Gaslamp Killer – "I'm in Awe" from Death Gate (2010)
- Humansuit – "Lawnmower Man" from Humansuit (2012)
- The Gaslamp Killer – "Veins" and "Apparitions" from Breakthrough (2012)
- Old English – "The Omen" from Band in Amerikkka (2013)
- Perera Elsewhere – "Giddy" from Everlast (2013)
- Awol One & Gel Roc – "Flight" from The Cloaks (2014)
- Dag Savage – "Bad Trip" from E & J (2014)
- The Bug – "Save Me" from Angels & Devils (2014)
- L'Orange & Mr. Lif – "Strange Technology" from The Life & Death of Scenery (2016)
- The Gaslamp Killer – "Good Morning" from Instrumentalepathy (2016)
- A7pha – "Hater Hate It" from A7pha (2017)
References
[edit]- ^ Fantano, Anthony (June 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic". NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ Dacks, David (May 13, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Meer, Malik (March 6, 2010). "Gonjasufi – the electro Hendrix". The Guardian. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ Green, Thomas H. (January 14, 2012). "theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Gonjasufi". The Arts Desk. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c Deal, Chad (January 20, 2012). "Gonjasufi Extended Interview". San Diego Reader. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Gimme5 Interview: Gonjasufi Archived March 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Lymangrover, Jason. "Gonjasufi Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Dombal, Ryan (February 25, 2010). "Rising: Gonjasufi". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
- ^ Hogwood, Ben (March 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer". MusicOMH. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Dacks, David (May 13, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Fantano, Anthony (June 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi: Musings Of A Hip-Hop Mystic". NPR. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Olshevski, Andrew (November 2, 2011). "New Mini-Album From Gonjasufi". CMJ. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Roberts, Randall (February 21, 2012). "Video premiere: Gonjasufi roams downtown L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Pressman, Joshua (March 15, 2010). "Tonight In Rock: She & Him, Gonjasufi, Moonrats, The Delta Mirror". LAist. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Thiessen, Brock (July 7, 2016). "Gonjasufi Returns with 'Callus'". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Gonjasufi discography at Discogs