equiknoxx: eternal children

On Eternal Children, “forward thinking music group” Equiknoxx, comprising of – (Shanique Marie, Bobby Blackbird, Gavsborg, Kemikal Splash & Time Cow) do something they have never done before: express themselves as a collective. For the better part of a dancehall decade, producers Gavin “Gavsborg” Blair and Nick “Bobby Blackbird” Deane have created a who’s who list of collaborations including Aidonia, Busy Signal, Masicka, Kabaka Pyramid, Spice, Beenie Man & Missy Elliott; while Jordan “Time Cow” Chung and Gavsborg have scored numerous ‘Album of the Year’ accolades from publications such as FACT, Pitchfork, The FADER, Passion Of The Weiss & Rolling Stone with their Bird Sound Power and Colón Man releases parsed and pieced by Demdike Stare & Jon K for Demdike Stare’s DDS imprint. Eternal Children however is the result of five (5) creative forces combined to form the group Equiknoxx. Three producer/vocalists (Blair/Chung/Deane) combine with two (2) vocalists: Shanique Marie and Kemikal for a comprehensive family affair. Shanique Marie’s debut EP “Uno” was produced by Gavsborg & Bobby Blackbird while the lyricist Kemikal’s only previous solo foray “Graffiti” was handled exclusively by Chung. Eternal Children represents the synthesis of ideas as the group created the album in typical organic style, recording half of it in a single session at the legendary Anchor studios in Kingston, Jamaica. The resulting eight track effort is as eclectic as the collective; spanning experimental and classic dancehall, hip hop and even a ballad, all while staying true to the unique sound they have become known for. From abstract sound and astral storytelling from Kemikal and Shanique Marie on the opening track Solomon Is A Cup, the pace jumps several notches on the energetic ode to the borough of Brooklyn. Shanique Marie returns to the dancehall lashing line after line on the Riddim driven Corner and takes the lead once more on a tribute to the city of Manchester (fast becoming a second home to the group). The track also features Swing Ting lyrical heavyweight Fox and was co-produced by the younger brother of Gavsborg: Brent Blair aka Brent Bird. Side C sees Time Cow on the buttons for Good Sandra complemented by the pen of a witty Kemikal & Gavsborg plus the suave of a cool Shanique Marie. Move Along performed by Shanique Marie & Time Cow is a sub 150bpm belter that was conceptualized somewhere in Eastern Europe prior to an Equiknoxx Live Set. Both tracks are reminiscent of the hard hitting off-kilter rhythms of Bird Sound Power and Colón Man with vocals that could only be delivered by those intimately familiar with the psychedelic offerings. In keeping the family close, longtime Equiknoxx collaborator Alozade makes a feature appearance alongside Kemikal & Gavsborg on the penultimate Grave: a dark assault on the senses. Eternal Children closes with the soothing Rescue Me, a duet with Blackbird and Shanique Marie that occasionally trespasses into a pseudo-pop territory. Eternal Children represents a new direction for the collective, venturing into parts unknown. They are not totally alone on the journey as several familiar faces were key in the release of the project: Karen Cazabon (Sleeve design), Rub-A-Dub (Distributor), Mothashipp (Mixing) and Nick Sinna (Mastering). The cover art was done by Bobby Blackbird himself. The direction of the entire project would have been an impossible task without the guidance of Balraj Samrai of Swing Ting Records