JAIMEO BROWN TRANSCENDENCE MEAN WORLD REMIX FEATURING CARL CRAIG / Q-TIP

Earlier this year, drummer, composer and conceptualist Jaimeo Brown transformed pain and deliverance into art on his debut album, Transcendence (April 9, Motéma Music). The project fused Gee's Bend Quilters southern spirituals with North Indian music and various electronic elements, generally uncommon for an acoustic modern jazz record.

  

Now, Brown takes his cross-genre project a step further with support from Grammy® winning Transcendence guitarist and producer Chris Sholar, techno producer Carl Craig and hip-hop producer Q-Tip (who refer to the track as "fantastic" and "dope," respectively), on a radical recasting of "Mean World." This track combines 200 years of black music from spirituals, blues, rock, jazz, house, and hip-hop sprinkled with North Indian influences in the first time these platinum selling black producers have ever been heard together on the same track. The remix also takes advantage of the artists featured in the original track: saxophonist JD Allen and vocals from the Gee's Bend Quilters as well as Falu.

"I'm so blessed to be involved in this work of art that transcends style and genre," reflects Brown. "Everyone contributed something truly personal and unique that was woven together into a brilliant tapestry of sound." The drummer has always sought new pathways for musical expression through a deep and broad lineage of musical and cultural traditions, and this remix is a very effective extension of Brown's vision.

Sholar, who recently won a Grammy® with Kanye West, comments, "It is always a pleasure to work with such legends as Q-Tip and Carl Craig... This track shows that good music is universal and transcends all genres. We had a ball remixing this track!" The guitarist and producer, whose credits include Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Mariah Carey, among others, co-produced the remix as well as the original album. His expertise, along with Brown's concept behind Transcendence, and the transcendental additions provided by Carl Craig and Q-Tip provided the perfect storm of creativity for developing this unusual and powerful offering for clubs and DJs on the international scene.