DORIAN GEIGER
Arts Writer

Ray Black, a hip-hop artist and DJ from Vancouver, B.C., is cultivating a new sub-genre known as glitch-hop and he’s bringing his latest interpretation of rap to town.

“There’s a genre that’s just entitled ”˜glitch’ and it’s pretty much just a bunch of noises and eight-bit sounds. Really random shit. So imagine that plus hip-hop,” said Black of the obscure genre.

“It’s pretty much boom-bap hip-hop — with really deep bass, synths and glitchy, bugged-out noises over top. Some of it is offbeat, but is really original stuff. It’s hard to explain in words, but you’ll know it when you hear it,” Black said.

Black said that Los Angeles-based glitch-hop producers have been influencing his sound lately, including Flying Lotus, Low Limit and Samiyam. He said that glitch-hop has truly been a west coast development.

Black compares his own brand of glitch-hop to a psychedelic trip without the negative side-effects narcotics may induce.

“Since a lot of the beats are really bugged out and random I end up writing a lot of messed up, random stuff. It’s very abstract. I kind of take people on a journey through their head. It kind of feels like you’re on drugs — because that’s what this music does to me.”

As for the direction the genre will take in the future, Black thinks it has the potential to blow up, but hopes it does not turn into the next dub-step.

Black admitted he’s far from a pioneer of the genre and that he jumped on the glitch-hop bandwagon later than most.

Black, who travelled to Saskatoon this past August for a string of shows at the Barking Fish, enjoyed an intimate atmosphere for his first shows in the Paris of the Prairies. Now, set to unleash his new sounds at Amigos for an end of school banger, Black is excited to get back to western Canada.

“Last summer was hella fun. Cool city — didn’t get to experience it during the school year, but still was a good time. Real dope people!”

Black mixes his stage sets with a blend of DJing and master lyricism. He typically rocks the turntables, getting the crowd fired up with his own brand of funky, old-school and jazzy hip-hop before taking the mic and displaying his vast lyrical talent. Despite using vinyl, Black admitted his DJ style is becoming increasingly more digital too.

Black’s rap component of his shows stem from his involvement in the group Okay City, which is Black’s bread and butter alongside fellow artist, Bill Maka. Although Maka won’t be in Saskatoon, Black promises a good dose of Okay City content for Amgios.

Recently playing shows with the likes of Mac Miller and Talib Kweli, Black and Okay City are currently collaborating with Moka Only and getting ready to head out on a Canadian tour with hip-hop dynamos, Sweatshop Union. Since last summer, Black has also been making music with Saskatoon’s Sly Business and recently remixed their song “1976.”

Black is also long-time friends with recent Juno winner Shad, whom he met while living in Ontario. Shad was featured on Okay City’s Tocsin B, released last year.
For his own music, Black indicated they have a few tracks in the works at the moment too.

Ray Black will perform at Amigos April 29